Martin Hall and Margaret Harris - Their Marriage

On Thursday, March 20, 1845, Martin Hall and Margaret Harris were married in Jefferson County, Ohio. Documentation of their marriage may be found in Jefferson County Marriage Records, 1841-1850, Volume 6, page 62:

"No. 183  Martin Hall & Margaret Harris.
The State of Ohio, Jefferson County, S.S.
I hereby certify that on the 20th day of March A.D. 1845 Mr. Martin Hall, and Miss Margaret Harris, were legally Joined in Marriage by me a Minister of the Gospel.
Given under My hand this 25th day of March A.D. 1845.
E. S. Hoagland
Filed & Recorded June 18th 1845."

Jefferson County Marriage Records, 1841-1850, Vol. 6, p. 62, familysearch.org.

In addition to providing the date and place of marriage, this record also tells us something about Martin and Margaret. First, it specifies "Miss" Margaret Harris, indicating that she had not been previously married, so Harris should be her family name. Next, it tells us that their marriage ceremony was a religious one, as it was performed by a "Minister of the Gospel." Finally, it provides the name of the officiator: E. S. Hoagland, a Methodist minister, indicating that the couple, or at least one of them, may have been of the Methodist faith.

In 1846, Ezekiel Stout Hoagland was a minister for the Methodist Protestant Church of Steubenville. A Book For the Times: or the Philosophy of Christian Baptism, by the Rev. Hiram Gillmore, Methodist Episcopal Church, was a religious volume published in Steubenville in 1846. It contains an introductory page with a recommendation signed by C. D. Battelle, Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and E. S. Hoagland, Pastor of the Methodist Protestant Church, both of Steubenville.

Born in New Jersey in 1814, Hoagland married Mary Brown in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1834. The couple lived in various counties in central Ohio (Jefferson, Licking, and Guernsey) during the nineteenth century, presumably because of Ezekiel's work as a preacher. During the 1860s he saw Civil War service as a chaplain, and he died in Steubenville in 1883.

The March 27, 1845, edition of the American Union, a newspaper published in Steubenville, contains a notice of the marriage of Martin Hall and Margaret Harris:

"Married . . . On Thursday evening last, by the Rev. [E.] S. Hoagland, Mr. Martin Hall, of this county, to Miss Margaret Harris, of this city."

American Union, March 27, 1845, page 3, column 1.

This small item reveals that Martin Hall's residence was "of this county" (possibly Wells Township, as that is where he was listed on the 1850 census), and that Margaret Harris's home was "of this city," meaning that she lived in Steubenville. It might be assumed that Martin and Margaret were married in Steubenville, as it was customary for weddings to occur at or near the bride's home, and the Rev. Hoagland was a pastor for a Steubenville church.  

Although these records document the marriage of Martin Hall and Margaret Harris, they also prompt further questions. Was Margaret Harris living with her family in Steubenville in 1845, or was she employed and living on her own? How did she meet Martin Hall?

    

Martin Hall - Early Sightings in Probate Records

The first known appearance of Martin Hall in public records occurred in 1844. The document is preserved in the probate records of Jefferson County, Ohio, Volume 6, pages 250-253. The specific item is a sale list from the Estate of Daniel Dunlevy, Cross Creek Township, Jefferson County, Ohio.

The Estate of Daniel Dunlevy, Jefferson County, Ohio, 1844

On February 10, 1844, notice was made that John Irvine and William B. Dunlevy had been appointed executors of the Estate of Daniel Dunlevy, deceased, and that all persons with claims against the estate were to present them within one year. Alexander Cunningham, William Daugherty and James Long appeared before J. D. Daton [Jerome D. Dayton], Justice of the Peace, on February 23, and were sworn to appraise the estate and property of Dunlevy. 

Daniel Dunlevy Estate, p. 250 (image 518), Inventory of Estates, Volume 6, 1841-1847,
Jefferson County, Ohio, Probate Records, Historical Records Collections, familysearch.org.

The executors sold the appraised goods and chattels of Daniel Dunlevy at public vendue on February 27, 1844. A "Sale List" was made, noting each purchaser's name, the property purchased, and the price paid. Most of the articles on the list are farming implements and tools, such as "ploughs" and corn hoes, but a few personal items, including razors and a pair of spectacles were also sold.

