The Family of Lucy (Harris) (Walworth) Hall
March 2021
Sanford R. Wilbur
Our work on the descendants of George Harris has recently been published (ask for a free PDF), but we are continuing to work on several families that have proven to be a rather difficult to research. One example is the family of Lucy (Harris) (Walworth) Hall, for which primary and secondary sources have been hard to come by. Below is our current effort; if you have any better information - or any good ideas on how to make progress - please contact me.
Generation Six (part)
6. Lucy Harris [George5, Gibson4, Samuel3, Gabriel2, Walter1], daughter of George Harris and Sarah Hubbard, was born 18 December 1752, at New London, New London County, Connecticut [1]. She lived with her parents at New London until her mother's death in December 1757, then moved with her father to Bozrah, New London County. Her father married again in 1760, and Lucy lived at Bozrah with her father and step-mother, Ann Lothrop, until the family moved to Canaan, Grafton County, New Hampshire in 1767. At Canaan on 30 May 1771, Lucy married Charles Walworth [1].
Charles Walworth, son of William Walworth and William's second wife, Elizabeth Hinckley, was born at Groton, New London County, Connecticut in 1745 [2]. We did not discover any details of his early life. He moved to Canaan, New Hampshire, in the late 1760s, originally to care for the land that his half-brother Amos Walworth had acquired in the original Canaan land grant [3]. Charles eventually obtained considerable property of his own at Canaan, and was active in community affairs, including serving as selectman in 1774 [4]. He may have done military service during the Revolutionary War, but evidence is lacking [5].
Charles died of pneumonia 12 July 1782, and was buried at Cobble Hill Cemetery in Canaan. About 1786, Lucy married 2nd Henry Hall, of uncertain origin [6]. Apparently, they lived at Andover, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, until sometime after 1892, then moved to Rumney, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Their four children probably were all born at Andover [7]. We did not find any certain records of Lucy after 1792, and could not verify later information about Henry [8].
Children of Charles Walworth and Lucy Harris:
19. Lucy Walworth (13 March 1772 - 1832)
20. Eunice Walworth (25 July 1773 - 1843)
21. Sarah Walworth (30 October 1774 - April 1858)
22. Charles Walworth (1 June 1777 - 13 January 1856)
23. George Walworth (4 April 1779 - 21 March 1847)
24. Simeon Walworth (26 January 1781 - )
25. Susan Walworth (1 May 1782 - 31 October 1868)
Children of Henry Hall and Lucy (Harris) Walworth:
26. Sarah Hall (8 May 1787 - )
27. Polly Hall (16 April 1788 - )
28. Henry Hall (5 June 1791 - 1883)
29. Joshua Hall (23 October 1792 - before 1880)
NOTES
1. The children of George Harris and Sarah Hubbard are often said to have been born at Bozrah (Norwich), Connecticut. However, all four births are included in the vital records of New London; the births of the first two children of George Harris and Anna Lothrop were recorded in Norwich. Sarah was buried at New London, even though none of her Hubbard or Harris kin were buried there, a further suggestion that she and George were still living at New London when she died.
2. Pages 56-74 in: Walworth, C. A. 1897. The Walworths of America. Albany, New York: Weed-Parsons Printing Company.
3. Apparently, Amos Walworth visited Canaan, New Hampshire, only once, with the exploring party of 1767. While there, he selected a home site "on South Road," but returned to Connecticut to live. His rights were eventually acquired by Daniel Blaisdell. (Pages 19 and 46 in: Wallace, W. A. 1910. The history of Canaan, New Hampshire. Concord, New Hampshire: The Rumford Press.)
4. Pages 33, 50, 120 and 123 in: Wallace 1910 [Note 3].
5. Because Charles Walworth was sometimes referred to as "Captain" Walworth, the assumption has been that he served during the Revolutionary War. That may be true, but a thorough search of New Hampshire military records failed to find mention of him. [Anonymous. 2004. New Hampshire military records, 1623-1866. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society. CD-ROM.] All Canaan men of military age signed a pledge to support the Rebellion, on 1 July 1776 (Page 52 in: Wallace 1910 [Note 3]), but apparently only a few actually served. It is possible that his title of "Captain" derived from his home militia service in Connecticut, before his move to New Hampshire.
6. Most modern "family trees" identify Lucy (Harris) Walworth's second husband as Henry Hall, son of Henry Hall and Joanna Sargent, born 30 July 1740 at Chester, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. That Henry had five children by his first wife, Elizabeth Bradley of Haverhill, Massachusetts. (Pages 186-187 in: Hall, D. B. 1883. The Halls of New England, genealogical and biographical. Albany, New York: self-published.) The 1883 book identified a second marriage for Henry, producing three more children, but did not record the second wife's name. It wasn't until 1945 that the later marriage and family were linked to Lucy (Harris) Walworth. (Sheldon, S. R. 1945. Ancestry of Lieutenant George Harris of Canaan, New Hampshire, and some of his descendants. National Genealogical Society Quarterly 33(3):92-101.) We don't know the source of Sheldon's information, and, while it may be correct, more information is clearly needed before giving it full confidence.
The Henry Hall who married Lucy Walworth was reportedly "of Canaan" at the time of their marriage. (Wallace 1910 [Note 3]). The genealogies in Wallace are sometimes inaccurate, and no further information was provided, so "of Canaan" may have been inferred, rather than documented. Presumably, there were two Henry Halls in nearby Rumney, New Hampshire, about the time of Lucy's second marriage. (Pages 605-606 and 614 in: Child, H. 1886. Gazetteer of Grafton County, N.H., 1709-1886. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse Journal Company.) One reportedly came with his family from Chichester, New Hampshire in 1773; the implication is that he was one of the first settlers of Rumney, and remained there until his death in 1829. The one son described, John Crane born 1763, is clearly one of the children attributed to Henry, son of Henry Hall and Joanna Sargent; however, that Henry is said to have had three sons and two daughters, whereas Henry of Chester's first marriage produced four daughters and one son. The other Henry was supposed to have come to Rumney from Andover, New Hampshire, ca 1798, bringing with him two sons and a daughter. The one son named, Joshua Hall born 1792, corresponds with Lucy Hall's youngest son. All of this information was compiled long after the fact, so it is not necessarily accurate. However, it does raise questions that need to be answered.
