Samuel² Hall’s birth was recorded in the Vital Records of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, p. 630, and written as:  Hall, Samuel, of Edward, born October 24, 1656.  It is uncertain when he removed to Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, however his marriage to Abigail Pratt of Plymouth, daughter of Jonathan Pratt, is recorded in the Vital Records of Taunton, vol. 2, p. 218 where it is written as follows: Samuel Hall, Jr. and Abigail Pratt of Plymouth, January 3, 1683.  Samuel would have been 26 years old when he married Abigail.

Samuel Hall, Sr. appeared on the June 1689 list of freeman for Taunton (PCR, Miscellaneous Records, 1633-1689, p. 206).

It may be worthwhile to note here that at one time there were 3 Samuel Halls in Taunton:  Samuel Hall b. 1644, Samuel Hall b. 1656, Samuel Hall b. 1664.  This has led to much confusion, however, in the 17th century men of the same town of the same name were designated Sr. and Jr., not by relationship, but by age.  While Samuel Hall, b. 1644 was alive, our Samuel Hall, b. 1656 was generally designated Jr., and Samuel Hall, b. 1664, the son of Samuel Hall, b. 1644 was generally referred to as Samuel, son of Samuel or Samuel^2d. Thus, when our Samuel married Abigail Pratt in 1683, he was called Samuel Jr.  However, Samuel b. 1644 was deceased by June 1689 so our Samuel was called Samuel Sr. on the list of freeman, since he was then the eldest of that name in Taunton.

The topic of the multiple Samuel Halls in Taunton has previously been dealt with on the Halls of Bristol County blog. This is a well written post and well worth reading for additional information regarding the confusion surrounding the two younger Samuels. While this blog is about Edward Hall of Rehoboth and his descendants through his son Samuel², Kathryn Hall’s blog, Halls of Bristol County, is about George Hall of Taunton and his descendants, and in particular her descent from George –> Samuel –> Samuel, etc. Thus, we share a mutual interest in unraveling the confusion, through documentation, of the Samuel Halls in early Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, that have been previously published and carried over into numerous genealogies.

Samuel² and Abigail Pratt Hall had 4 known children:

• Jonathan³ Hall, born August 22, 1686 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts; married first Sarah Ockington; second Sarah Smith; he died April 19, 1750 in Raynham, Bristol, Massachusetts; buried in the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center (now known as the Pleasant Street Cemetery).
• Samuel³ Hall, born abt. 1688; married Mercy Willis; he died abt. 1736.
• Esther³ Hall, birth date unknown; married Samuel Blake.
• Hannah³ Hall, born abt. 1700; married Barnabas Crossman; she died December 14, 1754 in Raynham, Bristol, Massachusetts

Samuel² and Abigail lived in that part of Taunton that became Raynham in 1731, and more specifically, Raynham Center.  The Hall homestead as well as much of the Hall lands was on the road leading to Taunton.  This has been documented through deeds.  In fact, the cemetery where Samuel is buried, the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center, also known today as Pleasant Street Cemetery, was once a part of that Hall land.  Samuel’s son, Jonathan³ Hall Sr., deeded one acre, 8 rods of land to the Town of Raynham for a burying ground on July 4, 1737.  This is the original land comprising the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center, located on Pleasant Street in Raynham Center.  It would seem obvious that since Samuel Hall died in 1716 and is buried in this cemetery, and since Jonathan did not deed it over to the town of Raynham until 1737, that the land that Jonathan Hall deeded to the town for a burying ground also contained this Hall family’s burial grounds.

Samuel² Hall wrote his will on August 21, 1716.  He died on August 30, 1716 and his will was recorded on November 26, 1716, naming his wife, Abigail; sons Jonathan³ (eldest) and Samuel³ (youngest) and daughters Esther³ Blake and Hannah³ Hall (youngest).  His will also named two children that were living with him:  Ebenezer Pratt (under 21 years) and Elizabeth Pratt (under 17 years), who are believed to have been the nephew and niece of Abigail, children of her brother, Jabez Pratt.

Samuel² is buried in the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center (Pleasant Street Cemetery) and his headstone is inscribed:

Here lies the body
of Samuel
Hall who dyed
in y^[e] 60 year of
his age August
30 1716
1716

To view this headstone, please see the earlier post Samuel Hall Headstone Revealed.

Next post will be the transcription of Samuel² Hall’s will.