Hall family in Fenstanton/Hemingford - REQUEST LETTER 4

Just submitted the following queries. I wish I could run these searches myself! At any rate, these answers should help fill in gaps in the family tree and follow other lines for the HALL famiy in the 1700's in Hemingford Abbots, and the Setchell family in the late 1700's in Huntingdonshire. In the period I'm interested in, unless a Will is found (unlikely) it seems that outside parish registers the only way to find out about the family at that time will be a check on parish maps (IF they owned land which seems very unlikely), or parish vestry minutes and churchwardens accounts for any sign of the HALL family. Given how small Hemingford Abbots was, this might not be an impossible task.

Hall family in Fenstanton/Hemingford - REQUEST LETTER 4

24 April 2010

I have made a series of queries through the Huntingdonshire County archives, most recently in Feb 2009 (Ref: EB08/135). Based on the responses I’ve formulated a series of requests as I work towards understanding a few family lines in Huntingdonshire.

General queries.

I’m interested in if any graves remain. Could you please check memorial indexes for Fenstanton, Hilton, Hemingford Abbotts and Hemingford Grey for SETCHELL and HALL entries?

My reading at the GENUKI site suggests that marriage records are incomplete for Hemingford Abbots. Can you confirm this is the case?

SETCHELL.

You have previously checked Hunts marriage indexes for the marriage of Thomas SETCHELL to Catherine ? without any probable hits – they would have married prior to 1796 (first known child). Could you please check Cambs marriage indexes also?

I’ve previously been told that Thomas and Catherine SETCHELL had three children in Hemingford Grey before 1800: Catherine and Susannah (1796) and Jane (1799). I have been advised there was a Mary baptized between 1800-1810 (probably 1805) – could you please check for SETCHELL/SETCHEL/SATCHEL/SATCHELL. I would also like to obtain copies of the marriage of Jane SETCHELL to William BRIARS and Mary SETCHELL to William DAWES.

HALL

I would like copies of the Fenstanton burials of Edward HALL (1839), Mary HALL (1820), William HALL (1869) and Charlotte HALL (1850).

I have previously received a list of HALL wills after 1790 in Hunts. Could you advise if there are any prior to 1790?

My HALL family lived in Hemingford Abbots through the 1700’s. Could you please check for any HALL births, deaths or marriages prior to 1700? If none appear, could you confirm any holes in coverage at Hemingford Abbots? IGI shows an entry for a birth of a William HALL in 1692 and I’d like to determine whether this is accurate. The answers to these will help me determine whether William Hall (senior, ?-1761) came from HA or elsewhere. Do 1600’s hearth tax returns show any HALL people in HA or close by?

William Hall’s wife Jane was buried in 1723 at HA. In 1726 a son William was baptized at HA, the mother being given as Mary. You previously reported that the marriage did not take place in HA. I have searched IGI for marriage of any William Hall to Mary from 1723-1727 and found a marriage to a Mary FISHER in 1724 in 1724 at Bluntisham Cum Earith, Hunts. Could you please check this entry to see whether William is noted as being ‘of Hemingford Abbots’ or any other information? If so, please make a copy.

You previously informed me that two sons of William HALL married elsewhere; Thomas married Sarah WARBOYS at St Ives in 1786 and William married Hannah AUSTIN at Huntingdon in 1787. These parish books don’t appear to be available on-line – could you please look into whether it seems these couples had children at their respective parishes?

Samuel Hall headstone, Yass NSW (1884) - version 2

Neil Grill, a fellow descendant of Samuel Hall (the first of our Hall ancestors in Australia) recently visited Yass and forwarded a photo of Samuel Hall's headstone. I've now included it in an updated entry on Samuel Hall. I've also taken this opportunity to include a copy of the Hemingford Grey parish entry for Samuel's baptism.

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Samuel HALL was born in or near Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England in 1816, the son of William HALL, a shoemaker, and Catherine nee SETCHELL. He was baptised in the nearby Hemingford Grey (probably Catherine's home village) on the 4th September 1816, their abode being entered as Fenstanton.



On October 13 1839 Samuel married Mary Ann WELLS in the parish of Chesterton, a village 2 miles to the north of Cambridge University. Mary Ann was born in the village if Isleham Cambridgeshire to Richard WELLS (a labourer) and Mary nee NORMAN, in 1813 and baptised at the General Baptist church there on 10th Aug 1813. Both Samuel and Mary Ann had not previously been married, and Samuel's sister Sarah was one of two witnesses. At least two of Samuel's sisters moved to Cambridge fom Fenstanton, though there are no records to indicate when the siblings moved there.



The 1841 England census shows Samuel, a brewers labourer, and Maryan (sic) living on Back Street in the parish of Chesterton. With them was their daughter Catharine aged 4 months - she had been baptised in Chesterton, Cambridge on 28 Feb 1841. In 1851 Samuel (listed as 'Jas'/James and a Brewers Labourer) and family are shown living at 54 Newmarket Rd in the nearby parish of Cambridge St Andrew the Less (also known at Barnwell). Cambridge St Andrew the Less seems to by no means have been a salubrious location, and was regarded in the Cambridge Chronicle as "the focus of villainy, the refuge of the common thief" in an article of 1853, and a 1849 report on sanitation and water describes sanitary conditions in the parish as wretched and a disgrace to humanity.

