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Ichabod Hall of Enfield, CT
By Kathryn Hall | March 25, 2010
The following guest post written by two descendants of Ichabod Hall clarifies, corrects and expands the notes we find in The Kibbe Manuscript on Halls of Taunton. My deepest gratitude is here expressed to these fine researchers in sharing their well documented family history. ~KH
Although the ancestry of Ichabod Hall of Enfield, CT is uncertain, his life from the time of his marriage to Lois Kibbe until his death is documented. He is mentioned numerous times in all three volumes of History of Enfield: Compiled from all the public records known to exist, covering from the beginning to 1850, by Francis Allen Olcott; Lancaster, PA; Wickerson Printing Co., 1901. Most of the information that follows is taken from that work, with the exception of two land records and a few vital records, which are noted separately. Spellings from the original documents were repeated in Allen’s work, and are thus repeated here.
The earliest record for Ichabod Hall in Enfield, CT is an intention of marriage published May 31, 1730, for Ichabod Hall and Lois Kibbe (Allen, Vol. 2, “Intentions of Marriages” p.1756). The marriage itself took place June 25, 1730 (Allen, Vol. 2, “Marriages”, p. 1770; Vital Records of Enfield, CT., Town Book 1, 1682-1789, p. 52).
Ichabod and Lois had 10 children between the years of 1730 and 1751: Ebenezer, b. Nov. 9, 1730, (Allen, Vol. 2, Births, p. 1629 and Town Book 1, p. 37); Moses, b. Oct. 8, 1732; Lois, b. Mar. 10, 1735/6; Hannah, b. Mar. 10, 1736/7, Elizabeth, b. Mar. 15, 1738/9; Eunice, a twin, the other child, male, stillborn, Mar. 26, 1741; Miriam, b. Apr. 4, 1745; Mary, b. Sept.23, 1748 (Allen, p. 1629) Elisha, b. Nov. 22, 1751 (Allen, p. 1629 and Town Book, 1, 1682-1789, p.83).
Elisha’s birth year has been given as both 1751 (R.R. Hinman, Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of CT, printed by E. Gleason, Hartford, 1846, p. 178) and 1761 (Allen, p. 1629). A certified copy of the record, made May 22, 2009 from the vital record above, has a note that the birth year is not discernable, and has attached a photocopy of the original record. The year could be either 1751 or 1761. To clarify that the year is 1751, it is necessary to look at the record of births for Elisha’s children (the eldest, Samuel, b. Apr. 22, 1773, New Marlborough, MA, Births, 1734-1858, vol. 1,p. 24) and his own death record, May 6, 1842, age 91, (New Marlborough, MA, Old Records, Book 2nd, Births and Deaths, 1797, p.10).
While Ichabod was raising his large family, he was also active in the town. He was chosen to serve as one of the Hog Reeves for the years 1731 (Allen, Vol. 1, Town Meetings, p. 359), 1735 (pp. 371-372) and 1737 (pp. 378-379).
On December 18th, 1744, a vote at Town Meeting freed Ichabod Hall “of his town & minister Rates for this Present year—” (Allen, p. 401). No reason is given.
Ichabod is known to have owned property as early as 1733. In Vol. 1, “Land Grants”, pp. 230-231, a parcel of land is described as, “laid out to the Estate of Deacon Isaac Pease, late Decsd…Bounded….west on Ichabod Hall’s Land, entered May 15th, 1733…” Ichabod is mentioned again, on p. 277: “hath laide out 25 acres of land lying at Brook meadow…Entered March 22nd, 1737”. In Volume1, “Commoners Book A”, on Oct. 2, 1754, a parcel of land is “Surveyed and Laid out to Ichabod Hall, twelve acres and one quarter of land in Somers…” (Allen, p.775). Ichabod is also listed in “A Table of Common Rights” on page 776. Three more parcels, laid out in January, 1757 are described in the Commoners Book, on pp. 868, 869 and 891. The parcels of land are in Somers, one for nine acres, one for thirty acres and one for twenty, respectively.
Ichabod is named twice in Volume 3, “Town Records”. On p. 2483, it is noted that on “June 26, 1753, Ichabod hall Entered his mark which is a Crop off of the Left Ear and two half pennys the und Side of the Same Ear.” A few pages later, under “Estrays, Etc.”, it is noted: “Taken up By Ichabod hall November 3rd 1761 a Red white faced heifer year old past marked with a Crop in the near Ear and a slit in the Crop.” (Allen, p. 2499).
