| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. Per penciled note included on index card for Basil Hall at the California State History Reading Room in Sacramento, Basil was a soldier with John C. Fremont. Note was sent in 1963 by Enid Willardson. I have reviewed list of California volunteers at the Bancroft Library at Berkeley, Ca., read extensively of Fremont's histories, and reviewed Enid's files after her death [she had very little documentation of anything] and I can find no reference to this individual in this context. Not listed in roster of officers and sailors of USS Portsmouth, the ship in control for about 6 months of Yerba Buena from July to Dec 1846. May have come before American occupation of Mexican War of mid-July 1846 due to commercial interests or whaling of which there were a few Americans in the area.
2. See additional notes with Elizabeth Winner.
3. No record of Basil exists with the Society of California Pioneers. FHL film 374940 has "The San Francisco City Directory," by Charles Kimball, Sep. 1850, printed by Journal of Commerce Press, S.F. I found no entry for any Winners or Halls.
4. Area of country was first Alexandria County, then the Washington District or County of Alexandria, and then in the 1920's it became Arlington County. Washington D.C. was often called Washington City.
5. Per "The Washington Post, Virginia Weekly," Thursday, July 5, 1979: "The oldest black enclave in Northern Virginia, Hall's Hill was settled shortly after the Civil War by newly freed slaves. A collection of modest, single-family homes with porches and tree shaded yards, Hall's Hill is bounded by Lee Highway on the north, Glebe Road on the east, George Mason Drive on the west, and North 17th Street on the south... Until the 1950's, when Hall's Hill schools were desegregated, a seven-foot-high wooden fence surrounded the community on three sides. It was erected be white homeowners whose houses backed onto Hall's Hill lots. Because of the fence, the only way in or out of Hall's Hill was Lee Highway. Most of the fence is gone, but some sections remain along the southern fringe of the community... Middle-class whites are buying homes in overwhelmingly black Hall's Hill for the first time since Basil Hall, the farmer for whom the area is named, sold the land. Eight homes in the 100-acre community have been bought by whites or hispanics in the last year. Because the homes in Hall's Hill are among the least expensive in Arlington County (recent average sales price, $55,000), more whites and hispanics are expected to follow, according to real estate salesmen familiar with the area... Hall's Hill officially became High View Park in the early 1960's. The reasoning was that Basil Hall had been dead for four generations, and the area, one of the highest points in Arlington County, should be best known for its view - all the way to Alexandria on a clear day... Many Hall's Hill residents thought the change was designed to make the community sound more palatable to prospective white homebuyers. Pastors at the community churches have opposed the change from their pulpits..."
6. Bazil's parents being Ignatious and Elizabeth Hall is unproven but highly likely considering Bazil's first son was named Ignatious. John Prosise indicates he is sure Ignatious is Bazil's father. He indicates that Ignatius married Elizabeth Harp, from Virginia, in 1812, which marriage he found on a book on marriages in Washington D.C. Elizabeth is buried on Mary Ann Hall's plot along with a sister of Mary's.
7. Bazil Hall of the "County of Alexandria in the State of Virginia" bought 327 acres in Alexandria County from Richard Smith of the "City of Washington in the District of Columbia" on Dec. 13, 1950 per Instrument B and S, Book 3L-P3, 6, page 16[?]. Recorded in Alexandria County.
8. From: WillARD945@aol.com,
A. February 21, 2006: "Dear Kerry Petersen -
How excited and interested I was to receive your emails. What tremendous research you have done. There is so much in your email that I don't know if I have taken it all in yet.
First, let tell you who I am and why I am involved. I live in Arlington, Virginia, but am in no way related to Bazil Hall. I was for many years I was historian with the Federal Gov't. I have always beeen interested and involved in local history. Since retiring I volunteer in the Virginia Room of the Arlington Library. Last year, I wrote an article on Mary Ann Hall, the famous madam and sister of Bazil for the Arlington Historical Magazine. Besides her establishment in DC, Mary Ann had a farm here in what today is Arlington and near Bazil's farm.
One day in early January when I was at the Virginia Room, a woman came who was researching the Bazil Hall family. The librarian asked me if I could help her since I knew a litle about the Halls. The woman was from the mid-west and only visiting the DC area. She had come to the library via Metro and did not have other transportation. She hoped to go to the cemetery where Hall and his family are buried and wanted to how she could get there on pujblic transportation. Since that would have been difficult, I volunteered to drive her to the cemetery. I had never actually been into the cemetery or seen Bazil Hall's marker.
We did go and found the Hall marker and saw the Ship Brooklyn medallion. I didn't know about the Booklyn or what it was all about. I found the Ship Broklyn web site, but could find no one in Arlington who knew of any connection between Hall and the ship. That was when I emailed Jack Marshall.
I guess that the bottom line is that we don't know why or how Bazil Hall happened to be in California when he married Elizabeth Winner. In his claim after the Civil War to the Southern Claims Commission he said that he came to Alexandria (now Arlington) County in 1850, had been a whaler out of Massachusetts, and had been to South America and California. Since he was a whaler, perhaps, that is the best explanation. Your notes indicate that there might have been a few such persons there.
I have found no evidence that Hall or his family were LDS in Arlington. He was a notorious character and a harsh master with his slaves. He sold land to his former slaves after the Civil War and the black enclave of Hall's Hill survives today in Arlington. There are black people in Arlington named Hall, who are descendants of Hall slaves and may be descendants of Hall as well. The house Hall and his family lived in after their original house was burned during the Civil War survived until about ten years ago. It was a comfortable farm house with three acres. A developer purchased the property, demolished the house, and built eleven mega mansions on the site - a frequent occurrence in Arlington these days.
Hall's sister, Mary Ann, was an interesting character. Her establishment was on what today is the Mall and exactly where the Smithsonian's new Indian museum was recently constructed. Before constructing the building, archeological examination was done on the site and the foundations of Mary Ann's house as well as her trash pit were uncovered. If you are interested, I can fax you a copy of my article, which has a photo of the DC house as well as her elaborate grave marker in Congressional Cemetery. There is no known photo of Mary Ann.
I know of no likeness that we have ever located of Bazil Hall here in Arlington. So cannot say if your photo is authentic. The printing on the photo is unclear so I can't read it. It appears that the photographer might have been in Washington, DC, but I may be trying to read too much into it.
Many, many thanks for sending all your material. It is a great treasure trove and I shall see that it is put into our Bazil Hall file in the Arlington Virginia Room.
Best regards, Willard Webb"
B. 30 Mar 2006: "I did go down to Martin Luther King on Tuesday to look at the DC directories for the photogapher, Perkins & Co. at 520 7th Street, who took the photo that may be Bazil Hall.
