James Hall (abt. 1800 - abt. 1854)

Born about 1800 in North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel (Moorman) Bundy — married 29 Apr 1833 in Grant County, Indiana

Descendants

Died about 1854 at about age 54 in Grant County, Indiana [uncertain]

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Biography

William Neal, who wrote chapter 9 of the 1886 History of Grant County, mentioned James Hall as an early settler of Liberty Township.^[1] Mrs. Nora Goodykoontz, who wrote the Liberty Township chapter in Whitson's Centennial History of Grant County, Indiana, also mentioned James Hall as an early settler coming in 1834. She may have copied the information written by William Neal.^[2]

Agnes L. Kendall compiled miscellaneous records of Grant County now at the DAR Library in Washington, D. C. Her typed copy of the 1835 tax list for Town twenty-three, Range seven, later part of Liberty Township, records eleven taxable men. They were John Baldwin, William Ballenger, Charles Fry, James Hall, William Howell, Job Jackson, Francis Lytle, Uriah Moorman, John Moorman, John Scott and James A. Wright.^[3]

However, in 1830 James Hall first acquired land in the area that became Union Township, one of the original townships of Grant County. A portion of it later became Mill Township. He was surrounded by Hiatt's: William, Amer, David and Joseph. William Hiatt, the oldest of these men, was thought to be earliest settler of Grant County. Other men who acquired land near James Hall's land in1830 or earlier were Silas Overman, Emmanuel Mets, John Ballinger, Esau Lamb, Jonathan Lamb, William Roberts, Jesse H. Murdock, Nathan Hoggatt and Caleb Smith. Some of their names appear on the 1830 census of Mississinewa Township, Delaware County, from which Grant County was set off in 1831, but James Hall is not listed on this census.

All available evidence points to North Carolina as James' birth place. On the 1850 census, he claims North Carolina as his birth place. His children who were alive when the 1880 census was taken, reported that their father was born in North Carolina.

A study of the migration pattern of his neighbors lead to the theory that James came from the central region of North Carolina, possibly Rockingham, Guilford, Randolph or Stokes County. This theory is bolstered by the presence on the 1850 Census of William and Mariam Perry near James Hall in Mill Township. They were married about July 22, 1826 (date of bond) in Stokes County, North Carolina, and named a son James H. Perry (after James Hall?).

Except for his children, James Hall does not appear to be related to any other Hall who lived in Grant County at the same time. He did not witness a deed for any other Hall, and as far as could be determined, he did not serve in any capacity during the settlement of any Hall estate.

An intriguing possibility is a relationship between the Hiatt's mentioned above and James Hall.

On October 12, 1812, William Hyatt of Stokes County sold land in Stokes County, North Carolina to Jesse Melton of Guilford County, NC, who paid the sum of 350 pounds for 141 acres more or less. The acreage on Muddy Creek adjoined that of Elijah Frazier. Other close neighbors mentioned in the deed were William Hall and Richard Beeson.^[4]

A "William Hall" married Mary Hyatt on 16 Feb 1785 (date of bond) in Guilford County, North Carolina. A "William Hall" appears on the 1810 census of Deep River District, Stokes County and a "Polly Hall" appears on the 1820 census of Stokes County. William Perry and Mariam Hall, mentioned above, were married in Stokes County.

Unfortunately, William Hall did not leave a will in Stokes County and no record of the probate of his estate was located. Tax records and deeds establish that William Hall owned about 61 acres on Muddy Creek. He last paid taxes on his 61 acres in 1818, although "another" William Hall appears on subsequent lists.

From 1820 to 1822 a "James Hall" paid taxes on the land, from the acreage and water course, appears to be the same land that William Hall owned in Stokes County, but it is difficult to know whether he was the sames James Hall who lived in Grant County, Indiana.

More evidence is needed to establish the connection between James Hall of Grant County, Indiana, and William and Mary (Hyatt) Hall of Stokes County, Indiana.

A thirty year gap exists in James Hall's life. He was born about 1800 but does not appear on any known record until 1830. Was he previously married? Did James come directly from North Carolina as an adult? Or did he come much earlier with his parents to Ohio or Indiana?

The first record of James Hall was his land entry dated July 8, 1830. The Grant County, Indiana, Tract Book gave the legal description of his land is as follows: The west half of the northeast quarter of section twenty-nine, Township twenty-four North, Range eight East of the Second Principal Meridian, presently in Mill Township. James Hall was "of Delaware County, Indiana." His land at that time was located in Mississinewa Township, the portion of that county split off to form Grant County the following year.

The patent was issued on January 4, 1831 at the Fort Wayne Land Office. The Bureau of Land Management "Cash entry" file contained the application bearing his signature.

