Tag Archives: Plymouth Colony

Edward Hall, 1611-1670: Family and Later Years

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We know that Edward was named a Supervisor of the Highways in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, in June 1647.  There are no further records to be found until the birth of his son, John, in 1650, as written in the Braintree vital records.

Edward met and married Esther or Hester (herein after referred to as Esther) probably by 1649, but where?  Who was Esther Hall?  Braintree was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and from what little written information there is on old Braintree, once settled it was a closed settlement. Because of this I assume that Edward had to have been invited into the town.  There are no records of him owning land there so he likely lived with a family already established in the settlement.  Was this Esther’s family?  Edward and Esther’s first two children were born in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony; the remaining known 6 children were born in Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, as recorded in the Rehoboth vital records.  Edward would have been 39 years old when his first child was born in 1650/51.

  • John, born January 23, 1650/51, Braintree (July 5, 2018, please note: the birth date of John Hall has been changed to reflect the correct birth information that has now been obtained from the original records of Braintree. The Julian calendar was in use in 1650 and the 11th month would be January, not November. Therefore, his “genealogically correct” birth date would be 23 Jan 1650/51. That record can be viewed here; married Mary Newell, died September 1721 in Rehoboth.
  • Hester (Esther), born October 23, 1654, Braintree, *may have* married John Kenrick about 1672 or she *may have*  married Thomas Jordan in Rehoboth in 1674. We just haven’t been able to find any documented proof and there is some speculation that it was the Widow Hall who married Thomas Jordan (Jordaine) instead.  Her marriage, therefore, is a work in progress.
  • Samuel, born October 24, 1656, Rehoboth; married Abigail Pratt, died August 30, 1716 in  Taunton.
  • Jeremiah, born July 28, 1658, Rehoboth; died before May 1715.
  • Thomas, born March 31, 1661, Rehoboth; married Abigail Martin, died April 29, 1717 in Dedham.
  • Preserved, born March 20, 1663, Rehoboth; married widows Lydia (Jackson) Leavitt and Hannah (Damon) May; died August 5, 1740, in Hingham.
  • Andrew, born May 10, 1665, Rehoboth; married first, Susanna Capen; second, Mary Bennett, died December 1756 in Newton.
  • Benjamin, born August 7, 1668, Rehoboth; married Sarah Fisher, died August 25, 1726, in Wrentham.

We need to wrap up some unfinished business for Edward Hall as noted in the Plymouth Colony Records before moving on to records for Braintree and Rehoboth:

  • March 2, 1651, at the General Court at New Plymouth, Steven and Abigail Bryant complained against John Haward, Edward Hall, and Susanna Haward of Duxborrow in an action of slander and defamation to the damage of 500 pounds. The jury found for the plaintiffs damage of 5 pounds equally and jointly (PCR 7:57).
  • Circa 1651 there is a subsequent entry to the description of the land of Mr. John Alden describing the boundary:  The bounds of a parcel of marsh meadow, bought of Edward Hall in the year 1651, which meadow was primarily Mr. William Collyiars (sic), and by him given to Mr. Constant Southworth, and by him sold to Edward Hall, aforsaid, and bought by me, John Alden and is as followeth: viz: layed out at the first for five acres, and bounded with a creek, commonly called and known by the name Indian Creek; and from thence to run to the meadow land of Philip Delano, deceased; and so it runs on the northerly side as the river runs to the Mill Creek (PCR 1:71).
  • October 7, 1651, Edward Hall(e) was presented by the General Enquest for felling of timber and selling of it out of the colony, which timber is on the town commons; Released and aquite (PCR 2:174.

The only record found in Braintree mentioning Edward Hall is published in the Massachusetts Colony Records, vol. 3, pages 309-310 and vol. 4, part 1, page 145.  These entries have to do with the law case of Wilson v. Faxon in which the widow Wilson brought suit against Thomas Faxon concerning her son, Joseph Wilson.  In these records, No. 188, 8th paper, states that Edward Hall was deposed in this case, dated March 10, 1652 (NEHGR 62:93-94).

Edward and Esther spent a brief time in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony, approximately 5 years, 1650-1655.  By October 1656, when their son, Samuel, was born, Edward and Esther are back in the Plymouth Colony at Rehoboth, where Edward remained for the rest of his life.

  • 1658, Edward Hall appears on the list of those who took the Oath of Fidelity at Rehoboth (PCR 8:178)
  • June 22, 1658, Edward Hall was No. 41 out of 49 persons who drew in order of the settlers estates for meadow lands which lie on the north side of the town, at town meeting of Rehoboth (Rehoboth Vital Records).
  • August 3, 1665, Edward Hall conveys 10 acres of land lying at Namassakeesit, given to him by the town, to Robert Barker who hath now peaceably enjoyed the same space for 17 years, with all the appurtenances (Old Records, town of Duxbury, p. 19).
  • May 26, 1668, Lots drawn for meadow lands in the North Purchase, now Attleboro, Cumberland, R.I., and parts of Norton and Mansfield (Rehoboth Vital Records).