Since the man in the photo appears to be elderly, I began in 1880. Bazil Hall died in 1888. I worked up to 1888, but found nothing. Then went back to 1875 and worked up, but still nothing. Finally, I found him in 1869 and he was listed in the years 1864-1869 as follows:
1864 Edward R. Perkins, photographer, 520 7th Street
1865 Edwin R, Perkins, photographer, 520 7th Street
1866 Perkins & Didenhover (E.R. Perkins & W.H. Didenhover) photographers, 520 7th Street
1867 Perkins & Co. (E.R. Perkins and W.H. Didenhover), photo gallery, 520 7th Street
1868 Perkins, W.D., photographer, 520 7th Street
1869 Perkirs, W.D., photographer, 520 7th Street
Then no further listings. I deduce that Perkins never subscribed to the directories. He is never listed in the business secction under photographers, but only in the alphabetical listings. Nor is he ever included in the listing of advertisers. It does not appaear that Perkins was one of the prominent or society photographers - not the Harris & Ewing of the day.
What does all this prove? Not much. Perkins was working in DC when Hall was in the area. The photo could be Hall, but there is nothing to prove one way or the other that the photo is Hall. Descendants seem to think so.
Bazil Hall's grave stone says he was 86 when he died in 1888, which would mean he was born in 1802, but Don Wise in his article says that Hall's death certificate states that he was 73, a birth year of 1815(?). Quite a difference. So if it is he in the photo, he would have been either in his 50s or 60s. The man in the photo looks much older, but Hall had been a whaler and probably had a hard life. So who knows?
The library of the DC Historical Society is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so I wasn't able to go there. Another time, when I am downtown, I will stop by to see what photo and phots collections it might have on the off hand chance it might have some information on Perkins and his photos.
Regards, Willard."
9. Email from Marilyn Dock [MJDock1@aol.com] November 17, 2006: "I am a direct decendant of Dorcus Ann Hall who was born in Georgetown DC in 1790. I have a family history written by my great aunt, a sister of my grandfather who writes that Dorcus Ann had a brother named Bazil, whose wife was burned by a slave. That is the only mention of any of her brothers or sisters, if there were any others they are not mentioned. I have been trying to bring this history forward to the present date and have pretty well completed this. In working on my project I decided to go back to research my grandfathers ancestors. I have had the opportunity to visit Washington DC several times in the past few years as I have relatives there. In one of my visits to the Library of the DAR I found that there was a Catholic church in Georgetown, Holy Trinity, that has been an active parish since 1795. In digging I found all of their records in the special collection library at Georgetown University. In visiting there, I found where Dorcus Ann Hall was married there in February of 1810. And that the first four children were baptized there. In a visit to the Arlington Library, I had the opportunity to meet Willard quite by accident and that was when he informed me that he had written the article about Bazil's sister Mary Ann Hall, Arlington's Illustrious Madam. He not only gave me a copy of his article, he showed me all the different articles in the Hall file. About the slave throwing the wife in the fire, depositions and the hanging of the slave. I have made copies of everything I could find. I can not believe that there would be two Bazil Hall's who had wives burned by slaves. But in Willard's article and his research and also Donald Wise's article about Bazil Hall neither one could find any reference to who their parents were. Willard mentions four children besides Bazil but Dorcus Ann was not one of them. So I seem to be at a dead end. You are correct when you say Bazil was a colorful character. There is a great deal written or documented about him. I am amazed what I have found. Had Willard not taken me to the cemetery in Falls Church on one of my visits we would never been in touch with you. That is where we found the Ship Brooklyn medalion on the Hall Marker. Small world to say the least. It has certainly been an interesting journey to date. I have studied your history on Rootsweb, but did not find any more about the Halls."
10. There is a death noted on 4 Apr 1873 [death #4213] in death record index copied by Mike Holmes but not documented as to source but most likely of Alexandria County, Virginia. Death is noted as "Baswell Hall ch." in "Va." I am not sure as to whom this child may be.
11. John Prosise has provided me copies of a Civil War reparation claim filed by Bazil Hall which he copied at the National Archives. The specific archival holding number is uncited and the file consists of about 45 legal pages. I summarize these papers as follows;
"Act of 3d March, 1871, Petition of Bazil Hall of Alexandria Co., Va: For wood, corn, hay, oats, horses, &c. taken fro use of U.S. Army at Alexandria Co., Va; whole amt: $42,450.30. Filed by Richard McAllister, No. 1405, New York Ave, Washington, D.C."
Claim dated 14 Jun 1871 for the years 1861-1865 at Hall's Hill, Va. Claims: 8900 cords of standing oak, hickory, chesnut, etc.; 625 cords of standing pine; 150 cords of cut wood; 2370 cords of post fences; 30 acres of growing corn; various amounts of lumber, oats, rye, hay stacks, hogs, groceries, potatoes, garden vegetables; 4 sets of harness, 1 saddle and bridle, and 2 horses. Notes material was mostly used and consumed on the spot and in the vicinity. Lists 13 witnesses that can prove his loyalty and other facts and that he never served in nor provided material to the Confederate Army.
Several handwritten receipts from Aug. 29, 1861 on given by various officers to the Hall's Farm for material received.
One witness notes that the Hall farm house was taken over by the Union officers as an outpost on the 29th of Aug, 1861.
Pass from Chief of Police (who says he has known Bazil for several years) dated 31 Aug. 1861 in Washington City is included giving permission for Bazil to cross "over the reiver in order to see if he can approach his farm and dwelling which he had to leave on the 29th inst. in consequence of the attack of the Rebels on his house."
Statement from the Government allowing $10,729.68 on his claim of $42, 450.30. Remarks in the accompanying settlement statement indicates Bazil was born in Washington City, owned the "famous Hall's Hill in Alexandria County", was engaged in the whaling business for a long period after which he bought and settled on the farm, that he voted against the Secession, that several well-known officers speak as to his loyalty to the Union and his kindness to the soldiers, that his house and out-buildings were burned by the Rebels, that he fled to Washington for safety, and that he was engaged in the service of the Government in superintending the getting and providing of lumber and wood for the use of the Army. Statement confirms the use of the Army of Hall's property and sets values for the material taken.
Oct. 26, 1871 transcript of the hearing has Basil Hall's testimony that he was a farmer by occupation, he was 8 miles from Alexandria near Ball's Crossroads, the farm consists of 327 acres, he had been on the farm since 1850, he was born in Washington and
"but for many years I have been in South America & California. I have been a whaler from Massachusetts. I was never anything else but a loyal man in no shape or manner. I voted against the ordinance of secession at Balls Cross Roads. I don't think there were over 10 or 15 there who voted against it. I was one of that number, & my name is recorded as having voted against it. After the battle of Bull Run I remained on my place; it was within the union lines. I didn't leave my place to go anywhere except Washn. I came here after my place was shelled by the southern troops form Upton's Hill. That was I think the 1st of Sept. 1861, after the battle of Bull Run. I was never molested by the rebels any more than that. I was never inside their lines & never gave them any chance. I have heard threats of what they would do with me if they captured me… After I came to Washn I went to cutting wood for the Govt.; I had nothing else to do. I went to Arlington heights & superintended the cutting of wood & was so employed 4 or 5 months under Col. Leach. … The [Union] troops came there [Sept. 1861] & began to build their winter quarters & stable, & everything for camping purposes… Gen. Porter & the other officers lived at my place … The enemy was at Falls Church then, & my timber kept them from having a view of the enemy, & as soon as my timber was cut down they had a plain view of the village of Falls Church & the enemy was in plain sight there & at Upton's Hill. the soldiers built wooden huts of logs all the way up…"
The same transcript contains detailed testimony from Bazil as to what was taken, by whom, and the date and circumstances of the same. Transcript also has many witnesses answering Government questions about the amount and circumstances of the same.
