Person:John Hall (7)

John Hall's Life in New England

John Hall took the oath of fidelity in Middlesex Co., 1652, and in the same year the town of Cambridge apportioned to him 20 acres of church land in Billerica. He resided in Concord, Mass., several years previous to 1667 when he returned to Cambridge, and in 1675 removed to Medford, about eight miles from Boston, where he purchased a farm of Caleb Hobert, June 27, 1675, and gave a mortgage on it the same day for ϣ260, and which he paid May 2, 1681.

The records of Medford begin in 1674, but very little is written before 1677, when John Hall was chosen constable and selectman, which at that time were the most important offices of the town.

Dea. Thomas Willis and John Hall were chosen selectmen, March 12, 1690. In 1699 John Hall made his will, dividing his large landed estate between his sons, who were to pay his daughter's portions in money, and his widow Elizabeth had rights reserved for her during her life, and had the use of a portion of the house and cellar; Stephen and Thomas had the house and land near it; the house was situated a few rods east of the railroad depot in West Medford, and was demolished many years ago, and the old cellar filled up in 1876; …

In the old burying ground in Medford, is a thick slate gravestone about as wide as it is high, and arched at the top, in the arch is a death's head, under which stands an hour glass, flanked by two winged figures; at one of the upper corners is written 'Memento Mori,' at the other 'Fugit hora,' and on the body of the stone is engraved as follows:

By the side of this stone is another on which is engraved 'In memory of Elizabeth, wife of John Hall, who died Feb. 4, 1713, in the 74th year of her age.'

And on the other side of the first mentioned stone is a smaller one 'In memory of William Hall aged 19 years who died Jan. 4, 1683.'"^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} John Hall¹, in Hall, David Brainerd. The Halls of New England, Genealogical and Biographical. (Albany, NY: Joel Munsell's Sons, 1883)
   296-97.
2. ↑ John Hall, in Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   2:335.

   "John (Hall), Concord, had in 1652 been of Cambridge, s. of wid. Mary above ment. b. in Eng. m. 4 Apr. 1656, Eliz. d. of Percival Green of Cambridge, had Eliz. b. 18 Sept. 1658; John, 13 Dec. 1660; Nathaniel, 7 July 1666; rem. to Medford, where all of his other ch. were b. except Percival, b. at Cambridge, 11 Feb. 1672; and he d. at M. 18 Oct. 1701, leav. wid. Eliz. wh. d. 4 Feb. 1714, aged 74; s. John; Nathaniel; Stephen, b. 1670; Percival; Jonathan, b. 1677; Sarah, 1679; and Thomas; beside ds. Mary, 1668, w. of John Bradshaw; and Susanna; among wh. large est. was then div. by John the admor. Eliz. was w. of John Oldham. Percival m. a. 1697, Jane, d. of Thomas Willis, and rem. to Sutton a. 1720."

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Medford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Medford, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1907)
   385.

   "Hall, … John Sr., [died] Oct. 18, 1701. [a. 74, (gravestone record, Salem Street Cemetery)]"

4. ↑ John Hall, in Find A Grave.