Tag Archives: Raynham Massachusetts

John Hall, son of Amos Hall, married Huldah Hall, not Huldah Williams

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In 1883, the Rev. David B. Hall published The Halls of New England; an enormous undertaking and a book that continues today to be the go to book for Hall genealogy. While there is a great deal of accurate information in this book, it is not without errors, and unfortunately those errors continue to be published in new family trees every day. Why? It must be because the genealogical information in this book is presumed to be accurate without performing the individual research for primary records that is absolutely necessary when documenting our ancestors. As family historians or professional genealogists we must always document what is found in a reference book with primary sources. Reference books should become our main source only when primary records do not exist.

I wanted to document the marriage of John Hall, son of Amos (Jonathan, Samuel, Edward Hall of Rehoboth) to Huldah Williams. In the Halls of NE book, page 620, Family 112, the following is written:

John Hall b. Nov. 15, 1745; was a farmer in Raynham Centre; member of the Congregational Church; removed to Rochester, Mass. and thence to Wilton, Me., where he d. Feb. 8, 1830, ae 84; m., January 1, 1770, Huldah Williams, of Raynham (5th from Richard), b. Jan. 1741, d. Dec. 26, 1804, ae. 64 years.

The only Huldah Williams that I have found in any records was born September 28, 1750 to Edmund and Lydia Williams. I cannot find a Huldah Hall in either Massachusetts or Maine who died in 1804. I realize that the Taunton, Massachusetts fire destroyed primary records and I also realize that an 1804 headstone might be long gone….but, no one seems to have anything out there on the Huldah Williams who, according to the Halls of NE book, married John Hall.

In the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Ancestry.com, 2011 a record is found for the marriage of John Hall to Huldah HALL in 1770 (no month or day given) in Raynham, Massachusetts, but there is no marriage record found for John Hall and Huldah Williams on January 1, 1770.

There is no record found for Huldah Williams born January 1741 BUT there is a record for Huldah HALL born January 18, 1740/41 to Philip and Huldah (Leonard) Hall in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988.

In my research, I came across another record of interest, also found in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 database. This record caught my attention because it appears to be an attempt to reconstruct the vital records for the Philip and Huldah (Leonard) Hall family that were lost in the Taunton fire. It gives names of children, birth dates, and death dates, death of Huldah, marriage of Philip to Hannah Leach, as well as Philip’s death date and at the bottom of the first page this entry is included:

John Hall son of Amos Hall and his wife Abigail was born Novr ye 16th 1745 on Sabbath Day. The names of the children of John Hall and Hulda his wife

Amasa their first son born August 12th 1771 on Monday

Keilah their second son born April 18th 1774 on Monday.

The top portion of the next page completes the entries for Philip and Huldah Hall’s family with the marriage of John Gardner to their daughter, Phebe in 1766, along with the births of their children and their death dates.

Is it merely a coincidence that John Hall and his wife Hulda are thrown into the middle of entries for the family of Philip and Huldah Hall? After all, John Hall is from a different, unrelated Hall family than Philip is. I don’t think so. I think this is a huge clue, however, there is nothing written into this document to confirm that suspicion.

Philip Hall died in Raynham, Massachusetts on 2 January 1764. In the Mayflower Deeds and Probates, 1600-1850 database, in the record for the Estate of Philip Hall, Huldah is named as the eldest daughter and Phebe as the 2nd daughter. This entry indicates that both daughters were single at the time of Philip’s death and at the time the inventory of his estate was taken.

Philip Hall’s (identified in Halls of NE as being a descendant of George Hall of Taunton); (Hall DNA Project Family 024) widow, Hannah (Keith) Leach Hall marries Jonathan Hall (a brother to Amos [father of the subject John Hall]; Hall DNA Project Family 006) in April 1764. It would be reasonable to assume that with this marriage Philip’s unmarried daughter, Huldah was living in the Jonathan Hall home after his marriage to Hannah, the same as her unmarried children by Benjamin Leach. Jonathan’s son, Seth, married Hannah’s daughter, Diadamia Leach in 1769, so would it not be possible that Jonathan’s nephew might have married Philip Hall’s daughter, Huldah? Seems almost too much a coincidence that according to Halls of NE, Huldah Williams was born January 1741 and the only Huldah born about the same time in Bristol County, Massachusetts was Huldah Hall, born January 18, 1740/41; and that Huldah Williams married John Hall January 1, 1770 and the only record to be found is for the marriage of Huldah Hall to John Hall in 1770. In other words, Huldah Williams cannot be documented in available records. But so far everything has been theory based on coincidences; can anything with substance be found? The record for the Estate of Philip Hall mentioned a division. Are there records of that division and will they help? There are, indeed!

A deed naming the legal owners of all lands that were set off to Hannah Hall as her right of dower clearly settles the question of who John Hall, son of Amos (Jonathan, Samuel, Edward) DNA Family 006 married and thereby corrects the erroneous statement that David B. Hall made in his Halls of New England book, that John Hall, son of Amos Hall, married Huldah Williams. Finally, a primary source was found.

Bristol County Deeds, Book 74, page 310, dated November 14, 1794, recorded February 5, 1796

Know all Men by these presents that we ISAAC HALL yeoman, JOHN HALL yeoman and HULDAH his wife, JOHN WILLIAMS yeoman and SILENCE his wife, and SETH HALL yeoman, all of Raynham, County of Bristol, being now ye legal owners in fee simple of all the lands that were set off to HANNAH HALL, the late widow of PHILLIP HALL late of Raynham decd – as her right of dower in said estate, said land lying and being in Raynham……..

Isaac Hall is the son of Philip and Hannah (Keith) Leach Hall.

John Williams married Silence Hall, daughter of Philip and Huldah (Leonard) Hall.

John Hall, son of Amos Hall, married Huldah Hall, daughter of Philip and Huldah (Leonard) Hall.