12. Excerpts from various 2001 email letters of Bazil descendant John F. Prosise addressed to me (with copies in hard file):
"I have some copies of some of the land dealings of his land that he made in the later years. He was selling small plots to his ex slaves. That's why "Halls Hill" is mainly a black community. Arlington Hospital is on Halls Hill. I was born there. I didn't know that I was born on land that my 3rd Great Grand Daddy owned, until 6 years ago ... they just tore his last house down. He built it after the civil war, and it's the one he died in. I stopped by there to get pics several times, but no one answered the door. I should of taken pics anyways. It was a nice house. Heck, it lasted over 120 years … built it himself."
"I think that Basil's and Elizabeth's family went to Mount Olivet Methodist church. It was connected to the lower end of the property. There were not any active Mormon Churches that are in any records from back in those days. Of course they were still being persecuted then."
"The oldest picture I have is of John Donaldson Payne, with his wife and 4 daughters. His wife was Louisa Hall, Basil and Frances 1st daughter. Louisa is holding my great-grandma. … copies of the couple of maps that I have … The 1895 one has all the property owners, and I can highlight Basil's old land. The Putnams and also Elvira are property owners then … E.C. Hall and Walter were too."
In discussing the birth of a child 15 Mar 1858: "I really doubt that Bazil adopted a child. I would venture to say that the un-named child born to Bazil on 3-15-58 [was] born of Frances Harrison, out of wedlock. They didn't marry till that May. Their marriage license was issued on May 6th, 1858. The next census shows a Lou/female being 2 years old. My feeling on this was that after she started getting older, they were trying to hide it, push it under the carpet so to speak, so she would never find out that she was born out of wedlock. The only other scenario could be that Frances was pregnant by someone else, and Bazil, out of the kindness of his heart, and to help raise his other kids, took her to wife. The only way to prove or disprove this is by DNA testing with other offspring of Bazil's. Although this might not be too easy because of the offspring also being of Frances' … I actually believe that he was "fooling" around on his wife, with the younger neighbor women. Bazil was a worldly man so to speak, and he was a lot older than Elizabeth, but must of really impressed her, so why not Frances too?
"The microfilmed newspapers in DC need to be studied to try to find out who his parents are. If his parents are Ignatius Hall and Elizabeth Harp, they were married in 1812. That would put Bazil's birth after that, unless he was born out of wedlock [or from a previous marriage]. The article from the book Mike [Holmes] sent me said that Capt. Bazil Hall was describing the port of Acapulco in 1822. I venture to say that even if he was born in 1806, he would not of been a Capt. in 1822. I reckon the guy was quoting Bazil as his Capt. at the time he was telling him the story. Bazil, if its the same Bazil, was probably the Capt.'s boy in 1822, whatever they called them back in those days. Ignatius had a big family, and maybe Bazil wanted to see the world, and the ocean is always intriguing … Bazil could of been an apprentice/indentured servant in 1822, for the Capt. of the ship he was on. Only a lot of detective work, time and patience will tell the story and truths of Bazil Hall, and of his early years … I will one day soon be able to make it to the DC library that has the microfilmed newspapers in it. There might be the answers to some of our questions about old Bazil and his parents and birthdate. I will start though with the Alexandria Gazette, and see what I can find in there. I could start earlier than 1850, for if Elizabeth Harp is Bazil's mother, the census says that his mother was from VA, there might be a notice in the paper on her marriage to Ignatius…"
BIOGRAPHY:
1. His last will and testament has his name spelled as "Bazil" which I consider the most authoritive source of the correct spelling of his name. Name also appears as Basil or Baswell depending on the source.
2. Censuses:
1840 US: Can't find in Virginia.
1850 US: Virginia, Alexandria Co., enumerated 27 Sep. 1850, entry 1468:
Bazil Hall, turner of wood, 37, m, born in MD.
Elizabeth Hall, 20, f, born in NJ.
Ignatius Hall, 2, m, born in CA.
Bazil, 2/12, m, born in VA.
1860 US: Virginia, Alexandria Co., Alexandria Post Office, enumerated 29 Jul 1860, page #931, dwelling #1814, family #1968:
Basil Hall, age 48, farmer, $10,000 real estate value, $1,500 personal property value, born at D.C.
Frances, age 23.
Ignatius, age 12, was in school during year.
Elvira, age 7.
Louiza, age 2.
[also a Wm. Merchant, age 65 living in household].
1870 US: Virginia, Alexandria Co., Washington Twp., Series M593, roll 1632, p. 209, enumerated 14 Sep 1870 US:
Bazil Hall, 61, M, W, Farmer, $6400 real estate, $300 personal prop., born D. of C.
Frances, 58, W, F, Keeping House, born in VA.
L., 11, F,W, At home, born in VA.
Walter, 8, M, W, At home, born in VA.
Frances, 5, F, W, At home, born in VA.
Bazil, 1, M, W, At home, born in VA.
J. Peterson, 40, M, W, Labourer, born in Denmark.
1880 US: Virginia, Alexandria Co., Washington, p. 450B:
Basil Hall, farmer, age 71, born DC, father born in Maryland, mother in VA.
Francis Hall, keeping house, wife, age 40, born in VA, parents born in VA.
Elvina Hall, clerk in Tr. Dept., dau., age 25, father born in DC, mother in VA.
Lavinia Hall, at home, dau., age 20, born in VA.
Walter Hall, at home, son, age 18, born in VA.
Francis Hall, at home, dau., age 16, born in VA.
Edward Hall, son, age 7, born in VA.
Mattie Hall, dau., age 3, born in VA.
3. Per Stephanie Rockford:
A. During the Civil War, Basil and his family lived at his sister's farm at what is now Marymount College. The sister had an unusual amount of wealth for a spinster who ran a rooming house for women in Washington City, so it may have been another "kind" of house as well (additional research needed on this subject).
B. No family recollection of Basil being a soldier. The family always called him a sea captain. He may have grown up on the east coast of Maryland and learned to sail there. She states that the mention of 7 trips around the horn may be from his own words taken from something written after the Civil War when he was trying to get reparations from the destruction of his home by the Union Army. It is believed in the family that "sea captain" was a nice word for "slaver." He also said that he had lived in South America and had been a whaler out of Massachusetts.
C. His treatment of blacks was noted as harsh and out of the ordinary for Northern Virginia per accounts from a Virginia Historical Society. About 2 or 3 years ago there was a PBS special documentary on slavery and it had an actor depicting a Captain Basil Hall speaking about conditions of slaves in So. Carolina; it also indicated he was a slaver.
