The Children of Elisha Hall

Contemporary view of Westminster, Massachusetts

I recently wrote about Mary Hall Smith, my fourth great-grandmother. Mary was the daughter of Elisha Hall (1767 - 1845) and Prudence Martin (1774 - 1849). Her father had five children from two marriages, all together. I've compiled some information about Mary's siblings and half-sister to share.

The children of Elisha Hall:

Sally Hall (1799 - 1850)
Mary Hall (1803 - 1886)
John Martin Hall (1806 - )
Elizabeth "Betsey" Hall (1808 - )
Alexander Hall (1815 - )


SALLY HALL

Sally Hall was born on August 19, 1799 in Westminster, Massachusetts. Her mother, Sarah Bemis Hall, died on September 25th of that year, when Sally was just a month old. Her father, widower Elisha Hall, married Prudence Martin two years later, on November 26, 1802. Sally was raised alongside the four children of Elisha and Prudence.

On March 31, 1818, at the age of eighteen, Sally married Samuel Barnes in Westminster. Samuel was the son of Francis Barnes and Hannah Savage of Westminster. He worked as a laborer, possibly on one of the many farms in Westminster. While the records of this family are sometimes in conflict, and I would not say I'm 100% certain about each child ascribed to them, I believe Sally and Samuel had six children together.

Samuel Sumner Barnes (1818–?)
Flavel Holden Barnes (1823–1891)
Sarah Ann Barnes (1827–1827)
William Barnes (1828–1875)
Alonzo Barnes (1837–1860)
¹Lorenzo, Lorinza or Louisa Barnes (1839-1859)

Sally died sometime after 1855, when she was listed in the Massachusetts State Census with her husband, Samuel, and two of their children. I can find no records for her after that date.


THE CHILDREN OF ELISHA AND PRUDENCE HALL

Mary Hall was born on August 23, 1803 in Westminster, Massachusetts. 

John Martin Hall was born on September 2, 1806 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He married Mary C. Phillips in Fitchburg on May 29, 1831.

Elizabeth "Betsey" Hall was born on April 22, 1808 in Westminster, Massachusetts. 

Alexander Hall was born on June 27, 1815 in Westminster, Massachusetts. As the baby of the family, he was considerably younger than his siblings. His half-sister, Sally, was fifteen at the time of his birth, Mary was nearly twelve, and Betsey was seven.

Unfortunately, I have no further information about the Hall siblings at this time. I have not been able to find reliable marriage or death information for John, Betsey and Alexander. If I make some progress on this, I'll post an update.

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1 The youngest Barnes child is listed as Lorenzo M. Barnes, a son, in the 1850 census, and then as Louisa A. Barnes, a daughter, in the 1855 census. In Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, the records for Fitchburg note the death of Lorinza M. Barnes (b. 1839, d. 1859), the child of Samuel and Sally Barnes. It does not appear that this child married or had children prior to death.^↩