Seth Hall, son of Jonathan Hall (Jonathan, Samuel, Edward) and Hannah (Keith) Leach Hall’s third husband, married Diadamia Leach, daughter of Hannah (Keith) Leach Hall Hall and her first husband, Benjamin Leach.

The entire deed can be fully (and freely) viewed on the FamilySearch.org web site here.

Now when we look back at that earlier record that appeared to reconstruct the vital records for the family of Philip and Huldah (Leonard) Hall, finding John Hall, son of Amos, and his wife “Hulda”  in that record makes perfect sense.

Lydia Leonard (1721/22-1763), Hannah Keith (1721-1796), wives of Jonathan4 Hall, Jr.

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Jonathan’s4 first wife, Lydia Leonard, died 26 June 1763 in Raynham, Bristol, Massachusetts, at the age of 42 years. She is buried in the Hall plot in what is now known as the Pleasant Street Cemetery in Raynham Center. Based on her age at death, her birth year would have been 1721-22. Lydia would have been about 17 years old when she married Jonathan on 28 December 1738 (Raynham Town Records).

Photo Courtesy of Brady Fitts

Photo Courtesy of Brady Fitts

Early female ancestors are difficult enough to trace when primary sources are available, and are made much more difficult to find when the original records have been destroyed. In 1838 the original records of Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts were destroyed by a fire and town officials set about to restore those records to the best of their ability using sources such as family bibles, church records and headstone inscriptions. Because the original records were destroyed, there is no record of Lydia’s birth identifying her parents or when she was born.

In researching Lydia over the years, some genealogies gave her parents as Ensign Seth Leonard and his wife, Dorcas White, while other documents presumed that she must have been of another Leonard family. While most of those genealogies contained no sources at all, some did use secondary sources as their evidence. In the reconstruction of the birth records of the children of Seth and Dorcas White Leonard, Lydia was not mentioned. Anyone who has researched the early Taunton, Massachusetts records, while the town officials did a commendable job in attempting to reconstruct the early records the best that they could, knows that many gaps were left never to be filled in. It takes finding other types of primary documents to take the place of vital records.

Without the benefit of primary vital records, we initially looked to the naming patterns of the first few male children to try to help identify Lydia’s parents. The first son born to Jonathan and Lydia was named Jonathan, which would fit in naming the first born son after Jonathan Hall, Sr. The second born son was named Seth. It also fits the naming pattern of the 1700’s that the second born son might be named after the wife’s father. There were no Seth’s in Jonathan’s ancestry. The third born son was named Silas. No one in Jonathan’s family was named Silas, so we looked deeper into the Leonard family and found that Lydia had a first cousin born in 1708, the Reverend Silas Leonard. It is therefore conceivable that Jonathan and Lydia named their third born son after Lydia’s cousin. And even though the recorded birth in the Raynham Town Records shows him listed merely as Silas Hall, in various documents and records of later years he is identified as either Silas L. Hall or more often as Silas Leonard Hall. Since it was highly unusual for a child to be given a middle name in the early- to mid-1700’s, this extended name provided us with valuable information.

During email conversations with a Leonard researcher in the continued attempt to document Lydia’s birth date and parents, it was learned that a document existed in the Seth Leonard Estate papers whereby “children and near relations” signed a petition to have Seth Leonard declared incompetent and placed under guardianship. Learning about these sorts of documents is like finding a huge nugget of gold, estate papers being wonderful primary sources. I ordered the estate papers from Bristol County and the packet did indeed contain the Petition to have Seth Leonard declared Non Compos Mentis and in need of a guardian, dated Raynham, September 15, 1761. The Petition was signed by those described in the document as “children and near relations”. Jonathan4 Hall, Jr. was one of the 18 signers of the Petition. Jonathan Hall also signed the obligation bond, dated October 3, 1761. In addition, the Petition was signed by Seth Hall, probably the grandson of Seth Leonard and son of Jonathan and Lydia Leonard Hall, and by Amariah Hall, a first cousin of Jonathan Hall. This document, coupled with the naming patterns of Jonathan and Lydia’s first three sons gave us both the primary and strong circumstantial evidence we needed to declare Lydia the daughter of Ensign Seth Leonard and his wife, Dorcas White, when no vital records were available.

In addition, although Seth Leonard’s headstone has never been found, the headstone of his wife, Dorcas White Leonard, is found in the row next to the Jonathan Hall family in the Pleasant Street Cemetery in Raynham Center, Massachusetts.

Dorcas White, wife of Ensign Seth Leonard

Dorcas White, wife of Ensign Seth Leonard

Not quite a year after Lydia’s death, Jonathan married Hannah Keith Leach Hall on 25 April 1764 (Raynham Town Records). At the time of Lydia’s death, Jonathan was left with 7 children under the age of 20 years in his home. Jonathan was Hannah’s third husband. She was born 7 April 1721 in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts to John Keith and his wife, Hannah Washburn. Hannah married first Benjamin Leach, 10 January 1739/40, second to Philip Hall (a great-grandson of George Hall of Taunton [not related to the subject Hall family]), and third to Jonathan Hall. After Jonathan died on 25 February 1789, she married Israel Washburn on 14 June 1790. Hannah died 4 January 1796 and is buried in the Pleasant Street Cemetery in Raynham Center, Bristol, Massachusetts.

Last Will and Testament of Jonathan Hall, Jr.

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In the Name of God Amen!

