Following is a copy of the letter exactly as it was written. The ..... represents areas in which either a word or words were illegible or a piece of the letter had been torn off
"Agreeabe to the Requst of My Gran son E.W. Dale i have taken my seat in ordeer to give him the Geanligy of our family etc, etc.
I wll go back to about 1695 In the reign of William & Mary in England my great gran Father came over to America and Brot his youngest son (of seven sons) John Dale age about seven years old, came with a view to settle in America if he should like the Country he landed at Philedalphia.. from there he went to the Head of the Elk he has a sister living there who was married to a gentleman by the name of McKnite and while there took sick and died1 and my gran Father lived with his Relations until grown, and then he married a cousin, a Daughter of Mr. McKnites & her sister Married a man by the name of Powell and my granFather & Mr. Powell moved to the Eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester County and there met with som of my gran Father's Cousins who had come to America, their names John, Samuel & Archie Dale they all Bot Land adjoining each other in the North end of said County on the seaboard where they continued until their Deaths, and I was raised on the place where my gran Father Died in the year 1778 aged about 90 years old. my gran Ma had died som two or three years before they had six children 2 sons & 4 daughters who lived to raise familyes..My Father was the youngest except one, & my Uncle John Dale the oldest he lived on the place where my gran Father first settled on ..... 3 miles from us. they all Raised purty large familys my father raised 5 sons & 5 daughters. all Married & had familys, I was the ..... there is but two of us living one sister and myself and we are ..... nature cant here much longer for I shall be ..... to see the 14th of next July my sister is some 10 .....
Well as before stated my great gran Father died he had left his family in Ireland he had lived about seven miles from the City of Londonderry, they were from England, they wer wat was called Desenters and were of the order of Presbyterians, the Persecution had caused a great many to leave England & seek some place they could enjoy their Religion which caused thousands to come to America. I never of a certainty knew of more than two of my gran Fathers Brothers that come to America they settled in Pennsylvania one of them in Philadelphia. I recollect of one of my Father's cousins coming to see him. one of his Cousins in the Revolutionary War Commanded one of the ships and was a Comidore in that war and was a very brave man and I was informed by a gentleman in the City of Nashvill who had been a sea Captain for many years that in the late war with England that a son of Comidore Dales of the Revolution Commanded one of our ships & was called Comidore. I was introduced to said Capt. by C.M. Lidmore, he immediatley observed you must be related to the Dales of Philadelphia. i told him we were Related, he observed he was certain of it from our Complexion I favor. I removed from the Eastern shore of Maryland and the spring of 1797 to the state of Tennessee I continued to live there. I would have endeavorde to give more of our family Connection, I have known several of our name in this Country but not able to find our Relationship. there was in the late War a Coll. Dale who fought a Battle with the Creek Indians and aided so bravely that a county in the state of Alabama in called Dale county............ Coll. Dale so we have a county to keep ...... etc, etc.
1. Adam says that his great grandfather "took sick and died" while visiting his sister - indicating that this took place immediatley upon his arrival in America. It may well be that he did die while visiting his sister but not as early as is indicated for a grant of land was made to James Dale of Somerset County, MD. in May of 1723 for a tract called Castle Hill. That it is this same James Dale is certain for a deed for half of Castle Hill was contracted by John Dale and his wife Elizabeth with Adam Brevard both of Somerset Co. It reads, in part: "To all Christian People to whom these presents shall come knew ye that John Deals (son of James Deale deceased) and Elizabeth his wife for Divers good causes & considerations him thereunto moving, but more Especially for the Consideration of thirteen pounds curr't money of Maryland and five hundred pounds of Tobacco to him, the said John Deale in hand paid by a certain Adam Brevard hath promised released etc. ... a Tract or parcell of land called and known by the name of Castle Hill containing two hundred acres of land and laid out for John Caldwell of the said County and Province and that by virtue of Warrant granted to him the 19th day of July 1721 assigned and made over to the said James Deale the said two hundred acres which said John Deale was son and heir to the said James Deale deceased to have and to hold the one half of the land etc. etc. This deed is dated 21 April 1737.
Adam also says that John the son of James was "raised by relations" - the traditon being that he was raised by his Aunt Martha because his father was dead. It may well be that he was raised by Martha (Dale) McKnight for it would be natural for a widower (which it appeared James was) to leave his 7 year old son with relations but this is not conclusive proof that James died and therefore left hs son for his sister to raise.