4. "The Arlington Historical Magazine," Vol. 6, Oct. 1979, No. 3, published by The Arlington Historical Society, pp. 20-29, "Bazil Hall of Hall's Hill," by Donald A. Wise: "Bazil Hall of Hall's Hill was a prominent landowner in Arlington County, Virginia, from 1850 until his death in 1888. He was born in the District of Columbia in the early 1800's; however, there is some question of the exact year of his birth since no official birth records have been located for Hall. His official death certificate indicates that he was seventy-three years old when he died [Virginia Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, "Death Certificate for Bazil Hall, who died on May 15, 1888] which would indicate that he may have been born circa 1815. [Virginia Dept. of Health, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Death Certificate for Bazil Hall, who died on May 15, 1888.] His tombstone has his age at death engraved as eighty-two years old [Hall Plot, Oakwood Cemetery, Falls Church, Virginia] which would indicate that he was born circa 1806. The Federal Census Records also use different birth dates; for example, the 1850 Census Records indicate that he was thirty-seven years old (born circa 1813), the 1860 Census Records gave his age as forty-eight years (born circa 1812), and both the 1870 and 1880 Census Records indicate his birth year as circa 1809. Perhaps we can presume that he was born sometime between 1806 and 1815.
We are not certain who his parents were, but the Virginia 1880 Census Records gives his father's place of birth as Maryland and his mother's place of birth as Virginia. The 1790 Census Records for Maryland indicate that a Basil Hall lived in St. Mary's County, had three white males under the age of sixteen, two white males sixteen years or older, four white females, and had no slaves. Montgomery County lists two Hall families and Prince George's County list six Hall families. In the 1800 Census Records for the District of Columbia, there are two Hall families listed: a Philip and a Richard. The 1810 Census Records were destroyed and the 1820 Census Records lists an 'Iantius' (Ignatious?) Hall (1790-1832) as living in Washington County. In the 1800's only the urban site was called the City of Washington and the remainder of the area north of the Potomac River within the District of Columbia was called Washington County. The area south of the Potomac River in the District of Columbia was called Alexandria County. Since Bazil Hall later had a son and named him Ignatious, there is a good possibility that the 'Iantius' Hall who lived in Washington County might have been Bazil Hall's father or a relative. Bazil Hall had a number of brothers and sisters; among them were a John P. Hall, a Frances Hall, a Mary Ann Hall, a Levinia E. Hall, an Elizabeth Hall, and a William J. Hall.
We know very little about Bazil Hall's youth, but it is a matter of record that in a sworn statement made before the Southern Claims Commission [National Archives RG 217, "Southern Claims Commission Records," No. 2422, Bazil Hall], he stated that he was born in the city of Washington, in his early life he was a whaler out of Massachusetts, and spent some time in South America and California. [National Archives RG 217, Southern Claims Commission Records, No. 2422, Bazil Hall.] In 1850, Bazil Hall purchased a 327 acre farm in Alexandria (Arlington) County, Virginia, and called his place the Hall Homestead Tract. This farm had previously been owned by John Peter Van Ness, a former Mayor of Washington City. Bazil Hall purchased the farm on Dec. 13, 1850 for $3,500 from Richard Smith who was handling the Van Ness Estate. [Arlington County Deed Book 6, p. 169.] The 1850 Census Records for Alexandria County, Virginia, indicated that Bazil Hall's occupation was 'Trimer of Wood' on Sep. 27, 1850. He was married to an Elizabeth who was twenty years old and had been born in New York. They had two sons: Ignatious, a two year old born in California, and Bazil, two months old who had been born in Virginia. So we can surmise that the Bazil Hall family had lived in California and probably came to Virginia in either 1849 or early 1850. The Arlington County Register of Births indicates that during July, 1855, Elizabeth and Bazil Hall, a farmer, had a daughter born and they named her Celena. During September, 1855, Genny and Alfred Fair, slaves of Bazil Hall, had a son born and named him John W. Fair. [Arlington County Register of Births: 1853-1896; Look under 1855, see items 39 & 40.] Bazil Hall had several other slaves working on his farm prior to 1860 and his family was noted as being hard on servants. Gaillard Hunt wrote the following description about Bazil Hall: 'Old Hall, as he is familiarly called in the county, was a character well remembered because of violent temper and bad habits. He had a few slaves and presumably treated them badly as he is represented to have treated all others badly. Dr. Gott told me that he shot one Negro simply in bravado. He swore lustily and could be heard at a distance abusing his hands. His memory is held in great respect by the Negroes. I think they liked him better because of his coarse wickedness.' [Letter from Mr. Ross O'Donoghue to author, Sep. 8, 1978.] Bazil Hall is quoted by Union soldiers as saying 'I go in for the Union, but I ain't no abolitionist, and any man of common sense will say that slavery is the very best thing for the South.' [Benjamin Franklin Cooling, 'Symbol, Sword, and Shield.' Hamden, CT; 1975, p.95.] Bazil Hall's wife, Elizabeth, was brutally murdered by one of their slaves on Dec. 14, 1857. The Evening Star published in Washington, DC, reported: 'A Shocking Murder...[See "DEATH" notes for Bazil's wife for full recital of article. Sources: 'The Evening Star', v. X, no. 1, 529, Mon., Dec. 14, 1857, p. 3; 'Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser', Dec. 14, 1857, p.1.]' Elizabeth Hall was buried in the Hall family private cemetery on December 14, 1857, at Hall's Hill.
The 1860 Census of Virginia shows Bazil Hall's farm valued at $10,000 and having personal effects valued at $15,000. Bazil Hall had married Frances Ann Harrison, daughter of Robert and Columbia Harrison, who owned a farm nearby. By 1860, Bazil and Frances Hall had three children living with them: Ignatious, a twelve year old son; Elvira, a seven year old daughter; and Lavinia, a two year old daughter. Thomas Merchant, a sixty-five year old male laborer, was also living with the Hall family. The Southern Claims Commission Records in the National Archives contain some specific facts about Bazil Hall and his farm. He had approximately 125 acres under cultivation and the rest was in timber consisting of oak, pine, chestnut, and hickory. Hall had about 30 acres in corn, some in oats, rye, potatoes, and in clover pasture in 1861. He had fenced his cultivated areas in 1852 with a worm fence nine rails high of chestnut rails supported by cedar and locust posts. Hall had an orchard of about 500 apple, pear, and other fruit trees. He had a number of mules and horses, seventeen head of cattle, and forty to fifty hogs. Hall had built a house worth about $3,000 on a 400 foot high hill which he called 'Hall's Hill'. [National Archives RG 217, Southern Claims Commission Records, No. 2422, Bazil Hall.] His house is described as being 'a large and well-furnished mansion at the beginning of hostilities.' [John Love Parker and Robert G. Carter, 'Henry Wilson's Regiment. History of the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry'...Boston: Regimental Association, 1887, p. 45.]
