The Dally Family:
First Generation
1. Simon Dally1 was born circa 1590
in Tournai, Hainaut, Flanders.1 He died circa 1639 at the age of
49 in Flanders.1 The Dally, or d'Ailli, family is
said to have originated in the Somne Department in the north coastal region of
France, the Somne Valley near Ameins and Abbeville. They were Huguenots and
fled to England. There the surname was Anglicized to d'Ailly, Daley, Dalley,
Dally and a variety of others. According to the Dictioniaire de la Noblesse,
D'Ailly was the most illustrious and ancient surname of Picardy, dating back to
Robert D'Ailly in 1090.
Simon Dally had the following child:
2 i. Jean / John
Dally, born ca 1615/6, Tournai, Hainaut,
Flanders; married Marguerite Madou, 15 Apr 1639, French
Protestant Church, Threadneedle Street, London, England; died 15 May 1691, Staten Island,
Richmond, New York, British America.
Second Generation
2. Jean / John Dally1 (Simon-1) was born
circa 1615/6 in Tournai, Hainaut, Flanders.1 He died on 15 May 1691 at the
age of 75 in Staten Island, Richmond, New York, British America.1 Jean was born in either Tournai or Southern England
about 1615 or 1616. He grew up in England. He immigrated to New Amsterdam about
1644, when he started to appear in the Dutch colonial records. At least one
record stated that he was from the English port city of Bristol.
The 1639 marriage between Jean and Marguerite Madou was recorded in the records
of the French Protestant Church on Threadneedle Street in London. Jean was the
son of the late Simon Dailly of Tournai. Margurite was the daughter of Jacques
Madou, also of Tournai.
The couple had a daughter, Agnes, baptized in London in 1640, and a son, Jean,
baptized in 1642. Margurite witnessed a baptism in 1643. [It is not known if
the Jean baptized in 1642 is the subject of this article. It is possible that
the Jean born in 1642 died young and the name was given to the next born son,
born in 1650.]
Jean was a mariner. He either served as an officer of one of the ships of the
West Indies Company, or was Master of a ship chartered from the company between
April 1644 and December 1645. On 12 April 1645, Dally bought the West Indies
ship, St. Peter. The ship had been confiscated for smuggling
"powder and other commodities."
1646 saw Jean Dally involved in the slave trade, partnered with John Richbell, a wealthy
Southampton merchant who later became proprietor of Mamaroneck, New York. He
was sued by the crew of the Temandare for nonpayment of wages. Although
Dally claimed that he withheld payment because the crew did not adequately
perform its duties, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Dally was
involved in other court actions involving ships, freight, payment of duties and
similar maritime matters.
Jean was in Northampton County, Virginia after 1648. As non-Puritans and
Royalists, he and 15 others were obliged to sign a Pledge of Obedience to the
Parliamentary Government in 1681. Dally and others were indicted for unlawful
warfare against Indians.
By 1676 and 1677, Jean was farming on Staten Island, New York. He was a member
of the New York Assembly in 1689 and 1691. He died in 1691 leaving an estate of
£34. The name of John's wife was erased from his will and Nicholas Bayard was
named executor.
Jean / John Dally and Marguerite
Madou were married on 15 Apr 1639 in French Protestant Church, Threadneedle
Street, London, England.1–2
The entry in the French Protestant Church raises some questions. Immediately above the entry for the marriage
of Jean Dailly and Marguerite Madou is a date entry. "dimanche"
[Sunday] is crossed out and followed by "Lundy" [Monday] 15th of
Avril [April]. 15 April 1639, however, was on a Friday. Marguerite Madou was
born circa 1618 in Tournai, Hainaut, Flanders.
Jean / John Dally and Marguerite Madou had the following
child:
3 i. John / Jean /
Jan Dally, born ca 1650, New Amsterdam,
New Netherland; married Elizabeth / Lysbeth Obee, 11 Aug 1668,
New York City, New York, British America; married Gertrude Roomen, 2 Mar
1700, Dutch Reformed Church, New York, New York, British America; died ca 1708, New York City, New
York, British America.
