William T. Dale Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1062-1063 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	WILLIAM T. DALE, a prominent and well-known citizen of Mellette, Spink 
county, was born in Daleville, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, on the 6th 
of January, 1840, and is a son of Mark Dale, who was a native of 
England, whence he came when young to America, in company with his 
parents, who located in Pennsylvania, and engaged in farming. The father 
of the subject also continued to follow the great basic industry of 
farming during his active life and his death occurred in Pennsylvania. 
He was a man of exalted integrity of character and a prominent member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he was a licensed exhorter. He 
was twice married and the subject of this review was the eldest child of 
the first union. William T. Dale was reared on the farm and his early 
educational advantages were such as were afforded in the common schools 
of his native county. At the age of thirteen years he set out to see 
somewhat of the world, coming west to Illinois, where he remained three 
years, after which he returned to his home in the old Keystone state, 
where he worked for his father for a year, and then went to Salem, that 
state, being employed there until the fall of 1860. He then went to the 
pineries of Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, and worked at lumbering 
until spring, then going down the river on a lumber raft . to Marietta, 
that state. On the 21st of May, 1861, he tendered his services in 
defense of the Union, practically being in the Federal army throughout 
the entire period of the great Civil war. He enlisted in Company K, 
Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for a term of three months, 
D. H. Hastings being captain of his company. Mr. Dale took part in-the 
battle of Falling Waters and was with General Patterson when he crossed 
the Potomac. He received his honorable discharge on the 7th of August, 
1861, and on the 17th of the following September re-enlisted, at this 
time becoming a member of Company L, Ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer 
Cavalry, in which he was made commissary sergeant of his company, which 
was in command of Captain George Smith. His regiment was assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland. and in the connection he was a participant in 
the battles of Perryville, Thompson Station, Brentwood, second battle of 
Franklin, Triune, Shelbyville, Lafayette (Georgia), the three days' 
fight at Chickamauga; the engagement at Mossy Creek, the two battles at 
Fairgarden, and the conflict at Cripple Creek, after which he was with 
Sherman in the Atlanta campaign and on the memorable march to the sea, 
taking part in the engagements at Black river and Goldsboro. He received 
his second discharge on the 31st of December, 1863, but promptly 
veteranized and re-enlisted in the same company and regiment. April 14th 
the regiment started home. Mr. Dale received a veteran's furlough on 
April 26th at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and arrived in Danville on the 
28th. On May 22d following he was married to Susan Snover, to whom he 
had been engaged at the time of his enlistment in 1861. On May 26th he 
rejoined his regiment, with which he continued in active service until 
the close of the war, receiving his final discharge on the 18th of July, 
1865. He then returned to Pennsylvania, and in the same year removed 
with his wife to Iowa, locating in Independence, where he continued to 
reside for the ensuing fifteen years, being there engaged in the 
manufacturing of wagons, making and losing ten thousand dollars.  

	On the 20th of May, 1881, Mr. Dale made his advent in what is now 
the town of Mellette, South Dakota, with a strong heart and light purse 
to start life anew, being the first settler, and in the following fall, 
October 4th, he here opened a grocery store, the only store within ten 
miles, which he conducted until January, 1883, when he sold out his 
groceries and put in a stock of hardware, in which line he has ever 
since continued, now having a commodious and well equipped store and 
warehouse, and carrying a full line of heavy and shelf hardware, 
tinware, stoves, etc., as well as agricultural implements and machinery. 
He has the unqualified confidence and esteem of the people of the 
community and thus has his business prosperity established on a firm 
foundation, controlling a large and representative trade. It was not 
until about two months after his settling here that another resident 
came to the little frontier village which was represented by only one or 
two buildings at that time. In December, 1881, Mr. Dale was appointed 
postmaster of the place, and has ever since served in this capacity save 
for an interim of four years, during the second administration of 
President Cleveland. He has taken a most prominent part in the 
development and civic progress of the village and county, and is one of 
their most honored and popular citizens. He is identified with the Grand 
Army of the Republic and the Masonic fraternity, besides a number of 
insurance fraternities, and in politics he is a stalwart advocate of the 
principles and policies of the Republican party. He is treasurer of the 
Old Settlers' Association of Spink county and takes an active interest 
in its affairs.  

	In Pennsylvania, on the 22d of May, 1864, was solemnized the 
marriage of Mr. Dale to Miss Susan Snover. who was born and reared in 
Wayne county, that state, and of their children we record that Mark died 
at the age of twenty-seven years; Lucy is the wife of J. L. Mead, the 
subject's partner in the hardware store and business; and Bertha. 
remains beneath the parental roof. The family are all members of the 
Episcopal church and Mr. Dale was for a number of years one of the 
vestry of the St. James church at Independence, Iowa, although he never 
united with the church but took an active interest in its welfare and 
supported it in every way possible.