The Civil War brought a number of hardships to the Bazil Hall family. Hall was one of the few persons in Alexandria County who had voted against the succession of Virginia from the Union. Witnesses verify that Bazil Hall was a loyal Union man who supported and treated all Union troops well. He was described in a sworn statement as being a member of the old Whig Party. [National Archives RG 217, Southern Claims Commission Records, No. 2422, Bazil Hall.] After the second Battle of Bull Run, the only major skirmish which took place in Arlington County occurred on August 31, 1861. Bazil Hall's place was shelled by southern troops from Upton's hill. His house and barn were burned by Confederate troops who claimed it was being used by Union troops to spy upon Rebel lines. 'Unfortunately for Hall, as the Union army advanced into Virginia, he found himself between two fires and during one of the frequent skirmishes, he was driven from his house. During his absence, soldiers from the union army stripped the house of its furniture. Next the rebels advanced, and burned the building. Hall recovered some of his furniture...' [Parker, p.45] Soon after this, Union troops did occupy Hall's Hill and begun to cut down all the timber to get a better field of fire toward Upton's Hall and Falls Church. A military historian gave the following description: 'Hall's Hill was well adapted for a camp. It was a round top, sloping in all directions from the flagstaff which was planted in front of the center of the line. The camp faced the west, the 'line' running north and south, with three Sibley tents on each side of the company streets for the men, with two wall-tents for the company officers, facing down the company streets, a line of cook-houses behind the officers; tents, and the staff and other tents disposed in proper position at the rear. An ample parade-ground for company and battalion drills was afforded inside the regimental guardline. A fine stream of water ran along the base of the hill, affording water for cooking and bathing. The supply was reinforced by wells, dug by soldiers, and carefully guarded to secure purity. Part of Hall's farm consisted of woodland, which furnished fuel for the camp during the winter of 1861-62.' [Ibid, p. 46] The stream was probably Lubber Run which was called 'Cow Run' on the Civil War maps.
During this time, Bazil Hall moved into the summer residence of his sister, Mary Hall, a well-known Washington character. This house was well built, and situated on the Chain Bridge Road (North Glebe Road), and being unoccupied at the time referred to, made the proprietor of Hall's Hill, a very good home. Of his numerous slaves, he saved but two, Jim and Bill, nine and twelve years old, While the troops were encamped there, a picket was established at Mary Hall's and Basil, with the aid of the colored boys, managed to pick up a good living selling meals to the guard and occasional visitors.' [Ibid, p. 45] Bazil Hall's farm was devastated by the large encampment of Union troops on and around Hall's Hill. The records in the Southern Claims Commission indicate how Bazil Hall's timber, fence, crops, and farm animals were confiscated for use by the Union troops. In some cases vouchers were given, but in other cases no receipts were given to Bazil Hall for taking his personal possessions. Bazil Hall was employed by the Union army to cut wood along the Arlington Heights. After the war, Hall filed a claim against the U.S. Government through the Southern Claims Commission. In these records, his sworn testimony along with some vouchers and several witnesses enabled Hall to claim $42,450.30 for damages and material confiscated. The Commission finally awarded Bazil Hall $10,729.68 on June 15, 1872.
The 1870 Census of Virginia shows Bazil Hall as a farmer and his property valued at only $6,400 and personal effects at $30. He was now reported to be 64 years old and besides his wife, Frances, there were four children living with them. These were Louisa or Laviania, an eleven year old daughter; Walter, an eight year old son; Frances, a five year old daughter; and Bazil, a one year old son. A forty-four year old laborer, John Peterson, from Denmark, is also listed as living with the Hall family. During the 1870's, Bazil Hall served as a Justice of the Peace in the Washington District of Alexandria (Arlington) County. [Alexandria County Minute Book, No.8, 1870-75]
Starting in 1866, the land deed records in the Arlington County Court House begin to show a number of lots being sold from the Hall's Homestead Tract. [28 transactions noted from Jan. 9, 1866 to Jan. 3, 1888. 6 of the of the deeds involve Children: Apr. 7, 1880, Louise Payne, daughter, 20 acres for $1; Apr. 7, 1880, Alvira Hall, daughter, 20 acres for $1; Apr. 7, 1880, Walter Hall, son, 20 acres for $1; Oct. 4, 1883, Frances Hall, daughter, 20 acres for $1; Sep. 15, 1887 and Jan 3, 1888, Walter Hall, additional acreage of 4 and 81 acres for $3 and $5. The article continues with additional information of land owned by Frances Harrison's parents with a portion going to Basil and his wife upon her parents' death in 1873.]
Mary Ann Hall, a sister of Bazil Hall, purchased the 72 acre Joseph Birch estate in Arlington County, Virginia, for $2,400 on Oct. 20, 1853. [Arlington County Deed Book 6, p. 510] In the 1850 Census Records for the District of Columbia, a Mary A. Hall, thirty years old with a birthplace in the District, is listed as running a boarding house with 13 women residents in the 4th Ward of the city of Washington. Her summer residence in Arlington County is shown on the Civil War maps under her name, Mary Hall. It was located where Marymont College is situated today and it consisted of a large house, tenant house, and barn... The 1870 Census of Virginia lists Mary 'H' Hall as being 48 years old and having property valued at $12,999 and personal effects at $500...When Mary Ann Hall died in 1886, her property was sold by two of her sisters, Elizabeth and Levinia Hall, who lived in the city of Washington. Bazil and Frances Ann Hall, and his brother, John P. Hall and wife, Lucilla B. Hall, filed a joint suit in 1887 against their two sisters for Mary Ann Hall's real estate in Arlington County, Virginia. [Arlington County Deed Book H, No.4, p.532] This land later became part of the Presley H. Rixey estate and now is part of the Washington Golf and Country club premises.
When Laviania A. Hall, a sister of Bazil Hall, died in 1903, she had the following restriction placed in her will stating 'nor any children or descendants of my brother, Basil Hall, have any part of her estate with one exception, Elvira Hall, daughter of Basil and Elizabeth Hall.'
The 1880 Census of Virginia lists a Bazil Hall as a 71 year old farmer; his wife, Frances, as a 40 year old housekeeper; and as having 6 children living with them. Elvira, a 25 year old daughter is a clerk in the Treasury Dept.; Lavinia, a 20 year old daughter; Walter, an 18 year old son; Frances, a 16 year old daughter; Edward, a 7 year old son; and Mattie, a 3 year old daughter. According to the Arlington County Register of Births, Mattie Hall, daughter of Bazil and Frances Hall, was born on Sep. 5, 1877, at Hall's Hill.
Bazil Hall died on May 15, 1888, in Arlington County, Virginia, at the age of 73 years. [Virginia Dept. of Health, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Death Certificate for Bazil Hall, who died on May 15, 1888.] 'The Evening Star' published in Washington, DC, had this obituary on him. 'Hall. At his residence in Alexandria County, Va. Monday morning, May 14, 1888, at 12.15 a.m., Bazil Hall, after a lingering illness in the 83rd year of his age. 'Dearest father, thou hast left us, Here in earth to meet no more, But again to meet thee, On that bright celestial shore.' Funeral Wed., May 16th at 2 p.m. Friends and relatives respectfully invited to attend.' ['The Evening Star', Mon., May 14, 1888, p.5]
Bazil Hall's will dated Jan. 7, 1888, was probated on May 28, 1888. He left to his wife, Frances Ann Hall, the 'Hall Homestead Tract; consisting of 70 acres; $300 was left to each of his older children: Elvira Hall, Louisa Payne, Frances Birch, and Walter Hall. He left $10 each to his two minor children: Madie Adele Hall and Edward Carroll Hall. [Arlington County Will Book 10, p.137] Bazil Hall was buried in the Hall family private cemetery at Hall's Hill.
