Clement Hall, (1706–1759) was an
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
missionary and author of numerous religious works. He emigrated to the British
colony of North Carolina
The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern colonie ...
where he continued in his religious and spiritual writings. He was the author of the first privately written book printed in the Colony of North Carolina. Hall's son, Clement, fought in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
.
Early life and family
Clement Hall was born in 1706 in
Warwickshire, England
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcest ...
. Historians assume that he lived near
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
where other members of his immediate family lived. On May 29, 1706, Hall was baptized at Saint Mary's Church, in Warwick. He received his basic education in Warwick's public school. In 1731, Hall and his brother Robert emigrated to the
Province of North Carolina
The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern col ...
where they established their residence in Perquimans County, North Carolina. Hall married Frances Foster in the summer of 1742. She was the daughter of Francis Foster who served in the colonial government since 1689. Hall's mother either emigrated with him or arrived soon afterwards. She died in
Edenton on February 8, 1752, at age 73, and was interred in the grave yard at Saint Paul's Church.
[ Powell, 2000, Vol. III, pp. 6-7][ North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. XXVII, 1950, p. 27] Hall's son, also named Clement, fought in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
in the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
and later corresponded with
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
on several occasions.
[ Letter from Hall to Washington, January 15, 1790]
Colonial life
In 1731 Hall purchased a 104-acre plantation on the northeastern side of
Perquimans River. He was appointed a justice of the Perquimans County Court in 1739. Clement Hall's pursued to be seek ordination as a missionary in the Church of England in the summer of 1743. Several reputable men in the colony regarded Hall as a true Christian and his qualities as a missionary and testified to his "Honour, Diligence and Integrity". Hall spent much time riding alone on horseback about the countryside where he came up with ideas for a religious work he authored, entitled, ''A Collection of Many Christian Experiences, and Several Places of Scripture''. His work was printed, by
James Davis, which became historically noted as the first non-legal book published in North Carolina.
[ Reavis, 2000, pp. 1, 18, 30] The only known copy of the book is in the Rare Book Collection,
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
Library,
Durham, North Carolina
Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
. Clement's work was reprinted at Raleigh, State Department of Archives and History, 1961.
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See also
* Early American publishers and printers
Early American publishers and printers played a central role in the social, religious, political and commercial development of the Thirteen Colonies in British America prior to and during the American Revolution and the ensuing American Revol ...
(contains much history about the printing of religious works in colonial America)
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Clement
1706 births
1759 deaths
People from colonial North Carolina
History of North Carolina
Religion in North Carolina