[WED]day/wall - dyer

[Mary Jackes]

Initially, I was interested in Arthur Day/Elizabeth Wall who were buried in
St. Charles, Minnesota.  I have had several emails from list subscribers
who sent me their family trees, pointing to many, many Day/Wall marriages.
I am grateful for some very enjoyable reading provided by these descendents
of Wedmore families.

But I think the story may have ramifications.  

I am now sure that my great great grandfather was Daniel Day who left
Somerset in 1846, with his older brother Arthur.  I believe that at first
they lived in Dubuque, Iowa with the family of Augustin Day, also from
Somerset (and himself the offspring of a Day/Wall marriage).  Arthur and
Daniel are recorded in Augustin's household in the 1850 census, and
Augustin and Arthur seem to have both taken naturalization vows in 1850. 

I looked at the 1850 census records, and Augustin's farm is completely
surrounded by other farms owned by English people, not typical from what
I've seen of these midwest U.S. census records.

The LDS records tell me that Augustin Day was buried in Dyersville, Iowa.
A search of the web tells me of an English colonization scheme, set up by
James Dyer, in 1847.  I see from the Wedmore parish records that there are
as many Dyers as Days and Walls in Wedmore! (These must have been truely
prolific families - I saw a reference to some archaic Wedmore sport with
wooden broadswords in which the teams were entirely comprised of Walls).

I wonder whether a whole lot of people from around Wedmore set off to Iowa
with James Dyer in the mid 1840s?  What could be the story behind this? 
Preferred contact:

11803 78 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6G 0N8
Canada

Phone & Fax: +780 436 3716

University:

Department of Anthropology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4
Canada

Ph: +780 492 5394
Fax: +780 492 5273

Email: Mary.Jackes@ualberta.ca
Home page: www.ualberta.ca/~mjackes/