Two sons, Thomas James (3) and Arthur Walter (10 months) both born in Cambridge are present, though Catharine, who would have been abt 10, apears to have died in the previous 10 years. The family also had a servant, Mary Hayner, aged 22 and unmarried.The 1851 census presented some difficulties, and reveals the first of several examples where Samuel uses the name James ('Jas'), however in each case all other data confirm that this census entry is the correct one. Baptisms for Thomas and Arthur have not yet been found (nor have records of Catharine's death). The eldest of Samuel and Mary Ann's sons was William, baptised in Chesterton in 1843, and in 1851 he is not at home, but a Visitor at the home of Robert Moore, a College Porter in the same parish of Cambridge St Andrew the Less.

The 1851 English census is the last Samuel and family appear in as they sailed from Liverpool to Australia on the 'Boanerges' in 1857 with their three sons, arriving in Sydney on the 20th October of that year (they probably travelled the more than 100 miles from Cambride to Liverpool by train). The ship had only been built the previous year and carried 472 'government immigrants' (or assisted passengers) and one stow away, Thorney Smith. This means that their passage was subsidised or paid for through one of the assisted immigration schemes that operated in New South Wales. My great uncle Frank Hall's family history states that the reasons they decided to move to Australia are unknown.

The immigration records made out on arrival in NSW reveal a great deal about the famiy at this stage, and confirms many details:

Passengers per Ship Boanerges , as Inspected by the Immigration Board, arrived on the 20th October 1857.
Hall, Samuel; Age: 40; Calling: Farm Labour; Native place and country: Fenstanton, Huntingdon; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: William + Catherine, mother dead, father at Fenstanton; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Both; Relations in the colony: Cousin Childs, residence not known. State of bodily health: Good. Remarks: 1 pound sterling.
Hall, Mary Ann; Age: 40; Calling: Wife; Native place and country: Islham, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: Richard + Mary, dead; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Read; Relations in the colony: None. State of bodily health: Good.
Hall, William; Age: 14; Calling: -; Native place and country: Chesterton, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: on board; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Both; State of bodily health: Good.
Hall, Thomas; Age: 11; Calling: -; Native place and country: Barnwell, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: on board; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Read; State of bodily health: Good.
Hall, Arthur; Age: 7; Calling: -; Native place and country: Barnwell, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: on board; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Read; State of bodily health: Good.

All members of the family were in good health, and Samuel and his son William could read and write (his younger brothers could only read) suggesting education in the Hall family. Samuel had to pay only 1 pound for their journey to Ausrtalia. One interesting piece of information was in answer to the question of relations in the colony: "Cousin Childs, residence not known". Four CHILDS brothers came to Australia, sons of Henry and Elizabeth (nee Hall) born in Hilton, three miles from Fenstanton: William, Edward, Thomas and Samuel who had all arrived by 1857, though none settled in the Yass district. While Elizabeth Childs nee Hall has not yet been shown to be Samuel's aunt, in the 1851 census in Hilton she states her town of birth as Fenstanton, but no baptism has yet been found for her - but she is three years older than Samuel's father William and likely to be his older sister. That Samuel described the Childs boys as cousins adds further weight to this.

Samuel Hall and family settled in the Yass area, 183 miles south of Sydney - they probably moved to the area because Samuel gained employment there. The Moreton Bay Courier of Saturday 21 Nov 1857 noted:
'Labor Market. LABOR MARKET.-The demand for pastoral districts is brisk; and the farmers require an extra number of hands to bring up lost time through the wet senson. The emigrants by the John Bunyan and Boanerges have been engaged at good wages. They were principally agriculturists. Mechanics have been in steady request. Female servants have been more plentiful thun any other class.'

We know that they travelled to that district fairly directly because less than three years after arriving, Mary Ann died of 'epilepsy', which apprently lasted 6 days. At the time she died the family were living at 'Bendanine' near Yass, probably the name of the large property owned by Cornelius O'Brien (still being determined). Again, in registering details of his wife's death, Samuel gave his name as 'James', and he stated that they had 3 sons living (William, Thomas and Arthur) and 2 daughters deceased, so apart from Catharine Hall they had another daughter at some point in England who also died. Mary Ann was buried on 14th May 1860 at St Clements Cemetery attached to the Angican Church in Yass. No headstone remains.

Samuel continued farming, though whether he held his own land is not yet clear. The 1871 Electoral Roll and 1872 Greville directory both state that Samuel was a farmer, living at 'Devil's Pass', Yass. By the 1878 Electoral Roll, Samuel had moved to nearby Cavan where he had a freehold property. His son William married Eliza Jane Bliss at St Clements Yass on 26 May 1868, and 17 years later Arthur marred Eliza's sister Judith/Julia in Yass on 7th Feb 1885. No marriage for Thomas has been found (his death certificate indicates he died without marrying).

Samuel, farmer, died on 16th May 1884 from 'congestion of the lungs' at 'Spring Creek' near Yass, which may have been the property name at Cavan. His son William registered the death stating Samuel's father was William Hall, boot and shoemaker and that Samuel was born in Fenstanton (all correct).



