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"And Yet, Still We Rise"



James Hall a Civil War Veteran and former slave is my paternal great grandfather. He volunteered to serve in the Union army on November 17,1863 and his Volunteer Enlistment Document identifies the place as Fernandina, FL. Information on the side of this document shows he was mustered into the 21 regiment of the United States Colored Infantry, Company C on March 29,1864 in Jacksonville, FL. Delcalration Of Recruit Document

James served as a private in the 21st regiment of company C in the USCF until the end of the war. He is listed on the National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System (Note: Limit search options to Last and First name.)
Alexander Clark, Sargent,Company A 21st regiment; Thomas Robinson Corporal, Company H 21st regiment; Febuary Shaw Sargent, Company K 21st regiment, and Richard Masters Private,Company C 21st regiment are comrades-in-arms who resided in the area and submitted affidavits in my great grandfather's pension files (#761964 and 6377119)at the National Archives & Records in Washington, DC.

James returned to Florida and lived on his homestead in South Jacksonville with his wife Rebecca (Bolden)Hall and children Charlie, William, Henry, Joseph, Charity (Hall)Henderson, Lewis, Mary, Ivie, Alga, and Jas. B. until his death and burial at St. Nicholas Cemetery in November of nineteen-o-six. There maybe other children born before the war. Rebecca mentions Julia in her widow's pension claim (#859227).

James buys land from Adam Hall and the Warranty Deed is located in Book 7 on pages 296 and 297 at the Duval County Court House. Adam and James families live next door to each other in census records to the nineteen hundreds. Adam Hall lives with his wife Nancy (Murray) Hall and their children Rose, Adam Jr., Henry, Charles H., and Paul. Polonia (Hall) Small names James as her Uncle in his pension files. Adam Hall's 1898 & 1904 will confirms Polonia is his daughter and that James is his brother(Probate Records/Adam Hall file#2899/Duval County Court House/Jacksonville, FL).

There is mention in my granfather's pension file that he once belonged to the Eubanks. Jim and Adam are listed in probate records for the Eubanks dating from 1834 - 1855. These documents are property appraisals,sales,and expenditure receipts. Guardianship records for Jessup Eubanks by D.L. Palmer show expenditures for clothing and leading of young Negroes and receipts for hiring out of Negroes. The Negroes named are Jim, Adam, Sam, Linda, Lydia, Joe and Rose. Jim and Adam are identified as boys compared to Sam. An 1845 tax for 8 Negroes is paid. (Probates records/Eubank files #591,592,594/Duval County Court House/Jacksonville,FL)

I think Jim is James Hall my great grand father and Adam is Adam Hall my great grand uncle. My great grandfather was about 3 years old in 1834 because his military enlistment records of 11/1863 has him as 32 and born in St. Tilly,GA. I think he was saying Satilla and the recruiter wrote St. Tilly.