7. The names and birth dates of four children attributable to the marriage of Lucy (Harris) Walworth and Henry Hall are given (without further information) in Wallace 1910 (Note 3). The two sons, Henry and Joshua, are readily traceable from later records; we haven't been able to find further information on the two daughters.
8. We did not find any death, probate or burial records for Henry or Lucy Hall. Their youngest child, Joshua Hall, was born in 1792. In the 1800 Federal census of Rumney, New Hampshire, there is a household for Henry Hall that matches well with what we know about the family.
Generation Seven (part)
26. Sarah Hall [Lucy Harris6, George5, Gibson4, Samuel3, Gabriel2, Walter1], or Sally, daughter of Henry Hall and Lucy (Harris) Walworth, was born 8 May 1787, probably at Andover, Merrimack County, New Hampshire [23]. We have not been able to learn any more about her [24].
27. Polly Hall [Lucy Harris6, George5, Gibson4, Samuel3, Gabriel2, Walter1], or Mary, daughter of Henry Hall and Lucy (Harris) Walworth, was born 16 April 1788, probably at Andover, Merrimack County, New Hampshire [23]. We have not been able to learn any more about her [24].
28. Henry Hall [Lucy Harris6, George5, Gibson4, Samuel3, Gabriel2, Walter1],, son of Henry Hall and Lucy (Harris) Walworth, was born 5 June 1791, probably at Andover, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. About 1898, he moved with his family to Rumney, Grafton County, New Hampshire, and spent his early life there. About 1819, he married Jane N. Brewster [25].
Jane was born in 1797, reportedly in New Hampshire. We have not been able to determine her parents, where she was born, and where she was living before her marriage [26]. After their marriage, she and Henry remained at Rumney until some time in the 1840s, then moved to Anamosa, Jones County, Iowa. They lived and farmed there the rest of their lives [27]. Jane died 10 February 1851; Henry died in 1883. Both were buried at Riverside Cemetery, Anamosa.
Children of Henry Hall and Jane Brewster [28]:
xx. George W. Hall (ca 1820 -
xx. Algetha Hall (ca 1821 -
xx. Mary Hall (December 1829 - 1907)
xx. Miranda K. Hall (ca 1831 - 23 September 1889)
xx. Eleanor Hall (12 December 1833 -
xx. Samuel Carr Hall (January 1841 - 1919)
29. Joshua Hall [Lucy Harris6, George5, Gibson4, Samuel3, Gabriel2, Walter1], son of Henry Hall and Lucy (Harris) Walworth, was born 23 October 1792 at Andover, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. About 1898, he moved with his family to Rumney, Grafton County, New Hampshire, where he spent the rest of his life. On 26 September 1822, at Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, he married Mary Mills.
Mary, daughter of David Mills and Hannah Fowler, was born at Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, on 3 February 1804. Her mother died on 6 April 1812, and Mary was raised at Topsham by her father and his second wife, Betsey Doe. After their marriage, Mary moved to Joshua's farm at Rumney, where they both lived out their lives. Joshua died between June 1870 and June 1880 [29]; Mary died 11 August 1883. We have not found the burial site of either.
Children of Joshua Hall and Mary Mills:
xx. David Hall (13 October 1823 - 3 July 1894)
xx. Sarah Hall (ca 1825 - died young)
xx. Hannah Hall (21 September 1826 - 11 May 1912)
xx. Caroline M. Hall (12 March 1831 - 22 June 1913)
xx. Burgess A. Hall (2 August 1838 - 12 October 1910)
NOTES
23. The names and birth dates of four children attributable to the marriage of Lucy (Harris) Walworth and Henry Hall are given (without further information) in: Wallace, W. A. 1910. The history of Canaan, New Hampshire. Concord, New Hampshire: The Rumford Press.
24. The 1790 census of Andover, New Hampshire, shows "four females" in the Henry Hall household, presumably the wife Lucy Hall, the two daughters Sarah and Polly, and perhaps Susan Walworth. In 1800, only one girl of Sarah's and Polly's age, was included in the census, perhaps an indication that one of them died before 1800.
25. Various internet "family trees" show a marriage date for Henry Hall and Jane Brewster as 21 August 1817. That may be correct, but we have been unable to find any concrete record. Their first known child was born ca 1820.
26. Jane Brewster's name is given on the marriage record of her son, George W. Hall. That one record is the only one we have found with any credibility or support. Internet sources place her marriage to Henry Hall as occurring at Rumney, New Hampshire, but we couldn't find any confirmation. Brewster was a rather uncommon name in New Hampshire and Vermont in the late 1700s and early 1800s. In the 1800 census, the only household with a girl of Jane's age was that of Jacob Brewster of Lebanon, Grafton County. Jacob Brewster died at Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut in 1823. His will and probate papers did not include anyone named Jane.
27. Henry Hall was censused at Rumney, New Hampshire in 1840, and at Anamosa, Iowa, in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
28. There are significant time gaps between the known children of Henry and Jane Hall, suggesting that two or more unidentified children may have been born and died in the 1820s.
29. We haven't been able to find any death or burial records for Joshua Hall. He was alive at the time of the 1870 Federal census; Mary Hall was shown as a widow in 1880, living with their son Burgess Hall.
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