Martin Hall's name is listed twice on the Sale List on page 252 of the probate volume. He would have been unmarried and a few months less than 23 years old at the time of the sale. His purchases were two pairs of gears. The first cost 75 cents, and the second $1.75.

Daniel Dunlevy Estate, p. 252 (image 520), Inventory of Estates, Volume 6, 1841-1847,
Jefferson County, Ohio, Probate Records, Historical Records Collections, familysearch.org.

Other men who made purchases at the Dunlevy estate sale, most of whom are listed in Jefferson County, and many in Cross Creek Township, on the 1840 census include: Alexander Scott, John White, David White, James Elliott, Robert Henderson, John Welday, John Riddle, William Thompson, William B. Dunlevy, Alexander Cunningham, George Touble, Hugh Scott, Lemuel Quillen, William Moore, William Dougherty, Alexander Young, Robert Hartford, Joseph McCoy, Newton Morrison, Isaac Phipps [Phillips?], James Quillen, Thomas Chambers, John Irvine, William Dickey, Moses Cole, James Long, James Maxwell, John Cunningham, Blackiston Sprucers, Stephen Brown, C. C. Lisle, Samuel Touble, Charles Dally, John Hames, James Mansfield, John Dwor [Devore?], Robert McIntire, Alexander Oliver, Roland Holmes, Samuel Smith, and John Hartup. 

Daniel Dunlevy is listed on the 1840 Federal Census of Cross Creek Township, aged 70 and under 80, with a female in his household, also aged 70 and under 80. Listed next to him is William Dunlevy, aged 30 and under 40, along with a female, aged 20 and under 30. William Dunlevy, one of the estate's executors, is the son of Daniel Dunlevy.

According to A Genealogical History of the Dunlevy Family, by Gwendolyn Kelley Hack (1901), Daniel Dunlevy, son of Andrew Dunlevy and Mary Barton, came to America from Ireland about 1771 with his widowed mother. The family settled first in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Jefferson County, Ohio. Daniel Dunlevy married Jane ("Jennie") Maxwell in 1790, and the couple had seven children. Additional information and interesting stories about Daniel Dunlevy and his descendants may be found in the book on pages 146 - 160, at Google Books: http://books.google.com/books/about/A_Genealogical_History_of_the_Dunlevy_Fa.html?id=mTZKAAAAMAAJ

Three Hall families were living in Cross Creek Township in 1840: Thomas Hall (aged 20 and under 30), William Hall (probably aged 40 and under 50), and Clark Hall (aged 30 and under 40) in the town of Wintersville. The Halls living in nearby Wells Township, where Martin Hall lived in 1850, were: Benoni Hall (aged 20 and under 30), Elizabeth Hall (aged 60 and under 70), Jonathan Hall (aged 50 and under 60), William Hall (aged 20 and under 30), and Sewel Hall (probably aged 30 and under 40) in the town of LaGrange. These Halls will be examined further in subsequent posts. Due to their proximity to the Dunlevy estate sale in which Martin Hall participated, it is tempting to associate him with one or more of them.

What use would Martin Hall have had for the two pairs of gears he bought at the estate sale? There may be a possible connection to a purchase he made at another estate sale, two years later in 1846.

The Estate of Hugh Scott, Jefferson County, Ohio, 1846

Martin Hall appears in the estate records of Hugh Scott in 1846. This document is in Jefferson County, Ohio, Probate Records, Inventory of Estates, Volume 6, pages 670 and 671. 

On February 18, 1846, John Scott and Jackson Bartholomew appeared before J. D. Daton, Justice of the Peace, and were sworn as appraisers of the estate and property of Hugh Scott, deceased. Hugh Scott had been a resident of Cross Creek Township, and his wife was Martha Bucy. Appraiser Jackson Bartholomew is listed in Cross Creek Township in the 1840 Federal Census, and his wife was Margaret Scott, possibly a relative of Hugh's. (Several years later Jackson Bartholomew played a significant role in the life of Martin Hall.)

The estate inventory, as reported to executors Thomas Scott and Thomas D.Scott, included a "book account" for several individuals. One of them was Martin Hall for the amount of $106.14, the largest figure. 

Hugh Scott Estate, p. 670 (image 678), Inventory of Estates, Volume 6, 1841-1847, 

Jefferson County, Ohio, Probate Records, Historical Records Collections, familysearch.org.