In Volume 3, “Enfield and Somers Soldiers in the Colonial Wars” Ichabod mustered into the 1st Regiment, 9th Co., April 16, 1759. “That year’s Expedition was engaged in the reduction of Fort Louis at Oswego and the capture of Montreal.” (Allen, p.2640) Ichabod served again in the same regiment and company from March 25-Nov.25, 1760. “This year’s expedition was engaged in the reduction of Canada.” (Allen, pp. 2640-2641).
Ichabod is mentioned several times in Vol. 2 ,“Treasurer’s Book”. This is described as the “Enfield Book for Town Accounts to be keept (sic) in Feby. 22, 1714/15. From 1741 to 1805.” (p.913). The first entry for Ichabod, on p. 913, is undated, but is just prior to entries dated 1743/44. The entry is the third one in a series, and reads “by Ichabod Hall 0-18-11”. This amount is part of a final tally a few entries later. Other entries for Ichabod are: Nov. 8th, 1751, “Paid Ichabod Hall per order 08-05-02”; (p. 936), December 12th, 1752, “By Crossing Ichabod halls Rate in part, 1-12-00”; (p.937); Sept. 6th, 1761, “order to pay Ichabod Hall 0-02-01” (p.950); March 24, 1763, “by an order returned on which you paid Ichabod Hall 00-02-01” (p. 950). An additional entry on p. 986 , dated Sept. 6th, 1762 is “to order to pay Ichabod Hall 00-02-01.” The reason for the payment is not given.
The last pertinent records for Ichabod Hall in Enfield are for the sale of two parcels of land. A record dated February 24, 1764, states that Ichabod is of Hartford County (Land Records of Enfield, CT, 1760-1773, Book 3, pp. 155-156.) In a subsequent sale, dated March 5, 1765, Ichabod is recorded as” being in the county of Berkshire, in the colony of Massachusetts Bay” (Land Records of Enfield CT, 1760-1773, Book 3, p. 248.) The land sold in 1765 was purchased by Samuel Hall of Somers.
It appears from an examination of the original records that Ichabod was illiterate. His name is recorded in both documents in the handwriting of the clerk; beside Ichabod’s name is a circle, with the word “Seal” inside.
Ichabod and Lois moved to New Marlborough, MA, after their son Ebenezer Hall, Sr. and his wife Anna Pease Hall settled there. Ebenezer and Anna married in Enfield, CT. May 27, 1753 (Enfield Town Book, 1, 1682-1789, p. 198) and were in New Marlborough by 1760, when their daughter Susannah was born July 19. (Record of Marriages, Births and Deaths in New Marlborough, MA, by Otis Lombard, 1860, p. 268.)
Land records of New Marlborough may indicate that at least one daughter, Lois, married to Daniel Winchell of Suffield, had also moved to New Marlborough prior to Ichabod and Lois, but further research is needed to verify this. A search of these records would also yield further information on Ichabod and Ebenezer.
The deaths of Ichabod Hall and Lois (Kibbe) Hall are recorded in the vital records of New Marlborough, MA. Ichabod died February 4, 1787; Lois died November 6th, 1796. (Old Records, Book 2nd, Births and Deaths, 1797, p.10). Their burial places are unknown.
~EGL & MHB, Descendents of Ichabod Hall of Enfield, CT.
Topics: Guest Posts | 4 Comments »
March 26th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Nice piece of history. Well done.
March 27th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
[…] Ichabod b. no birth record, may not belong to this family m. Enfield June 25, 1730 Lois Kibbe of Enfield, had a numerous family and many descendants. He moved to Vermont or New Hampshire in middle life. […]
September 14th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Brian, I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with that line. Thank you for your comment, however. Maybe someone else will find this helpful and respond. KH
September 19th, 2012 at 10:36 am
I am wondering if EGL and MHB have tracked the paths of the children of Ichabod and Lois Kibbe Hall’s youngest son Elisha? Proving his birthdate in 1751 is discussed in the article above. I have found a tentative genealogy on another site which shows this Elisha married Hannah Phillips and both lived out their lives together in New Marlborough, where they had six sons and four daughters. The two oldest of these children are identified as Samuel born April 22, 1773 and Ichabod born March 14, 1775. Could they be the Samuel and Ichabod who came to Canada with Thomas Ingersoll in 1796? The Ichabod who came to Canada named his oldest son Elisha (1800-1868).