The origin of the Dial (also spelled Dyal and Dyall) is not certain. It is thought that it may have derived either from (1) O'Doyley, from which Doyle derives, or (2) the Scotch D'All which is alternately spelled as Dalzell (silent "z"), Dalyell, Dalyiel, Daliel, Daleel, Dail, Dai'el, and Dai'Jel.
My only known Dial ancestor was Keziah Dial who was reportedly born in Prince Frederick Parish South Carolina sometime in the 1760's. Prince Frederik is in the Pee Dee Area of northeastern South Carolina. Her parents are not known, though some speculate that they were James Dial and Elizabeth Hill Dial. The Dials are believed to have American Indian ancestry. Dial is a very common name among the Lumbee Indians of Robeson County, North Carolina, and the Lumbee River for which the tribe is named is a tributary of the Little Pee Dee River.
Following is a possible family grouping for Keziah:
James Doyal, born say 1740, purchased 100 acres near Ash Pole Swamp in Bladen County, North Carolina, on 19 July 1765 and sold this land on 20 February 1767. He was taxable in Bladen County with his wife and Arthur Evans ("Mulatoes") in 1768 and taxable with his wife from 1769 to 1772. He was granted land on the south side of Ash Pole Swamp in Bladen County on 23 October 1782 and was taxable in Bladen County on 100 acres in 1784 . He was the father of
Although there is no proof of a connection between this Dial line and the Lumbee, the commonness of the Dial name among the Lumbee and the reported residence of the Dials in the Pee Dee Region suggest the possibility.
The Lumbee appear to be related to the Melungeons of Tennessee and the Redbones of Louisiana. The Lumbee are a dark-skinned people who were discovered by early Scots settlers in Southeastern North Carolina. The Lumbee looked like Indians, but they spoke English and lived in houses and farmed like Englishmen. They call themselves "Indians", but no Indian languages were known among them, and they had no history linking them to a particular tribe.
Several theories have been advanced to explain the origins of the Lumbee. One is that they are descendants of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, although many doubt that. Another is that they are a polyglot of remnants of various Indian tribes of the Southeast that banded together after European diseases decimated their tribes, who married into English families. They may also contain possible traces of Portuguese from shipwrecked sailors, Spanish soldiers from an early colonization attempt, and runaway African slaves, although the Lumbee vehemently deny any African heritage.
None Known
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