My Old Ohio Home - Hall

1869 Letter from Henry and Maria Boswell to Emily Hall

2026-01-23T00:00:00-05:00

Included in the Gratton family files collected by Wilfred Harrison (1905 - 1992), of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a descendant of James Gratton, was the following letter written in 1869 from Henry and Maria Boswell to Emily Hall. Following the letter is a transcription and some notes regarding the people mentioned.

Transcription

Boyds Mill Street
Attercliff Road
Jan 14th 1869

My Dear Sister,
I should have answered yours sooner but thought I would wait and see if Maria got any better. But I am sorry to tell you she is no better and little Harry is very poorly. We have tried all over to get a woman but cannot. We should feel vary grateful if you could come and stay with us, as I should then know the house was left in honest hands. I think of sending Maria to Buxton to see if that will do her any good, as she had been recommended to go. I hope your mistress will let you come and I will pay all expenses. Be sure to write by return of post.

In haste from your affectionate brother and sister, H & M Boswell

P.S. Mr H Billops called to ask for your address. His mother is dead.

Notes

I corrected or modernized the spelling and added some punctuation. "Little Harry" is their son, born in the 2nd Quarter of 1868 and died 2 years later in the 1st Quarter of 1871. They also had an earlier son Joseph, born in the 1st Quarter of 1866 and died in the 2nd Quarter of 1869.

I don't know who little Maria was. She is not with the Boswells on the 1871 census. There are no matching birth records for a Maria Boswell or Gratton from 1861 to 1869, unless she was born pretty far from Derbyshire. Maria Boswell probably wanted to send little Maria to Buxton because of the thermal mineral waters found there.

Mr H Billops is Henry Billups who married Maria and Emily's sister Agnes on 31 October 1869 in Sheffield. His mother, Jane (Davison) Billups Golding, died 8 November 1868 in Attercliffe.

Possibly a Letter from Emily Hall to Jane Billups

2026-01-15T00:00:00-05:00

Included in the Gratton family files collected by Wilfred Harrison (1905 - 1992), of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a descendant of James Gratton, was the following letter, probably from Emily Hall to Jane Billups. Following the letter is a transcription and some notes regarding the people mentioned.

Transcription

My dear Niece, This your dear mother history. I thought you and John would like it.

Agness Gratton 4 daughter of James and Ann Gratton, born April 4th 1845 and was married Oct -- 1869. She came to America in 1873 and brought John Henry with her. Jennie was born June 15, 1874 and James William August 11, 1876, Tom September 1878, and dear mother passed away March 13, 1880 and entered Episcopal Church or the Church of England Cemetery Lewistown, Mifflin County, PA.

Do you know when James William died or where?

Notes

This looks to me like a letter that Emily (Gratton) Hall intended to send to her sister Agnes (Gratton) Billups' daughter Jane, or Jennie, some time after Agnes' death. Agnes and her husband Henry "Harry" Billups kept in touch with Emily after they moved to Pennsylvania, and their letters included the exact birth dates of their three children born in America. See Harry and Agnes (Gratton) Billups, Letters on this site. Of course it could have been one of Jennie's other aunts--perhaps Harry and Agnes had written other people besides Emily--but I'm guessing it was Emily since the letter was found with her papers.

It must have been written after April 27, 1882, since that is when James William Billups died.

The letter raises a few questions:

1) How did the writer know James had died?

2) Did Harry continue to write his in-laws in England after his wife died? How else would anyone in England know about James' death? If Harry was still writing as late as 1882, why aren't those letters with the other 35 in Emily's collection? Or did he write someone else, maybe the Boswells?

3) Does it tell us that Jennie and John were still together? If so, were they still with their father, Harry? Tom had been with his paternal aunt Naomi (Billups) Jackson in Pittsburgh since at least the date of the 1880 census.

4) But the biggest question to me is: Why was the letter never sent? Had the family in England lost touch with Harry? Had he, perhaps, written to tell them he was moving and then never wrote to tell them where?

1859 Letter from Sarah and Maria Hall to their Parents

2025-04-29T00:00:00-04:00

Included in the Gratton family files collected by Wilfred Harrison (1905 - 1992), of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a descendant of James Gratton, was the following letter from Sarah and Maria Gratton to their parents. Following the letter is a transcription and some notes regarding the people mentioned.

