Path to Independence

In 1775 there was growing frustration among many in the American colonies with the conditions of British rule.  In Maryland, a group of elected officials came together in Harford County on March 22^nd to author and sign a document referred to as the Bush River Declaration (also called the Bush Declaration or the Bush River Resolution) in a display of frustration with British policies and the blockade of Boston, and to show their support for Colonial rule.  The Bush River Declaration endorsed the actions of the Continental Congress and the signers pledged their support “to our Country” at the risk of their lives and fortunes.  The document would have been considered treasonous, and yet it was signed by thirty-four local representatives just three weeks prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord which are regarded as the beginning of the American Revolution.

The full text of the Bush River Declaration, adopted and signed on March 22, 1775, reads as follows:

 "We the Committee of Harford County, having most seriously and maturely considered the Resolves and Association of the Continental Congress, and the Resolves of the Provincial Convention, do most heartily approve of the same, and as we esteem ourselves in a more particular manner, intrusted by our constituents to see them carried into execution, we do most solemnly pledge ourselves to each other, and to our Country, and engage ourselves by every tie held sacred among mankind to perform the same at the risque of our lives and fortunes."

While the Bush River Declaration did not specifically demand freedom from the British, it was regarded as endorsing more self-government for the Colonies which could well have been regarded as a desire for independence.

Source:  Maryland State Archives;

https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/html/bushriver.html

Among the thirty-four committee members and signers was a twenty-five year old named Aquila Hall Jr, my 4th great grandfather.  Signing first, and with the same name, was Col. Aquila Hall, his uncle, who was forty-eight at the time.  The younger Aquila Hall signed with “Junr” probably to differentiate himself from his older uncle.  The Hall family was a wealthy landholding family that first arrived in Maryland from England in the mid-1600’s.  They had much to lose in a conflict with the British Empire.

Aquila Hall Junr, my 4th great grandfather, was born in Baltimore County about 1750 and died in 1815.  He lived through the Revolution to see independence in America and the birth of a new nation. I don’t know his specific role during the Revolutionary War but it is clear to see where his loyalties lied.  If anyone has information or documentation of his activities during that time, I would love to hear from you.

Aquila Hall Jr (c.1750-1815) was the son of John Hall and Cordelia Knight Hall.  He married Ann Tolley on December 22, 1775 just as the American Revolution had begun.  Their children were Walter Tolley, Susan, Delia, Robert Lyon, Charlotte, Ann, Maria, Aquila, Charles G, William Henry, Aquila and Edward Carvil.  Susan Hall, their eldest daughter (also known as Martha Susannah Hall in one document), is my 3rd great grandmother.  She lived her life in Baltimore County and married Capt. Henry Hale, my 3rd great grandfather, in 1800.

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Key individuals:

     John Hall  (1722-1768)

     Cordelia Knight Hall  (c.1721-1782)

     Aquila Hall Junr  (c.1750-1815) 

     Ann Tolley Hall (1756-1830) [dau. of Walter Tolley & Martha Hall]

     Susan Hall Hale  (1778-1858)

     Capt. Henry Hale  (1755 or 1773 - 1841)

Notes:

Quite a bit is known about the illustrious Hall family.  If you wish, you can check the many sources that include books such as Baltimore County Families 1659-1759 and Provincial Families of Maryland, along with written and online information about the Bush River Declaration.  And, if you like to join lineage societies, there is The Hereditary Order of the Signers of the Bush Declaration.

- Jane Scribner McCrary