NSW Death Certificate 1884/013990

Date and place of death: 16th May 1884, Spring Creek
Name and occupation: Samuel Hall, Farmer
Sex and age: Male
Cause of death: Congestion of the lungs
Duration of last illness: 3 weeks
Medical attendant: Dr Hoeb
When he last saw deceased: 15th May 1884

Name and occupation of father: William Hall, boot and shoemaker
Name and maiden surname of mother: not known

Informant: Certified by WIlliam Hall, son, Spring Creek near Yass
Particulars of registration: 19th May 1884, Yass
When and where buried: 17th May 1884, C.E. Cemetery, Yass
Name of undertaker: R. Beverly
Name and religion of minister: Revd A.D. Faunce, C.E. Clergyman
Names of witnesses of burials: James Getman, John Lucas
Where born and how long in the Australasian colonies: Fenstanton, England, 27 years

Children of marriage:
William 40
Thomas James 36
Arthur Albert 34



Samuel was buried at the C.E. Cemetery, Yass (the cemetery at St Clement's where his wife Mary Ann was buried closed in 1868). A photo taken by Neil Grill in 2008 shows his headstone which reads:

"In affectionate remembrance of
Samuel Hall
Died 16th May 1884
Aged 69 years

And I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, Write, Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours; and their works do
follow them."

The quote on Samuel's headstone is from Revelation 14:12. Samuel died intestate (without a Will) and as the oldest brother, William was appointed adminstrator of his fathers estate. The legal documents describe Samuel Hall as 'late of Cavan' who died with no debts. In signing their letters, William and Thomas can read and write, but Arthur appears not to be able to (he signs with his mark), and all describe themselves as farmers from Cavan near Yass. The Estate and Effects of Samuel consisted of seventy nine acres of selected land valued at nineteen pounds fifteen shillings, moneys invested amounting to eight hundred and fifty pounds and a horse saddle and bridle valued at four pounds. After paying funeral and testamentory expenses the estate was divided between the three brothers, the seventy nine acres being part of William's share. William ultimately applied to sell the land in 1891.

HALL family in Fenstanton and surrounds 1750-1800 (2) results

I'd previously posted (http://thehistoryofmatt.blogspot.com/2008/09/hall-family-in-fenstanton-and-surrounds.html) that I've followed up on a number of HALL/SETCHELL questions... the basic questions were as follows:

1. Any wills, inventories or administrations for the deaths of the following: Edward Hall died 1839 Fenstanton, Israel Hall died 1848 Fenstanton, Thomas Setchell of Hemingford Grey.
2. Thomas and Catherine Setchell marriage transcript if it exists in Hemingford Grey/Hunts.
3. I'd like to ascertain whether there are any burials or marriages from 1760-1800 in Hilton/Hemingford Abbots for any HALL's (and their parents William and Margaret)?

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I've now received their response:

SOURCES CONSULTED AND RESULTS

1. Hall/Setchell probate records

Huntingdonshire Will Index 1770 – 1858

I’m afraid I was unable to find any wills, inventories or administrations relating to Edward Hall, Israel Hall, Thomas Setchell or Catherine Setchell.

In case it is of any use to the rest of your research, these are the Hall and Setchell wills that appear in the indexes between 1790 and 1850:

HALL Henry St. Ives 1803
Susanna Huntingdon 1807
John Kimbolton 1810
Cornelius Kimbolton 1811
Edward Nassington 1816
John Woodhurst 1816
Samuel Hartford 1817
Elizabeth Kimbolton 1828
Leonard St. Ives 1829
Samuel Hartford 1840
Thomas Woodhurst 1844

SETCHELL Susanna Gt Gransden 1805
John Warboys 1817
William Upwood 1847
Martha Upwood 1850

Please do let us know if you would like any more information on any of these.

2. Thomas and Catherine Setchell

Huntingdonshire Marriage Index 1754 – 1837

The Huntingdonshire Marriage Index contained references to the marriages of three Thomas Setchells in the years before 1796 but none that mentioned a Catherine:

1762 Setchell, Thomas of Pidley Warboys
Hodson, Ann

1776 Setchell, Thomas Steeple Gidding
Abbess, Christian

1778 Setchell, Thomas Yaxley
Andrew, Elizabeth

The absence of a likely record could suggest that the marriage took place outside of the county of Huntingdonshire.

3. William and Margaret Hall of Hilton

Hilton Parish Register Transcripts 1558 – 1966

According to the transcript indexes, no Hall’s were buried in Hilton after 1746. Nor was there any record of any marriages.

Hemmingford Abbotts Parish Register Transcript 1604 – 1851

I found the following burials recorded in the neighbouring parish of Hemmingford Abbotts:

20 Apr 1795 Hall, John son of Margaret and William
10 Dec 1804 Hall, William aged 77
30 Jun 1815 Hall, Margaret aged 87

However, no related marriages were recorded.

Hemmingford Grey Parish Register Transcript 1604 – 1992

I also checked the records for the parish of Hemmingford Grey to see if there was any trace of the Hall family there.

It would seem that William Hall senior’s death was noted in this parish too:

8 Dec 1804 Old William Hall died

No other burial’s or marriages were recorded for the family.

Huntingdonshire Marriage Index 1754 – 1836

I went back to the marriage index to see whether any of Margaret and William’s children were married in the county. I found the following references that may be of interest:

1786 Hall, Thomas of Hemmingford Abbots St. Ives
Warboys, Sarah

1787 Hall, William of Hemmingford Abbots Hunt All Saints/St. John
Austin, Hannah

The marriages of several Hannah Halls were mentioned but none in Hilton or the Hemingfords. Hannah Halls were married in Woodwalton in 1788 and in St. Ives in 1793 and 1796.

