My Genealogy Hound

ROBERT M. HALL, a farmer of the town of Westfield and one of the Union soldiers who was a prisoner at Andersonville, is a son of Asa and Pauline (Mack) Hall, and was born in the town of Westfield, Chautauqua county, New York, February 5, 1833. His paternal grandfather, Asa Hall, Sr., was born June 20, 1767, in Rhode Island, where he was an importer and jobber for some years in the city of Providence. He came to the town of Westfield in 1811, served in the War of 1812 and died March 14, 1832. His children were: Sophy, wife of Jonathan Cass; George, who served in the War of 1812; Harriet; Asa; David; and Silas F., who died in Illinois. Asa Hall, the second son and father of Robert M. Hall, was born at Thompson, Connecticut, December 26, 1796, removed with his parents to Stratford, New Hampshire and in 1811 came with them to Westfield. At sixteen years of age he enlisted in the American army, was at the burning of Buffalo and on his way home had fever and ague from the effects of which he never recovered. He purchased land from the Holland Land company and when not engaged at his trade of carpenter and builder was employed in farming until his death, June 8, 1868. He was a ruling elder of the Presbyterian church and on December 20, 1820, he married Pauline Mack, a native of Genesee county, a very intelligent woman, who died May 4, 1861, at sixty years of age. Young, in his history of Chautauqua county, says: “Mr. and Mrs. Hall are spoken of as having been persons of exemplary piety, and shedding a hallowed influence alike upon the members of the family and of the society in which they moved.” They had five children: Charlotte, wife of W. P. Culbertson, of Illinois; Robert M.; Sophy C., who married A. C. Crane, of San Francisco, California; Emma M., wife of Judge S. G. Nye, of Oakland, California; and Frank A., for ten years publisher of the Westfield Republican and now in the manufacturing business, the factory being located in northeast Pennsylvania — residence, Westfield. Mrs. Hall was a daughter of Capt. John Mack, who kept the old Mack tavern and the ferry on Cattaraugus creek, when the British had possession of Lake Erie, and by the assistance of the Indians prevented the English from molesting him.

Robert M. Hall grew to manhood on the Westfield farm and received a common school and academic education. He has given his time and attention to farming and now has a vineyard of twenty-five acres on his farm, which is situated one and one-half miles west of the village of Westfield. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in Co. I, 9th New York cavalry, was promoted to quarter-master sergeant and after three and one-half years of active service was honorably discharged at Elmira, New York, February 6, 1865. In a cavalry charge at Brandy Station, Virginia, he was wounded and captured by the Confederates and spent four hundred and nine days in seven different prisons, one of which was Andersonville, in which he was confined for the most of his time before being exchanged. Mr. Hall is a republican in politics. He is a member of the Westfield Presbyterian church and William Sackett Post, No. 324, Grand Army of the Republic. He has always been active and useful in his sphere of life and enjoyed the reputation of being a public-spirited citizen.

January 30, 1867, he married Flora A., eldest daughter of Milo A. Driggs. To their union have been born five children: Louise, who died at eleven years of age; Florence, who possesses good artistic ability, has done some fine painting and graduated in 1891, from Ingham university, at Leroy, New York; Pauline; Mary; and Asa.