John Dalton Was a Quaker

John Dalton was born on September 6, 1766, in the English village of Eaglesfield, in the county of Cumberland. Jonathan Dalton, his grandpa, was a shoemaker, and his father, Joseph Dalton, was a weaver. His early education was provided by his father and Quaker John Fletcher, who conducted a private school in Pardshaw Hall, a nearby village. Quakers were Christians who opposed the established Church of England and believed in the priesthood of all believers, among other things. Joseph Dalton, John's father, was a Quaker. In 1755, Joseph married John's mother, Deborah Greenup, a Quaker who came from a landowning family.

Dalton was never married and has a small circle of pals. He led a simple and quiet personal life as a Quaker. Dalton lived in a room in the home of the Rev W. Johns, a noted botanist, and his wife in George Street, Manchester, during the 26 years leading up to his death. In the same year, Dalton and Johns died (1844).

Only annual trips to the Lake District and occasional trips to London gave Dalton a break from his daily routine of laboratory work and instructing in Manchester. In 1822, he paid a brief visit to Paris, where he met a number of notable local scientists. He attended several of the British Association's earlier meetings in York, Oxford, Dublin, and Bristol.