Thomas Hall

Who was Thomas Hall?

Reverend Thomas Hall was born April 8, 1750 in the Township of Byberry, Pennsylvania, and was the second eldest son of Captain John Hall and Sarah Hall. He was a cousin of Dr. Benjamin Rush through his aunt, Susannah Hall, and a nephew of the Reverend Samuel Finley through his aunt Sarah Hall.

Thomas Hall is especially notable as an historical figure because during the years leading up to the American Revolution, Hall was a leading advocate of the acquisition of rights of all colonists in Philadelphia and later in Virginia. However, when it became apparent to him that the American colonies intended to split entirely with England, he left the home of his birth and never returned.

A number of letters survive in which he recounts both his reasoning for his departure from America before the Revolution, as well as some of the details of his eventful life.

First residing in England, he eventually settled in Livorno, Italy where he became the chaplain and where he died on April 12, 1825. He was buried in the Old English Cemetery there.