William Hall of Rhode Island

     A plaque of the Portsmouth Compact Memorial has been placed at Founders Park, in Rhode Island, containing the name of William Hall. The compact dated 7 March 1638, was drawn up prior to the group leaving Boston, under which a group of the leading men of the newly proposed Colony had incorporated themselves into "A Bodie Politik" to the end that they might go to their new Plantation in a formal organization, under a chosen leader or Governor.

     Dated the 7th Day of the First Month, 1638,it states, "We whose names are underwritten do hereby solemnly in the presence of Jehovah incorporate ourselves into a Bodie Politick and as He shall help, will submit our persons, lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given in His Holy Word of truth, to be guided and judged thereby."

     On the 8th day of the 8th month in 1638, the name of William Hall was on a list of 59 persons who were admitted inhabitants of an island on the coast of Rhode Island now called Aqueedunk (now called Aquidneck), and by 1639 he was listed as an inhabitant of Newport.  It was this year, he along with several others, joined to found the town of Portsmouth. On the 27th day of the 5th month, in 1644, a parcel of land in Portsmouth, was granted to William Hall by the town. William Hall sold, on the 6th day of the 7th month, 1654, to Richard Sisson, of Portsmouth, land on an island called Canonocut, and land on the island called Dutch Island. His name was on the list of freemen of Portsmouth in 1655. He was appointed to take area of all highways and driftways "not set off", and purchased lands where Roger Williams' trading post was located.  William was Commissioner to the Portsmouth General Court in 1654, 1656, 1660 and 1663, and was a Deputy to the Portsmouth General Assembly from 1665-1668 and again from 1672-1673 and a member of town council in 1672.  

     In 1663, William Hall refers to himself in a Rhode Island court document as; " 50 yrs. or thereabouts."  The Rhode Island Register shows Portsmouth Land Evidence, 2nd book No. 1 1647-1696, William Hall of Portsmouth, will date 22 Nov 1673, proved 19 Feb 1675. p. 138 which mentions his wife Mary, sons Zuriel Hall, William Hall and Benjamin Hall and daughters Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Deliverance.  In 1673, the same year he wrote his will, he was appointed on a committee for the purpose of "treating with the Indians about drunkenness, and to seriously council them, and agree of some way to prevent extreme excess of Indian drunkenness. "Five chiefs are named, among whom is the name of the famous Philip of Mount Hope', called King Philip, with whom the committee should treat. This was just prior to King Philip's War.   

     William's will was dated 20 Feb 1673, and probated on 19 Apr 1676, he was sixty-three at the age of his death.  His wife Mary, his executrix, died in 1680.  It stated, "I do ordain, substitute and appoint my truly and well beloved friend and yoke fellow, Mary, my wife, to be my whole and sole executrix, into whose hands and possession I do give and bequeath my whole estate during her life, and, considering the weakness of my said wife, I do appoint my two younger sons, viz.: William and Benjamin, to be assistants to their mother in the managing of whatever business she shall have need of during her life; and after her decease, I do hereby give power to my above named two sons to see my will performed as following, that is to say: after the decease of the last of us, either me or my wife, my will is that my son Zurill Hall shall have and enjoy that twenty acres of land whereon his dwelling house now stands. Next, my mind and will is that my son Benjamin Hall shall have my new dwelling house and land thereto adjoining; and, further, my will is that my three sons, Zurill, William and Benjamin, shall have all my land in the Narragansett which I purchased of Thomas Lawton, to be equally divided between them. And, further, I do give and bequeath unto my son Benjamin my cart horse, with my cart and plow, and the tackling thereto belonging; and as for the remainder of my estate, together with that which I have lent to my son William, shall be divided into four equal parts, viz.: one-fourth thereof to my son William; one-fourth part to my daughter Elizabeth; one-fourth part to my daughter Rebeecka, and the other fourth part to my daughter Deliverance." 

DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE HALL, JR.

     The following is the story about George Hall, Jr. (1744-1822, and his descendants.  George Hall, Jr. was the son of George Hall, Sr, who was son of  John Hall, who was son of William Hall, Sr., born c1613, of Newport and Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

     Most of this was written by Reuben T. Hall on March 13, 1874 from Farmington Hill, Tioga Co., PA and was submitted by Dorothy Remington Cutts to the Orange Co., CA Genealogy Society Quarterly, XIV #3, Dec 1977.  

     Marvin and Marietta Remington found this in the Hall Family History folder in the Pittsfield, MA Library on October 1999.  We then added information from similar stories from a descendant of Jonathan and Dinah (Hall) Remington, Musette Remington Taylor Flint in 1898, Adams, NY and passed on to M & M by Charles Clark, the great grandson of Musette.  Other information came from Allen L. Plucinik, also a descendent of Jonathan and Dinah (Hall) Remington, 1999.

