John Hall (1744 - 1804)

Born 19 Jun 1744 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

Ancestors

Husband of Grace (Sprague) Hall — married about 1763 in Falmouth, Cumberland, Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 18 Jun 1804 at age 59 in Addison, Washington, Massachusetts, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Brian McCullough [send private message]

Biography

Captain John Hall served with Lincoln County Militia, Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution.

John Hall is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A049740.

John Hall was born at Dover, New Hampshire, 19 Jun 1744, the son of Hatevil Hall and Sarah Furbish; ^[1] died at Addison, Maine, 18 Jun 1804; married, c1763, Grace Sprague. He was a sea captain; settled at Pleasant River (Addison), c1768. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

When he was about age 9 (abt 1753), John moved with his family to Falmouth, Maine. Shortly after his marriage to Grace Sprague, John moved from Falmouth to Pleasant River (now Addison, Maine) ^{[6] [7]} where he signed a petition in 1770. ^[8]

On 25 Oct 1771, John Hall of Pleasant River purchased land on the east side of Pleasant River in Township No. 6 (now Addison) from Daniel Rolfe of Cherryfield [Lincoln County Deeds, Vol 9, Folio 73]. He was granted this land as a settler's lot (lots 6 & 7) by a resolve of the General Court, 21 Jun 1793. John deeded this land (about 300 acres) to his son, William Sprague Hall, 4 Feb 1804 [Washington County Deeds 3:433].

On 22 Jul 1775, he was one of eight signers of a petition to the Massachusetts Bay General Assembly. ^[9]

He was listed as an inhabitant of Pleasant River on 17 Apr 1778, with eight in his family, in a list of inhabitants compiled by another early settler, Seth Norton. ^[10]

John is listed as one of the forty settlers in and around Machias, Maine, who captured the British ship, Margaretta, in Machias harbor on Monday, 12 Jun 1775, only weeks after the battle at Lexington MA 19 Apr 1775, ^[11] and he had much additional Revolutionary War service, as indicated by the following service records: ^[12]

HALL, JOHN. Captain, 8th co., 6th Lincoln Co. regt. of Mass. militia; list of officers commissioned July 11, 1776; also, Captain, in command of a detachment drafted from militia for service at Machias; engaged June 24, 1777; discharged June 30, 1777; service, 6 days, also, Captain, in command of a detachment, Col. Benjamin Foster's (Lincoln Co.) regt.; entered service Sept. 15, 1777; discharged Oct 6, 1777; service, 21 days; detachment there did duty when British ships lay in the harbor; roll dated Pleasant river; also, Captain of a company in Col. Foster's (Lincoln Co.) regt.; roll made up for service for 1 mo. and mileage out and home, and endorsed 'service at Penobscot'; mileage (166 miles) allowed said Hall; company marched on expedition to Majorbagaduce, Aug. 7, 1779, by order of Gen. Lovell.

Due to his infirmities, John relinquished rights of administration of his son's estate (John Hall Jr) to his other son, Hatevil Hall, 12 Nov 1802 [Washington County Probate, 3:80].

His relations (Hatevil Hall, Kinsman Corthell, William Haycock and Josiah Moore) tried to declare him an idiot and incapable of caring for himself 20 Feb 1804 [Machias Probate Records, 3:190]. Addison selectmen (Joseph Merritt, Jesse Plummer and Holmes Nash) found him to be capable of caring for himself 12 Jun 1804 [Washington County Probate, 3:191].

Sixteen children, the first three born at Falmouth, last thirteen born at Addison: ^[13]

