Introducing Mr & Mrs Hall - Residents of the Yaldhurst Community, 1860

Mr William Hall (born 1829 in Warwickshire England) sailed with free passage to New Zealand 1842 with his father Mr William Jabez Hall as a member of the European settlement under the auspices of the New Zealand Company.  The Halls boarded a ship and sailed to Wellington on the 1st of May 1842.  Mr William Hall (junior) was only 13 years old.

Below is a copy of the newspaper advertisement printed in Adelphi London, 15 June 1839, enticing married qualified tradespeople no older than 30yrs to travel to New Zealand.

If you would like to read more about what vision The New Zealand Company had in mind for those emigrating to New Zealand see Te papa Tongarewa link:-  https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/1216

Life was very hard and days long for colonists.  Having no agricultural tools to work the land, no roads for travelling, no employment, poor housing that provided no protection for their families, no money, no way of returning home, yet they still continued to work with the dream of being landowners.  

Mr Hall (junior I believe) became very ill but with the help of Dr Featherston (community doctor) he recovered.  The Hall family moved to the area of Yaldhurst in 1860 (YMS opened 15 yrs later) where Mr Hall worked hard using his skilled trade as a wheel-wright (building and repairing wheels.)  Mr Hall, and with his brother in-law, purchased 200 acres of land from the New Zealand Government.  Mr Hall married Miss Elizabeth Dodge who had sailed from England to Wellington in 1841.  Together they had five sons and one daughter.  It is recorded that they were strong supporters of the Salvation Army. The Hall Family fulfilled their dreams of becoming landowners but it would have come at great cost and sacrifice.  Thank you to the Hall Family who despite unimaginable hardship never lost hope of the dream he believed in. Thank you to Mr Hall and family, you are a cornerstone of what became Yaldhurst Model School.

Hope you enjoyed reading this small piece of our history.