Samuel Hall
Published: 2015-07-01
Total Pages: 42
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Samuel Hall - 47 Years a Slave - A Brief Story of His Life Before and After Freedom Came to Him - Samuel was about twelve years of age when the separation of the ownership of his family, as above noted, occurred. He and his half brother, Caesar, were inherited by Thomas Hall. Samuel Hall's full brother, Abe, was inherited by Hugh Hall, who also inherited Samuel Hall's half brother, Isaac. Joseph Hall, the oldest of the sons of the father, Alex Hall, the original head of the family, inherited Samuel Hall's uncle, Peter Hall. Hugh Hall, owning Abe Hall, wanted Samuel Hall, the subject of this sketch, in order to keep the brothers together, so he traded Isaac Hall and wife to Tom Hall for Samuel Hall, and thus it was that Samuel Hall and Abe Hall, colored, full brothers, came into the family of Hugh Hall, white, as slaves. The life of Samuel Hall and his brother in the home of Hugh Hall was a happy life. Samuel was about 12 years of age when he became the property of Hugh Hall and he grew to manhood in this family and had the best of opportunities to educate himself and improve his intellectual condition. He took advantage of some of those opportunities and others he ignored against the advice of his master. This master, Hugh Hall, was a humane man. He did not believe in slavery and he reared his Negroes as "free niggers." They were known far and wide for their high degree of intelligence and their capacity to do work and to do it intelligently, but the regular slave holders looked upon them as spoiled Negroes. Samuel and his brother, Abe, were never abused by Hugh Hall, nor would he allow others to abuse these slaves, or any other of his slaves. He was a champion of the black man's natural rights.