Silas Hall Sr.

• BIRTH 19 Jun 1768 Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA
• DEATH 30 Jun 1841 (aged 73) Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA
• BURIAL Norton Common Cemetery, Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA
• MEMORIAL ID 86049338Photos by Patrick White

Historical Notes

The area that is now known as the city of Taunton was first settled in 1639. Iron ore was discovered in Taunton on the banks of the Two Mile (Forge) River in 1652. After the discovery of the iron ore, a group of 23 people formed a partnership to start up the iron works. The iron works began somewhere between 1652 and 1656. This section of Taunton, the east end, where the iron works were located, became the Town of Raynham.

Raynham was incorporated as a town on April 2, 1731. The Leonard, Jones, Washburn, King, Shaw, Dean, Hall, Gushee, Williams, Gilmore, Andrews, Hathaway, White, Tracy and Knapp are cited as the founding families of Raynham, and their descendants held prominent positions in the town until well into the 20th century.

Town leaders, from the first families, partitioned the Massachusetts General Court three times before they were allowed to become independent from Taunton. The Court set the following requirements for Raynham's succession from Taunton: "That the inhabitants of said town do, within the space of three years from the publication of this act, procure and settle a learned and orthodox minister of good conversation, and make provisions for his comfortable and honorable support and likewise provide a schoolmaster to instruct their children to read and write."

The iron works were the dominant industry in the town for more than two centuries. The importance that was attached to iron works is apparent from the town seal which depicts the iron works along with the date 1652. The Raynham iron works were not the oldest in the state. Iron works in Lynn, Saugus and Braintree were started prior to those in Raynham. However, the iron works in Raynham have the distinction of being the iron "manufactory" that was in continuous operation for the longest period of time. The iron works continued to operated in Raynham until 1873.

Ship building was also part of Raynham's early economy. Ridges were cut into the banks of the Taunton River to form cradles for the boats. The ridges of the banks were used as staging and as a means to shore up or brace the ships. The timbers were floated across the Taunton River to the approximate site of the staging areas and then dragged up the banks to the ships by the oxen. The small schooners that were built this way weren't completely finished in Raynham. In the spring, when the water is usually the highest, they were sailed down river to Berkley or Fall River for the final fittings.

The property where the shipbuilding took place was owned by the Reverend Silas Hall and other members of the Hall family. [3]

Inscription SILAS HALL
Died June 29, 1841
Aged 73 years

Graveyard Details
Husband of Nancy

Genealogy

Parents Brian Hall 1727–1778
Abiah Crossman Hall 1726–1814

Spouse
Nancy Stanley Hall
1770–1833 (m. 1794)

Siblings
Isaac Hall 1753–1779
Prudence Hall 1758–1839
John Hall 1760–1840

Children
Anna Hall 1798–1818
Richard Hutchins Hall 1810–1877

References

[1] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86049338/silas-hall

Source

[2] Vital Records of Norton, MA

[3] A Brief History of Raynham, Massachusetts by Kathleen Roberts, Raynham Historical Commission