CONCLUSIONS:

I hope you find the above information of use although I am very sorry that it has again been rather inconclusive in some areas.

I wasn’t able to find any probate records relating to the ancestors mentioned in your email. Nor could I find a marriage record for Thomas and Catharine Setchell.

Records relating to William and Margaret Hall’s family appear to be spread over several parishes. Their children’s baptisms were recorded both in Hilton and in Hemingford Abbots. William, Margaret and John Hall, however, were not buried in Hilton but in the Hemingfords. Their remaining children were also married outside of the parish.

If you would like further information on any of the records mentioned above, or if you have any questions, please do just let us know. We are happy to undertake any further research on your behalf.

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So there are a few interesting leads here. Along with my first request (http://thehistoryofmatt.blogspot.com/2008/07/hall-family-in-fenstanton-and-surrounds.html) and response (http://thehistoryofmatt.blogspot.com/2008/08/response-to-research-request-on.html) I'll piece things together for Edward HALL.

Elizabeth Hall, wife of Henry Childs

When Samuel HALL arrived in NSW with his family on the 'Boanerges' in 1857, his immigration records state is answers to the following questions:

Name: Hall, Samuel
Age: 40 (note: this makes his birth abt 1817)
Calling: Farm Labour
Native place and country: Fenstanton, Huntingdon
Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: William + Catherine, mother dead, father at Fenstanton
Religious calling: C.E.
Read or write: Both
Relations in the colony: Cousin Childs, residence not known
State of bodily health: Good
Remarks: 1 pound sterling

The comment that Samuel had cousins of the surname Childs did not immediately gel with the Hall family tree I had constructed. According to my tree constructed from parish records in Huntingdonshire, Samuel was the eldest son of William HALL (1794-1869) and Catherine nee SETCHELL. William, in turn, was the son of Edward HALL and Mary ?.

William Hall's marriage to Catherine Setchell at Hemingford Grey:


Samuel Hall's baptism in Hemingford Grey:


The main evidence for William's parents being Edward HALL and Mary ? are as follow:

1. Census entries for William HALL in 1841, 1851 and 1861 (in Fenstanton) set his birth date at about 1764 and his birthplace as Fenstanton, Hunts. Based on the William Halls baptised in Fenstanton around this time, only one matches (starred):
Date Name Sex Mother Father
1 Mar 1789 William M Phebe Israel HALL
*6 Jul 1794 William M Mary Edward HALL
Furthermore, Israel and Phebe HALL's son William must have died, as they baptised a second son William in 1805.

2. After William's wife Catherine SETCHELL died in 1850, William remarred to at Fenstanton to Charlotte WARRINGTON. The parish register notes 'Husband's father: Edward HALL'.

Edward (born abt 1760) and Mary are enigmatic at this stage. Edward's birth is still being investigated - he was not baptised in Fenstanton - and his marriage has not yet been uncovered. They first appear in Fenstanton parish records in 1794, and had the following children baptised at Fenstanton:
1. William - baptized 6 Jun 1794 at Fenstantion
2. Hannah - baptized 13 Mar 1796 at Fenstanton
3. Sarah - baptized 10 Jun 1798 at Fenstanton
4. Ann - baptized 6 July 1800 at Fenstanton
5. Mary - baptized 3 Jan 1802 at Fenstanton
6. Charlotte - buried 2 Jul 1803 at Fenstanton

Few other records for Edward have been found, though my great uncle Frank states in his work that he was a shoemaker (as was William his son) perhaps from parish transcripts of the above that i've not yet sourced. In the book 'A state of the poll for the election of representatives in parliament for the county of Huntingdon', published 1818, included in the list is:
'Huntingdonshire Election, 1818
Voting at: Fenstanton
Freeholder: Edward Hall
Residence: Fenstanton
Of what freehold consists: H.L. (House and Land)'
Finally, civil registration indexes show the death of an Edward Hall in Oct-Dec 1839 in the registration district of St Ives, Cambridgeshire/Huntingdonshire, and Fenstanton records record his burial on 18 Nov 1839 aged 79 years and his wife Mary was buried at Fenstanton on 16 Oct 1820 aged 49 years. His burial gives his approximate birth date of 1760.

So, what does this have to do with CHILDS? Well, the only possible connection to the immigration record statement was a Elizabeth HALL who married Henry CHILDES on 25 Nov 1813 in Fenstanton. The name HALL and the place Fenstanton suggest that Elizabeth is an aunt of Samuel, the sister of William, and the daughter of Edward and Mary Hall. Census entries for 1841 and 1851 in adjacent Hilton, Huntingdonshire (where they lived) sets her birth date at 1891 and birth place in Fenstanton.