Frances Ann Hall died on Dec. 10, 1888, and was buried in the Hall private cemetery. The 'Alexandria Gazette' printed this notice under 'Local Brevities': 'Mrs. Frances M. Hall, widow of the late Basil Hall, of this county, died on Monday of Pneumonia, aged 50 years.' ['Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser', Dec. 15, 1857, p.3] The 'Washington Post' had this obituary: 'Hall - On Monday, Dec. 10, 1888, at 10 o'clock p.m. of pneumonia, Frances M., widow of the late Basil Hall, of Alexandria County, Va., age 50 ears. She was a devoted mother and her death will be mourned by her many friends, Funeral Thursday, Dec. 13, at 2 o'clock p.m. Relatives and friends invited to attend.' ['The Washington Post', Thurs., Dec. 13, 1888, p.5]
In 1939, the many graves in the Hall family private cemetery were moved to the Oakwood Cemetery in Falls Church, Virginia. There Bazil Hall is buried with his two wives, Elizabeth (1829-1857) and Frances (1835-1888), on either side. Hall's surname is shown on his tombstone as Basil, while most legal documents including his official death certificate uses Bazil as his given name. Bazil Hall's official death certificate indicates he died on May 15, 1888; while his tombstone and obituaries in the local newspapers gives his date of death as on May 14, 1888. Also in the Hall burial plot in Oakwood Cemetery are Bazil Hall's ten children, five grandchildren, one nephew, and two servants. [Author contacted the Trustees of Oakwood Cemetery Records, Falls Church, VA, Oct. 1978]
One of Bazil Hall's sons, Walter Hall, apparently died unmarried. His will is dated Dec. 7, 1914, and it was probated on March 23, 1915. [Arlington County Will Book 12, p.241] His address was given as in the city of Washington, DC. He gave his brother, Edward C. Hall, $500; devised the rest of his estate to be divided in four equal parts to his sisters: Louisa A. Payne and Madie A. Putnam; brother-in-law, Ernest C. Putnam, and nephew Leslie E. Putnam. Later a codicil gives $1,000 to his friend, Claude E. Campbell of Washington, DC for caring during his illness.
Another of Bazil Hall's sons, Edward Carroll Hall married a Katie A. ____. They had a son born on June 27, 1889, whom they called Bazil Hall. He apparently died for another son was born on April 22, 1890, whom they also called Bazil Hall. This son died when only one month old during May, 1890. [Arlington County Register of Births: 1853-1896; Arlington County Register of Deaths, 1853-1896, under 1889, see no. 17 and under 1890, see no. 12.] Edward signed the papers for reinterment of the graves in the Hall family private cemetery to the Oakwood Cemetery on Sep. 19, 1939. At that time, Edward C. Hall's address was at 3401 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia. He died on March 8, 1949, and is buried in the Hall plot in the Oakwood Cemetery.
At least three of Bazil Hall's daughters married: Louisa A. Hall to John D. Payne; Frances Hall to Jacob E. Birch; and Madie Adele Hall to Ernest C. Putnam.
So ends the saga of the Bazil Hall family of Hall's Hill. They lived during a turbulent part of our history and suffered some of the hardships of the Civil War. Hall's Hill was not only the name for the residence of the Bazil Hall family, but it applied to a 400 foot hill which was a Civil War encampment. Later the name Hall's Hill was used to designate a subdivision in Arlington County, but recently this name was changed by the County Board to High View Park. [Arlington County Neighborhood Conservation Program: High View Park, Dec., 1965, p.1.] The local citizens still prefer to call the area Hall's Hill. [The Washington Post, Thurs., July 5, 1979, p.10.] The last house which Bazil Hall lived in after the Civil War and eventually died in is still standing at 1799 North George Mason Drive, across the street from the Arlington Hospital. [Paul Covey. "Notes on Two Arlingtonians: Basil Hall." The Arlington Historical Magazine, V.2, No.3, Oct., 1963, p. 22-23.] Only history and time can judge the contribution that the Bazil Hall family made to our local heritage."
Willard Webb notes in his email to me of 27 Feb 2006 concerning the above article: "As you have probably noted, Wise quoted a Gaillard Hunt about Bazil Hall. Hunt purchased the Hall house from the Hall family. Hunt was a distinguished scholar and Chief of the Manuscripts Division of the LIbrary of Congress. The house was inherited by Hunt's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. O'Donoghue. Wise's source for the Hunt quote is a lettter to him (Wise) from Ross O'Donoghue. Sadly, Don Wise, who had moved to Oklahoma, died last year and I don't know what may have become of his research notes and papers. May try to find out. Both of the O'Donoghues died in the last ten years."
5. "The Arlington Historical Magazine," Oct. 1984, No. 4, published by The Arlington Historical Society, "Life in Alexandria County During the Civil War" by Ruth Ward: Following the Civil War, the Southern Claims Commission was established under an Act of Congress of March 3, 1871. Its purpose was to adjudicate the claims made by proven loyal U.S. citizens that they had suffered losses of property to Union forces during the Civil War. More than 100 such claims were made by citizens of Alexandria County and were decided upon by the Commission... Bazil Hall entered claim #2422 for 'wood, forage, Etc' for $42,450.00 and was allowed $10,729.00. Mr. Hall's sworn testimony before the Commission: 'I reside at Hall's Hill, Alexandria County. I am a farmer by occupation. I am about eight miles from Alexandria, near Ball's Cross Roads. My farm contains upwards of 327 acres in one body. In 1861 I had about 100 acres perhaps under cultivation. At the time of the breaking out of the war I was there. I have been on that farm since 1850. I was born in Washington, but for many years I have been in South America and California. I have been a whaler from Massachusetts. I was never anything else but a loyal man in no shape or manner. I voted against the ordinance of secession at Ball's Cross Roads. I don't think there were over ten or fifteen there who voted against it. I was one of that number, and my name is recorded as having voted aginst it. After the second battle of Bull Run, Union forces came on to my place in the night. When they called on me in the morning I found my hay was all being taken, and I went and reported the fact to the officers. I think it was General Porter or General Sigel. I told him there was such a quantity of hay there left, and asked if they were going to take it and give me nothing for it. He said no, and said what hay there was there they would pay me for, and he went and put a guard on the balance of the hay, but they had taken all the rest of the hay before I got there, except what they gave me these vouchers for. I had eight stacks and a stable full of hay. There were about two tons in the stable. That was clover hay. This occurred two or three days after the second battle of Bull Run in 1862.' Concerning an item 8 in his claim, for two horses taken by Col. Baker's cavalry in 1863, Hall said, 'I was not at home when they were taken. They were carried to Fort Ethan Allen. I went there and tried to get my horses, and they ordered me here to Washington to get them. After I brought my papers to show that they were my horses, Gen. Doubleday sent me here for them. I could not find them here nor in Alexandria. They kept me running for a week, but I could not find them, and let them go. One was a two-year old colt that I had bought from a neighbor, and the other had been a condemned horse but was a very fine horse. The man who took them came to me afterwards and told me that he was told he had done me a piece of injustice.' After a certificate in relation to the horses was filed, Hall testified: 'They were seized at the time as government property, and I went to Gen. Doubleday and showed him my papers and showed him that this colt never was a government horse. The cold was not old enough to be used in the cavalry. He was 3 years old then. Bowen took both the horse and the colt. About that time they were taking condemned horses and everything else over our way.' Hall also stated that his place was shelled by the Confederates from Upton's Hill, that the whole place was covered with cabins and log houses of the soldiers; that the government took his mules before they got his corn. He said, 'I built the house - - it was burnt by the Rebels. I saw them. My barn and other buildings were also burnt; but I did not charge the government for them, only charged for items the soldiers took. I had not a bed to lie on nor a roof to put it under when I left the place.' The Provost Marshal of D.C. issued a pass on Aug. 31, 1861, for 'The Bearer, Mr. Bazil Hall, who I have known for many years, desires a pass to go over the river in order to see if he can approach his farm and dwelling which he had to leave on the 29th inst. in consequence of the attack of the Rebels on his house. He will be guided by our officers within our lines as to how far he may go with safety. He is all right.' On Sep. 11, 1861, a pass was issued to Hall, which said, 'Pass Basil (sic) to and from Washington to attend to his property from which he had been driven away by the Rebels. Good today and tomorrow."
