Jude Hall

Jude Hall

• Colony: New Hampshire *Age: 28
• Race: African American
• Rank: Private
• Status: Slave *Position: unknown
• Unit: Reed/Hinds

Jude Hall was born into slavery around 1747 in Exeter, New Hampshire. He was described as “a powerful man who could lift a barrel of cider and drink it from the bunghole.” His first master, Philemon Blake sold him to Nathaniel Healey, but Jude did not like his new master, so he ran away. He enlisted as a Private on May 10, 1775.

During the Battle of Bunker Hill, he was thrown “headlong by a cannon ball striking near him.” He survived the battle and continued fighting throughout the American Revolution and was discharged in 1781.

Jude Hall probably fought at Ticonderoga and Trenton in 1777. His regiment fought at the Battle of Hubbardton in Vermont on July 7, 1777 and his Colonel was captured. He also fought at Saratoga and Valley Forge. He joined Sullivan’s expedition against the Iroquois in the summer of 1779. He fought in many battles until the end of the war. The records do not list his New Hampshire regiment at the Yorktown during the surrender of the British Army.

During the war he married a free woman Rhoda Paul in September 1785 and they had twelve children. For his eight years of service he received land on July 21, 1789 in Exeter. He built a small house for his family on his land. His land had a pond called Jude’s Pond. In the first U.S. census in 1790 he was listed as “a head of household of five free people of color.”

Jude and Rhoda Hull experienced tragedies with their children. Three of their four sons were kidnapped and sold into slavery. Jude Hall tried to find them without success. His oldest daughter, Dorothy, married Robert Roberts on December 15, 1805 and Roberts told the story about his three brother-in-laws, James, William, and Aaron, being kidnapped to Judge David Child in Boston on November 22, 1833 to petition help to find them. Jude Hall did find out that James Hall was sold by his kidnapped to a man in New Orleans. Aaron was kidnapped in Providence, Rhode Island and forced to go to sea and never heard from again. William went to sea as a free sailor, but was sold into slavery in the West Indies. He ran away and he ended up in England. He sent news home of his captured and freedom, but Jude Hall died before hearing this good news. Jude Hall died on August 22, 1827 at the age of 80. He was buried in the northeast corner of the old Winter Hill graveyard now called Winter Street Cemetery.

Source: Biographies of Patriots of Color at The Battle of Bunker Hill