Confirming that Samuel must have been referring to this CHILDS family on his arrival in Australia, Mary Shortis provided me her notes in 2008 (confirmed in NSW indexes) showing that FOUR of Henry and Elizabeth CHILDS' children (all born in Hilton) emigrated to Australia:

William CHILDS, b 16 Oct 1814
Edward CHILDS, b 10 Nov 1816, arrived on 'Una' on 22 Nov 1849
Thomas CHILDS, b. 25 Jul 1819, arrived at Moreton Bay on 'Maria Somes' on 9 Jul 1852
Samuel CHILDS, b 7 Mar 1830

Yet no baptism record for an Elizabeth Hall in the county Huntingdonshire baptism index exists to confirm the connection, nor, as stated above, do her putative parents marriage. Confusing the matter, many trees exist assigning her parentage to Israel HALL and his wife Phebe nee SMITH, who also had children in Fenstanton during the same period - this is included in many public trees, probably due to an 'ancestral file' on IGI listing the baptism as fact (no record exists) assuming she was not in fact born on 1791, but improbably born 18 years late in 1807.

I believe Elizabeth is in fact the son of Edward HALL and his wife Mary, based on the following evidence:

1. Samuel Hall states her to be his aunt, when he claims her sons as his cousins having already arrived in the colony of NSW.

2. Names of children. Elizabeth's first two children are names drawn from the family of Edward and Mary: William (brother) Edward (father). Neither name is from Henry CHILDS side of the family, and no child is named either Israel or Phebe after the alternative parents (while Israel's other children DID use his name).

3. Elizabeth's marriage certificate contains a William Hall as a witness. This alone is not evidence, however the signature is a close likeness to that of my ancestor William Hall's marriage to Catherine Setchell. Note in particular the loop at the start of the H, and the curl at the end.

Elizabeth's marriage certificate:


Comparison of the signatures on William's marriage and Elizabeth's marriage:




4. Finally, Elizabeth HALL's age is clear in the 1841 and 1851 censuses and supports her being born abt 1791. Israel and Phoebe could not have had TWO Elizabeth's - they baptized an Elizabeth in Fenstanton in 1807 - why would they do that if they'd had an Elizabeth in 1791 who was still living?



This evidence together argues that Elizabeth Hall, born 1791 in Fenstanton or nearby who married Henry CHILDS, was the daughter of Edward HALL (b. abt 1760, d. 1839 Fenstanton) and Mary.

Response to research request on the Fenstanton Hall Family

Cambridgeshire Archives Service
Historical Research Service

Date sent 28/07/08

SOURCES CONSULTED AND RESULTS

I first searched for the marriage of Edward and Mary in the Huntingdonshire Marriage Index, which includes all marriages that took place in the county from 1600-1837. I could not find any relevant entries 10 years either side of 1790. I also checked similar sounding surnames, in case the information had been mis-transcribed (Hale, Hales, Hill, Hills), but again I could find no relevant entries. As Fenstanton is on the border with Cambridgeshire I also checked the marriage index for this county, but again could find no relevant entries.

Between 1754-1837 people were obliged to marry in an Anglican church (regardless of religious beliefs) with the exception of Quakers. We have a transcript of Quaker marriages, but Edward does not appear in it.

I next went on to look for the baptism records of Edward Hall (c 1760) and Elizabeth Hall (c 1790) in the following parishes surrounding Fenstanton:
- Hilton
- Hemingford Grey
- Hemingford Abbotts
- St Ives
- Holywell cum Needingworth
- Fen Drayton (Cambs)
- Papworth Agnes (Cambs)
- Papworth Everard (Cambs)

I consulted the original records in each case, apart from those for St Ives and the three Camdridgeshire parishes, for which we hold indexed transcripts.

Original Hilton Parish Register (HP42/1/1/1)

I found the following baptisms in the above register:

28th Mar 1761 William Hall son of William and Margaret
28th Nov 1762 Thomas Hall son of William and Margaret
30th Dec 1764 Edward Hall son of William and Margaret
14th Dec 1766 John Hall son of William and Margaret
19th Feb 1769 Hannah Hall daughter of William and Margaret

Indexed Transcript of St. Ives Parish registers

I found the following baptism in the above transcript:

22nd Feb 1769 Edward Hall son of Edward and Hannah (born 23 Jan 1769).

I could find no other baptisms for an Edward Hall in other parishes checked and unfortunately I also couldn't find a baptism for Elizabeth, but I have enclosed a copy of her marriage to Henry Childs as requested.

2. Catherine Setchell

I enclose copies of the marriage of William Hall and Catherine Setchell at Hemingford Grey, as well as cpoies of the baptisms of their two children, Samuel and Thomas.

I also managed to find Catherine's baptism, along with those of two of her sisters in the Hemingford Grey BT's, but unfortunately they were too delicate to copy so the details are given below:

Hemingford Grey Bishop's Transcripts (AH28/41/2)

31 Jul 1796 Catherine Setchell daughter of Thomas and Catherine
31 Jul 1796 Susannah Setchell daughter of Thomas and Catherine
28 Jul 1799 Jane Setchell daughter of Thomas and Catherine


3. Israel Hall

I checked the same parishes for the baptism records of Israel Hall (c 1764) and John Hall (c 1790-1800) as I did for Edward and Elizabeth's. Unfortunately I could find no record of their baptisms.

CONCLUSIONS

I have found the information requested on Catherine Setchell and two possible baptism records for Edward Hall, but unfortunately my search did not find any further information on Elizabeth, Israel and John or Edward's marriage.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

As Fenstanton is on the border between the old counties of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire it may be worth requesting a more detailed search of baptism records from near-by Cambridgeshire parishes, as we only hold original records for Huntingdonshire.