I Jonathan Hall, the Eldest of that name in Raynham in the County of Bristol and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, being advanced in age, but thro’ devine goodness of a sound and disposing mind, do in the first place give my soul to that God who gave it, and my body to the grave, decently to be interr’d by my Executor, In a firm belief a Resurrection to come, and in regard to my worldly interest, I give and dispose of it in the manner following ~ viz

1. I give to my beloved Wife Hannah Hall, after the payment of my just debts and funeral charges — the best room in my dwelling house with a privilege in the Buttery, Oven and Cellar, as much as may be necessary for her own use; Also the easterly half of my Barn with a right of passing to and from it, at all times; To have, use and enjoy all the above privileges during her natural life — Also I give to my said wife the improvement of all my land lying on the south easterly side of the Brook which comes thro’ the land of Samuel Jones, below his barn, and on said Brook as it now runs, to the bridge below my house — Together with one half of my orchard, adjoining to ye house, during her natural life; also I give unto my sd wife, ye use of my half of the pew in the Meeting House during her life and after her, I give it to my Son Seth Hall, to him and his Heirs forever.

2. I give to my Son Linus Hall, the remainder of my dwelling house together with a strip of land from the Brook below the house to the road before the door, to be two rods wide from the line which passes between my Son Seth Hall’s house and mine, a straight line from the Brook to the road — To him, his Heirs and assigns forever, together with the whole of my dwelling house after the death of my said wife.

3. I give to my Son Seth Hall, half an acre of land where his barn now stands, to him and his Heirs, immediately after my decease, together with the westerly part of my barn, one half my orchard, with all the remainder of my lands lying on the westerly side of the above mentioned Brook, immediately after my decease, with all the lands on ye other side of the Brook, after my wife’s decease, to him and his Heirs and assigns forever on condition that he the said Seth Hall pay out the following Legacies ~ viz,

Unto my Son Silas Hall five pounds, in one year after my decease, — To my Son Hezekiah Hall, ten pounds, in two years after my decease, provided he brings no account against my Estates, which if he does, Tis my will that the amount be deducted from the above named sum — also, that he pay unto my Son Jonathan Hall in three years after my death the sum of twelve pounds. And in four years after my decease that my Son Seth Hall pay unto my Son Obed Hall, the sum of twelve pounds — and that he also pay unto my Son Ebenezer Hall the same sum within five years after my decease — also I order my Son Seth Hall to pay to my Daughter Lydia Richmond two pounds in six years after my decease — and to my Daughter Jemima Williams one pound ten shillings in seven years after my death; all the above Legacies I order to be paid out in farm produce at the Common Market Price — I also give to my Wife Hannah Hall, all the household goods she bro’t with her upon marriage, with all the household goods that she and I have procured since we lived together, with two of my best cows and one swine to be at her own disposal — The remainder of my stock, cattle, swine and moveables not disposed of before, I give them all unto my Son Seth Hall and to his Heirs forever — and I do Constitute and appoint my Son Seth Hall to be the Sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament.

In Witness Whereof I do here unto set my Hand and Seal, Signed, Sealed and Delivered this 21st Day of Feby, 1788.

Jonathan Hall

In Presence of Us:

Perez Fobes
Anonyma Fobes
Molly Wales Fobes

The Last Will and Testament of Jonathan Hall was filed March 12, 1789; Proved May 2, 1789. On March 17, 1791 Seth Hall, Administrator of his father’s estate, filed a petition with the court to have his father’s estate declared insolvent and requested that the court appoint a commission to examine into the claims of debtors against his father’s estate. What these debtors claims were, we do not know, as no further Administration papers have been found. Neither do we know what happened to the extensive land holdings that Jonathan had inherited from his father. We are trying to secure and sort out all of the various deeds for Jonathan Hall. What we do know is that the Legacies that Jonathan had requested in his Will, to be distributed to his children over a seven year period after his death, did not happen. An inventory of his Estate was conducted by Major Shaw, Samuel Hall, and Daniel White on March 16, 1792; it amounted to 21 Pounds, 2 Shillings and 3 Pence. The inventory was allowed April 2, 1792.

Jonathan4 Hall, Jr. (1716-1789)

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Edward1 Hall of Rehoboth, Massachusetts

Samuel2 Hall married Abigail Pratt

Jonathan3 Hall married 1st Sarah Ockington, 2nd Sarah Smith

Jonathan4 Hall, Jr.

Jonathan4 Hall, Jr., the second of that name, was born May 3, 1716 to Jonathan Hall and his first wife, Sarah Ockington (First Book of Raynham Records), in that part of Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts that became Raynham in 1731.

Jonathan lived his entire life in Raynham, more particularly in that area known as Raynham Center. He was a prominent member and deacon of the Raynham Congregational Church, and he served in numerous town positions. As the eldest son of Jonathan and Sarah, he inherited extensive acreage as stipulated in his father’s will. He appeared on the Raynham Tax Records for 1746, assessed for both real and personal property (Old Colony Historical Society, Taunton, MA).

Many of the town records are missing, but of those surviving Jonathan’s name appeared in all of the accounts, with his town positions having ranged from selectman to constable, treasurer and moderator.

  • March 22, 1762, chosen surveyor of highways
  • March 17, 1763, chosen surveyor of wheat and flour
  • March 19, 1764, named constable
  • November 27, 1771, chosen moderator
  • November 30, 1772, Deacon Jonathan Hall contributed to support of the town hall
  • October 4, 1773, name drawn to serve as a juror for Superior Court
  • May 2, 1775, signed a town document
  • March 4, 1775, elected selectman
  • June 24, 1779, chosen moderator
  • January 6, 1785, signed a town document
  • March 7, 1785, chosen treasurer
  • October 12, 1786, chosen moderator
  • October 15, 1787, chosen moderator

Jonathan and Lydia Leonard, daughter of Seth and Dorcas (White) Leonard, were married by the Rev. Mr. Wales on December 28, 1738 (Raynham Congregational Church Records). Jonathan was 22 years of age and Lydia would have been about 17 years old when they married. Jonathan and Lydia had 11 known children (First Book of Raynham Records) with their youngest child, Abigail, born June 6, 1762, being just a few days over one year old when Lydia died at the age of 42 years on June 26, 1763. Jonathan and Lydia had been married for 25 years at the time of her death.  Lydia is buried in the Hall Plot in the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center, now known as the Pleasant Street Cemetery.

