Individual Details

From 1822 through 1824, Samuel Dale appeared on the personal property tax rolls of Rockbridge Co with seven to five horses in his possession. Beginning in 1826 and continuing through 1828, Alexander Dale is on the rolls, declaring about the same number of horse. This agrees with the information from the chancery court cases that Samuel deeded his land to Alexander in return for care in his old age.
Why Alexander doesn't appear after 1828 is puzzling, unless he simply had sold the horses and had nothing to declare.

1830 Census. Rockbridge Co VA
Alexr Dale. 1m under 5, 1m 20-30 [Alexander], 2 males age 60-70
1f age 5-10, 3f age 20-30, 1f age 70-80
No other Dale listed that year, Samuel believed deceased in August of 1829. The older men in the household are a mystery. Isabella likely the older lady. Alexander was not yet married - his sisters must have been in the household.


Case in Chancery Court, Rockbridge Co VA.
Joseph Reed vs. Alexander Dale et al
Index 1832-004
20 Sep 1832: The defendants included the children of Samuel Dale, dec'd: Alexander, Nancy who had married James McCarty, Rebecca who had married Andrew K. Lawson and was dec'd leaving infant heirs Andrew & Isabella Lawson, Isabella, Jane, Sally & Betsy. Also Matthew White, Hugh H. Wardlaw and Abraham Wayland.
The court was of the opinion that the deed of 22 Nov 1826 with Lawson's Title bond to Reed & Samuel Dale was executed in the lifetime of Samuel Dale and rested in Reed as unquestionable legal title. The plaintiff's bill was dismissed and he was ordered to pay the defendants their costs.

Joseph Reed's complaint stated that
In the year 1791, Alexander Dale obtained a patent for land on Carrs Creek. Shortly afterwards said Alexander departed this life and the land descended to his son and heir John Dale. In the year 1793, John Dale sold the land to David Lawson who executed a bond. Lawson entered on this land and continued to reside on it until his death in 1823 or 1824; part of the money unpaid at his death. John Dale died many years since and left all his estate to his brother Samuel. David Lawson by his will left this tract to his son David Lawson.
In 1826 David Lawson [Jr] had sold land to him for $400. He paid $220 and executed two bonds of $100 each for the residue. He had paid the first bond. Samuel Dale had in the 1825 executed deed to his son Alexander Dale for a tract on which he then lived. Joseph believed said Dale had conveyed to his son Alexander the title to the land on which Lawson lived. Reed maintatins that the land sold to him by Lawson was no part of Dales tract and did not even join. Samuel Dale has departed this life and he seeks title, but has been advised that the title in in the hands of Samuel Dales' heirs. His bond was assigned to Matthew Shite who assigned the same to Hugh W. Wardlaw and then was transferred to Abraham Wayland. These three men have been added as defendants. He is willing to pay but wants to make sure he had a clear title before doing so.

The answer of Alexander Dale, that he admits in 1791 a patent was issued to Alexander Dale and descended from him to his son & heir John Dale, by whom it was sold to David Lawson. John Dale devise the same to Samuel Dale, father of this respondent. In 1825, Samuel Dale agreet to convey to this respondent the land on which he lived, provided Alexander would support him and his mother for the remainder of their lives in decent comfort. A deed embraced the tract of seventy seven acres sold to Lawson. Upon hearing of a possible deed of trust by Lawson he was informed for the first time, that his father's claim was to the purchase money and not to the land itself. His father executed to him the paper to transfer this claim to the balance of the purchase money and empowered him to make a deed when it was paid. The plaintiff afterwards purchased the land; he was aware of the circumstances and has been in quiet and peacible possession of the land ever since.

Deed of Feb, 1825:
Samuel Dale my father hath this day by deed conveyed to me the tract on Carr's Creek where he resides. In consideration I agree to support and maintain him and his wife Isabella my mother, on said land for the remainder of their lives. Signed: Alexander Dale
Wit: John Miller, David Lawson & Hiram Russ who proved the deed 28 Feb 1825

26 Feb 1825. Samuel Dale to Alexander Dale for love and affection which he bears to his son and for the support and maintenance of Samuel and his wife, does sell a parcel of land on Carrs Creek, 550 acres, adjacent the lands of John Gilmore, John Miller, John Moore, Nancy Goodbar, Wm Logan & Thomas Lackey, being the same where Samuel Dale now resides.
Signed: Samuel (x) Dale, Alexander Dale
Wit: John Miller, David Lawson, Hiram Russ

May 1826 I hereby assign to my son Alexander Dale the claim which I have on the estate of David Lawson for the sum of fifteen pounds and Interest thereon from 1 May 1794, being the blanace owned on a tract of land on the head waters of Kerrs Creek, sold by John Dale in 1793 to said Lawson, now in the possession of David Lawson Junr. I do empower the said Alexander Dale to make to the said David Lawson Junr or his heirs or assigns a good title as soon as he receives the sum of money. Signed: Samuel (X) Dale
Wit: Isabella Dale [probably his daughter]

