Sarah Hall (abt. 1674)

Born about 1674 in Calvert County, Province of Maryland [uncertain]

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Biography

This profile is part of the Hall Name Study.

Sarah Hall was a Marylander.

1674 Birth

No birth record for Sarah has been found. She was not yet 18 when her father's will was written in 1687, so she could not have been born earlier than 1674. Since her siblings are shown born at regular intervals before that, 1674 is the best current estimate of her birth year.

Her family was in Calvert County, Province of Maryland, and her birth there can be assumed.

Siblings

Since her father Richard arrived with his wife Elizabeth and his wife is called Elizabeth in his will one can assume she was the mother of his eight children. Some have named her as Elizabeth Wingfield and this idea seems to come from the Jonston book mentioned above. The son of Elizabeth & Richard married the widow of a man named Wingfield (see his profile) and this seems to be the source of that incorrect information. The births of their children have not been recorded in any church register found, but they are all named in Richard's will:

1. Elisha b. abt. 1658 m. Sarah Hooper
2. Joseph b. abt 1660 m. Ann --?--
3. Benjamin b. abt 1662 m. Mary Brooke (dau. of Maj. Thomas Brooke)
4. Lucia b. abt 1664 m. John Smith
5. Rachel b. abt 1666 m. Walter Smith
6. Elizabeth b. abt 1668 m. Richard Evans & Dr. James Kingsbury
7. Aaron b. abt 1670
8. Sarah b. abt 1674 m. --?-- Bradley. Sarah was not yet 14 when her father's will was written in 1687, therefore she was not born earlier than 1674.

Based on the content of the will and the way it is written, Richard Hall seems to have written it all out himself. It is a remarkably detailed document that seems to cover everything related to his property and his children.

1687 Abstract of Father's Will

When her father's will was written in 1687, Sarah, if born 1672, would have been aged 15 and unmarried. However, the will itself indicates that she was not yet 14 when the will was written, therefore Sarah was born 1674 or later.

This 17th day of the 7th month usually called September in ye yeare of our Lord 1687, I Richard Hall of Calvert County in ye province of Maryland, carpenter being in perfect sense and memory. . .