Children of Jonathan and Lydia (Leonard) Hall (all births recorded in Raynham and children baptized at the Raynham Congregational Church):

  1. Jonathan5 Hall, born September 26, 1739, died November 22, 1739.
  2. Seth5 Hall, born October 4, 1740, baptized November 7, 1740, married March 23, 1769 to Diadamia Leach, daughter of Benjamin Leach, Jr. and Hannah Keith, died February 12, 1824, age 83 years, at Westmoreland, Cheshire, New Hampshire. Diadamia died April 30, 1842 at Westmoreland.
  3. Silas5 Hall, born Friday, February 4, 1743 (year determined by day of birth using Julian Calendar), baptized March 20, 1743, married the widow Eunice Titus on April 4, 1774 in Salisbury, Litchfield, Connecticut, died after 1820 at Danby, Tompkins County, New York.  Silas will be addressed fully in Generation 5.
  4. Prudence5 Hall, born Wednesday, March 20, 1745 (year determined by day of birth using Julian Calendar), baptized April 21, 1745, died June 21, 1752, age 7 years, buried in the town cemetery at Raynham Center.
  5. Lydia5 Hall, born October 21, 1747. She was called Lydia Richmond in her father’s Will, written in 1788. Nothing further is known about Lydia or her husband.
  6. Jemima5 Hall, born August 14, 1750, baptized September 23, 1750, married Nathaniel Williams, son of Nathaniel and Mary (Atherton) Williams, on August 24, 1769 and removed to Spencer, Worcester, Massachusetts, where she died on May 20, 1824, age 73 years.
  7. Jonathan5 Hall, born June 10, 1753, baptized July 29, 1753, died January 3, 1792, age 38 years.  A deed identifies Jonathan’s wife as being named Sarah.  He is probably the Jonathan Hall on the 1790 census for Raynham with seven family members, including himself and his wife.  Nothing further is known about Jonathan.
  8. Hezekiah5 Hall, born November 12, 1755, baptized January 18, 1756, married Sarah Carver, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Holmes) Carver, about 1776.  Sarah died February 18, 1800 at Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts and she is buried in the Old Grave Yard at Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  A death date and place has not yet been identified for Hezekiah.
  9. Obed5 Hall, born December 23, 1757, baptized February 26, 1758, married first Abigail Dean, probably the daughter of Josiah and Jane (Washburn) Dean, whose first born daughter was Abigail, born September 21, 1740 (First Book of Raynham Records). They had no children. Obed and Abigail removed to Bartlett, New Hampshire where Abigail died November 10, 1804, aged 64 years, at Bartlett, Carroll (then Coos) County, New Hampshire. Abigail is buried in the Garland Ridge Cemetery in Bartlett.  Obed married second Eliza Fox, June 11, 1805 in Lee, Strafford County, New Hampshire.  Obed died on April 25, 1828 (NARA Pension Papers) at Bartlett, New Hampshire and was buried in the Garland Ridge Cemetery; reinterment in Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Maine.  Biographical Directory of the United States Congress has Obed’s death month and day as April 1, however, NARA Pension papers have his death day as April 25, which agrees with the inscription on his original headstone found in the Garland Ridge Cemetery. After Obed’s death, Eliza married Richard Odell, in November 1832,  and removed to Portland, Cumberland, Maine.
  10. Ebenezer5 Hall, born December 25, 1759, baptized May(?) 25, 1760, removed to New Hampshire where he married Lydia Dinsmore, daughter of Elijah and Sarah Glazier (Willey) Dinsmore, on October 23, 1793 at Conway, Carroll (then Grafton) County, New Hampshire. They resided in Bartlett, New Hampshire where Ebenezer died on November 18, 1834.  He is buried in the Garland Ridge Cemetery in Bartlett, Carroll County, New Hampshire.  The death date of Lydia is unknown but believed to have been sometime after November 1850.  Her headstone has not been found.
  11. Abigail5 Hall, born June 6, 1762, died April 8, 1765, at the age of 3 years. She is buried in the town cemetery at Raynham Center.

Not quite a year after Lydia’s death, Jonathan married Hannah (Keith) Hall, the widow of Philip Hall (of the George Hall of Taunton Halls) on April 26, 1764 (First Book of Raynham Records, Congregational Church Records).  At that time, Jonathan had seven children under the age of 20 years.  Jonathan and Hannah had one child:

  1. Linus5 Hall, born May 17, 1765, baptized September 15, 1765, married Celia Shaw, daughter of Joseph and Mary Shaw, on March 23, 1786 (Raynham Congregational Church Records).  At some point they removed to Bartlett, New Hampshire where brothers Obed and Ebenezer resided.  Linus died some time after the 1850 census was taken in November 1850 and although his headstone has not been found, there is room for a burial next to his wife, Celia, in the Garland Ridge Cemetery.  Celia died at Bartlett, New Hampshire on September 15, 1840.

Jonathan4 wrote his Last Will and Testament on February 21, 1788 and he died on February 25, 1789, age 72 years. Burial was in the Hall Plot at the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center, now Pleasant Street Cemetery.

Photo courtesy of Brady Fitts

After Jonathan’s death, Hannah Hall married as her 4th husband, Israel Washburn, son of Israel and Waitstill (Sumner) Washburn.  She died on January 4, 1796 and is buried in the Pleasant Street Cemetery, Raynham Center, Massachusetts.