6. Website: http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/schools/woodlawn/staff/sChildtb/fv/histfedpo.htm contains a lengthy article about the post Civil War effect of Federal Policy on planters and freed slaves. It contains the following references on Bazil Hall: "It was a time of uncertainty for each of the major groups in contention. Bazil Hall, who lived on his estate in the Arlington area called Hall's Hill, was a slave holder, a former member of the old Whig party and a staunch Unionist. Hall is used as an example of the changes wrought. Mr. Hall saw a transformation in his life between the Ante-bellum years and Reconstruction. During the war he was compelled to leave his home. Hall's Hill was taken over and occupied as a Union camp during the war years due to its location on a forty foot hill. The troops cut his timber and burned fences to provide firewood to keep them warm. Farm animals were used as beasts of burden or often were slaughtered for food. The 'Billy Yanks' who had eated hardtack for months, found the crops and animals an alluring dinner. At times the Southerners were given vouchers for their confiscated porperty and at other times it was taken with no receipt offered. In 1860 Bazil Hall's farm was valued at $10,000 and his personal effects were valued at $15,000. The war and Union ocupation devastated both his home and land. One of his slaves attacked and killed Mrs. Hall. Their home was stripped of its furniture and eventually burned down. The world was certainly turning upside-down in the lives of the freedmen and the slave holders like Bazil Hall. By the Reconstruction years, Mr. Hall's life had been dramatically transformed...In 1870 Basil Hall's property value fell to $6,400.00 and his personal effects fell to just $30.00. After the war he sold off land in small parcels. The Union occupation dramatically changed life on Hall's Hill. Ironically, during Reconstruction, Basil Hall was hired by the US Army to cut wood along Arlington Heights. He had come down in society as a result of the war. Because he felt strongly that his rights had been violated, he filed a claim with the Southern Claims Commission for $40,000.00 for wartime losses. His settlement was $10,729.00. Basil Hall was just one of many slave holders in the south, but what happened to him can give us an idea of th challenges facing both the nation and in communities, like Arlington, in reconstructing the nation."
7. In Arlington, Virginia is High View Park. This area of North Arlington used to be known as Hall's Hill since it had once been property of Bazil Hall who came to the County from the District of Columbia in 1850. He bought part of the Van Ness property which in turn had been part of the original Glebe Tract of Christ Church in Alexandria. Here he established his home and farmed his land. Shortly after the Civil War, Hall decided to make the property available to the destitute Negroes in the area. The homes which they constructed on the property have been described as above average in comfort. Although blacks from elsewhere in the County held positions of high responsibility, there is no record of any from this area having done so in the past. This reputedly is due to the "benevolence" of Mr. Hall who, although tolerating no violence to be perpetrated against Negro landholders, would not allow them to "forget their places." Paul Covey in his article "Notes on Two Arlingtonians - Basil Hall, Justice of the Peace, Washington District" notes: "...this land which is located approximately from the corner of Glebe Road and 16th Street to Lexington Street, then northwest to 22nd Street, southeast to Lee Highway, and back to the corner of Lee Highway and Glebe Road...In 1888, Mr. Hall died. In his will he gave the four older children $300 and a piece of land, and to the two minor children he gave $10 each. Walter Hall received the family home. In 1900, it was purchased by the father of Mrs. Ross O'Donoghue, the present owner of the house which is located at 5137-16th Street, North. This is the house that Mr. Hall moved into after his first home was burned. It is near Arlington Hospital but cannot be seen from 16th Street. [The house has since been torn down but was extensively photographed by the Arlington Hisotical Society.] It is located in a green meadow which is surrounded by woods. As I approached the house I had the feeling that it looked just as it did when Mr. Hall lived there, except there was a car sitting in the driveway. There is a porch which runs across the entire front of the frame house. As I stepped inside the front door, I felt that I had crossed a time barrier and had entered the original Hall household. The floors appear to be the original ones; some of the doors are the ones that were put up by Mr. Hall...On the second floor there are beamed ceilings which make me wonder if this might have been a remodeled barn which had been converted into a house after the original one burned. After Mr. Hall's death, several stories grew up about him. One was that he would never allow anyone to sleep in the room in which he finally died. Also, it has been said that ghost carriages have been heard coming to the door at night. There was a family cemetery in which most of the Halls were buried, since then the graves have been moved to Oakwood Cemetery in Falls Church. There Basil Hall lies, with both of his wives beside him. Behind Trinity Presbyterian Church, I found a stone wall which may have been the wall which surrounded the cemetery. I believe this because I read a book which was written by Mrs. O'Donoghues's father in which he said that the cemetery was a 'stone's throw' from the original house which was close to the site."
8. Citation form "The Virginia Historcal Register and Literary Companion" [page just before Vol. V., July 1852]: "Conformity to the World. 'The old maxim,' says Capt. Basil Hall, 'that you are to do in Rome as the Romans do,' seduces many worthy persons to forget what they owe to themselves, in consideration of what they affect to fancy they owe the Romans, but what, in truth, they merely find agreeable to themselves at the moment."
9. During the 1870's, he was a Justice of the Peace in the Washington District of Alexandria.
10. Susan Dennis, Editor, Smithsonian Associates, Civil War E-Mail Newsletter:
"I found my notes on last April's talk at Congressional Cemetery about Mary Ann Hall...She died there in 1885 at age 71. She died without a will and her next of kin fought over the money. The court records show she had no debts, real estate worth $20,000, and $67,000 in bonds and securities. Today's value of her estate would be worth $2 million. The family had her property appraised and they all fought over it. Basil and John Hall were her brothers; her sisters were Elizabeth, a prostitute at the house; and Lavinia, a prostitute in New York." [See notes for Mary Ann Hall for much lengthier version of this quote.]
11. Photo on file of Basil Hall provided by John Prosise. He indicates the photo was taken by a Washington D.C. studio. John also notes that he ran across a photo years ago of a man with two ex-slaves who were wood choppers for the Union Army at forts in No. Virginia. John saw this photo before he knew Basil was his relative and has not been able to since find it. In reviewing Basil's Southern Claims Commission lawsuit, he realized that Basil cut wood and cooked for the Armies of the Potomac. Even though not certain, John intuitively believes that Basil was in that long forgotten photo he saw while doing research at a No. Virginia fort or at a library. The photo may be a Brady photo. He continues to look for this photo.
