Great Grandma and Grandpa Dall came to the U.S. in 1849. They are supposedly from Glasgow Scotland, and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. Information on David Dall constantly refers to him as Captain David C. Dall. My guess is that he was a captain on Lake Michigan. I'm not sure to research this information, though, so if anyone has ideas, let me know. His wife Margaret was born Higgie (Higgins?), but not much else is known about either one of them. In my possession, I have their family Bible. It is Dad's cousin's bible, but it is quite interesting to see what was recorded beginning in 1848.

Note: When I was in Boston last spring (also 7 months pregnant!) I went to the Library to look at passenger lists of ships that came to Boston in 1848. I could not find any of the Dalls listed, but that isn't necessarily a dead end. Looking at microfilm/fiche for hours on end can be quite tiring so it might be worth another try sometime.

How and why the Dalls went to Racine, Wisconsin is not clear! They must have known someone in Racine. While in Racine, David and Margaret bore most of their children. By 1859, however, they were already settled in Chicago. There were quite a few children, but the most important of these is Jane Mary, since she is the one who married Charles W. Charleston.

Another note: A researcher here helped me find the Dall death index and marriage index. I found more information, including Margaret's maiden name -- it had to be Higgie since one of her son's middle name is Higgie. It's great when families did that...like Dall (Walter Dall Charleston, our GGrandfather and Thomas Dall Charleston, our uncle.)