Samuel and David Hall - March 25, 1760

Note:  From a 1970's newspaper article:

David Hall

Samuel Hall Jr. and his twin brother, David, were born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia on March 25, 1760. 

In 1776 Henry County was created from this section of Pittsylvania County. 

Samuel and David had four other brothers, Merry, John, Martin and Thomas. Their four sisters were Elizabeth, Nancy, Mary and Milly. These are the known children of Samuel Hall Sr. and Millian (Webb) Hall. 

In 1777, in Henry County, Samuel Hall Sr. signed a petition renouncing allegiance to Great Britain. Also signing were two of his sons, John and Merry. Shortly after signing the petition the Hall family removed to Wilkes County, North Carolina. 

Samuel Jr. and David entered into the service of the United States as volunteers in Wilkes County sometime during the year 1778. They enrolled into a company of lighthorse cavalry commanded by Captain T. Witherspoon for an indefinite period of time, but were to continue in service as long as was necessary to keep down the Tories. They spent about six months going up and down the countryside of Wilkes County and over into the adjoining counties, dispersing the Tories wherever the Tories could be found. Besides Capt. Witherspoon, they were sometimes under the command of John Cleveland, Absolom Cleveland and a Captain Wilburn. At the end of the six months, their company was disbanded. This company had been raised for the sole purpose of keeping down and destroying the Tories. 

The twins returned to their home in Wilkes County, stayed a few weeks and volunteered again. How much time they served together during this period is not known. It is known they spent at least fifteen months together and were togethr at the close of the war. David stated in 1839 that he and Samuel served under the identical same officers. We know David fought in the battle of Kings Mountain and served as an Indian spy under Capt. Edmund Sams and was stationed at Fort Sevier in Tennessee. He marched under Col. John Sevier into the Cherokee Nation, destroying the Indian towns and capturing all Indians. Samuel told of being in a battle where he could have walked on the slain for some distance. He also spoke of being at a place called St.Augustine and of seeing a soldier sink under the water and drown, namely a Mr. Stonecipher.

Years later, the sons of these two men recalled hearing their fathers speak of the hardships and difficulties they endured during the war. 

Sometime after the war Samuel Jr., David, Martin and Nancy, with their families, came over the mountains into Tennessee. Their brother Thomas and sister, Milly Landsdown, stayed behind in North Carolina with their parents. It is not known if their [brother] John and two other sisters, Elizabeth Hendrix and Mary Dugger came to Tennessee or remained in North Carolina. It is believed that Mary married into the family of Julius Dugger. Julius Dugger was living on the Waautaga river before the Beans, Robertsons and Seviers settled there. 

Samuel had married Letitia Hendrix in the fall of the year 1784 on the Stoney Fork in Wilkes County. Martin Hall married her sister, Chloe. The Hendrix family had lived four miles from the Halls in Wilkes County. 

David married Obedience Brasel [Braswell] and Nancy married James Brasel, a brother to Obedience. David located on Bull Run Creek in Anderson County in 1799. Nancy and James were living in Knox County by 1795. 

In 1799 James Brasel was murdered near Scutcheon (in present Morgan County) by the notorious Harp brothers. His widow had relocated by 1811 and was living in what is now Morgan County. Samuel located first on Beaver Creek in Knox County in 1805. By 1807 he had left Beaver Creek and was settled on the head waters of Emory river, then in Roane County (now Morgan County). His old homeplace is now called "The James (Jim) Maden Place." His log cabin home still stands and is in a good state of repair. 

Goodspeed's History of East Tennessee lists Samuel as one of the first settlers and probably THE first settler of Morgan County. This account says he came in 1807. His brother, Martin, and wife Chloe, were close behind. 

Samuel and Letitia reared at least eight children. The sons were Garrett, Luke, David, Elijah and Elisha (twins). The daughters were Aley, Elizabeth, and Mary. Very little is known about these sons and daughters. 

Garrett was the first Sheriff of Morgan County. Luke married Agnes Cox and lived on the old Knoxville-Nashville road, near the present Fentress County line. Luke was a slave owner and ran a tavern. David owned thousands of acres in Morgan County. He sold many of these acres to George Gerding, who in turn sold them to the German and Swiss settlers who located in Morgan County. Elijah married Lydia Scott. He and his twin, Elisha, became estranged over the Civil War. 

Elijah sided with the Confederacy and Elisha with the Union. Elijah was forced by circumstances brought on by his Southern sypathies to leave Morgan County. He located for a short while in Roane County and then removed to Missouri. Two of his sons married aunts of the late Senator Robert Kerr of Oklahoma. 

John married Mary Kerr and Thomas married Dorcas Kerr. Senator Kerr's grandparents, William and Jane Kerr, lived at Montgomery, Morgan County, in the 1840s and 1850s. 

Elisha married Rebecca Mosier, and it was Elisha who lived on the home place. 

Samuel had many grandsons and nephews who were named for him. One is more renowned than the others. He is the Samuel Hall who was the great game hunter and is buried in the Chestnut Ridge community of Morgan County. At his request he was buried in his barn lot "so he could hear the guineas holler." 

Samuel did not live to draw a pension. His widow applied for a widow's pension in 1840 and was rejected. Samuel's twin, David, asked for and did receive a pension. 

Samuel died June 9, 1819 and is buried in the Elizabeth Cemetery. His grave was lost for many years but was rediscovered by Mrs. Marjorie Shadden, a descendant, in 1972. 

On June 9, 1973, exactly 154 years from his death, a historical marker was placed on his grave by the Rev. Phillip Ausmus Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.). The inscription reads "Samuel Hall, North Carolina Line, Revolutionary War, March 25, 1760, June 9, 1819." 

Letitia died sometime between 1840 and 1850 and lies buried somewhere in the same cemetery. Two of their sons, Elisha and David, are buried here, also Martin and Chloe Hendrix Hall. There are hundreds of descendants of this Revolutionary War veteran living in Morgan County today. Family names of descendants are: Adams, Anderson, Brasel, Cox, Dillon, Hawn, Howard, Human, Hurst, Jones, Kelly, Saffell, Scott, Webb and White. Material for this article was furnished by Mrs. Marjorie Shadden and Roy Jones, both descendants of Samuel Hall,also Mrs. Glena K. Ott, County Historian.

David Hall Tavern & Homestead

Thanks to Bobby Jo Goodson for the photos.