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Parents:Nicholas Hall
Occupation:Laborer, soldier, farmer
Military:Private in British 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)
Service:In 2nd Battalion serving in England, Spain and Portugal
Wounded Sept. 27, 1810 in Portugal
Member of 88th Regiment in Quebec, Canada
Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles in Kingston, Ontario
104th Regiment (New Brunswick Regiment) in Montreal, Canada
Marriage:(Marie) Mary Marcotte
November 11, 1822
Perth, Ontario, Canada
by Rev. Michael Harris
witnessed by W. McGrath and Alexander Cameron
Children:WilliamJan. 19, 1823d. May 25, 1901
HelenorMar. 12, 1825d. Mar. 7, 1904
JamesJune 17, 1826d. Nov. 28, 1903
NicholasDec. 16, 1829d. Nov. 28, 1901
CallistaOct. 19, 1833d. May 8, 1885
History:"Nicholas Hall became a resident and farmer of Lanark County,
Ontario as a result of his service to the Crown. He served as a
private in the British 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers),
after enlisting in 1807, to fight in the Peninsular Wars of the
Naploeanic War. He was part of the 2nd Battalion, which was raised
in Ireland, and served in England, Spain and Portugal, participating
in at least three major battles. He was wounded on Sept. 27, 1810 in
Portugal. Record of his enlistment includes a description of him as:
5' 2 ¾" in height, age 17 (he was actually 16, but lied about his age)
fair complexion, gray eyes, brown hair, coming from Rashain Parish
in County Laois (Queens) Ireland and occupation of labourer.
"After the Napoleanic War and coinciding with the end of the War of 1812,
his regiment was sent to Quebec, Canada, arriving aboard the ship
'Cathheart' on August 3rd 1814, where he later participated in the Battle
of Plattsburg. After a brief time of service in Canada, the 88th Regiment
was ordered back to England, leaving in June of 1815. Nicholas, however,
stayed in Canada, joining the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles on
Oct. 23, 1815. Men were recruited into the Glengarrys for the consideration
of being granted land concessions in Canada upon completion of their
military service. The Glengarry served in Canada primarily as a deterrent
against any future incursions by U.S. military forces. He continued service
with the Glengarrys until they were disbanded in Kingston, Ontario on
June 24th 1816. On Nov. 2, 1816 he joined the 104th Regiment
(New Brunswick Regiment) in Montreal and served until his discharge
on May 5, 1817 in Montreal. We can arguably surmise that it was during
his period of service with the 104th Regiment in Montreal that he met
(Marie) Mary Marcotte, whom he married Nov. 11, 1822 in Perth.
"It also is known that Nicholas was a bit of a scalawag. He was one of
the few former soldiers who successfully petitioned for and was granted
two land grants of 100 acre each. He petitioned for his original land
concession for service with the Glengarry Fencibles and was granted the
same Lot 11 in the 4th Concession of Bathurst, Ontario in which Lanark
is located. Years later on Sept. 20, 1832 he again petitioned as a veteran
of the 104th Regiment. In his petition there was a claim that he had lost
his discharge by sending it forward to claim his prize money, but the
petition included a "certificate of good character" authored by
Lieut. Francis Cumming attesting to Nicholas's service with the 104th.
On Jan. 24, 1833, Nicholas was awarded a second 100 acre concession in
South Sherbrooke.
"One oddity of Nicholas and Mary’s deaths and burials is that Mary, a
French Canadian Catholic who died July 4, 1864, is reportedly buried in
the Anglican cemetery in Perth. Nicholas, who died March 3, 1872, was
a member of the Church of Ireland and is buried in the Catholic cemetery
in Westport, Ontario where he had been living with a daughter and
son-in-law at the time of his death.
"The Nicholas Hall children, in order of birth, were: William, Helenor,
James, Nicholas and Collice." [By Joseph Anthony Hall, Nicholas Hall's great-great-
great-grandson, appearing in Lanark County Genealogical Society Newsletter, Nov. 2001,
reprinted with permission of the author]
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