Transcription

6 George Street [later notation: Liverpool]
May 30, 1859
My dear Father and Mother

You will think us a long time since writing our last letter but we have been waiting for some money we have owing us for some work done. We have not received it as yet and you must know to live as cheap as we can it takes 10s/weekly. We pay 3s/ per week for lodgings, then it takes 6s/ to keep us, without anything else. We pay our rent every week to the day so we could not send any home at present. But don't think it unkind but we are a long way from home and if we had not a penny I don't know where to get one. Although we can have plenty to say [who say?] "if you are short Miss Gratton any time we will be most happy to lend you any thing you may want," but we never lend or borrow. If we have not it ourselves we do without. We have a many little things to send home. We know Emily might do them up well now she is at home, [or We know Emily might do them up. We know she is at home] but its no use sending one thing till we send all and we will do as soon as we can.

[A corner of the page is missing, affecting this next paragraph]

Dear Father Mother, we have not wrote to Denton as yet. I do not like to write to Miss Taylor, I would sooner write to cousin James ... send us word how she likes. We hope she w... very well. We have many little things for. I will tell you what we think we would ... to see her and the fare home ... ??/6 and sometime next month or the month after to ask cousin James to come up and bring Agnes with him and we will pay her fare. Come in the morning and go back at night. Then she will see us both and see Liverpool as well, as we can not both leave home at once as many might call about work, and so sure would it be the case if we were out. But just as you like send us word when you write.

I will tell you how we saw the other day George Topliss of Chesterfield but he goes by Roberts, not Topliss. He said he was going to America. He has been in Dublin. We have not seen him since. Send us word how wrote the address on the Sheffield paper you sent which we were very glad of. We sent a paper every week and one today along with this letter.

O I forgot we are leaving this house this week and they're (?) been out. I can not send you the number of the other house they have taken, but I will write you again this week and let you know as we want to hear from [you.] Give our kindest love to all friends and accept our kindest love Dear Father and Mother, Brothers and Sisters. Kisses for the Boys and Dear Sister Frank, they all must be getting big children by this. God Bless you all from your ever affectionate Daughters, Sarah [and] Maria Gratton.

Notes

There were a lot of people mentioned in the letter but the only ones I can identify are Sarah and Maria's sisters Agnes and Emily. I have a little information about the Jenkinson cousins and don't see a James mentioned among them. Maybe James was on the Gratton side of the family. I don't know who Denton is, and I am curious as to why the sisters didn't want to write Miss Taylor. As far as George Topliss, AKA Roberts, of Chesterfield is concerned, he is a complete mystery, as he might have been even then.

The letter was sent from 6 George Street, Liverpool. You can find it on the map off Old Hall Street, one street in from Chapel Street.

6 George St, Liverpool, 1854

Sadly, Sarah died within 7 months of the writing of this letter, on December 27, 1859. Notes on her findagrave page, presumably taken from her death record, say she had contracted pyemia (a type of sepsis) and died in the Workhouse, Brownlow Hill, at age 25. She is buried in Walton Park Cemetery, Liverpool.

Credits

The full map of Liverpool in 1854 can be found in the Harvard Map Collection of Harvard University at https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/ids:10327532. The clip is provided by Harvard University for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Sarah Gratton's findagrave page: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274770192/sarah-grattan.

1873 Letter from Agnes Billups, probably to Emily Hall

2025-04-10T00:00:00-04:00

Included in the Gratton family files collected by Wilfred Harrison (1905 - 1992), of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a descendant of James Gratton, was the following letter from Agnes Billups, probably to her sister Emily Hall. Following the letter is a transcription and some notes regarding the people mentioned.

Transcription

Dronfield June 11, 1873

My Dear Sister,

I want you to get my black waist finished for Saturday and Harry shall come for it if you can. For we are out on Sunday and I should like it and if you can't, do write by return of post. We all come home on Tuesday and all is well at present. With love to all from your loving sister, Agnes Billups

Notes

A waist is "A garment, or part of a garment, which covers the body from the neck or shoulders to the waist line" according to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913).

A calendar might be helpful in understanding the rest of this letter:

This letter was most likely written to Agnes' sister Emily Hall, since the collection of letters and documents are in the possession of her descendants. It was written on Wednesday, June 11, 1873. On Monday, June 9, Agnes had been a witness at the marriage of her sister Frances Gratton and John Birley in Sheffield. The other witness was her sister Maria's husband, Henry Boswell. Emily and William Hall were living in Newbold, Derbyshire, in 1871.

