Dale, Ida Dudley

Ida Dudley Dale was the granddaughter of Thomas J. Griffin. She was born around 1891 and lived in Staten Island, New York.

Thomas Jefferson Griffin was born in Philadelphia in 1834 to John and Amy (Dilkes) Griffin. He became and engineer and worked on one of John Ericsson's ships. At the start of the Civil War he joined the U.S. Navy, and was served as a naval engineer. He helped build Ericsson's Monitor and witnessed its infamous battle with the Merrimac . Griffin also worked with Admiral John A. Dahlgren. He invented several improvements to Ericsson's ironclad designs, and was named Superintendent of Ironclads. In 1866, Griffin sailed to Peru to work on torpedo development, and there he died of Yellow Fever in 1867.

Charles Gideon Dale was also a naval engineer. He was born in New York City in 1831 to Jonas D. Dale, an officer of the Royal Swedish Navy, and Mary Hyde (Wanzer) Dale. He studied mechanical engineering and served as an on-board engineer, making approximately 80 voyages with Thomas Jefferson Griffin.

Bibliography:

Notes by Ida Dudley Dale, found in collection.

From the guide to the Ida Dudley Dale family papers, circa 1860-1947, (American Swedish Historical Museum)