Richard D'Alton Williams (1822 - 1862)

Born 8 Oct 1822 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Husband of Elizabeth (Connolly) Williams — married 8 Sep 1856 in New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Died 5 Jul 1862 at age 39 in Thibodaux, Lafourche, Louisiana, United States

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Biography

poet, medical doctor, and nationalist,

Richard D'Alton Williams born 8 October 1822 in Dublin, the illegitimate son of Mary Williams, the daughter of a Tipperary farmer and Count D'Alton, land proprietor in Co. Tipperary.

"the natural son of Count d'Alton, an extensive land proprietor in co. Tipperary, and Mary Williams, a farmer's daughter. " ^[1]

"Williams's father was Count Dalton, whose name he bore along with his mother's - Richard Dalton Williams. His father visited him in prison ... Kemmis is a friend of mine and he tells me you were seldom at the office of the Tribune and that the only evidence against you is the MS, of one of the articles in your handwriting ..." ^[2]

Richard Charles D'Alton (1802 - 1856)

Edward Thomas Nicholas D'Alton (1800 - 1877)

"When he was six years old he was brought to his mother's home at Grenanstown, Co. Tipperary, and was reared there. "

"A founder member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, he helped treat cholera victims in Dublin during the famine of 1845–9."

Joined the Young Ireland Party, and in June 1848, established the Irish Tribune newspaper with Kevin Izod O'Doherty.

The masthead of The Irish Tribune

"The paper lasted for five issues (10 June to 8 July) before Williams was arrested on 16 July 1848, at his residence at 35 Mountpleasant Sq., Ranelagh, Dublin, on the charge of treason felony. Imprisoned with O'Doherty and Duffy in Newgate gaol, he was acquitted at trial the following November"

"In 1851 he emigrated to America, becoming professor of belles-lettres in Spring Hill College, a Jesuit institution in Mobile, Alabama (1851–6). "

He was married in 8 Sep 1856 to Elizabeth Connolly of New Orleans.

Richard D'Alton Williams, died 5 July 1862. tombstone "Sacred to the memory of Richard D'Alton Williams, the Irish Patriot and Poet, who died 5 July 1862, age 40 years. This stone was erected by his countrymen serving in Companies C And K, 8th Regt, NH Volunteers, as a slight testimonial of their esteem for his unsullied patriotism and his exalted devotion to the cause of irish freedom. ^{[3] [4]}

Research

In 1666 Peter Dalton, gentleman, was granted 2,476 acres in the barony of Upper Ormond, county Tipperary, including waste mountain in the parish of Dollow. Edward Dalton was created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria on 25 April 1777. He was married to Mary, daughter of John MacCarthy of Springhouse, county Tipperary. Their eldest son, Peter Count Dalton, resided at Grenanstown, county Tipperary. In 1796 Peter married Rosalia, daughter of Nicholas Barnewall, Baron Trimblestown, and they had two sons, Edward and Nicholas, and a daughter, Henrietta, who married Henry Eustace. Their son Henry succeeded his maternal uncle in the 1870s. In the mid 19th century Count Dalton held land in the parishes of Ballymackey, Ballynaclogh, Dolla and Kilkeary, barony of Upper Ormond, county Tipperary. In the 1870s Count Dalton owned 1,375 acres in county Tipperary. ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Williams, Richard D'Alton https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Williams,_Richard_D%27Alton
2. ↑ "Four years of Irish history, 1845-1849" a sequel to "Young Ireland" by Duffy, Charles Gavan p 724 https://archive.org/details/fouryearsofirish00duff/page/724/mode/1up
3. ↑ The Poems of Richard D'Alton Williams: "Shamrock" of "The Nation." by Richard D'Alton Williams, and P. A. Sillard publ 1894 p xxi https://archive.org/details/poemsricharddal00sillgoog/page/n25/mode/1up
4. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8576363/richard-d_alton-williams
5. ↑ https://landedestates.ie/family/3461

See also:

• Williams, Richard D'Alton Contributed by Doyle, Carmel https://www.dib.ie/biography/williams-richard-dalton-a9052
• "Relics of Richard Dalton Williams: "Shamrock" of the "Nation" " in The Irish Monthly, Vol. 5 (1877), p 199 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20501955
• "Irish poets and novelists" by Crowley, D. O. (Denis Oliver) https://archive.org/details/irishpoetsnoveli00crowrich/
• "Collections relating to the dioceses of Kildare ... " by Michael Comerford, Bishop of Corycus v.1. p 205 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.0038448246&view=1up&seq=235

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_D%27Alton_Williams

• "A Compendium of Irish Biography" by Alfred Webb https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Compendium_of_Irish_Biography/Williams,_Richard_Dalton