     This story appeared in the Tioga County Express, Tioga, PA - March 19, 1874.

     Editor Express:  At the solicitation of my brother and many other relatives, I have compiled a brief sketch of George Hall and his descendants, which, although not of paramount interest to the general reader, will be found highly interesting to the immediate friends and relatives of the venerable old man whose name heads this sketch and who for many years has been gathered to his fathers.  Some omissions and errors may occur in what follows, but it is my purpose to write facts.

     Grandfather Hall, as I shall call him, was born August 30, 1744 at Coventry, RI to George and Jane (Vaughn) Hall, the grandson of John and Abigail Vaughn Hall and George and Jane (Nichols) Vaughn.   His parents were poor and George Hall received a pioneer's education, which consisted of acknowledge how to handle the axe, plow, hoe, and the trusty rifle.  During his youth he worked with his father at the forge.

     February 10, 1766, George Hall married for his first wife Ruth Nichols, daughter of a Baptist minister, by whom he had three children, Benjamin and John and a girl that died at birth as did also his wife. 

     In the fall of 1772 George Hall married for his second wife, Rachel Briggs.  By this marriage his first child was born Dec 14, 1773 and they named her Abigail.  Previous to this, his wife's father had moved to a place called Hoosock Hollow, Rensselaer Co., NY but at this date called South Berlin.  His father-in-law, Thomas Briggs, wrote to George if he would move to his new home he would give him a deed of twenty acres of land at Cherry Hill where there was a demand for a blacksmith.  George accepted the offer packed his all in an ox cart and with wife and three children made the journey through the wilderness of 156 miles, which consumed between two to three weeks. The journey was so severe that the health of his wife gave out.  She afterwards referred to the fatigue of carrying Abigail up Glasco Hill behind the ox cart as breaking down her health.  They arrived at their new home at Cherry Hill in the summer of 1775. 

     At Cherry Hill they had the following children, Clark born March 17, 1777, George born June 7, 1779, Elizabeth born March 26, 1781, and Rachel born April 11, 1783.

     Soon after Grandfather Hall and his family were settled in their new home, the war between the colonies and the mother country broke out, at which time he was about 30 years old. The fires of patriotism burned within him and caused the blood to course quickly through his veins.  Yielding to the demands of the infant colonies for accessions to the ranks of the continentals, he left his farm, committed his little family to the care of the Great Arbiter of events (namely God), and shouldering his musket marched to the front, to defend and protect the imperiled liberties of his country.  For it was in 1777 that Gen. John Burgoyne was trying to form a junction with Gen. William Howe that Grandfather Hall volunteered with all the surrounding country to stay the British legion that was sweeping over the country with its destroying hand and met in martial conflict at Schyler's Flats and at Stillwater.  Grandfather Hall had the honor of being present when Gen. Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, NY on the 17th of October 1777, which needed the British aggression in the North.  He also took part in the memorable battle of Bennington, VT on August 16, 1777 at which time he held the position of Quartermaster Sergeant. 

     The name of Bennington is dear to me, for I first saw the blessed light of day within sight of the mountains around this grand old town having been born in Hancock, MA, which I blush to say, furnished as many Tories as loyal men to fight the battles of the Revolution and every person able to bear arms in that town was engaged in the battle of Bennington.  It frequently happened on that eventful day that neighbor met neighbor face to face in the deadly conflict on the field of blood and battle.  The Americans gained the victory on that day and captured their Tory neighbors, who were held prisoners for sometime, but the disgrace of being a Tory always remained and they were hooted at and made the butt of ridicule by their more loyal neighbors.  After the dead had been consigned to their last resting places and the wounded taken care of, the hungry soldiers received their rations from Quartermaster Hall.  The rations were drawn into a field by ox cart and dealt out to the soldiers and only half rations at that.  Did they complain?  No! They raised their voices to Heaven in Thanksgiving and thanked the God of Battles for the victory he had permitted them to achieve.

     Military information from the "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in War of the Revolution", - 17 Vols. - Boston: Wright and Potter Printing Co. 1896, Vol. 7: - Hall, George Private, Capt. John Morgan's Co., Col. Ruggles Woodbridge's regt.: - enlisted 8/24/1777; discharged 11/29/1777; service 3 months 13 days, in Northern department, including 7 days - 140 miles - travel home."