A Brief History of Raynham, Bristol County, Massachusetts and its First Congregational Church

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Raynham, Massachusetts was incorporated April 2, 1731, having been taken from the eastern precinct of Taunton, Massachusetts in Bristol County.  Taunton was first settled by English emigrants in about 1637-39.  Settlements in the area that was to become Raynham were made about 1652 by James and Henry Leonard and Ralph Russell, who had come from Wales, and established in Raynham the first iron forge on the continent.  By a free town vote they were given the liberty to “build and set up this work, and that they shall have the woods on the other side of the Two-Mile river, wheresoever it is common on that side of the river, to cut for their cord-wood to make coals; and also to dig and take mine or ore at Two-Mile Meadows, or in any of the commons appertaining to the town where it is not proprietary.”  The iron forge was held by the Leonard family and their descendants for a century, during which time the iron works were enlarged by adding more furnaces and eventually being converted into an anchor forge, and providing a livelihood for the inhabitants of the area for about 200 years.

Abraham Jones, who was born about 1659 in Hull, Massachusetts and died March 18, 1734/35 in Raynham, appears to have been the major voice in petitioning for separation from Taunton; his name appears first on each of the petition’s. The separation does not seem to have been from any political difference but rather from a convenience of the people as most of the inhabitants were too far from Taunton to attend public worship.  Three petitions to separate were presented to the Massachusetts General Court before the Court declared that it was “competently filled with inhabitants” to be set off into a distinct township.  The first petition, dated December 8, 1726, sought exemption from charges for the new meeting house in Taunton, and to be set off as a separate town from Taunton; the second petition dated October 17, 1728 asked that Taunton be erected into three separate and distinct districts; the third petition dated April 16, 1729 made the request to be set into a separate precinct from Taunton. The General Court, on the third petition, set off Raynham as a distinct township.  There were 30 families living in Raynham at the time that it was incorporated on April 2, 1731.

The inhabitants of Raynham, in anticipation of separation from Taunton had already erected and partially finished a meeting house two years before incorporation.  This first meeting house, according to “The History of Raynham, Mass.” stood a fourth of a mile east of the forge, on the north side of the road leading to Squawbetty.  On the website for the First Congregational Church of Raynham UCC, it is more clearly defined that the first meeting house was located along Richmond Street, not far from the Iron Forge.

The first town meeting for selecting officers was held April 22, 1731.  Samuel Leonard, Jr., was chosen town clerk, and John Staples, Samuel Leonard and Ebenezer Robinson, selectman.  In 1732 John White was chosen as clerk of the market and Elijah Dean and Thomas Baker were elected tithing-men. At a meeting on May 10, 1731, Mr. John Wales, who had already been preaching in Raynham for a year and a half, was chosen minister. The church was officially established on October 19, 1731 and the Rev. Mr. Wales was ordained as the pastor the following day. Mr. Wales continued as the minster of the Raynham church for another 34 years. He died February 23, 1765.  About two years after the death of Mr. Wales, Perez Fobes, of Bridgewater. was chosen pastor of the church, and served for 45 years.

On October 7, 1731 at a church meeting at the public meeting house in Taunton, 15 men and 17 women, all living in Raynham, and all brethren and sisters in full communion with the Taunton church, requested to be dismissed from the church in order to enter into a church state by themselves, and have the ordinances of the gospel administered among them. The church voted that they be dismissed accordingly.

It is every family historian’s desire to obtain primary source documents.  The following is the list of original members of the Church in Raynham, taken from page 129 of the Raynham Church Records, Vol. 1 (Old Colony Historical Society, Taunton, Massachusetts).

The Original Members of the Church in Raynham
Men (15) Women (17)
Abraham Jones Hannah White
John Staple Mary Hacket
John Leonard Kathrine Leonard
Samuel Hacket Hannah Campbell
Joseph Jones Susannah White
Samuel Leonard Hannah Staple
Seth Leonard Mehetable White
Samuel White Ruth Crane
Ebenezer Campbell Elizabeth Shaw
John White Mary Jones
Gabriel Crossman Joanna Leonard
Jonathan Hall Abigail Hall
Thomas Baker Lydia Brettun
Samuel Hacket 2d Patience Hacket
Henry Crane Sarah Hall
Rebecca Leonard
Abigail Baker

Three Halls appear on the list of original members of the church: Jonathan, Abigail and Sarah Hall. Abigail Hall was the widow of Samuel Hall, he being the first of this family to settle in this area; Jonathan was the son of Abigail [and Samuel], and Sarah was Jonathan’s second wife, Sarah Smith.

The second meeting house was built sometime during the 1760’s to early 1770’s by Israel Washburn, on the present lot of the church today, in Raynham Center. The land upon which it was erected belonged to Amariah Hall (nephew of Jonathan Hall).    A steeple was added later as a tower attached to the side of the house. When the church decided to replace this building, the town expressed an interest in it as they had been using it for town meetings and had no place else to meet.  Some of the church people were not fond of this idea and one night the tower was severed from the building.  In the morning the tower lay upon the ground, extending across the street with the spire projecting into the orchard of Amos Hall (son of Jonathan Hall).   Subsequently, no serious objection was made by the town to remove the dismembered building.

The third meeting house was built on the corner in Raynham Center.  It stood until July 22, 1913 when a fire in a shed belonging to a nearby blacksmith spread and the church was completely destroyed.  When the church members rebuilt their house of worship, they decided to use a stone exterior for better fire protection.  The Stone Church, as it is commonly known, was dedicated on April 1, 1915 and remains active today.

Sources
1. Raynham Church Records, Vol. 1, Old Colony Historical Society, Taunton, Massachusetts.
2. History of Raynham, Mass. From its First Settlement to the Present time, by Rev. Enoch Sanford, A.M., Providence, 1870.
3. First Congregational Church of Raynham UCC, (web site).
4. A Brief History of Raynham, Massachusetts, Town of Raynham (web site).
5. Descendants of Thomas Jones of Hingham, Hull, and Manchester, Mass., compiled by Claude W. Barlow, NEHGR, vol. 113, 47-48, 1959.