1. John, Jr., b 1764; d 1802; m c1783, Mary Nash
2. Sarah, b 18 Jan 1766; d 1833; m 11 Nov 1784, Samuel Marston
3. Love, b c1767; d after 1844; m c1790, Josiah William Moore
4. Abigail, b 27 Jan 1769; d at Hartford, Maine, 5 Jun 1861; m at Addison, 6 Sep 1790, Samuel Alley
5. Sylvina, b 1770; d at Hartford, Maine, 10 Jan 1809; m c1793, Davis Parsons
6. Hatevil, b 1772; d at Jonesboro, 18 May 1829; c1792, Rebecca Morton
7. Lucy, b 1774; d 26 Jul 1855; m 1794, Kinsman Corthell
8. Charity, b c1776; d after 1820
9. Dorothy, b 26 Oct 1778; d after 1870; m at Columbia, 8 Apr 1798, William Haycock
10. Anna, b 1781; d at Falmouth, 10 Oct 1807; m at Falmouth, c1800, her first cousin, Robert Hall
11. William Sprague, b 18 May 1783; d at Jonesboro, 9 Dec 1860; m at Columbia, 1805, Mary Kelley Cummings
12. Daniel, b c1785; d at Addison, 1803
13. Grace, b 7 Jun 1786; d at Jonesboro, 24 May 1853; m at Columbia, 26 Jan 1804, Adriel Farnsworth
14. Simeon, b 14 Sep 1788; d at Addison, 3 Feb 1869; m (1) at Addison, 2 Mar 1828, Sarah Coffin; m (2) at Addison, 3 Dec 1843, Mary Ann Frankland
15. Joel, b 30 Nov 1791; d at Addison, 18 Apr 1867; m at Columbia, 31 May 1817, Mary Coffin
16. Infant, b c1793; died young

Research Notes

What is the source of the following quotation?

To provide housing for the growing British forces in Boston, Admiral Samuel Graves arranged for the armed ship MARGARETTA to escort the colonial ships UNITY and POLLY to Machias where they were to obtain two shiploads of lumber from the forests and mills of Maine.

The UNITY, POLLY and MARGARETTA anchored in Machias Harbor on June 9, 1775. Earlier that month, the residents had been so elated by the news of the colonial uprisings at Lexington and Concord that they erected one of the first liberty poles of the era. They were incensed by the presence of a British symbol of power in their own harbor and were further angered when the MARGARETTA's captain demanded the removal of their liberty pole.

Following an unsuccessful attempt by the infuriated townspeople to capture the MARGARETTA's officers at church, Captain O'Brien organized a crew and seized the schooner UNITY. Displaying exceptional seamanship, he skillfully maneuvered the smaller UNITY into a position which allowed her bowsprit to pierce the mainsail of the warship MARGARETTA. The two ships swung together and O'Brien's crew, armed with only pitchforks, axes and the fierce determination of their Captain, defeated a superior force of professional soldiers and sailors armed with muskets and grenades.

Captain O'Brien later received a commission from the Massachusetts Congress, commanding UNITY and the schooner DILIGENT during the Revolutionary War.

Sources

1. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL52-W6X : 8 April 2020), John Hall, 19 Jun 1744; citing Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,001.
2. ↑ Leonard F. Tibbetts and Darryl B. Lamson, Early Pleasant River Families of Washington County, Maine (Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, 1999, 854 pages), p. 231.
3. ↑ Leonard F. Tibbetts and Darryl B. Lamson, Early Jonesborough Families of Washington County, Maine (Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, April 2004, 626 pages), p. 210
4. ↑ Darryl B. Lamson & Leonard F. Tibbetts, Early Narraguagus River Families of Washington County, Maine (Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, 2002, 1491 pages, continuously paginated in two volumes, ISBN: 0-89725-452-X), p. 904.
5. ↑ MARRIAGES (1) Spouse: Grace /Sprague/; Marriage: about 1763, Falmouth, Maine, United States, CITING THIS RECORD: "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:364X-1FY : accessed 22 April 2018), entry for John /Hall/; "Johnston2017" file (2:2:2:MM6S-NGK), submitted 18 June 2017 by ZinaJohnston1 [identity withheld for privacy]. PEDIGREE RESOURCE FILE. Person Count: 91,931; Submission ID: MM6S-NGK
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHK2-MH1 : accessed 24 June 2020), John Hall, Township East of Machias, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 179, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 2; FHL microfilm 568,142.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRS-5Y6 : accessed 24 June 2020), John Hall, Addison, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 605, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 8; FHL microfilm 218,678.
8. ↑ Citation needed
9. ↑ Citation needed
10. ↑ Citation needed
11. ↑ George W. Drisko, Narrative of the Town of Machias, The Old and the New, The Early and the Late (Press of The Republican, Machias, Maine, 1904, 575 pages), p. 48.
12. ↑ Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary of State, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Wright and Potter Printing Company, State Printers, Boston, 1896-1908, 17 volumes), Vol. 7, p. 91.
13. ↑ Early Pleasant River Families, loc. cit.

Descendants of Hate Evil Hall by Joseph B. Hall, published by the New Hampshire Historical Society