It’s likely that the above lot drawn in 1668 was for 50 acres, as Edward gave to his son, John, by will, 40 acres in the North Purchase, with the remainder to his wife, Esther.  A Sketch of the History of Attleborough, p. 99, called it 50 acres at “the Falls” Attleborough, as given to his son, John, by will.

Edward Hall’s will was written November 23, 1670.

Will of Edward Hall of Rehoboth

Be it knowne to all men of these presents that I Edward Hall of Rehoboth in the colonie of Plymouth in New England: being in my fresh memory, do ordaine and make this my last Will and Testament.

Item. I give to my son John forty acres as upon my share of land on the North Purchase; which is to be his full Share of land:

Item. I give my house orchyard Garden Barne homlott and all my other lands and meddowes in the Town of Rehoboth or on the North Purchase or elsewhere as alsoe my household Goods Cattle or Chattles whatsoever I have or did enjoy or posess; unto my beloved wife Ester; whom I ordaine and make my sole exequitrix: That is to pay all my debts; To Improve for to bring up my Children; and to dispose of it unto them according to her wisdome; but if my wife should Marry then she shall have the third of my land; and the other two thirds shall be divided as above said. This is my last will and Testament; With my hand

Edward Hall (his mark)

In the presence of John Meller Senior, John Peck

John Meller Senior hath attested the truth of this will upon oath before me Henery Smith July 4th 1671.

(Plymouth Colony Records, Wills, Volume 3, Part 1, Page 36)

Edward Hall died on November 27, 1670 (Rehoboth Vital Records).  He would have been 59 years of age.  The inventory of his estate was made March 6, 1671 and presented to the Court held at Plymouth on October 29, 1671, valued at £ 84.   It is said that he is buried in an unmarked grave in the Newman Cemetery, Rumford, Providence, Rhode Island (once a part of Rehoboth).

At the time of Edward’s death, his first born child, John, would have been 20 years old.  The remaining 7 children would have ranged in ages from 16 years down to 2 years old.  Quite a responsibility for a presumably young widow and for her oldest son, John, who had not yet himself reached legal age.

Did Edward Hall leave the Colony a debtor in 1652?

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Before moving on to Edward Hall’s family and later years, I’d like to take a look at the statement that Edward Hall left the Colony a debtor in 1652, as written in Winsor’s History of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, published in 1849.  This has carried over into other publications about Edward Hall.

The entry appears in the genealogical section of Winsor’s book (full view on Google Books) on page 263, as follows:

“1. Edward, Dux., 1638, permitted to build in Dux.; 1637, 10 acres at G.H. path; 1638, sold his house to Wm. Wetherill; 1641, he appears of Taunton; 1642, had a house at Hounds Ditch; 1645, prop. of Bridgew.; 1652, left the colony a debtor.”

Clearly, this entry seems to indicate that these events are from the life of one individual and not just random findings in the records on various Edward Halls of the time.  There are no source citations for these entries, although all of the above can be found in the Plymouth Colony Records except for Edward Hall being of Taunton in 1641.  I have not yet found where that information came from.

Considered the primary source for seventeenth century research in the Colony, the Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England (volume 3), edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, shed some light on where this statement likely originated.

The first entry of interest is dated  7 December 1652 wherein the Court speaks of a “beast tendered from the estate” (my emphasis) of Edward Hall and attached until the next Court session (in March).  Constant Southworth was ordered by the court to winter the beast and it was ordered that any charge for loss or wintering would be payable from the estate of said Hall (PCR 3:21).  The next page contains another entry regarding the estate of Edward Hall, this being at a Court session the first of March 1652/53 and begins:  “Whereas Edward Hall is departed the government endebted unto divers men much more than his estate (again, my emphasis) will amount unto and satisfy….”  It goes on to say that all creditors should show full proof of what is owing them by the first of May next (PCR 3:22).  The last entry is dated 7 June 1653 wherein the Court found that a debt was due a Captain Willett and a Mr. Paddy, from Edward Hall, in the amount of 4 pound and 4s and the Court ordered that it be paid out of the estate (PCR 3:34).

According to the above this was another Edward Hall who had lived in the Colony and had died sometime previous to the first Court Order dated 7 December 1652.  All entries mention the estate of Edward Hall, thereby confirming that this Edward Hall was deceased.  This particular Edward Hall appeared to not have a large enough estate to pay off his indebtedness. The language in the entry dated March 1, 1652/53, describing the deceased Edward Hall as departed the government and indebted for much more than his estate is worth, is what I believe was picked up and published in Winsor’s History of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts as well as in other subsequent publications and carried over into a few genealogies.

The problem as I see it is that it was quickly assumed that this was Edward Hall of Duxbury, late of Henbury, and that he left the Colony a debtor in 1652.  However, the keyword here is estate.  Clearly that should have been a clue to Mr. Winsor that those particular Plymouth Colony Records entries pertained to a different, and a deceased, Edward Hall.