You can contact them at cambs.archives@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

It appears that Edward and Sarah married outside the county; therefore it may also be worth enquiring with neighbouring archive services to see if they also have marriage indexes you could check, i.e. Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Essex and Norfolk.

As mentioned in my previous mail, this may be a fruitless search as it was not uncommon during this period for records to be kept poorly so it was possible that the events went unrecorded. I wish you luck with any further research you undertake and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

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There may be a lead with the Hall family of Hilton - will have to dig.

HALL family in Fenstanton and surrounds 1750-1800

I've submitted a research request to the Historical Research Service in Cambridge, which merged the old Huntingdonshire county in 1972 or so. I know Edward HALL was my ancestor and the he was born around 1860 and that he lived and died in Fenstanton, but I can not find a baptism for him, or the birth of one or two suspected children. Hopefully this will nail it down.

This is what I wrote:

"Hunts archive request

I have traced my paternal HALL lineage to Fenstanton, and found another HALL who has done the same (he lives in Switzerland, I am Australian and live in the US).

In both cases we have copies of Hall parish transcripts from the Fenstanton village after purchasing a book of the village history, but in both cases find that the births of our ancestors, and some of their children, are not present. This is despite the fact that they lived in Fenstanton nearly all their lives (from what we can tell).

Mine:
Edward Hall, b abt 1760, Fenstanton
Married to Mary ? abt 1790

I have the birth of 6 children in Fenstanton
1. William - baptized 6 Jun 1794 at Fenstantion
2. Hannah - baptized 13 Mar 1796 at Fenstanton
3. Sarah - baptized 10 Jun 1798 at Fenstanton
4. Ann - baptized 6 July 1800 at Fenstanton
5. Mary - baptized 3 Jan 1802 at Fenstanton
6. Charlotte - buried 2 Jul 1803 at Fenstanton (birth not found)

BUT I can't find their marriage, also believe at least one child pre-dates their birth, Elizabeth HALL who married Henry CHILDS, 25 Nov 1813 Elizabeth HALL at Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire - they lived and had all their children in Hilton, Hunts. My Hall ancestor stated on arriving that his CHILDS cousins already lived in Australia, and this would have made Elizabeth his aunt, but I can't find her baptism. Not only did Elizabeth marry in Fenstanton, she states that her birthtown was Fenstanton in he 1851 census (her last).

So I'm guessing Edward HALL married a Mary in a surrounding town, and that perhaps Elizabeth was born there too. I'd also like to get a copy of Elizabeth's marriage entry to Henry Childs as I'm hoping one of the witnesses will be my family to add evidence to that relationship. There is actually a big gap in the Hall record in Fenstanton and I'd also like to find Edward's baptism in the surrounding area. Edward died in 1839 aged 79 in Fenstanton.

Finally for this family, Edward's son William married Catherine SETCHELL in Hemingford Grey in 1815 - I'd like to get a copy of her baptism in Hemingford Grey, her marriage entry to William, and ascertain what children were baptised there through copies of their baptisms also.


Related to the search for Edward is Israel Hall. Based on census entries he was born abt 1764 in Fenstanton - again there is no baptism for him in Fenstanton though. His marriage was recorded though - 17 Jan 1788 married to Phoebe SMITH at Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire. Again the marriage entry witnesses may help. I'd like to find his birth too. There is another Hall in the Fenstanton censuses for 1841 and 1851, John HALL, who states his birth as Fenstanton but for whom no baptism is available - he is believed to be a son of Israel.

Laura Ibbett, Archives Assistant at the County Record Office Huntingdon searched the original Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts from Fenstanton but unfortunately Edward, Israel and Elizabeth do not appear in either of these records. Being overseas I can't access local records, and they aren't indexed online in most cases unfortunately. My basic attitude is that Edward Hall might be a little tricky, but there can't be too many Israel Hall's there - and one should lead to the other.

I'd appreciate any help you can give - worst case scenario, a list of negative villages would help us in future searches. We know that Fenstanton is the main village - though as mentioned Hilton factors in, and Edward's son William married in Hemingford Grey. I look forward to hearing from you."

The Hall family from Fenstanton, Hunts to Yass, NSW

Samuel HALL was probably born in or near Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England in 1816, the son of William HALL, a shoemaker, and Catherine nee SETCHELL. He was baptised in the nearby Hemingford Grey (probably Catherine's home village) on the 4th September 1816, their abode being entered as Fenstanton.

On October 13 1839 Samuel married Mary Ann WELLS in the parish of Chesterton, a village 2 miles to the north of Cambridge University. Mary Ann was born in the village if Isleham Cambridgeshire to Richard WELLS (a labourer) and Mary nee NORMAN, in 1813 and baptised at the General Baptist church there on 10th Aug 1813. Both Samuel and Mary Ann had not previously been married, and Samuel's sister Sarah was one of two witnesses. At least two of Samuel's sisters moved to Cambridge fom Fenstanton, though there are no records to indicate when the siblings moved there.



The 1841 England census shows Samuel, a brewers labourer, and Maryan (sic) living on Back Street in the parish of Chesterton. With them was their daughter Catharine aged 4 months - she had been baptised in Chesterton, Cambridge on 28 Feb 1841. In 1851 Samuel (listed as 'Jas'/James and a Brewers Labourer) and family are shown living at 54 Newmarket Rd in the nearby parish of Cambridge St Andrew the Less (also known at Barnwell). Cambridge St Andrew the Less seems to by no means have been a salubrious location, and was regarded in the Cambridge Chronicle as "the focus of villainy, the refuge of the common thief" in an article of 1853, and a 1849 report on sanitation and water describes sanitary conditions in the parish as wretched and a disgrace to humanity.