Third Generation
3. John / Jean / Jan Dally1,3 (Jean / John-2, Simon-1) was born circa 1650 in New
Amsterdam, New Netherland.1,3 He died circa 1708 at the age of
58 in New York City, New York, British America.1,3 John Dally was a farmer and carpenter by trade. He
probably spent time in Northampton Co., Virginia with his father, who paid a
tax on John, Jr. there in 1666. John would have been at least 16 at that time.
John / Jean / Jan Dally and
Elizabeth / Lysbeth Obee were married on 11 Aug 1668 in New York City, New
York, British America.1,3 Elizabeth / Lysbeth Obee4,
daughter of Hendrick Hendricks Obee and Aeltjie Claes, was born before 28 Jul
1652 in New Amsterdam, New Netherland.4 She was baptized on 28 Jul 1652
in Reformed Dutch Church, New Amsterdam, New Netherland.4 She died circa 1700 at the age
of 48 in New York City, New York, British America.5
Lysbeth was the second child born to Hendrick Obee and Aeltjie Claes in 1652.
She married John Dally in the Dutch Reformed Church in New York at the age of
16 in 1668. Lysbeth died prior to 2 March 1700, the date of her widowed
husband's second marriage.
John / Jean / Jan Dally and Elizabeth / Lysbeth Obee had
the following child:
4 i. Nicholas Dally, born bef 16 Oct 1680, Reformed Dutch Church, New
Amsterdam, New Netherlands; married Elizabeth Creiger, 30 Aug
1702, Reformed Dutch Church, New York, New York, British America; died 28 Aug 1722, New York City,
New York, British America.
John / Jean / Jan Dally and
Gertrude Roomen were married on 2 Mar 1700 in Dutch Reformed Church, New York,
New York, British America.1,3 Gertrude Roomen was born (date unknown).
Fourth Generation
4. Nicholas Dally6 (John / Jean / Jan-3,
Jean / John-2, Simon-1) was born before 16 Oct 1680 in Reformed Dutch Church,
New Amsterdam, New Netherlands.3 He was christened on 16 Oct 1680
in Reformed Dutch Church, New Amsterdam, New Netherlands.3 He died on 28 Aug 1722 at the
age of 41 in New York City, New York, British America.3
Nicholas Dally and Elizabeth
Creiger were married on 30 Aug 1702 in Reformed Dutch Church, New York, New
York, British America.3,6 Elizabeth Creiger6 was born circa 1685
in New York City, New York, British America.3
Nicholas Dally and Elizabeth Creiger had the following
child:
5 i. Henry / Hendrick
Dally, born bef 11 Mar 1716, New York
City, New York, British America; married Sarah Gifford, aft 9 Nov
1739, Perth Amboy, Middlesex Co., New Jersey; died bef Nov 1756, New York or New
Jersey.
Fifth Generation
5. Henry / Hendrick Dally7 (Nicholas-4, John /
Jean / Jan-3, Jean / John-2, Simon-1) was born before 11 Mar 1716 in New York
City, New York, British America.3,6 He was christened on 11 Mar 1716
in Dutch Reformed Church, New York, New York, British America.3 He died before Nov 1756 at the
age of 40 in New York or New Jersey.7
Henry [Henrick] of Middlesex Co., New Jersey, storekeeper, obtained a license
for himself to marry Sarah Gifford on 9 November 1739. Both he and John
Gifford, Jr., a mariner of Perth Amboy, had been bound to New Jersey Governor
Lewis Morris. Sarah and John were siblings.
Henry / Hendrick Dally and Sarah
Gifford obtained a marriage license on 9 Nov 1739 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex
Co., New Jersey.7
They were married after 9 Nov 1739 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex Co., New Jersey.6,8 Sarah Gifford6,8,
daughter of John Gifford and Catherine Borrows, was born circa 1718 in New
Jersey.9
Henry / Hendrick Dally and Sarah Gifford had the
following child:
6 i. Catherine Dally, born abt 1741, Perth Amboy, Middlesex Co., New Jersey; married John Simmons, 28 Dec 1758,
Trinity Church, New York City, New York; married Dr. William Salter, 4 Sep
1756, Trinity Church, New York City, New York; died 15 Jul 1818, Washington, D.C..