The Children of Jonathan3 Hall, Sr. and His Wives, Sarah Ockington (1691-1726), Sarah Smith (1691-1753)

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Edward1 Hall of Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Samuel2 Hall
Jonathan3 Hall, Sr.
Jonathan4 Hall, Jr., Sarah4 Hall, Amos4 Hall, Rebecca4 Hall, John4 Hall, Mason4 Hall, Elizabeth4 Hall, Hannah4 Hall

Jonathan3 Hall, Sr. married Sarah Ockington, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca (Mason) Ockington, about 1714 probably in either Dedham or Taunton, Massachusetts. No primary record of their marriage has been found to date. Jonathan and Sarah lived in that part of Taunton, Massachusetts that became Raynham in 1731, where Jonathan was a farmer, a large land owner, and a Deacon of the First Congregational church. Jonathan and Sarah had six children.

For the sake of historical “correctness” all births, marriages or deaths prior to Raynham’s incorporation in 1731 will be written as occurring in Taunton even though this family had always lived in that section of Taunton that became Raynham, and more specifically Raynham Center.

1. Jonathan4 Hall, Jr., born May 3, 1716 in Taunton, died February 25, 1789 in Raynham. He married Lydia Leonard, daughter of Seth and Dorcas (White) Leonard. Lydia was born about 1721/22 and died in Raynham on June 26, 1763. Jonathan married second, Hannah (Keith) Leach Hall, daughter of John and Hannah (Washburn) Keith. Jonathan and Lydia are buried in the Cemetery at Raynham Center, now known as the Pleasant Street Cemetery. This family will be treated fully in a future post. After Jonathan’s death, Hannah married her fourth husband, Israel Washburn.

2. Sarah4 Hall was born July 16, 1718 in Taunton, and died February 11, 1725/26.

3. Amos4 Hall was born April 5, 1720 in Taunton and died February 29, 1816 in Middleborough, Plymouth, Massachusetts. He married Abigail Blake, daughter of Samuel Blake (Bristol Deeds 53:435) on December 20, 1744 (First Book of Raynham Records). Abigail died November 23, 1804 and she and Amos are both buried in Raynham Center. They had three known children:

  • John5 Hall, born November 15, 1745 in Raynham, died February 8, 1830 in Wilton, Franklin, Maine. He married Huldah Williams on January 1, 1770.
  • Lewis5 Hall, baptized November 15, 1747 (Raynham Church Records) in Raynham, died September 23, 1812 in Raynham.  He married his second cousin, Fear Alden, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Hall) Alden on February 23, 1775 in Middleborough (MA marriages before 1800). Fear died March 29, 1841 in Raynham and they are both buried in the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center.
  • Amos5 Hall, baptized August 26, 1750, died July 4, 1752 and is buried in Raynham Center.

4. Rebecca4 Hall born May 21, 1722, died May 15, 1723 in Taunton.

5. John4 Hall, born May 15, 1724 in Taunton died May 26, 1745 during the siege of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

6. Mason4 Hall, born January 28, 1725/26 in Taunton, died April 6, 1795. He married his first cousin, Mercy Hall, daughter of Samuel and Mercy (Willis) Hall, January 16, 1748/49 in Raynham (Raynham Church Records). Mason and Mercy had four children.

  • Patience5 Hall, baptized October 28, 1750 in Raynham.
  • Sarah5 Hall, born about 1753 in Raynham, died May 11, 1816 in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  She married on March 18, 1783, Philip Ellis, son of Philip and Mary (Staples) Ellis.
  • Mercy5 Hall, baptized August 13, 1758 in Raynham.
  • Mason5 Hall, Jr., born about 1769, died June 1821 in Middleborough, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  He married on July 29, 1789, Hannah Willis, daughter of Beriah and Abigail (Hayward) Willis.

Sarah (Ockington) Hall died on March 28, 1726 in that part of Taunton that became Raynham, and was buried in the Town Cemetery in Raynham Cemter.

Jonathan Hall married on April 11, 1727 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts as his second wife, Sarah Smith, daughter of Asahel and Elizabeth Smith. She was born August 7, 1691 in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay Colony and died in Raynham on July 15, 1753. Jonathan and Sarah had two children.

1. Elizabeth4 Hall, born May 29, 1728 in Taunton, died January 19, 1784 in Raynham. She married on December 10, 1745, Deacon Nathaniel Shaw, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Hodges) Shaw. Nathaniel was born August 4, 1723 in Taunton and died May 4, 1804 in Raynham. Elizabeth and Nathaniel are buried in the cemetery in back of the school house in South Raynham. They had six known children shown below, names and birth dates taken from Mayflower Families through Five Generations, volume 16, part 3, John Alden, p. 213; no primary sources have been found to date.

  • Nathaniel5 Shaw, Jr., born August 6, 1746 in Raynham.
  • John5 Shaw, born February 25, 1748/49 in Raynham.
  • Betsey5 Shaw, born September 28, 1753 in Raynham, died June 1820.  Married Sergeant George King, son of Benjamin and Abiah (Leonard) King.  He was born November 27, 1744 in Raynham and died January 16, 1827.
  • Asel5 Shaw, born November 25, 1754 in Raynham.
  • Jairus5 Shaw, born September 28, 1755 in Raynham.
  • Sarah5 Shaw, born November 21, 1758 in Raynham.

2.  Hannah4 Hall, born March 25, 1734 in Raynham. No further information as to whether Hannah ever married, or when she died, has been found.