Two sons, Thomas James (3) and Arthur Walter (10 months) both born in Cambridge are present, though Catharine, who would have been abt 10, apears to have died in the previous 10 years. The family also had a servant, Mary Hayner, aged 22 and unmarried.The 1851 census presented some difficulties, and reveals the first of several examples where Samuel uses the name James ('Jas'), however in each case all other data confirm that this census entry is the correct one. Baptisms for Thomas and Arthur have not been found (nor have records of Catharine's death). The eldest of Samuel and Mary Ann's sons was William, baptised in Chesterton in 1843, and in 1851 he is a Visitor at the home of Robert Moore, a College Porter in the same parish of Cambridge St Andrew the Less.

The 1851 census is the last the Samuel and family appear in as they sailed from Liverpool to Australia on the 'Boanerges' in 1857 with their three boys, arriving in Sydney on the 20th October of that year (they probably travelled the more than 100 miles from Cambride to Liverpool by train). The ship had only been built the previous year and carried 472 'government immigrants' (or assisted passengers) and one stow away, Thorney Smith. This means that their passage was subsidised or paid for through one of the assisted immigration schemes that operated in New South Wales - Frank Hall's family history states that the reasons they decided to move to Australia are unknown. The immigration records reveal a great deal about the famiy at this stage, and confirms many details:

Passengers per Ship Boanerges , as Inspected by the Immigration Board, arrived on the 20th October 1857.

Hall, Samuel; Age: 40; Calling: Farm Labour; Native place and country: Fenstanton, Huntingdon; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: William + Catherine, mother dead, father at Fenstanton; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Both; Relations in the colony: Cousin Childs, residence not known. State of bodily health: Good. Remarks: 1 pound sterling.
Hall, Mary Ann; Age: 40; Calling: Wife; Native place and country: Islham, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: Richard + Mary, dead; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Read; Relations in the colony: None. State of bodily health: Good.
Hall, William; Age: 14; Calling: -; Native place and country: Chesterton, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: on board; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Both; State of bodily health: Good.
Hall, Thomas; Age: 11; Calling: -; Native place and country: Barnwell, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: on board; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Read; State of bodily health: Good.
Hall, Arthur; Age: 7; Calling: -; Native place and country: Barnwell, Cambridge; Parents Names, and, if alive, their residence: on board; Religious calling: C.E.; Read or write: Read; State of bodily health: Good.

All members of the family were in good health, and Samuel and his son William could read and write (his younger brothers could only read) suggesting education in the Hall family. Samuel had to pay only 1 pound for their journey to Ausrtalia. One interesting piece of information was in answer to the question of relations in the colony: "Cousin Childs, residence not known". Four CHILDS brothers came to Australia, sons of Henry and Elizabeth (nee Hall) born in Hilton, three miles from Fenstanton: William, Edward, Thomas and Samuel who had all arrived by 1857, though none settled in the Yass district. While Elizabeth Childs nee Hall has not yet been shown to be Samuel's aunt, in the 1851 census in Hilton she states her town of birth as Fenstanton, but no baptism has yet been found for her - but she is three years older than Samuel's father William and likely to be his older sister. That Samuel described the Childs boys as cousins adds further weight to this.

Samuel Hall and family settled in the Yass area, 183 miles south of Sydney - though why they settled in this area in unknown. We know that they travelled to that district fairly quickly because less than three years after arriving, Mary Ann died of 'epilepsy', which apprently last 6 days. At the time she died the family were living at 'Bendanine' near Yass, probably the name of the property (still being determined). Again, in registering details Samuel gave his name as 'James', and he stated that they had 3 sons living (William, Thomas and Arthur) and 2 daughters deceased, so apart from Catharine Hall they had another daughter who also died. Mary Ann was buried on 14th May 1860 at St Clements Cemetery, Yass.

Samuel continued farming, though whether he held his own land is not yet clear. The 1871 Electoral Roll and 1872 Greville directory both state that Samuel was a farmer, living at 'Devil's Pass', Yass. By 1878 Samuel had moved to nearby Cavan where he had a freehold property. His son William married Eliza Jane Bliss at St Clements Yass on 26 May 1868, and 17 years later Arthur marred Eliza's sister Judith/Julia in Yass on 7th Feb 1885. No marriage for Thomas has been found.

Samuel, farmer, died on 16th May 1884 from 'congestion of the lungs' at 'Spring Creek' near Yass, which may have been the property name at Cavan. His son William registered the death stating his father was William Hall, boot and shoemaker and that he was born in Fenstanton. He was buried at the C.E. Cemetery, Yass. A photo taken by Frank Hall shows his headstone which reads:

"In affectionate remembrance of
Samuel Hall
Died 16th May 1884
Aged 69 years

And I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, Write, Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours; and their works do
follow them."