Sixth Generation
6. Catherine Dally6 (Henry / Hendrick-5,
Nicholas-4, John / Jean / Jan-3, Jean / John-2, Simon-1) was born about 1741 in
Perth Amboy, Middlesex Co., New Jersey.8 She died on 15 Jul 1818 at the
age of 77 in Washington, D.C..8 Catherine
Dally was married twice; first to William Salter, a ship's surgeon, in 1756 and
second to John Simmons in 1758.
She was named heir to the estate of John Brady, mariner, in his will dated 1
Sep 1757 [proved 26 July 1758]. Brady specified prize money and merchandise due
him from the privateer Sturdy Beggar [Richard Troop, commander].
Catherine was also named executor.
Her marriage to Salter was a brief one, probably lasting no more than a year
before he died. Catherine then marriered John Simmons. She bore him either six
or seven childrren and outlived him by nearly 23 years.
Catherine's sister Mary died in Philadelphia wrote her will on 4 May 1811. She
named her sister Catherine Simmons, niece Catherine C. McDaniel, grandnieces
and nephews Catherine O. Simmons, Catherine S. Raguet, John B. Simmons and
William S. Simmons, among others as heirs. [proved 26 June 1811]
Two of Catherine's siblings achieved noteriety. Gifford Dally, born about 1740 in Middlesex Co., NJ, served as House Doorkeeper for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd US Congress. He married Anna Pettit on 4 July 1767 in New York City. Gifford also managed the City Tavern and London Coffee House, both in Philadelphia. Elizabeth Dally married Samuel Fraunces, a tavern keeper like Catherine's husband. It was at Fraunces Tavern in New York City that Gen. Washington gave his farewell address to his officers. Fraunces cared for American prisoners during the war, spied on the British and later served as steward for President Washington's household.
Mary Dally and her grandnephew John B. Simmons are buried in the same plot in
the Christ Church Cemetery.
Catherine spent her last years living with her eldest son William. She died at
William's home in Washington on 15 July 1818 at age 76.
Catherine Dally and John Simmons
were married on 28 Dec 1758 in Trinity Church, New York City, New York.6,8 John Simmons6,10, son of John Simmons and Catherine Cheesman, was born
about 1730 in Hampshire, England.6,8,11 He was baptized on 8 May 1736 in
St. Mary's, Portsea, Hampshire, England.8,10 He died on 12 Aug 1795 at the
age of 65 in New York City, New York.6,8 The exact date and place of birth of tavern keeper
John Simmons is open to debate.
At the time of his death, John held property in Hanover Row, Portsmouth Common
[now Portsea], Hampshire, England. This would indicate that he probably lived
there prior to emigration. The Simmons Family website gives John's
christening date as 8 May 1736 in St. Mary's, Portsea. That site also places
John's ancestors in St. Thomas and Alverstoke,
both in Hampshire [Most of these records have been located in the
Hampshire parish records].
David G. Chardavoyne, in A Hanging in Detroit: Stephen Gifford Simmons
and the Last Execution under Michigan Law [p. 9] states that
"According to family stories, John Simmons, Sr., was born in Cuckfield,
Sussex, England." [Two baptismal records have been located in Cuckfield
records that fit the time frame for John's birth: (1) John Symonds - bp. 24 May
1733, parents: Joseph and Sarah. (FHL#2142086) and (2) John Symons - bp. 11
April 1731; parents: Walter and Sarah (FHL#2142086)]
John probably arrived in New York City during the early 1750s. He married widow
Catherine Dally Salter as 1758 was drawing to a close. Their first son,
William, was supposedly born in Newburgh [some 60 miles north of New York City
on the west bank of the Hudson]. Whether John and Catherine started their life
together in Newburgh, were there on business, or some other reason is not yet
known. They were settled in New York City by 1761, when John, Jr. was born.
By 8 October 1770, Simmons had opened a tavern at 63 Wall Street, at the corner
of Nassau Street, where he hung out the 'Sign of Sir Peter Warren" [the
former name of Brock's Tavern across the street]. (Warren was a British naval
hero at the capture of Louisbourg from the French in 1746. He was a popular
resident of New York City from 1730-1747.)
