Hall, J. L.

HALL

Posted By: mjv (email)
Date: 5/24/2021 at 15:20:23

J. L. Hall, merchant tailor, at Washington, Iowa, was born in New York City, on the 12th of June, 1824. He is the son of Joseph and Amelia Hall, who were natives of England. His mother dying when he was but a small boy, and his father subsequently marrying, the home life of young Hall was not such as he desired, and he therefore left at a very early age. When fifteen years old, he was apprenticed to a tailor, with whom he served six years, receiving his board and washing and $20 per year. On account of poor health, he left New York in 1845, going thence to Canada, then to Erie, Pa., where he worked as a journeyman tailor.

In 1847 Mr. Hall was united in marriage with Mary Jane Hall, a native of Beaver County, Pa. In 1855 he came with his family to Iowa, and located at Washington, where he has since continued to reside, working at his trade, and being among the oldest business men of the city. In politics, Mr. Hall has always adhered to the principles of the Democratic party, though liberal when it comes to local affairs. He is a member of the Washington Lodge No. 26, A. F. & A. M., and of Cyrus Chapter No. 13, R. A. M., of Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Hall are the parents of one child, living – Ida A., wife of R. B. Organ, the live-stock agent of the Nickel Plate Railroad, now a resident of Chicago. Mr. Organ claims to have been the first white child born in the town of Washington, there were but a few scattering houses in the place and the county was comparatively unsettled. He has lived to witness a complete change in both county and city.

Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington County, Iowa (1887). Excerpt from Biographical Sketch of J. L. Hall, page 217.