• I give to my son Elisha Hall & his heirs forever 750 acres of land being part of 1,000 acres of land called by ye name of Halls Hills where now my dwelling house & plantation is lying on ye east side of Patuxant River at ye head of a creek called Lands Creek.
• I give to my son Joseph Hall & his heirs forever two parcels of land one being 250 acres, the remaining part of ye thousand acres before mentioned (complete desc.) and the other parcel being 150 acres called —?— adjoing the southeast part of ye 250 acres. Also I give one negro woman called Jaffee her and her increase forever, further I give to my said son one negro man called Dick age ten.
• I give to my son Benjamin Hall & his heirs forever 100 acres of land called Mitcham lying upon ye east side of Putuxant River . . .Also 100 acres lying on the south side of the aforesaid being part of a parcel containg 300 acres called Hogsdown. Also I give to my son Benjamin one negro boy called Hammon, ye said negro to be delivered to my son at such times shall be hereafter mentioned.
• I give to my son Aaron Hall & his heirs forever 200 acres of land on ye west side of ye land called Spittle lying on ye east side of Patuxant River on branch of Cocks Creek adjoining on the west side aforementioned called Hogsdown as by patent . . .I also give to my son Aaron 100 acres called Addition to Spittle lying on ye north side of land called Spittle lying on the south side of a piece of land lately given to my son-in-law, John Smith, called Thacham . . .I further give one negro mulatto boy called Jeffery.
• I give to my daughter Elizabeth Hall and her heirs 300 acres of land being part of a parcel called Hope lying in Cecil County on ye north side of Octoraro Creek on the east side of the Susquehenna River.
• I give to my daughter Sarah Hall and her heirs 100 acres of land being ye remaining part of ye aforesaid land called Hope. Further I give to my daughter Sarah 200 acres of land being part of a parcel called Halls Lott lying on ye north side of the aforegoing land called Hope.
• I give to my eldest son Elisha Hall 200 acres of land being ye south part of 300 acres of land called Hogsdown. I further give to my sons Elisha & Benjamin two parcells of land, one called Halls Choice lying on Octoraro Creek in Cecil County and the other parcel being the remaining part of Halls Lott in equal division . . .
• My will is all goods, household stuff, servants, slaves, cattle & hogs either before bequeathed or otherwise belonging to my estate at ye time of my decease shall remain in the custody & possession of my well beloved wife, Elizabeth Hall, during her natural life so long as remains a widow and I grant her full authority to employ my estate to ye best advantage to provide education and maintenance of my children. I appoint my loving wife to be my sole executrix of my will.
• If it shall happen that my wife shall take another husband after my decease then her executrix is wholly to cease and all my estate aforesaid to be taken out of her custody & only one third part thereof (the negroes before bequeathed excepted) Which third part shall be delivered her upon an equal division to be made by any overseers hereafter named or any three of them & my said wife to accept of same in full of all joynture dower claim or demand whatsoever.
• If my wife do die or take another husband after my decease then my sons, Elisha Hall, Joseph Hall l& Benjamin Hall or so many of them as shall be then living to be joint executors of this my last will.
• If my wife marry after my decease, my youngest daughter, Sarah Hall, shall remain with my said wife under her tuition and education until she attains ye age of 14 years and have a yearly allowance of the sum of 1600 pounds of tobacco in casque every year to be paid her by my executors out of ye two-third parts of my estate, but in case my wife happen to die before my daughter attains to age then my daughter’s share to be returned to my executors to be taken care for & maintained out of my estate until she attains age 16 at which time the remaining two thirds of my personal estate shall be divided equally amongst all my sons that shall be then living (the negroes aforesaid excepted)
• I give to my wife Elizabeth Hall two negro women viz Judith & Soocah & one mullatto girl called Kate, them & their increase forever.
• Further my will is that in case my son Benjamin should happen to die before he arrives to age 21 then such lands or otherwise bequeathed to him shall descend to my son Aaron & his heirs except such lands bequeathed to him in Susquehenna River. further in case my son Aaron shall die before he attain age what I have bequeathed to him shall descend to my son Joseph.
• If my son Elisha should die without issue then such land before bequeathed to him in Susquehenna River shall descend to my son Benjamin.
• I give to my daughter Lucia, now wife of John Smith, one piece of plate of forty shillings price.
• I also give to my daughter Rachel, now wife to Walter Smith one piece of plate of forty shillings.
• I give to my daughter Elizabeth Hall one new feather bed & furniture to be worth 10 pounds sterling when she attains age 18 and two cows.
• I give to my daughter Sarah Hall one new feather bed & furniture to be worth 10 pounds sterling when she attains age 18 and two cows.
• My sons shall posses the lands when they shall attain the age of 18 years.
• I give to my friends called Quakers of the Western Shore here in Maryland 2 pounds sterling.
• My earnest desire is my children may be brought up & educated in ye way of truth and as becomes ye everlasting gospel of ye Eternal god . . . held forth by ye people (in scorne) called Quakers in which faith & belief I hope & desire ye lord may & will preserve me to my last breath.
• I hereby nominate my loving friends William Richardson, Edward Talbott, Samuel Chew & Nehemiah Birkhead whom I do hereby empower to be overseers of this my last will and testament, and as a token of my love, I give to each of my overseers a pair of gloves of five shillings price.
• In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal to four sheets of paper written on one side & containing twenty-six articles numbered in the margin the day & year above written. Richard Hall. Witnesses: George Lingan, E. Baylor, John Baty, George Cole & Ann Canehill. Probated 28 AUG 1688^[1]

Research Notes

Caution: Marriage of John Hance and Sarah Hall

Some genealogy sites show a marriage of John Hance and Sarah Hall. No records of such a marriage have been found. There is a Sarah Hall in the period who is married to someone else. There is another John Hance who is shown as married to four women, two of them named Sarah, but neither being Sarah Hall, And there is a John Hance who lived a century later, who married a Sarah Hall. In the absence of documentation for such a marriage, it appears that there was no marriage between a John Hance and a Sarah Hall in this time period.

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Richard Hall, Patuxent, September 1687, Maryland Colonial Wills Liber 6/13