The Simmons tavern was a two-story, clapboard building with a steep roof and
attic dormers directly across Nassau Street from City/Federal Hall and next to
the Wall Street Presbyterian Church. The tavern was a popular place for civic
meetings.
The Common Council [lawmaking body] of New York City met at the tavern from
1773-1776, then took up there again in 1784. On 22 August 1775 the Council met
to divide the city into 24 fresh water districts [Beats]. The Simmons tavern
marked the start of Beat # 20. Simmons and Gifford Dally were given leave by the
Council on 29 August 1775 to negotiate with Capt. Vandeput of the "Asia
Man of War" over hostilities between the barge and the townspeople. Town
soldiers had begun taking cannons away from the Battery and were fired upon by
Vandeput. This resulted in an exchange of fire that caused damage to several
houses. Families were evacuating the town.
The public reading of the Declaration of Independence was ordered for 18 July
1776 in front of City Hall; the reading before the American troops had taken
place nine days earlier, After the public reading, the Royal Coats of Arms was
taken from the court room and burned.
The British occupation of New York began in September 1776. The Simmons family
must have left shortly after the occupation began. Their first stop may have
been Orange County, where John, Jr. enlisted in the militia. Most of the war
years must have been spent in or around Philadelphia. John may have had a
brother, Thomas, living in Burlington Co., New Jersey. Youngest son, Stephen
was baptized at Christ Church in Philadelphia, but his birthplace was given as
New Jersey. There was a John Simmons who witnessed the marriage of Thomas and
Bathsheba Simmons in 1746 [although John, Sr. would have been only 10-16 at the
time.] Stephen named one of his daughters Bathsheba.
John, Sr. enlisted in Captain Daniel Roe's Company, 2nd Regiment of New York
Troops commanded by Col. James Clinton in the spring off 1776. The regiment was
a provisional Patriot organization formed in March and disbanded in May.
[Chardavoyne, p. 9-10] (The DAR Patriot Lookup Index lists John's
service with the 5th & 6th NY Regiments under Col. William Humfrey and the
Dutchess Co. Militia.)
On 18 November 1783, a group of recently returned New York exiles named a
committee to meet on the 19th at the Simmons Tavern to plan security and protocol for they reception for the
return of Gov. George Clinton with the leading American troops on the 25th.
John had to have returned to the city by that time. The neighborhood bore signs
of the British occupation. The Presbyterian Church still showed signs of its
use as a military barracks and the Trinity Church had been burned in the fire
that broke out as the British entered the city in 1776.[Chardavoyne, p.10-11]
It was said that General Washigton attended the Evacuation Day banquet held at
the Simmons Tavern on the evening of the 25th.
In February 1784 the installation of James Duane as the first American Mayor of
New York City was held at the tavern. [City Hall had been used as a prison
during the war and was not fit for occupancy.]
The remodeling of City Hall had been completed by 4 March 1789 when the First
US Senate convened in a second-floor chamber. City Hall was rechristened
Federal Hall as the seat of US Government. John Adams took his oath of office
on 21 April. George Washington was sworn in as the first President on the 30th.
Gifford Dally was the assistant doorkeeper for the House during the 1st
Congress and doorkeeper during the 2nd. A Stephen Gifford was doorkeeper for
Federal Hall. [The doorkeeper controlled access to the Congressional chambers.]
The spring of 1789 must have been an adventure for Stephen and Catherine
Simmons; likewise, their elder brothers and father must have felt their
patriotic efforts worthwhile.
The 1790 census for the West Ward of New York City showed John Simmons with 1
free white male over 16, 2 free white males 16 or under and 3 free white
females. [John, David, Stephen, Catherine, Sarah? & Catherine.]
John went into partnership with John Taylor, John I. Morgan and William Boyd in
1793 and invested in a state auction for 43000 acres of land on the west bank
of the Unadilla River in Montgomery [Tioga?] Co., New York. Simmons' share was
4850 acres [19 lots] that cost £1200 Sterling. He sent John, Jr. to serve as sales
agent for the lots. John, Jr. settled on lot #75. Stephen later moved to what
became Chenango Co. and occupied lot #78.
Simmons wrote his will on 3 August 1794. Catherine, James and William were
named executors. The will was proved after his death in 1795. The estate was
settled in April 1820.
