HALL FAMILY HISTORY

My maternal grandmother, Ella Hall Llewellyn

Phebe Tomlinson Hatton Hall, my maternal great-great grandmother (1862-1947). Photo dates to around 1938.

Phebe T. Hatton when she was 14 (this is a tin-type I have), in 1876.

Phebe T. Hatton and Isaac Hall: this is the only photo I have of my great grandfather Isaac Hall (b. 9.20.1829 d. 1902). He is buried in the cemetery at Friends Meetinghouse in West Caln, PA. I estimate the date of the photo as c. 1886. They were married when she was 23 years old 12.17.1885.

My mother’s family descended on her mother’s side from the Hall line. Her grandmother Phebe Tomlinson Hatton Hall, was a widow for many years and lived with them when Mom grew up, so they were very close. Phebe wore the old Quaker plain dress as seen in her photo. I especially appreciate the serenity of her countenance as she does her hand work in such a peaceful setting. You see plenty of books behind her on the shelf. My mother had this photo framed and hanging in her bedroom. This may have been at the William T. and Ella H. Llewellyn home at 229 E. Moreland Ave, Hatboro, PA where they lived for over fifty years. My Uncle Walter Elisha Llewellyn was very amazed that his grandfather was alive in the early days of our Republic. I corresponded with him in his later years via email and he mentioned this several times. He did not live to see his photograph. Sadly I found this one after he was gone. My Uncle Bob, Robert Hall Llewellyn, had this for his middle name. More about these uncles and others another time.

The Hall family were members of the Society of Friends, and may have come to this country originally in Virginia. The account below is one I have that may have come from Sina Stratton Michener. My mother had it among her things. It gives the historic account of their family line as told by one of the children of Jesse Hall who died in 1866 in Harrisville, Ohio. The story of how they came to Ohio from North Carolina is interesting, which I have a more detailed account I’ll post separately. I have no idea who or when this document was typed, but I’m grateful to have this insight into our family history. 

The first record that we find relating to our Hall ancestors is in a minute book of Rich Square Monthly Meeting in North Carolina; Viz, "Moses Hall b 1711 d 1761 and Elizabeth Hall b 1714 d 1771 and their children Anna b 1737, Sara b 1739, Moses b 1742, Isaac b 1746 and Joseph (our ancestor) b 1750". There was no date to this minute but in 1760 we find that Moses and Elizabeth were both recorded as Overseers. 

It is quite probable that they came from Nancemond County Virginia, as there is record in a meeting there of a Moses Hall who gave 350 pounds of tobacco toward the building of a meeting house in 1702, also that a Moses Hall married Margaret Duke in 1707. So our Moses might have been their son. 

In 1772 Joseph Hall married Christiana Peele and settled in Edgecomb County North Carolina where they lived on their farm there for thirty years and raised a family of eight children. 

The question of slavery was a very vital one among Friends at that time and for many it was not easy to raise their families under that influence and began to look for homes north of the Ohio river. 

Several from their neighborhood had moved to a new settlement at Concord (now Colerain) Ohio about six miles north of Wheeling West Virginia. A Friends Meeting had been established there. 

In the spring of 1802 Joseph and his son, Jesse went by horse back the six hundred miles to Concord. 

After exploring the surrounding country they selected and bought from the government a tract of nearly eighteen hun- dred acres just north-east of the present village of Harrisville. 

On a southern slope of this tract near two good springs, they built two cabins also a stable for their stock and then returned to North Carolina for their families. 

Jesse had married Peninah Parker in 1799 and they had one son (Joseph Jr.) who was about two years old. Joseph's youngest son Nathan was not quite a year old. 

Christiana was not strong and ill-able for such a long hard trip, so they rigged up a two wheeled cart with a feather bed swung hammock wise from the four corner posts of the cart. They had two other carts of their own to care for their families and hired a teamster to haul their household goods. 

1806 

Four years later after they were well established in their new homes an epidemic broke out and four of the family, Christiana, Sara, Jesse and Peninah passed away. 

Some of the original tract is still owned by Charles and Tacy Hall Kirk by their descendents. are living on the site of one of the first houses and the spring is still running in the corner of the rear porch. 

Our old home where Albert Smith's now live, the meeting house ground, the graveyard as well as some of the adjoining farms are a part of the original tract. 

The present meeting house was built in 1860 and Nathan Hall (the baby of 1802) had the charge of building the house. 

Father Jesse Hall, who died in 1866, was-3 among the first burials in the graveyard. 

Father and mother Smith were the first (to be married in the new house. 

The old meeting house, which was built some fifty years before, stood at the east end of Harrisville and many of our family were buried there. It was not the custom in early days for Friends to put markers at the graves other than small rough stones so it is now impossible for us to designate them.