Hall_Family_-_The

The earliest confirmed record we have of the Hall Family is in 1782, on 4 January 1782 George HALL was born to John HALL and Eleanor; he was their eleventh child, but to date we have found no details of the rest of his siblings. We do know that he went to sea as a cabin boy at the age of thirteen, and, on more than one occasion became close to being shipwrecked. He had very little formal education, but used his leisure time for study. His early career coincided with the Napoleonic Wars and he was captured by the French in 1805, and held as a prisoner of war for six years. He attempted to escape in 1810, but was recaptured; he tried again, and walked across France to the Channel coast, where he was taken across to England by smugglers, landing near Rye on New Year's Day in 1811. He rose in the Merchant Navy to the rank of captain, and became one of the Elder Brothers of Trinity House; he then was promoted to become one of the two heads of that body in September 1841 when he was elected warden.
The marriage of George to Grace WILLIAMSON at Holy Trinity in Kingston upon Hull on 21st October, 1817. Grace was from a prosperous mercantile family in Hull, enjoyed a higher social status, and was financially better off than George. They had five children - George Williamson , Ann Williamson, Thomas Williamson, John, and Grace Williamson - Ann and Thomas being twins. Ann died in 1826 at the age of seven, the same year that Grace was born, and a year before the death of George's wife Grace.
Because of the lack of formal education received by George, he was determined that his children would receive as good an education as he could afford to give them. All his son's were educated in both England and Europe, and received tuition in Germany and France. At home the children were looked after by Mildren Williamson, their aunt, who began to help with the children in 1826 and continued after the death of her sister Grace. She was a devout christian, and instilled those beliefs in all her charges. She was married to William FOWLER, and he helped John in getting a position in London, a very difficult task at a time where patronage was so important in achieving any position of note in the English capital. George and Thomas had both chosen a career at sea, following their father, but John was more inclined to commerce.
In 1851, George had abandoned his life at sea as he had married Agnes Emma DRYDEN, daughter of William and Jane DRYDEN of Cottingham in Yorkshire, and was also experiencing some difficulties in his business as a grain merchant; Thomas, a merchant captain, was also married and owned a brig.
They all began to consider the possibility of emigrating to one of the colonies to take up stock farming. Initially, George was more inclined towards Australia, as he felt that New Zealand was only suitable for agricultural pursuits, and not for running stock. John looked into the matter very carefully, and, in 1851 had an interview with the Canterbury Association in order to receive the fullest information - he obtained a copy of a pamphlet published by the Association "Brief Information about the Canterbury Settlement" which made note of about two and a half million acres available, and the suitability for breeding of cattle, horses and sheep. It also confirmed that, whilst the price of land at three pounds an acre was high, land could also be leased. More and more John and George were convinced that sheep farming would be the best opportunity for them all - in doing so they were making a complete break from the family tradition of trade and connections with the sea.

It was decided that John would leave first, and that George and his family, together with Thomas and his family, would follow him as soon as they had their affairs in order. On 26 March 1852, John set sail for Lyttleton on the Samarang, one of the last vessels chartered by the Canterbury Association. His passage cost fifty-five pounds, and that gave him his own cabin; he employed two passengers, Charles Wright and his wife, to act a servants. He took a coop of chickens with him to supplement his diet, and his two dogs, Emperor and Countess.
His voyage was eventful - he edited the ship's newspaper the Sootee Sammee and included an editorial on the government of New Zealand. His articles covered a wide range of topics, of great use to the other passengers who were generally ill-informed about their destination. His research that had been done prior to his departure became very useful. His status as a 'gentleman' was affirmed on board the ship, and he consulted with Captain Escott on various matters during the voyage, and he became, quite suddenly , a leader.
On arrival in Lyttleton he, quite by chance, met the chief agent of the Canterbury Association, John Robert GODLEY and the surveyor, Captain Charles SIMEON. His acceptance in Christchurch society was confirmed when he dined with Godley and his wife shortly after his arrival, and a week later with Simeon. Within a few days, John also met James Edward FITZGERALD, owner of the Lyttleton Times, and the paper soon afterward published the unsigned report by John of the voyage of the Samarang - the article was later circulated in Hull, and brought him a measure of fame there also.
Meanwhile, George and Thomas had wound up their affairs in England and, separately, departed from England by sea. Thomas, his wife Sarah and their three children sailed on the Mohammed Shah and their ship caught fire six hundred miles south of Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia; it was three days before they were rescued. All aboard escaped and landed in Hobart but lost all their posessions. Tom was hailed as an hero as he had volunteered to remove the contents of the powder magazine which was close to the seat of the fire.
George and his family sailed on the Royal Albert (or Port Albert) and on board was Marmaduke Dixon who was to later purchase "Eyrewell" (Runs 83 & 93) on the Waimakariri, and stocked the station with sheep obtained on terms from John Hall. George was involved with a number of stations in the early years of his time in Canterbury - these included Highbank (Runs 112 & 113), Springfield (Runs 54 & 106), Ringwood (Run 97), as well as various stations in the High Country such as Sheffield and Balmoral which he owned with his brother Thomas.
(NB A great number of details of the early years of the Hall family come from the book "By His Own Merits" by Jean Garner)