James Hall's name did not appear on the 1830 Census of Mississinewa Township. He may have resided in a household headed by another man, the census taker may have missed him, or he may not have arrived in Delaware County until after the census was taken. It is possible that early in 1830 he traveled to the sparsely settled section of Delaware County to look for land. Then, after entering his selection, he returned to his previous home to settle his affairs and retrieve any possessions left behind. This is conjecture.

If his age was correctly reported on the 1850 census, he was born about 1800. At age 33, when he married Rachel Moorman, he was over the average age for a first marriage. While it is possible that he was previously married, no children of such a marriage survived. A guardianship record, mentioned below, names only the children born after his marriage to Rachel Moorman.

On March 1, 1833, about the time that he married Rachel Moorman, James Hall sold his land in Mill Township to William Webb. Both William Web and James Hall were of Grant County at the time of the 1833 sale. George Brodrick and William Hiatt witnessed the deed. (A "William Webb" owned land in Stokes County, North Carolina, later acquired by David Hall who sold it to Asa Ballard in 1821.) Rachel's father, Uriah Moorman, had settled on land in Mill Township presumably near James' land. Before Uriah could record it, another man entered the land and Uriah was forced to move. He purchased land in Liberty Township and settled there.^[5]

Although James Hall's wife was a Quaker, he was never mentioned in Quaker records. On the 17th, 7th month, 1833, the women's minutes of the Mississinewa Monthly Meeting in Grant County contain this entry, "Mississinewa Preparative Meeting complains of Rachel Hall, formerly Mourman, for accomplishing her marriage contrary to discipline. Jane Small and Gincy ballenger are appointed to visit her and report their care to next meeting." About one month later, the 14th of the 8th month, 1833, "One of the friends appointed to visit Rachel Hall report she visited her to satisfaction and she produced an offring to this meeting which was read and accepted." ^[6]

James and Rachel were married by a minister rather than in a Quaker ceremony.^[7] This was the reason for the complaint that she was married "contrary to discipline." It would not necessarily mean that Rachel married outside the Quaker faith. James may have been a Quaker, nominally at least.

James acquired by government patent, another one hundred acres near his father-in-law's home in Liberty Township. He recorded the deed on March 7, 1834. ^[8]The deed describes land in Township 23 North, Range 7 East, as the east half and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section One. The Bureau of Land Management cash file #2883 contains the application for the land. Unfortunately, James did not sign it so there was no second signature to compare with that in the first application. John Benbow traveled to Fort Wayne and made the application on James Hall's behalf.

In 1838, James Hall and his wife, Rachel, sold another forty acres in section one of Liberty Township to Jesse Thomas. M. Jones and E. G. Cary witnessed the deed.^[9] This acreage was not part of his original purchase. Grant County deed books do not reveal how he acquired it.

On the 1840 Census, James was head of household in Liberty Township, Grant County, Indiana. The genders and age ranges match members of James Hall's family. The household consisted of two males under the age of five (Enos, 4, and Jesse, 2); one male age 40-50 (James, about 40); one female age 5-10 (Deletha, 6); and one female age 20-30 (Rachel, 27). The names in parenthesis are their probable identities.

William Hall was also on this census of Liberty Township. He apparently was the male, age 20-30. Another male under age 5; and one female, age 15-20, lived in his household. His relationship, if any, to James has not been determined.

James remained in Grant County. On the 1850 census, due to a change in township boundaries, his household was enumerated in Mill Township. He had not moved from his farm. His land, formerly in Liberty Township, now lay in the recently formed Mill Township.

According to the 1850 census of Mill Township, Grant County, Indiana, his household consisted of James Hall, age 50, male, occupation: farmer, real estate valued at $1000; birth place: North Carolina; Rachel Hall, age 37, female, birth place: Indiana; Delitha Hall, age 16, female; Enos H. Hall, age 14, male; Jesse Hall, age 12, male; David Hall, age 10, male; Betsy Hall, age 6, female; and William Hall, age 4, male. All the children were born in Indiana.^[10]

James Hall died after the 1850 census was taken but prior to October 20, 1855 when his widow applied for the administration of his estate. A search of Grant County cemetery records yielded no record of his burial. One is tempted to speculate that he traveled west---either in search of gold or of better land---and died on the journey. Is it possible that he accompanied Jesse Small and the brothers, Silas and Reuben Overman, to Illinois in 1852, where Silas and Reuben died of cholera. However his name was not mentioned. ^[11] The minutes of Mississinewa Monthly Meeting mentioned this episode and named the Illinois county where they died, Jo Daviess. Reuben Overman had married Elizabeth Hall thirty years before in Wayne County, Indiana. Her relationship to James, if any, remains a mystery.