     In due time the Revolution ended and Grandfather Hall returned to his family, bringing with him his trusty musket, which had been his faithful and constant companion during those exciting times of privation and hardship that "tried men's souls."  Speaking of the musket reminds me of a little incident which happened many years after the old man had gone to rest.  The musket and bayonet was transmitted as an heirloom to the third generation, and one certain day it was loaded with two balls and shot.  Rhodes W. Hall, then a lad of 8 or 9 years, lay the venerable piece across a log, and the target, which he patriotically imagined to be a Tory, was a choice apple tree.  He took sight, pulled the old flintlock, which had never failed to do duty to a Tory.  The old apple tree received the full charge.   But Rhodes, what became of him?  After the smoke had cleared away, he was discovered some ten feet in the rear, crying for joy to think that he had received no greater injuries.  He recovered, but the apple tree never did! 

Rhodes W. Hall

     The first of May 1783 when his daughter Rachel, was about three weeks old, George Hall moved to the town of Hancock, MA, about 11 miles from Cherry Hill, were he had bought a farm in it's wild virgin state.  [Grandfather, George Hall and wife Rachel bought the farm, at the foot of Hancock Mt., of the State of MA Committee, paying in addition $100 for squatter improvements.  They left the farm to their son, Caleb.  Caleb sold the farm to his sister, Alice and her husband, Henry Whitman.  They gifted the farm to their son, Herman Whitman.  "The farm has never been out of the family ever!" says Joan Burdick - Taylor Library - Box 1124 - Hancock, MA 01237 (letter of Mar 2000).  Location of the farm is - About 1/2 mile from the Taylor Library on the back side of Jiminy Peak Ski Area on Potter Mt. Rd. Info M.& M Remington found.]  Hancock was in a small valley beneath the towering peaks of the Hoosic Mountains.  His new location at this primitive time went by the name of Jericho Hollow and Johnny Cake land, names it retained until certain boundaries were incorporated into the town of Hancock in honor of Gov. Hancock.  Previous to this time it had been included in the town of Lanesborough.

     Here he erected a house and Blacksmith shop where he secured a competency.  George and Rachel reared a large family of their eleven children and the two boys by his first wife Ruth.  All these children grew up to adult life and married with the exception of John who never married.

     It seems almost incredible that a man could amass wealth on a small farm which was "one-half rocks and the other half stones," but such was the fact, as Grandfather George, with the help of an industrious, frugal Yankee wife, Rachel, made this then a wilderness, "blossom as the rose," and succeeded in making his rockbound farm productive, and provided for himself and a family a comfortable home.  As the George Hall, Jr. family cleared the virgin land of the rocks, they constructed rock fences that remain standing today on the farm owned by his descendant.  I shall speak of his descendant’s hereafter.

     Grandfather Hall held many positions of trust in his new home being a man of regular habits, strict integrity of character, industrious and always ready and prepared to attend to his numerous customers.  George was the town clerk for Hancock in 1792 and 1794 and in 1795 he was selectman / assessor.

     He had a dark complexion with dark eyes and black hair, stood 5 feet 6 inches in height and weighed 209 pounds at one time.  He was no doubt a descendant from the Latin race.  He lived to see many of his grandchildren and lived on the same farm until his death, which occurred, June 17, 1822, having lived to the age of 78 years.  His widow died soon after, thus leaving a family of eleven children - six boys and five girls, plus the two boys by his first wife.  George was the father of a total of 14 children.

Hancock Village Cemetery (Old Front) On his tomb stone is the inscribed:  "My children all of you and you have heard the sway to live in peace and love together when by death I am called away."  

     I shall now pass to the second generation of George Hall, whose names I give, also their occupations:

     Benjamin Hall, son of George by Ruth Nicholas, married Mary Sweet, daughter of William Sweet.  They moved to Norway, Herkermer Co., NY, where he raised a large family and at a ripe old age, died and is buried in the town cemetery.  His children are:  Warren, Benjamin, Ruth, Caty, Mary, Hannah, William, George, Rachel, Edith, Sibbel, and Manervia.

     John Hall, the son of Ruth and only son of George that remained unmarried.

     Abigail (Nabbie) Hall married Abel Corey, a farmer, and settled on the East Mt. in the Town of Hancock.  They were well to do and lived to be upwards of ninety years of age.  Their children were as follows:  Catherine, Carey, Othenial, Clarke, Hamilton, Alice, Hart, Humilia, Freeborn and Amy.

     Clark Hall, oldest son of George Hall, married Susannah Townsend, moved into Canada, where he became a citizen; was a farmer and also held several important positions under the British Crown.  He lived to be upwards of 80 years old.  The descendants of Clark Hall were nine, being - George C., Susannah, Amanda, Rowena, Martin, Horatio, Lucena, Calvin and Eli.

