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Ruth, daughter of Mordecai Jacob (1714-1771);
Thomas Henry (1744-1788), who married Barbara
Bowie, who subsequently married Ignatius Taylor
(?-1807); and William (1748-?). SISTER: Mary
(1724/25-?). STEPSISTERS: Elizabeth (1739-?);
Martha (1741-1747); Margaret (1746-?), who
married Richard Harwood (1738-1826); Mary
(1752-1771); and Martha (1755-?). FIRST COUSIN:
Stephen West (1727-1790). MARRIED on August
23, 1767, Eleanor (ca. 1739-1805), daughter of
Richard Dorsey (1714-1760), of Anne Arundel
County, and wife Elizabeth (1711-ca. 1776);
granddaughter of John Beale (?-1734); niece of
both Edward Dorsey (1718-1760) and Mary Dor-
sey (1725-ca. 1787), who married John Ridgely (?-
1771). Her brothers were Caleb, who married
Mary Rutland; RJchard; and Edward. Her sisters
were Mary (?-1816), who married John Weems
(1727-1794); Anne, who married Benjamin Beall;
Elizabeth, who married first, (first name un-
known) MacGoway, and second, Elijah Harrison.
Her first cousins were Thomas Dorsey (?-1790);
Harry Dorsey Gough (ca. 1745-1808); Charles
Ridgely, of John (?-ca. 1787); Eleanor Dorsey (ca.
1739-1805), who married Upton Sheredine (1740-
1800); Achsah Dorsey (1746-1799), who married
Ephraim Howard (1745-1788); Rebecca Dorsey
(1739-1812), who married Charles Ridgely (1733-
1790); Deborah Ridgely (1749-1817), who mar-
ried John Sterett (1750/51-1787); and Mary
Ridgely (?-1804), who married Benjamin Nichol-
son (?-1792). CHILDREN. Died without progeny.
PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: received legal
training. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican, St.
Anne's Parish, Anne Arundel County. SOCIAL
STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Esq., by 1754. OCCUPA-
TIONAL PROFILE: lawyer, admitted to the follow-
ing courts: Prince George's County in June 1752;
Charles County in March 1753; Provincial Court
in April 1753; Anne Arundel County in Novem-
ber 1754; Chancery Court by February 1761;
Frederick County Court in August 1763. He ap-
peared as an attorney in the Anne Arundel
County Court over 300 times between 1754 and
1768. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE:
Lower House, St. Mary's County, 1762-1763
(Elections 1, 2; Grievances 1, 2; Public Offices 1),
Annapolis, 1765-1766 (elected to the 2nd session
to fill vacancy; Public Offices 2—4; Grievances 4;
Laws to Expire 4), 1768-1770 (Public Offices 2, 3;
Elections 3), 1771 (Elections), Anne Arundel
County, 1773-1774 (Elections 1, Cv, 2, 3; Public
Offices 1, Cv, 2, 3); Conventions, Anne Arundel
County, 1st, 1774, 2nd-3rd, 1774 (chairman 3rd),
4th, 1775, 5th, 1775, 9th, 1776 (Elected to fill va-
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cancy); Lower House, Anne Arundel County,
1777 (Elections 1; Grievances 1, 2; Laws to Expire
1), 1777-1778 (Elections 1, 2; Grievances 1; Man-
ufactories 1; resigned on June 9, 1778), 1778-1779
(Elections 1; Grievances 1, 3), 1779-1780 (Elec-
tions 1; Grievances 1), 1780-1781, 1781-1782
(Grievances 1, 2), 1782-1783 (Grievances 1, 2),
1783 (Grievances), 1784 (Grievances), 1785; Sen-
ate, Western Shore, Term of 1786-1791: 1786-
1787, 1787-1788, 1788, 1789, 1790, Term of
1791-1796: 1791-1792, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795.
OTHER STATE OFFICE: Council of Safety, Western
Shore, 2nd, 1776, 3rd 1776, 4th, 1776, 5th, 1776-
1777. LOCAL OFFICES: recorder, Annapolis, in of-
fice 1 766; St. Anne's Parish Vestry, Anne Arundel
County, in office 1769-1772. OUT OF STATE SER-
VICE: delegate, Continental Congress, 1774
(elected in December 1774, but no meetings of
Congress were held), 1775 (elected in April 1775
and August 1775; resigned on December 9, 1775),
1779 (elected in December 1779, but did not at-
tend), 1783 (elected on December 9, 1783, to fill
vacancy, but did not attend; resigned by March 8,
1784, because of poor health). STANDS ON PUB-
LIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: he was allied with Matthias
Hammond (1740-1786) and Rezin Hammond
(1745-1809) in a radical coalition of the Popular
Party, 1774-1776. He voted to exempt military
personnel from the General Assembly in 1777 be-
cause of his belief in the complete separation of
the legislative and executive branches of govern-
ment. Because the executive controlled the mili-
tary, Hall believed that there was the potential for
conflict of interest. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: assessed value £1,270.0.0,
including 27 slaves and 60 oz. plate, 1783.
Throughout his career Hall held a number of
mortgages on land and personal property. LAND
AT FIRST ELECTION: 317 acres in St. Mary's and
Anne Arundel counties, plus 3.5 lots in Annapolis
(probably all by purchase). SIGNIFICANT
CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION
AND DEATH: owned and leased out at least 2 addi-
tional lots in Annapolis; increased his home plan-
tation on the south side of the Severn River to
over 880 acres (ca. 660 acres of which he acquired
through his marriage); bought a 5,400-acre tract in
Frederick County from the estate of his brother
Henry Hall (1727-1770) in 1772, and sold off at
least 3,800 acres of it during the next 25 years;
acquired 670 acres in Anne Arundel County from
a default on a mortgage he held. WEALTH AT
DEATH. DIED: on March 8, 1797, at "Vineyard,"
Anne Arundel County. PERSONAL PROPERTY:
TEV, £5,811.19.5 current money (including 31
387
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