The only indication of James Hall's death is recorded in two probate record books located in a storage room in the Grant County courthouse. According to Grant County Probate Record, Administration Bond Record 1: William Howell, Rachel Hall and John Brownlee signed a bond for $2000 in which William Howell was named administrator of the estate of James Hall, deceased.^[12] The bond, signed October 20, 1855, did not include the date of James Hall's death or the place where he died. A probate file was not available.

The Grant County clerk's office denied the existence of any index to probate files for that time period. The old probate files were not microfilmed. In the early 1980's, they were stored under less than ideal conditions in an attic storeroom in the old courthouse in Marion, Indiana. The yellowed, crumbling files were tightly packed together and threatened to disintegrate if one of their neighbors was dislodged. Since no index was available, it was futile to attempt a search.

Fortunately, another Grant County record located in a courthouse storage room, Guardian Bond, Oath & Letters, Common Pleas 1, names James Hall's children.^[13] On page 108 of this volume is the notation: Thomas Moorman entered into a bond for Two Thousand Dollars when he was named guardian of "Enos Hall, age 21 yrs. the 2d of July 57, Jesse Hall, age 19 yrs.; David Hall, age 17; Betsy Hall, age 13 years, and Wm. Hall, age 10 yrs., minor heirs of James Hall, deceased." This document, while establishing the names of his children, does not record the date or place of James' death. Thomas Moorman, with Jeremiah Howell and Nathan Coggshall as his bondsman, signed the above bond on May 11, 1857.

On the 19th, 3rd month, the Quakers of Back Creek Monthly Meeting appointed a committee to see the rights of the children of Rachel Hall "are properly secured." Her upcoming marriage likely was the reason that the court appointed Rachel's brother, Thomas Moorman, as guardian for her children.

Back Creek Monthly Meeting reported that on the 22nd, 4th month, 1857 "Rachel Hall, daughter of Uriah Moorman and Hannah (dec.) of Howard County, married Jesse Dennis, Sack County, Wisc, son of William and Delilah (dec.) of Wayne County at Oak Ridge Meeting House."^[14] He was a widower with nine children, some of them already married.^[15]

Less than two years later, May 7, 1859, Rachel Dennis and Jesse Dennis, her husband, of Sauk County, Wisconsin, signed a quit claim deed to "land which James Hall of Grant County, Indiana, died seized." Rachel and Jesse Dennis signed the deed before Allen Tinker, Notary Public, Richland County, Wisconsin. The buyer was Eli Hollingsworth of Wabash County, Indiana.^[16]

Sources

1. ↑ History of Grant County, Indiana, Chicago: Brant & Fuller, 1886, 376-7.
2. ↑ Rolland Whitson, Edgar L. Goldthwait, John P. Campbell, eds, Centennial History of Grant County, Indiana, 1812-1912, New York: Lewis Publishing Co., 1914, 1: 226.
3. ↑ Agnes L. Kendall, Grant County, Indiana, Records, Vol. 10, p. 93, Daughter of the American Revolution Library, Washington, DC.
4. ↑ Stokes Co., NC, Deed Bk. 5, p. 477.
5. ↑ Combination Atlas Map of Grant County, Indiana (Chicago: Kingman Bros., 1877) 26.
6. ↑ "Minutes of Mississinewa Monthly Meeting of Women," Grant Co., Ind., FHL Microfilm 367924.
7. ↑ Grant County, IN, Marriage records, v. C, Sep 6, 1831-Jul 10, 1853, Circuit Court, FHL microfilm 2442706, Item 1.
8. ↑ Grant County Deeds, Vol. Q, p. 212, Grant County, Indiana, County Recorder, Courthouse, Marion.
9. ↑ Grant County, Indiana, Deeds, Vol. B, p. 302, County Recorder, Courthouse, Marion.
10. ↑ 1850 U.S. Census, Population Schedule, Grant County, Indiana, Mill Twp., p. 154, James Hall. National Archives Micropublication 432, Reel 147.
11. ↑ Biographical Memoirs of Grant County, Indiana, Bowen Pub., 1901, 319.
12. ↑ Grant Co., IN, Administration Bond Record 1
13. ↑ Grant Co., IN, Guardian Bond, Oath & Letters, Common Pleas 1, p. 108.
14. ↑ Willard Heiss, editor, Abstracts of the Records of the Society of Friends in Indiana, 3: 39.
15. ↑ Jesse Dennis family group sheet compiled by Mary Wright Dennis, Modoc, Indiana, 1979.
16. ↑ Grant County, Indiana, Deeds, vol. R, p. 489, County Recorder, Courthouse, Marion.