Informal listing of some sources used for this post:
1. Vital Statistics and Early Town Records, 1699-1807, Town of Raynham, Vol. 1 (Raynham Town Clerk).
2. Raynham Church Records, Vol. 1 (Old Colony Historical Society, Taunton, MA).
3. Mayflower Source Records (First Book of Raynham Records).
4. Massachusetts Vital Records for Taunton, Bridgewater, Dedham, Middleborough.
5. Mayflower Families through Five Generations, volume 16, part 3, John Alden, p. 213.
6. Massachusetts marriages before 1800.
7. Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire.
8. Maine: A History, Maine Historical Society, 1919.
9. US Federal Census, 1790, Raynham, Bristol, MA.
10. The Diary of Isaac Backus (3 volumes).
11. Headstone Inscriptions, Town Cemetery at Raynham Center (Pleasant Street Cemetery).

Last Will and Testament of Samuel Hall

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Note: The original will consists of one long paragraph, so I have broken it up for ease of reading. As it is difficult deciphering the old handwriting, I have a few blank spots; I have transcribed the spelling as close to original as possible.

Bristol County Massachusetts Probate, Book 1, 1687-1745

In the name of God Amen, I Samuel Hall of Tauton in the County of Bristoll in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, being of sound memory through the mercy of God, capable to dispose of my worldly estate, though at this time labouring under some bodily illness, do make this to be my last will and testament: In primis I comit my soul into ye hands of Christ and desire my body may be decently buryed by my Executors hereafter named, and after funeral expenses and just debts are payed my will is as followeth:

First the lands which I have already ___? on my eldest son Jonathan Hall by Deed, I do hereby confirme the same unto him and his heyrs and assigns forever.

Secondly, what money, moveables, bedding, cow hath been received already by my daughter Esther Blake shall be all that she shall have of my Estate as long as her mother lives, only that one cow now at sd Blakes house which he took of me to the halves, shall not be taken from my daughter if I dy, ___? I give it to her.

Thirdly, whereas I have an whole purchase right to undivided lands in Tauton and one third part of a purchase right to undivided lands in Tauton, I give my sd purchase rights to my two sons Jonathan Hall and Samuel Hall, to be equally between them, to them and to theyr heyrs and assigns forever, to be theyrs immediately after my decease.

Fourthly, to my beloved wife Abigail Hall I give my dwelling house and homested and all the rest of my lands ___? estate during the time of her natural life if she continue my widow so long or otherwise during her widowhood and bearing my name (excepting all ways that I ___? for her use and improvement in case she should marry again, the north end of my dwelling house and the land on the north side of ye road between my dwelling house and my son Jonathan’s land) but after my wives decease or marriage my lands shall pass to my sons in manner as followeth,

To my youngest son Samuel Hall, I give the house I now dwell in in Tauton and my homelands to have and to hold the same to sd Samuel Hall his heyrs and assigns forever; the bounds between him and his brother Jonathan Halls land shall be that place which we call the cross (crop?)fence namely that cross (crop?)fence which my son Jonathan ___? ___? of a part of. Also to my sd son Samuel Hall and his heyrs and assigns forever, I give a piece of land called Misery, ____? thirty five acres or more; Excepting four acres of sd tract at ye northeast end of it I give to my eldest son Jonathan Hall and to his heyrs and assigns forever.

My Lott called Shaws Lott and an eight acre lott adjoining to it I give to my sons Jonathan Hall and Samuel Hall and to theyr heyrs and assigns forever, to be equally divided between them. My eight acre lott at the old Coaling (so called) I give to my son Jonathan Hall and to his heyrs and assigns forever; my three(?) acre lott at the old Coaling I give to my son Samuel Hall and to his heyrs and assigns forever. My land at Tareall(?) (so called) be it seven five acres more or less, I give to my two sons Jonathan Hall and Samuel Hall and to theyr heyrs and assigns forever to be equally divided between them; Excepting only that the Lad who now lives with me namely Ebenezer Pratt shall have twenty acres of it at that end next to Crossmans, to him and to his heyrs and assigns forever, that is to say if he lives with my wife until he be twenty one years of age or in case of my wives decease to live with my son Jonathan until he arrives unto that age.

My land at Kehtehtiqut* [see note below], namely the Neck and the Little Lott (so called) I give to my two sons Jonathan and Samuel to be equally divided between them; And I order my sd two sons that at ye end of four years after sd ____? lands comes into ye possession (namely after my wives decease) is to pay each of them the sum of ten pounds to theyr two sisters Esther Blake and Hannah Hall which sd sum of twenty pounds is to be equally divided between sd Esther and Hannah.

Fifthly, as to my stock of living Creatures(?) and money (if I leave any) and moveables, I give them all to my beloved wife, to her disposal(?) and for her comfort; Excepting one yoak of steers I give to my son Samuel Hall and to the girl who lives with me called Elizabeth Prat I give one cow if she live to be seventeen years of age, with liberty to my wife to give her more if she feels cause; also it is my will that my younger daughter Hannah Hall shall have thirty pounds payd her out of my moveables when she arrives to be eighteen years of age; also my wife hath liberty to bestow(?) more on any of her children if she can spare it and see cause and what is left of my sd stock or moveables unspent and not disposed of by my wife shall after my wives decease go to and among all my children, only one shall have power to appoint how much or what part each of my children take thereof.

Lastly, I constitute my beloved wife Abigail Hall and my eldest son Jonathan Hall to be joint Executors of this my last will and testament testimony hereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale this twenty first August Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixteen In ye ___? of ye reign of our Soveraign Lord George of Great Brittain the King.

Signed, sealed and delivered by Samuel Hall ye Subscriber to be his last will and testament.

Samuel H Hall (his mark)

In Presence of
Abraham Jones
Samuel White
Jabez Prat

Editors Note: Samuel Hall’s son, Samuel, died Intestate about 1736-37. A record of the payment of his debts was entered November 18, 1741 in the Tenth Book of Wills, 108:109. One entry is extremely important in helping to identify Samuel Sr.’s two daughters, Esther and Hannah:

“To said Blake [Samuel] and wife and to Barnabas Crossman and wife of Middleborough (by ye last will of said deceased’s father, a Legacy – one of them from the share of the deceased. Paid Ten Pounds.”