The quote on Samuel's headstone is from Revelation 14:12. Samuel died intestate (without a Will) and as the oldest brother, William was appointed adminstrator of his fathers estate. The legal documents describe Samuel Hall as 'late of Cavan' who died with no debts. In signing their letters, William and Thomas can read and write, but Arthur appears not to be able to (he signs with his mark), and all describe themselves as farmers from Cavan near Yass. The Estate and Effects of Samuel consisted of seventy nine acres of selected land valued at nineteen pounds fifteen shillings, moneys invested amounting to eight hundred and fifty pounds and a horse saddle and bridle valued at four pounds. After paying funeral and testamentory expenses the estate was divided between the three brothers, the seventy nine acres being part of William's share. William ultimately applied to sell the land in 1891.

More HALL family work

Another e-mail I've written on the HALL family, as I try to trace back their genealogy.

My HALL lineage hails from Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire in England.

I'm still putting the tree together, and the main uncertainty is the earliest ancestor listed - I'm Australian and live in the US so researching the UK isn't always easy!

Edward HALL m. Mary ? (that's all I know)
Lived Fenstanton, Huntingdon late 1700's.
I've worked out the marriages of most of his children, but need to confirm that Elizabeth HALL was their child - there's no record of her in the Fenstanton registers but she is living in Fenstanton with her husband Henry CHILDS/CHILDES in the 1841/51 censuses. Four CHILDS sons also moved to Australia. Samuel Hall (see below) stated on his arrival papers that he had cousins in Australia named CHILDS. Elizabeth HALL may have been born in another village, as Edward and Mary were not married in Fenstanton, and based on census data she's older than her siblings born in Fenstanton.

Their son:
William HALL, bapt 6 Jul 1794 in Fenstanton, Huntingdon, and married Catherine SETCHELL in Hemingford Grey, Huntingdon in 1915. They had several children together before Catherine died between 1841 and 1851. William re-married to Charlotte WARRINGTON of Swavesey, on 25 Jan 1853 in Fenstanton, Huntingdon. William died between 1861 and 1871 (based on census entries). William was a shoemaker, and is listed as such in several Fenstanton directories.

Their son: Samuel HALL b. 1816 in Fenstanton but baptised in Hemngford Grey. Married Mary Anne WELLS in 1839 at Chesterton, Camb (1816 Isleham, Camb - 1860 Yass NSW Aust), and they had five children before sailing for Australia, arriving in 1857 with their three surviving sons. Mary died shortly after their arrival, and Samuel died in Yass NSW (farming country) in 1884. He also seems to have called himself James on occassion.

Their son: William HALL, born 1843 Chesterton Camb, sailed to Ausrtalia with his family and married Eliza Jane BLISS from the adjacent farm in Yass NSW in 1868. She was one of 13, and they had 15 children in Yass. William died in Koorawatha NSW in 1912, where they'd moved to some ten years earlier.

This HALL tree connects down to William's son Alfred Ernest HALL, who Norman HALL writes about in his letters in earlier posts.

Hall family

I'm starting to turn back to the Hall family again. My last Hall post described some of the family association with Yass.

I've recently joined the Huntingdonshire mail list and sent out this e-mail that summarises what I know:

This is my first e-mail to this mailing list - I'm Australian, but currently live in the US, and have been working on my family history for a year. I think it's calming to know all my ancestors had to leave their homeland and live on the other side of the world, just like I am now.

My surname is HALL, and I've been trying to trace this arm of the country.

The original HALL to move to Ausrtalia was Samuel HALL, born 1816 in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire.

A very nice lady named Margaret long performed a Huntondonshire lookup for me at one stage and found that Samuel Hall was batised at Hemingford Grey on 4/9/1816, son William Hall, a shoemaker, and Catherine SETCHELL, abode Fenstanton. William and Catherine appear in the 1841 census, but Catherine was dead by 1851 and the Fenstanton marriage index for Hall shows that William re-married to Charlotte WARRINGTON in Fenstanton in 1853, and appears so in 1861 census in Fenstanton.

Among their children was Samuel. He married Mary Anne WELLS of Isleham (b. abt 1816) in Chesterton, Cambridge, which I believe is within Cambridge proper, and they had at least four children. His 1841 and 1851 census entries seem to show his occupation as 'Brewers Labourer' living at Chesterton Cambridge and St Andrews Kedge? Cambridge respectively. They had a daughter Catharine who must have died, but their two sons William and Thomas, and daughter Mary Ann accompanied them to Australia on the Boanerges in 1857. The arrival records state that Thomas and James were brn in a place called Barnwell.

Interestingly, on arrival under 'Family in the Colony' Samuel answered Cousin Childs, residence unknown. I've found on the Huntongdonshire listserv archives that four CHILDS brothers arrived in Australia, their mother in Huntingdonshire being Elizabeth HALL, and I hope to reconstruct their relationship.

The family of five settled in Yass in country NSW. Mary Ann nee WELLS died soon after they arrived, in 1860, while they established a farm there. Samuel died in 1884.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who knows anything about the place names I've mentioned, or who can add to the tree - Fenstanton burial transcripts only have a few Hall's for all the births and marriages so there's much still to learn.

I've yet to achieve much on Samuel's father William. I know from censuses that he was born in 1794, married for the first time in 1815 in Hemingford Grey, was a Shoemaker living in Chequer St Fenstanton and must have died between 1861 and 1871. Fenstanton birth entries suggest his father was Edward HALL and his mother was Mary, but no Edward was born or married in Fenstanton so they must have moved there from somewhere nearby.