According to family lore Joseph and Jane Dalton were of Scottish descent but there is no documentation to prove this claim. Quite to the contrary, the 1841 census taken in England states all members of the Dalton household were born in Cumberland County England. There are, however, several clues that would lead one to believe they were of Scots ancestry.

To state a few examples, Joseph's gravestone has a spear thistle on the top point of the stone above his name. It would not seem likely that an Englishman would bear a Scots emblem such as a thistle on his gravestone. In this day and age the spear thistle is commonly associated as the national symbol of Scotland as a whole. In 1880 there was a clear distinction between the English and the Scots. It may have been Joseph's wish to have the thistle on his grave marker or the sons' decision to honor their father's heritage. In regard to the spear thistle as a symbol (as opposed to another plant badge)- this was connected to the Stuart Clan in the past.

Another piece of evidence is from their son's U.S. Civil War muster roll records. Joseph Dalton Jr. stated "Cumberland Scotland" under nationality. The usage of Cumberland and Scotland together appears to be a conundrum, however there were many boundary disputes along the English Scots border in the early 1800s.

In addition to the above documented facts, there are family stories referring to both Joseph and Jane hailing from Scotland. These stories are firsthand accountings, historical specifics that have been passed on to other generations. These stories may be looked on as clues with substance, as opposed to fact. Joseph's granddaughter, Susan Coe Dalton, who died in 1959, claimed her grandparents were Scots. In particular she stated her grandmother Jane was from Scotland and also used the spelling Weightman when speaking of her grandmother Jane. Susan was born in 1870. Her grandmother Jane W. Dalton died in 1878. Her grandfather Joseph died in 1880. Susan, having grown up within a mile of Joseph and Jane Dalton, would in all likelihood have firsthand knowledge about her grandparents and had opportunities to establish a dialogue with them before they died. Further, Susan's father, Isaac Dalton, was Joseph and Jane's firstborn son and was between the ages of 8 and 10 when he emigrated from England to the United States. He would also have imparted firsthand knowledge about his parents, and possibly information about relatives in Great Britain he knew prior to 1842.

Despite many promising leads, neither Joseph nor Jane's parentage or nationality has been conclusively proven.