1 Aug 1902 - The community was shocked and saddened yesterday to learn that Thomas Hall, one of the oldest citizens of this County had died. The death of Mr. Hall occurred at 8:45 o'clock Sunday morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Perry Sanders, on west Pike street. Mr. Hall's death was very sudden and came quite unexpectedly though at his advanced age it was not so surprising. He retired Saturday night feeling apparently in good health. At 2 o'clock in the morning he called to the family and complained of being sick. A physician was summoned and everything possible was done for Mr. Hall, but the end came after a few hours. Nothing more than the infirmities of old age can be ascribed as the cause of Mr. Halls death. Thomas Hall was born in Warren Co, Ohio November 3, 1816. He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth. Hall and was the last surviving member of a large family of children, having outlived his last sister, Mrs. Eleanor O'Neall, but a few months. Mr. Hall came to Indiana at the age of 18, coming on horseback all the way from Ohio and carrying the money with him to make the first payment on his father's farm, which is now owned by Gen. Lew Wallace and used by him as a game preserve.
In 1840 Mr. Hall was married to Nancy Swearingen and to them were born 7 children of whom four survive, Mrs. H.M. Billingsley and Mrs. Perry Sanders of this city and Mrs. Oscar Hankins of Lafayette and Mrs. Howard W Smith of Indianapolis. Very early in Mr. Hall's married life and while he lived at Waynetown he became a member of the Baptist Church under the ministry of the late Dr. James French. During all this time Mr. Hall has been an ideal Christian man and has at all times give liberally to the support of his Church. As a businessman, Mr. Hall has been uniformly successful and throughout has been strictly honest in all his dealings. He was a man of wide acquaintance and no one in this County was better liked by such a large following of friends as was Thomas Hall. He was a man who always had a large fund of experience and his tales of the early days of the county were always interesting. The funeral will occur at the residence of Perry Sanders, 209 W. Pike on Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock, conducted by Rev. A.W. Runyan. Interment at Oak Hill.