He further notes: "The photo says "Photographed by, PERKINS & CO., 520 Seventh St. Washington, D.C. That is what is on the bottom of the pic. I searched the whole pic when my aunt bought them over, for there was only 3 out of over 400 that we could'nt 100% identify, and the pic of Bazil was one of the 3! As soon as Aunt Lois saw it,(Mike Holmes' mom) she said that it was Bazil Hall! Then after getting verafication from the Prosise side that it was from my grandma's side, and praying about it, I know that it is Bazil."
John's email as of 1 Mar 2006: John Prosise [Prosensei@frontiernet.net]
Willard Webb in his email of 27 Feb 2006 notes: "Both the Washingtoniana Division of the DC public library and the DC Historical Society have marvelous collections."
12. In the San Francisco Land Titles, 1852, Schedule E. - Bazil Hall purchased a 50 vara lot #141 on January 25, 1847 from Washington Bartlett, Chief Magistrate. Schedule E is a synopsis of fifteen hundred and thirty-two lots of the fifty vara survey.
MARRIAGE:
1. Mike Holme's great aunt Margie Chanel Martin [granddaughter of John D. and Louisa Hall Payne or great-granddau. of Bazil, b. abt 1902, d. 1995] recalls in a letter to Mike of her great grandfather, Basil Hall: "He was spoken of as a sea captain with many adventures and three wives." John Prosise believes that he has a record of a first marriage, before Elizabeth Winner, of Bazil Hall in a Washington D.C. marriage book for circa 1836/1838 for which he is looking again. The last marriage was to Frances Harrison for which I have in a separate file.
2. From: Richard Bullock [mailto:silver2a@earthlink.net] February 22, 2006:
"Below is a page from my book that may shed some light on Bazil Hall and Elizabeths meeting in San Francisco. I am writing about the Kittleman family today and this paragraph came up. The underlined text is my underline and shows that Bazil very well could have just arrived in August 1846 and very soon after they were married....
"Elbert P. Jones, born 23 September 1814 in Kentucky, had come overland to California in early 1846 and made his way to Yerba Buena. Here he found work with Samuel Brannan as temporary Editor of The California Star until Edward C. Kemble came back from his adventures with John C. Frémont. Elbert Jones and Kemble didn't see eye to eye on many matters and after a fisticuffs in the street Jones lost his position as Editor. This is when he bought the Portsmouth House from John C. Brown and met miss Sarah Kittleman.
...A converted tavern became the city's first real hotel, Vioget House, in August, 1846. Its former bartender and first proprietor, John Henry Brown, providentially opened the hotel just before the arrival in August of eight or ten whaling vessels for a four-month stay. He almost immediately changed its name to the Portsmouth House after Captain Montgomery's sloop of war, then anchored in the Bay; its sailmaker and carpenter agreed to supply the hotel's sign if the premises were named for his ship.
The hotel's first registrant was a Captain Simmonds, one of the officers from the whaling fleet. His lodgings were furnished with articles made by various ship's carpenters who had previously touched port; his bed, covered with thick flannel blanketing and calico quilts, may have been mattressed with moss from the Sandwich Islands, or perhaps it was one of four feather beds bought from a party of Mormons who had arrived in July. 1
After a short time, Brown sold the Portsmouth House to Dr. Elbert Jones. He then briefly operated the more elaborate City Hotel, known familiarly as Brown's Hotel, across the Street on the corner of Clay and Kearny in the large adobe building owned by William Leidesdorff. When the landlord upped the annual rent to $3,000, Brown sold out. With Robert Parker, he started a new hotel which was still under construction in May, 1848, when Leidesdorff died. Brown and Parker, though continuing the work on their own new building, re-leased the City Hotel from Leidesdorff's estate. With the discovery of gold, their daily profits, including the cut from the hotel's gambling tables, the bar, and the rent from the stores and offices on the premises, produced an enormous income...." Source: Muscatine, Doris, Old San Francisco - The Biography of a City, G. P. Putnam and Sons, New York, page 134-5.
DEATH:
1. Death was 16 May 1888 [death #7708] in death record index copied by Mike Holmes but not documented as to source but most likely of Alexandria County, Virginia. Death is noted as "Baswell Hall" in "Va." This date varies from gravestone which reads May 14, 1888.
2. The book "Alexandria (Arlington) County, Virginia Death Records, 1853-1896," Wesley E. Pippenger, p. 40: "HALL, Bazil, W, M, 15 May 1888, Washington [Dist.], old age, 73y, - ,Washington, D.C., farmer, consort of Frances A. Hall, Walter Hall, son."
3. Will transcribed from a copy of the original provided to me (and now in my files) by John Prosise, source uncited:
"In the name of God, Amen! I Bazil Hall of the county of Alexandria in the State of Virginia being of sound mind and memory, do make and publish this my last Will and Testament,
1st, I direct that all my just debts and funeral expenses, by my Executrix hereinafter named, be paid out of my Estate as soon after my death as shall by her be found convenient.
2nd, I will and direct that the two tracts of land belonging to me situated in Washington Magisterial District of Alexandria county, State of Virginia, the first tract containing thirty acres more or less and lying west of the "Hall Homestead Tract" and near "Brown Bend" in said county; and the other tract containing about forty acres more or less, and lying east of and adjoining the said "Hall Homestead Tract," be sold as soon after my death as practicable by my Executrix, hereinafter named, in such manner and on such terms as she may think best, and to give the purchaser or purchasers thereof a good and sufficient deed in fee simple, therefore, as my Executrix; and from the proceeds thereof, I devise and bequeath to my beloved Children, hereinafter named, the following legacies, to wit: to my daughter Elvira Hall three hundred dollars, to my son Walter Hall three hundred dollars, to my daughter Louisa Payne, before her marriage Louisa Hall, three hundred dollars; to my daughter Frances Birch, before her marriage Frances Hall, three hundred dollars; to my son Edward Carroll Hall, ten dollars; to my daughter Madie Adele Hall the sum of ten dollars - the last two children being minors, the are requested to be kind and obedient to their mother in whose care they are left.
The residue, if any, of the money derived from the sale of the said land, I give, devise, and bequeath to my beloved wife, Frances Ann Hall, absolutely and forever. Should there not be sufficient money derived from the sale of said lands to pay said legacies, then, in that event, I direct the deficiency to be made up out of my personal property, and further direct said legacies to be paid as soon after the sale of said land, as practicable by my executrix, hereinafter named.
3rd, All the rest and residue of my real estate, situated in Alexandria county Virginia, or elsewhere, that I die seized and possessed of or in any way entitled to, I give, devise, and bequeath to my beloved wife Frances Ann Hall, to her and her assigns, absolutely in fee and forever.
4th I will, devise, give and bequeath to my beloved wife Frances Ann Hill, absolutely, in fee simple, and forever, all my personal property, consisting of money, notes, bond evidences of debts due me, and any other and all personalty, and mixed property of w
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
Abt 1806 - 1888 (~ 82 years)