The occupation of Hugh Scott is not known, and his brief estate inventory is not revealing, so we do not know why these people owed him money. Martin Hall was married in 1845 and was starting a family by 1846. Why did he owe Hugh Scott $106.14?

Note that the last item on the inventory was one windmill appraised at $11.00. The next page, which contains the sale bill of the estate, shows that Martin Hall purchased the windmill for $8.00 on February 20, 1846. Gears are an important part of windmill operation. Might there be a connection?

Hugh Scott Estate, p. 671 (image 679), Inventory of Estates, Volume 6, 1841-1847, Jefferson County, Ohio, Probate Records, Historical Records Collections, familysearch.org.

Was Martin Hall associated in some way with these residents of Cross Creek Township? On the 1850 Federal Census, he is listed in Wells Township with the occupation of laborer. Could the gears and windmill purchased in the preceding decade have been connected to his work?

Martin Hall and Margaret Harris - The Bare Bones

According to his tombstone in the Maden Cemetery, Putnam County, West Virginia, Martin Hall was born May 18, 1821. Most census records support this date and indicate that Ohio was his place of birth. The same grave marker provides Margaret Harris Hall's birth date as November 2, 1820, and census records agree.

Hall tombstone in the Maden Cemetery, Putnam County, West Virginia.

Photo submitted to Find-A-Grave by Bessie Gumm.

On March 20, 1845, Martin Hall and Margaret Harris were married in Jefferson County, Ohio. The couple is listed on the 1850 Federal Census in Wells Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, along with three children.

By the 1860 Federal Census, the Halls had purchased land in Washington County, Ohio, and were living there in Newport Township with seven children. They continued their residence in Newport until the late 1880s or early 1890s, when Martin and Margaret set up separate households for unknown reasons.

Martin Hall is found living in Marietta, Washington County, Ohio, in the 1900 Federal Census, while Margaret has moved to Red House, a community in Putnam County, West Virginia.

Margaret Harris Hall died January 16, 1901, and Martin Hall died August 1, 1905. Both are buried in the Maden Cemetery in Putnam County, West Virginia.

Research has uncovered many records and stories about Martin and Margaret Harris Hall, yet there are questions that remain unanswered. These pages will share the stories of the Hall and Harris families, while attempting to discover more about their origins. 

The Martin and Margaret Harris Hall Family Tree 

Martin Hall
b. 18 May 1821, Ohio
m. 20 March 1845, Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, to Margaret Harris
d. 01 August 1905, Putnam County, West Virginia

Margaret Harris
b. 02 November 1820, West Virginia
m. 20 March 1845, Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, to Martin Hall
d. 16 January 1901, Putnam County, West Virginia 

Children:

Eli Worthington Hall
b. ca 1847, Ohio
d. 06 July 1864, Bermuda Hundred, Virginia

Oscar Hall
b. ca 1848, Ohio 
d. 23 January 1863, Gallatin, Tennessee

Madeline Hall
b. ca 1849, Ohio
m. 26 April 1874, Washington County, Ohio, to Wilson S. Law
d. unknown

Albert Hall
b. 13 October 1850, Ohio
d. 25 January 1862, Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio

Ernest Martin Hall
b. 18 April 1852, Ohio
m. 05 December 1875, Washington County, Ohio, to Margaret Braun
d. 27 October 1921, Marietta, Washington County, Ohio

Lycurgus Clifford Hall
b. 07 December 1856, Dalzell, Liberty Township, Washington County, Ohio
m. 22 August 1883, Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio, to Ada May Phillips
d. 01 June 1943, Constitution, Warren Township, Washington County, Ohio

Aristal [Aristotle?] Hall
b. 09 December 1858, Washington County, Ohio
m. 20 December 1882, Washington County, Ohio, to Julia Hasley
d. 14 February 1944, Proctorville, Lawrence County, Ohio

Cora E. Hall
b. 05 July 1860, Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio
m. 20 June 1889, Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio, to William Tripp Whitney
d. 23 December 1905

Eva Hall
b. 26 February 1862, Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio
m. 22 January 1880, Washington County, Ohio, to Nelson Cassady
d. 28 April 1886

Elmer Ellsworth Hall
b. 28 August 1863, Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio
d. 17 January 1899, Washington County, Ohio