     Rachel Hall married Thomas Eldridge, a wealthy farmer, who lived in a small valley west of the main road in the town of Hancock.  They both have been dead some years, having lived to age of eighty years.  Their descendants were:  Herman, James H., Thomas B., Truman, Norton, Mary, Teresa, Elivira and Nathaniel.

     Elizabeth (Betsy) Hall married John Eldridge, who settled in the main valley on the turnpike in the town of Hancock.  They were among the wealthy farmers in the town and died a number of years ago at an advanced age.  They left five children, namely: Caleb, John, Eliza, Polly and Sally.

     Alice Hall married Henry Whitman, a farmer in moderate circumstances, who settled on a wild piece of land on the West Mountain in the town of Hancock.  By economy and industry they amassed much property.  The writer lived with this family when a youth of ten years, and consequently knows more about them than any of the other families.  Mr. Whitman died some twenty years ago, aged sixty-eight.  His widow is now living at an advanced age of eighty-four years, and has always resided in her native town.  Their children are seven, named Diana M., George R., Rachel H., Herman, Nathaniel, Sally A., and Wealthy.  Herman H. owns and now lives on the old Grandfather Hall farm. spoken of in the beginning of these memoirs.

     Briggs Hall married Hannah Finch, moved to Michigan and followed the occupation of a farmer.  He was twice married and lived to the age of eighty-one years.  He had eight children, viz: Whitman, Clarke, Thomas, George Briggs, Nehemiah, Hannah and William.

     Reuben Hall married Lydia Whitman in 1813.  He was born in 1792.  He erected a small house on a lot of fifteen acres, fourteen of which was rocks, and the remainder pretty good land.  This fifteen acres was willed to Lyman Hall by Grandfather Hall, to be used for the home of Reuben Hall and his family.  His occupation was that of blacksmith, cooper, farmer, and almost every other branch of business, and he was not successful at anything.  The descendants of Reuben Hall numbered seven - three boys and four girls.  

     Each of these children bid goodbye to their parental home in their youth not one of them remaining after their twelfth year.  At all events, I left at the tender age of ten years.  I was the last to leave.  My father lived alone for a number of years and removed to Pennsylvania twenty years ago, where he lived until his death, which occurred some four years since, at the age of seventy-six, and he was buried in Farmington.  His widow, (my mother) was a hardworking, industrious woman, with an iron constitution, when to reside with her youngest daughter in Illinois some thirty years ago.  She died last March at the ripe age of eight-three years.  Of this family I have material for quite a history, but time will not permit.  the children of Reuben Hall were - Phoebe, Rachel, Lyman, Polly Ann, Rhodes W., Reuben T. and Sally C.

     The eldest girls settled in Illinois and died there.  Lyman and Salley both lived in that state.  Ann lives in Williamstown, Berkshire Co., Mass.  Rhodes W. and Reuben T. live in Farmington, PA and pursue the avocation of farming.

     I visited my native town some twelve years ago.  The rocks remain but the old house where I first saw light, was entirely gone.  As I lingered around the well remembered spot, memory carried me back to the days of my youth, gone, never to return.  But I must hasten on....

     Dinah (Diana) Hall married Jonathan Remington, moved to the Black River country, in Lorraine, Jefferson County, NY, were well-to-do farmers, and died some years ago, aged over eighty.  Their descendants were seven, namely: Clark, Diadama, Rachel, Edmund, Orsemus, Allen and Thomas.

     Thomas Hall married Waity Hall, settled in Lorraine, Jefferson County, NY, at an early day, and followed farming.  He is yet living and is seventy-nine years old.  They had six children whose names are:  Harriet F., Charles, Clarke, Ann Eliza, George and Phoebe.

     George (Jr) Hall married Polly Hand, settled at an early day in Michigan, and followed farming.  At the time of his death was eighty years of age.  Their children were nine - Oliver, Clarke, Rachel, Polly, Amanda, Matilda, Gaylord, Eliza and Henry.

     Caleb Hall married Lydia Morey and he died before age 40 at Lock, Cayuga Co., NY.

George had cousins living in Hancock, MA.  Many of their descendants still live there as well as some of his own children.  They are among those who give character and wealth a prominent place in the town.  Most of the males moved away but two cousins married John Gardner and Willis Smith, marked men of character in their day.

     Info:  VR Hancock, MA-Vol. I, pp 60-61; VR Exter, RI-Vol. 5, part IIY, pg 23; and VR of RI by James Arnold.