Robert HALL of Southwell

[Alexander.]

One of my longest standing brick walls has been my ancestor Robert HALL of Southwell. According to the censuses, he was born about 1790 in Southwell. He married a Mary, and with her had 11 sons. They should have been married around 1815 though I can find no marriage record for them. Mary was also born Southwell. I can find no baptism for Robert.

Any help is very much appreciated. 

Thanks,
Alexander

[jillruss]

I've had a search through my Notts Marriages CD (doesn't include Nottingham itself) and the best I can come up with are

27 Dec 1808 Robert Hall married Mary Leet in Radford

9 Dec 1810 Robert Hall & Mary Flint married in Newark.

15 Dec 1812 Robert Hall & Mary Beedham married in Kelham

Unfortuantely, there's no extra info given for any of the entries but none of the  3 parishes are very far from Southwell.

Also, just in case it hadn't occurred to you, Southwell is very close to the Lincs border - I have a whole branch from Lincs but a couple of them married in Southwell.

Jill

[Alexander.]

Hi Jill,

I had ruled out the later two marriages of Robert & Mary Flint and Robert & Mary Beedham because both of those couples are having children in the parishes of Newark and Kelham respectively at the same time my Robert & Mary are having children in Southwell. As for the 1808 one, it seems a bit early, because the census data quite consistently puts Mary's birth at around 1795 (and she died in 1875 age 80). That makes me think that one is unlikely.

I just found a "possible" on the IGI:
31 May 1813 Robert Hall & Mary Briggs, Nottingham St. Nicholas

However without seeing the original entry I hesitate to say this is mine. It's user submitted so I treat it with caution. I know, however, that there were a large Briggs clan at Southwell - because Robert and Mary's son (my ancestor) married the daughter of a Briggs family.

It's really annoying me that I can't find a baptism for Robert either. Does anyone know if there were nonconformist churches in Southwell around 1790? I know there were later, but I didn't think so this early.

Thanks,
Alexander

[willow154]

Hi Alexander,
I'm also having a few problems with Halls in Nottinghamshire
Firstly, I just had a look on the BMD site for any non-conformist baptisms - but nothing, sadly.
I did wonder if your Robert might have been born a little earlier, as the 1841 census has him as being born 1786 (so could be as early as 1781 in that case), but the 1851 and 1861 seem definite with a birth year of 1790. I see there is also a burial at Southwell in 1870 for a Robert Hall, aged 80 years, which fits in with all of this.
Wonder if he could be the baptism at Newark in 1790 - it is possible that he moved nearer to Nottingham in search of work; as did the Halls I am tracing (originally form Hoveringham). Also wondered if they baptised him later (think there may have been a tax on baptisms at that time + many baptised their children when it came to an end). Some families baptised their children together at a convenient date. Doesn't make it easy, does it!
I have a Robert in our line, too (a name passed on through the generations - makes you wonder if they all originated from the same stock!
The gentleman I am having great problems with finding is Jesse Hall (married at St Mary's Nottingham). He and his wife Ann had three children born between 1832 and 1835. This gentleman was an overlooker of the highway/flood plain, and Constable at Trent Bridge - but can I find his baptism, or what happened to him after that - no! So frustrating.
So if you do come across anything on a Jesse Hall on your travels I would be eternally grateful if you could let me know.
Please be assured that I will keep my eyes open for anything on your Robert.
Kind regards,
Paulene
P.S. Does anyone know if there were any alternative names for  Jesse, please - besides the obvious ones, that is?

[Alexander.]

Hi Paulene,

Thanks for your message. I have considered that Robert could be born anywhere between 1780-1796ish but that has come up with nothing useful. I had considered that he could be the 1790 Newark one, but there is an 1810 Robert Hall marriage in Newark that makes me think it wasn't my Robert.

You would think that names like Robert and Jesse would be easier to research than others like William and John...but it turns out not really.

Many thanks for keeping an eye out for Robert...if I see any Jesse Halls I will take note of it.

Regards,
Alexander

[sunflower]

Hi Alexander

Don't know if you still want information from that marriage.

Robert Hall otp & Mary Briggs by banns 31 May 1813 St Nicholas
witnessed by R Whitworth & Sarah Tinsley

Carol

[Alexander.]

Thanks Carol, I'll keep this one on the "possible" list.

Alexander

[willow154]

Hi Alexander,
Just to let you know that the mystery of Jesse Hall has finally been solved, with the help of Pennie, a fellow rootschatter who had access to some Northamptonshire records. New records are also on the new familysearch site, which weren't on the old one.
Yes, I did say Northamptonshire
I still haven't found Jesse's death, but found (through lots of trails of investigation into Halls in and around Nottingham) that his eldest son was living with a William Hall, in Sneinton on the 1841 census. On the 1851 census it was revealed that he came from Whilton in Northants.
Jesse's wife was down as Hannah, instead of Ann (age incorrect, too) living a few miles away, with another brother I didn't know about. The brother I did know about had passed away; so the family group wasn't as expected. But, clues and finds here and there confirmed it was the same family.
So, it seems that sometime in the 1820s three brothers all came up from Northants to live in Nottingham - quite why is still to be revealed!
Hope you own search is bearing fruit.
Good luck,
Paulene

[Alexander.]

Hi Paulene,

Glad to hear that you've had some success with finding your Jesse Hall. I'm afraid my Robert Hall is still as big a brickwall as ever. I've traced all of his eleven sons - only 1 of whom died in infancy, as well as one who drowned in the river Trent age 23. However Robert and his wife Mary remain a mystery.

The only lead I have at the moment is that the tenth son started using the middle name Chester later in life. I wonder if Chester could a related family for Robert Hall or his wife, as it's a rather unusual first name. Coincidentally, this man Samuel (Chester) Hall moved to Northampton in the 1860s - maybe he swapped places with your Hall ancestors just to confuse his future genealogist relatives!

I need to search for wills for the family. Hopefully I will get to the UK sometime this year, and visit Nottingham (I live in the States). It will be a daunting process though, searching through all the Hall wills! With any luck there will be a will of someone who has a son Robert Hall. Well I live in hope.

Regards,
Alexander