Children of Edward HALE and Hannah Beard. (General)

by ChristopherHale13, Friday, August 07, 2009, 10:28 (5666 days ago) @ sidhalemm

Hi Bill,
I think you can discount any connection to Sir Matthew Hale. All our forebears were yeomen, Ag labs, and coal miners from Littledean or Little Dean or Dean Parva if you go back to the 16th century. The earliest entry I have is for Edward Hale, yeoman of Dean Parva, burial 1604. Will not proven till 1672, Calendar of Gloucestershire Mills. Consistory Court, Bishop of Gloucester.
I have yet to make a connection to my next entry which is for Edward Hale, b. abt 1660, Little Dean, m. another Hannah Beard at Hardwicke, Glos. on 20/11/1682. Have researched Hardwicke and many Beards resided there at that time.
Edward and Hannah had Thomas Hale, b. abt. 1682-3 at Coleford, d. 1758 @ Little Dean aged 75-80. He married a Mary, b. ? d. 6/1710 Little Dean. Their offspring were 1) Sarah b. 1701, 2) Thomas b. 1703, 3) our Edward, b. 15/12/1706, d. 1765 Little Dean, m. 1728 Hannah Beard b. Little Dean, d. 3/02/1758 Little Dean, and 4) John, b. 1710.
My line of descent is as follows: Aaron Hale (1741-1812) was 6th child of Edward & Hannah. With his first wife Ann Trigge he had 6 children, Amos, Thomas, John, Edward, Aaron, and Noah. We descend through John (1761-1826) who married Hannah Lodge (1765-1848). They had 4 children: 1) Joseph (1791-1859), m. Lucy Hampton, and 2) twin Matthew (1791-1833), 3) John, b. 1794 and 4) William, my ggg/gfather (1798-1867). William married Sarah Naylor the daughter of the Governor of Littledean Prison, William Naylor, (1766-1851) who served with the Royal Horse Guards Regiment (the Blues) from 1784-1808 and I believe saw service in the Peninsular War. Appointed Turnkey of Bridewell, Little Dean Prison in 1815, and Governor in 1816. He served as Governor for 28 years, retiring 9 Jun 1843. He was also a Chelsea Pensioner and Annuitant and obviously a man of some standing in the Little Dean community.
William & Sarah Hale had 11 children. Their 7th was Thomas Hale Snr, my gg/gfather b. Littledean Jun 1838. He joined GWR in 1856 and retired in 1909, a career of 53 years with the railways. His son Thomas Jnr started with GWR (apprenticed to his dad as a fitter) at the age of 10 in 1873, and ending up as Chief Inspector Rolling Stock for Barry Railway, a career of 57 years with GWR! - a total of 110 years GWR service between them. That has to be some kind of a record! My gfather Thomas James Hale was an only child. He served with distinction on the Staff of General Hague in WW1 (Meritorious Service Medal), and my father Hugh Thomas Hale was a Territorial Army Volunteer pre-war and served in France, W Africa and Burma (Territorial Decoration) in WW2 ending up with the rank of Lieut Col. He became a well-respected Consulting Engineer with over 30 years service in the Middle East. Hope this is what you are after. Chris.