William, the sole surviving executor, summoned the heirs to Washington, DC on
20 April 1820. In attendance were William Simmons, Stephen Gifford Simmons,
David P. Simmons, William S. Simmons [James' son] and Condy Raguet [James'
son-in-law]. John, Jr. did not make it to the meeting, but received his full
share of the estate. (James had died in 1809, but was represented, Sarah, if a
daughter of John, had also.died. Evedently both Catherine and her husband had died
by this time as well.]
John Simmons and Catherine Dally had the following
children:
7 i. William Simmons, born 1759, Newburgh,
Orange Co., New York; married
Elizabeth [Simmons], bef 1785, New York City, New York; married Josephine Bertrand Lapointe, 18 Nov 1799,
Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania; died
20 May 1825, Simmons Mill near Warsaw, Coshocton Co., Ohio.
8 ii. John Simmons Jr., born 24 Oct 1761, New York City, New York; married Mary Nelson?, abt 1780,
New York; married Lucinda Morris, 8 Jan
1792, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; married Margaret Harbison, 12 Feb
1824, Wheeling, Ohio Co., [West] Virginia; died 19 May 1843, East Wheeling,
Ohio Co., [W] Virginia.
9 iii. James Simmons, born abt 1763, New York
City, New York;
married Margaret Bringhurst, abt 1785, Germantown, Philadelphia Co.,
Pennsylvania; died
1809, Germantown, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
10 iv. Sarah Simmons, born abt 1765, New York
City, New York;
married _______ Clarke; died bef 1794, New York City, New York.
11 v. David Simmons, born abt 1770, New York
City, New York;
married Margaret Chambers, 14 Aug 1792, Trinity Church, New York City, New York; married Ellen [Simmons],
bef 1822, probably Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania; died
1858, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
12 vi. Stephen Gifford Simmons, born Jan
1780, Burlington Co., New Jersey;
married Levana Elliot?, 2 Dec 1806, Chenango Co., New York; died 24 Sep 1830, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan.
13 vii. Catherine C. Simmons, born abt 1784,
New York City, New York;
married George McDaniel, 7 Nov 1805, Washington, D.C.; died
bef 1820, possibly Washington, D.C..
Catherine Dally and Dr. William
Salter were married on 4 Sep 1756 in Trinity Church, New York City, New York.6
Dr. William Salter died about 1757 in New York City, New York.6
Sources:
1. David N.
Orth, Rootsweb World Connect, The Orth, Wauters & Stewart Families of
Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Tennessee
(http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=david%5Fn%5Forth&id=I02149
: accessed 3 January 2015), Dally Family.
2. London Walloon Church, Threadneedle Street, Baptisms
& Marriages: unk, Jean Dailly & Marguerite Madou; FHL microfilm 466707.
3. Richard A. Daley, Rootsweb, Ancestors of the Hudson
Valley: Links to the Past
(http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rad1003&id=I39723
: accessed 3 January 2015), Dally family.
4. Isaac Horner, "Hendrick Hendricks Obee &
Aeltjie Claes," Isaac Horner, unknown, 27 June 2008
(http://hendrickobee.blogspot.com/ : accessed 3 January 2015), Obee Family.
5. Orth, The Orth, Wauters & Stewart Families of
Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Tennessee, Elizabeth Obee Dally's death.
6. Wall Street John, William F. Archerd online
[http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi~bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=wallstreetjohn&id=194&pr...],
accessed 6 November 2009.
7. Wall Street John, online
[http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi~bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=wallstreetjohn&id=194&pr...],
Gifford-Dally.
8. Simmons Family, Roy W. Simmons online
[http://www.storycapsule.com/simmons/familytree/pedigree.php], accessed 29 Oct
2009.
9. Sarah Gifford birth [c1718], International
Genealogical Index [IGI] (Salt Lake City: Family History Library, v5.0),
North American Region; citing FHL microfilm none given.
10. St. Mary's (Portsea, Hampshire), Parish registers for
St. Mary's Church, Portsea, baptisms 1735-1748, John Simmons baptism; FHL
microfilm 919735.
11. St. Mary's (Portsea, Hampshire), Parish registers for
St. Mary's Church, Portsea, baptisms 1735-1748.