22 Nov 1826 Alexander Dale to Joseph Reid. Alexander Dale Senr, grandfather to above named Alexander, did in his lifetime obtain a grant dated 23 Mar 1791 for 77 acres on the head waters of Kerrs Creek in Augusta, now Rockbridge County. At the death of said Alexander, the same descended to John Dale, son of Alexander who sold the same to David Lawson now deceased, and executed his title bond to said David 24 Jan 1793. The purchase money never having been completely paid, John left his estate to Samuel Dale his brother and father to Alexander. Samuel Dale by deed dated 26 Feb 1825, conveyed all his lands to the said Alexander Dale his son including the 77 acres. David Lawson Junr, son to said David Lawson Senr. hath sold to the said Joseph Ried his Interest in the 77 acres and paid the balance of the purchase money due to John Dale, he being the heir of David Lawson Senr. Since title was in the hands of the said Alexander Dale and the balance has been paid he now sells to the said Joseph Reid the tract of 77 acres. Signed: Alexander Dale
22 Nov 1826. Deed acknowledge by Alexander Dale.


Case in Chancery Court, Rockbridge Co VA
John Ruff, Trustee, v. Alexander Dale in his own right and as administrator of Samuel Dale, dec'd; Isabella Dale; Andrew Lawson; Jane Dale; Sally Dale; Harvey Dale, an infant under the age of 21 by his guardian ad litem Saml. McD. Ried [also spelled Reid and Reed].
Decision, 20 Sep 1837. Out of his own estate, Alexander Dale is to pay defendants Andrew Lawson & Harvey Dale each the sum of $46.71 1/2 with interest from 1831 after they post bond for same. The bill of Ruff to be dismissed and he is to pay Alexander Dale his costs.
A later decision, 24 Apr 1839, was also in the file. It was much the same as the first but contained the final statement of the commissioner which excluded distribution to certain of the heirs because of advancements they had received [McCarty, Jane & Alexander Dale].

Bill of John Ruff, Trustee, representing Jas. C. McCarty and his wife Nancy. We find that on 14 Sep 1821, McCarty had a debt of $87.11 to one William Wilson; a deed of trust had been made by McCarty to Ruff, based on the personal and real estate of Samuel Dale, dec'd in October of 1829. In other words, Ruff had initiated this suit in an attempt to get his money. The land of Samuel Dale was deeded to his son Alexander in 1825 prior to his death so there was nothing but personal estate to share among the seven children, including Nancy McCarty. He does give the death of Samuel Dale as about the 14 of August 1829. Alexander Dale, administrator of Samuel's estate has never made a final accounting to the courts. There were innuendos that Alexander had not managed the settlement property. Rebecca Dale, who married Andrew Lawson, is now dead and he is a resident of the State of Ohio. Betsey Dale is also dead, leaving Harvey, an illegitimate child, who also lives in Ohio.

Isabella and Sally Dale answered the charges by saying they do not admit to an equal share for James & Nancy McCarty unless they account for advances made to Nancy by Samuel her father, during his lifetime. They believe Nancy had received as much as $160. They believe the estate has been properly settled and have receipts for their shares and are satisfied. The widow received her thirds. They were both present at the sale. 21 Aug 1837.

Jane Dale answered differently. She believed much of her father's personal estate was still in the hands of Alexander. She thought there was more to distribute. She quoted some of the sale prices for items at her father's estate sale as being far under market value, some of the items had been bought by Alexander for low prices. She related that a clock valued at $40 had been sold to Alexander for little or nothing [the sale bill shows he paid $14 for the clock and there was testimony the clock was not working and was in poor condition]. She was a purchaser at the sale for about $25 worth of items for which she tendered her note, later surrendered as part of her share. She has been ignorant of her rights until now and asks the courts to decree to her all she is entitled. 24 May 1837.

Alexander Dale answered by saying his father died possessed of a small personal estate, the inventory and sale of which are a matter of record. After paying all debts he had applied for commissioners to settle the estate. David E. Moore and William H. Letcher did so and he believed they had returned their report to Clerk's Office, the Clerk maintaining they had never done so and it cannot be found. Expenses were about $120 exclusive of his commissions; one third was allotted to the widow, leaving not more than $160-170 for distribution to the heirs. McCarty received an advance upon his marriage to his sister Nancy and is not entitled to more. McCarty has refused to produce an account of his advances. He denies that items were undersold at his father's estate sale. 21 Aug 1837.