Since this is written from Dronfield, I think Agnes might have left her two year old son, John, in Dronfield with her parents when she went to the wedding, and has now returned there to retrieve him. While in Dronfield she asks Emily to have her garment ready by Saturday so "Harry", likely Henry Boswell, can go and get it. Then on the following Tuesday Agnes, John, and the Boswells plan to return home to Attercliffe.

Agnes' husband, Harry Billups, had already left for America in March, so she can't be referring to him when she says "Harry shall come for it."

For more details on the Hall and Billups families, see the Pennsylvania Families tree on this website.

1873 Letter from Henry Hall to William Hall

2025-04-05T00:00:00-04:00

Included in the Gratton family files collected by Wilfred Harrison (1905 - 1992), of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a descendant of James Gratton, was the following letter from Henry Hall to William Hall regarding the death of their brother Tom Hall in Warminster, Wiltshire. Following the letter is a transcription and some notes regarding the people mentioned.

Transcription

Market Place
Warminster
Oct 24th, 1873

Dear Brother,

I write to inform you that the interment of Bro Tom will take place at the Parish Church Warminster on Wednesday next. It was his wish to be buried there. Should you think of coming to the funeral, you could come either Monday or Tuesday next as most convenient. If you come, book through to Bath then change stations to the Great Western line. The railway fare is 15/2'/2 to Warminster. As regards the settlement of Tom's affairs, I will inform thee when I get home should thou not be disposed to come. From thy affectionate bro, Henry

The Halls

Henry, William, and Tom Hall were all born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, the sons of Henry Hall, a joiner and cabinet maker, and Anne White.

Henry was born in 1832, married Mary Ann Wilkinson in Chesterfield in the last quarter of 1862, and died in the second quarter of 1890 in Warminster, Wiltshire.
William was born in 1840, married Emily Gratton September 26, 1861, at St Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Sheffield, Yorkshire, and died in the fourth quarter of 1908 in Chesterfield. Findagrave says he died 18 Nov 1908.
Tom, the youngest child, was born in 1847, never married, and died October 23, 1873, in Warminster.

Tom Hall's death, burial, and estate

I was curious how Tom died at the age of 26, so I requested the image of Tom Hall's death record from the GRO and it says the following:

23 October 1873 Warminster Tom Hall 26, ironmonger's assistant, cause of death: [top of word cut off], duration 8 months, and phthisis pulmonalis, duration 4 months, medically certified. informant: Jno Hall of Market Place, Warminster, present at death.

Phthisis pulmonalis is another name for tuberculosis, and the best guess on rootschat for the secondary cause of Tom's death was enteritis. Tom was buried October 29, 1873, at the parish church of St Denys with St Lawrence, Warminster. Henry's letter said it was a Wednesday, and so it was:

Ancestry had information for Tom Hall's estate from the National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) for England & Wales. It included the information that the sole executor was "John Hall of Warminster, Ironmonger, the Brother." A search found this newspaper legal notice mentioning John:

Warminster Herald, May 23, 1874
notice re: estate of Tom Hall

John Hall

John Hall was the oldest child of Henry and Anne (White) Hall. He was baptized July 1, 1830, in the parish church in Chesterfield and was in Warminster by 1861 when he is listed as an iron merchant on the 1861 Census. He married Sarah Whittock Harris on April 11, 1864, in the parish church of Warminster, and died May 26, 1909. His information in the National Probate Calendar said he had been a wholesale ironmonger.

Concluding thoughts

Notice that the letter is edged in black, indicating that it announces a death.
Without the letter, I think I would have made the same mistake a number of people on ancestry.com have made regarding Henry Hall, namely thinking that he died in 1894 in Derbyshire. The letter implies that he was writing from Warminster, so I looked for his records there. There is a death of a Mary Anne Hall, age 38, in Wesbury, Wiltshire, in the third quarter of 1877, that could be his wife. Also, he is on the 1881 Census of Warminster, working as an accountant for an iron monger, most likely his brother John. Finally, as mentioned, he died in Warminster in 1890, and is buried at the parish church.

For a few more details on the Hall family, see the Pennsylvania Families tree on this website.