In addition, the division of the lands of Samuel Hall, son of Samuel who died intestate about 1736/37 might hold clues as to the location of the homestead. Mercy, wife of Samuel was given the home and 2 acres of land…beginning at the old forge pond; from said pond by land of Judas Chase and mentions as a bound, the highway that leads through Raynham to Bridgewater.

*”Tetiquet or Titicut, which passes for the Indian name of Taunton, and of a fishing place on Taunton River in the north-west part of Middleborough, Mass., shows how effectually such names may be disguised by phonetic corruption and mutilation. Kehte-tuk-ut (or as Eliot wrote it in Genesis xv. 18, Kehteihtukqut) means ‘on the great river.’ In the Plymouth Colony Records we find the forms ‘Cauteeticutt’ and ‘Coteticutt,’ and elsewhere, Kehtehticut,—the latter, in 1698, as the name of a place on the great river, “between Taunton and Bridgewater.” Hence, ‘Teghtacutt,’ ‘Teightaquid,’ ‘Tetiquet,’ &c.”

taken from p. 12, The Composition of Indian Geographical Names, J. Hammond Trumbull, 1870, available at The Project Gutenberg EBook.

On a modern day map, the Raynham Center area is located on both Route 104, between Bridgewater and Taunton, MA (Pleasant Street intersects with Route 104), as well as on Route 44 (the Cape Highway) between Taunton and Middleboro, MA. From Raynham Center, it is approximately 3 miles to Taunton; 7 miles to Bridgewater, and 9 miles to Middleboro.

Samuel Hall Headstone Revealed

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I couldn’t stand it any longer.  I had to make a trip to Raynham, Massachusetts to view the Hall headstones in the Pleasant Street Cemetery, originally the Town Cemetery at Raynham Center, myself.  I’d been wanting to go over there for the last two years, ever since we had learned through DNA testing that we were descendants of Edward Hall of Rehoboth, Massachusetts.  Our Samuel Hall, son of Edward Hall, the immigrant ancestor, had lived in that part of Taunton, Massachusetts that became Raynham in 1731.  He is buried in the town cemetery in Raynham Center, along with many of his descendants.  It was his headstone that I was driven to see before any more time went by.  But would I be able to read any of the 1700 headstones, particularly the headstone of Samuel Hall?  His son, Jonathan Hall, Sr., in 1737, deeded 1 acre, 8 rods of land to the town of Raynham for a burying place for the inhabitants of Raynham.  That 1 acre, 8 rods of land made up the original part of the current Pleasant Street Cemetery and without question, included the Hall family burying ground.

I had two days to learn as much as I could about the Hall burials in Pleasant Street Cemetery.  The first day, it rained.  I walked through the cemetery in the rain reading and recording as many headstones as I could.  I found Samuel’s headstone but reading a headstone that was dirty from 292 years of being exposed to the elements, and wet on top of that, proved to be impossible.  The following day was to be sunny and warm; perhaps it would be easier to read!

The following day I was back to the cemetery fairly early.  As I am standing there getting my bearings on what to do first, I noticed a man walking toward me.  He comes up to me and asks who I am looking for.  I told him the Hall burials in the old section but in particular I am trying to read the inscription on the Samuel Hall headstone.  He says give me a minute to get my kit and we’ll find out what is on it.  I couldn’t believe it!  Mr. Bousquin spent nearly 3 hours working on Sam’s headstone cleaning it and chalking it so that we could read the inscription.  I will be forever grateful to Mr. Bousquin for his kind assistance so that I can now put this one to rest.

I can now say, without a doubt, that the Samuel Hall headstone is inscribed:

samuel-hall-1716-blog1
(Click on the photo to view larger image)

Here Lyes the body
of Samuel
Hall who Dyed
In Y[e] 60 Year of
his age August
30 1716
1716

samuel-hall-1716_invert_blog3
(Click on the photo to view larger image)

I am also grateful to my friend, Johnna Armstrong, for quickly thinking to invert the image, so that there are two different ways to look at the photo. The inverted image helps to bring out some letters (or placement) that are faint in the original image.

Introduction

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Welcome to Four Hall Cousins.  This blog has been created to present the history of Edward Hall of Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, formerly of Henbury, Gloucestershire, England, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay about 1636, settling first in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, and his descendants.  Although information may be presented on some of his children and their descendants from time to time, the main focus will be on his son, Samuel Hall, who married Abigail Pratt; his son, Jonathan Hall, Sr. who married Sarah Ockington; and his son, Jonathan Hall, Jr., who married Lydia Leonard, all known to have lived in that part of Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, that became Raynham in 1731.

From Jonathan Hall, Jr. and his wife, Lydia Leonard, we will show how we tie in Silas Leonard Hall, first documented in 1774 when he married Eunice Titus in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut. Silas Leonard Hall is the mutually elusive ancestor who brought  four Hall cousins together many years ago.  Since that time we have combined our efforts in an attempt to learn as much as possible about our mutual ancestors.

We are very interested in the children of Jonathan and Lydia Leonard Hall.  Seth Hall married Diadamia Leach and removed from Raynham, Massachusetts to Westmoreland, New Hampshire.  Linus Hall married Celia Shaw and left for Bartlett, Carroll County, New Hampshire where his two older brothers, the Honorable Obed Hall and Ebenezer Hall had already relocated.  Silas, we are certain, removed first to Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut and then to Danby, Tompkins County (then Tioga Co.), New York about 1808/09.  Nothing is known about Jonathan Hall who, according to Raynham census, must have married and remained in Raynham, Massachusetts until his death.  Hezekiah married Sarah Carver and lived in Raynham and Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  We would enjoy hearing from descendants to learn more about the children.

We hope that this blog will provide additional information to those of you who are researching the above families and that it will also stimulate productive discussions about them.  We welcome new cousins to help us add to our information base.