Both the Inventory and the Sale bill of the estate of Samuel Dale had been copied and are part of this case. Most of the items were sold to the widow, Isabella, Sally, Jane & Alexander Dale. However, other items were sold to James Kaar, Samuel Wallis, Daniel & James Ayres, James Wilson, John G. Alestock, John Fisher, John Linkswiler, William Keys, James & Joseph Galor, Alen Dale, Francis Halton. Certainly the sale was well attended.

In the file were receipts signed 25 Jan 1833 from Isabella, Sally and Jane Dale stating that they had received the whole of their share from the estate of Samuel Dale, from their brother Alexander. Also, their mother signed a receipt on the same day, that she had received her dower claim of one third from her son Alexander Dale, the administrator of her husband Samuel Dale, deceased. So she was still living in 1833; her handwriting was very clear if a little shaky.

The indenture dated 7 Oct 1829 from James C. McCarty and wife Nancy to John Ruff was copied for the file. It stated McCarty was indebted to William Wilson in the amount of $87.11 with interest from 14 Sept 1821.

A master commissioner, Charles Chapin, was appointed to examine the settlement of the estate of Samuel Dale. Commissioner Chapin apparently believed that Alexander Dale had managed the estate properly and that the Commissioners did return the lost papers to the Court. The sale of the personal estate totalled $385.30. They determined disbursements of the estate of $105. $93.43 was alloted to the widow for her dower third. The first report of the commissioner awarded $26.69 1/2 to each of the seven heirs: Alexander, Isabella, Sally, Jane, James McCarty, Andrew Lawson and Harvey Dale. However, there was further testimony. Depositions were taken from Samuel Miller who was clerk at the Sale - he remembered the clock that was in poor condition and that Jane Dale's horse was not included in the sale; from John Moore who owned the place where James & Nancy McCarty had lived immediately following their marriage & had knowledge of items they had brought with them from her father, and from David E. Moore and William H. Letcher, the commissioners that had originally settled the estate. Letcher remembered taking the papers home to his house & Moore later getting them and taking them to the clerk's office. They both remembered that there was not a lot left for the heirs. Chapin came to the conclusion that James McCarty was not entitled since he had received several articles from Samuel Dale during his lifetime. Jane was not entitled to a share since she had received a mare that was not accounted. Alexander was not entitled to a share since he had been deeded all his father's real property. That left four heirs - Isabella, Sally, Andrew Lawson [in right of his deceased wife Rebecca] and Harvey Dale [in right of his mother Betsey Dale], each to receive $46.71 1/2. Isabella and Sally had already received their shares. Lawson & Harvey Dale lived in Ohio and apparently had never previously received anything from the estate.


Alexander married Patsy Kerland, 23 Jun 1836, Rockbridge. She was called Martha B. Dale in a lawsuit concerning her property in the early 1850's. Their five minor children named in the suit were at that time: Samuel, Sarah, James, William & Magdalyn.

1840 Census. Alexander appeared to be the head of a household that included his sisters and mother. No other Dale listed in Rockbridge in 1840.
2m age 10-15, 1m 30-40 [Alexander]
2f under 5, 1f 15-20, 1f 20-30, 3f 30-40, and 1f 70-80.
Joseph Reed who had bought the 77 acres that had once been David Lawson's land, was near Alexander Dale on the same page in this census.

1850 Census. Rockbridge Co VA, p.433, Hh 779
Alexander Dale, age 48, Martha age 30, Sarah A. age 10, James F age 5, and William A. age 2.
Martha also claimed a child Magdalyn in her lawsuit in the early 1850's - she did not appear in this census, nor in 1860.
Son Samuel, age 6, was next door in the household of Isabella Dale, his grandmother.

1860 Census. Rockbridge Co VA. Lexington. Hh 2177
Alexr. Dale, age 53, Sarah age 22, Saml age 18, James age 12, Wm age 9 and Thomas age 7.
Saml & Thomas also appeared to be listed with their Aunt Isabella, Hh 2170, P. O. Kerrs Creek.

Birth	Abt 1802	Rockbridge County, Virginia
Marriage	23 Jun 1836	Rockbridge County, Virginia - Martha "Patsy" Kerland

Spouse	Martha "Patsy" Kerland ( - 1853)
Child	Sarah A. Dale (1840 - )
Child	Samuel Dale (1844 - )
Child	James F. Dale (1845 - )
Child	William A. Dale (1848 - )
Child	Madelyn Dale (1851 - )
Child	Thomas Dale (1853 - )

Father	Samuel Dale ( - 1829)
Mother	Isabella Lawson (1766 - 1850)
Sibling	Betsy Dale ( - 1837)
Sibling	Rebecca Dale ( - 1832)
Sibling	Nancy Dale (1794 - )
Sibling	Jane Dale (1799 - )
Sibling	Sally Dale (1802 - 1856)
Sibling	Isabella Dale (1810 - )