William Hall in India and In Scotland

Finding Young Will in Scotland

July 8, 2012 at 12:33 pm Leave a comment

Perth is a city in central Scotland, located on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative center of the Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire. According to a 2008 estimate, Perth has a population of 44,820. Perth has been known as The Fair City since the publication of the story Fair Maid of Perth by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott in 1828. During the later medieval period the town was also called St John’s Toun or Saint Johnstoun by its inhabitants in reference to the main church dedicated to St John the Baptist. My ancestor William Hall was born in Perth in 1838, joined the Army in 1857, and returned to Perth after his military service in India.

William Hall was born on December 8, 1838, to William Hall and Janet (Jessie) Marshall. He was baptized on December 16, 1838. His birth record can be found on Family Search. He first appears in the 1841 Scotland Census, where he is two years old. His father is 30 years old and is a slater, and his mother is 20 years old. There are no other children in 1841, The family lived at 219 High Street. William is not listed in 1851; instead there is a boy named James who is two. The family lived at 232 High Street. However, I did find William in the 1851 Scotland Census, listed with his grandfather Thomas Marshall, who was Janet’s father.  On the census transcription, the house number is written as 232, but there is no street. It doesn’t seem too far a stretch to conclude it was High Street, where the rest of the family lived. Thomas was an 80-year-old gardener, born in 1771. William was a 12-year-old scholar, and Betsy Marshall  (maybe a cousin?)was 10. By the time of the 1861 census, William was already a soldier in India. However, his mother and father are included in the 1861 census, still living at 232 High street with two-year old James. In 1871, William and Janet had moved to 12  Pomarium Street and had three children, James 12, Robert 7, and Thomas 5. In 1871, Jessie (Janet) is listed as head of the household, living with Robert 18 and Thomas 15.

William attestation papers show that he enlisted in the British Army in 1854 but he was underage at 17 years of age. One year later he was taken on to the 69th Regiment of Foot and his military career began.

Entry filed under: Halls. Tags: Attestation, Janet Hall, Perth, Scotland, Scotland Census, William Hall.