Mercy Stedman

1798 - 1851  (53 years)

• Name	Mercy Stedman
  Born	1798	South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island
  Gender	Female
  Name	Mary Stedman
  Died	1851
  Person ID	I14369	New England Hall Families Master Tree
  Last Modified	31 Jan 2021

  
  

  Father	Benjamin Stedman,   b. 16 Apr 1768, Massachusetts ,   d. 16 Apr 1828  (Age 60 years)
  Mother	Susanna Stedman,   b. 7 Aug 1773, South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island ,   d. Between 1830 and 1850  (Age 56 years)
  Married	30 Dec 1795	Granville, Hampshire County, Massachusetts   [1, 2]
  Family ID	F424	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Luke Hall,   b. 6 Jul 1795, Somers, Tolland County, Connecticut ,   d. Abt Nov 1879, Petoskey, Emmet County, Michigan  (Age 84 years)
  Married	Bef 1824
  Children	1. Mercy Didama Hall,   b. Abt 1824, Portage County, Ohio ,   d. 1884  (Age ~ 60 years)   2. Martha Hall,   b. Abt 1827, Portage County, Ohio ,   d. 1876  (Age ~ 49 years)   3. Charles Lyman Hall,   b. Abt 1832, Portage County, Ohio ,   d. 1876  (Age ~ 44 years)   4. Diantha Samantha Hall,   b. Abt Jul 1832, Marion County, Ohio ,   d. 23 Dec 1900, Burt Township, Cheboygan County, Michigan  (Age ~ 68 years)   5. Nelson Wesley Hall,   b. 4 Mar 1834, Marion County, Ohio ,   d. 28 Sep 1903, Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan  (Age 69 years)   6. Erastus Plimpton Hall,   b. Abt 1836, Marion County, Ohio ,   d. 8 Feb 1865, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee  (Age ~ 29 years)   7. Roxanna Hall,   b. Abt 1838, Portage County, Ohio ,   d. 1854  (Age ~ 16 years)   8. Lafayette Marion Hall,   b. 25 Mar 1841, Marion County, Ohio ,   d. 29 Jan 1908, Marion Township, Saginaw County, Michigan  (Age 66 years)
  Last Modified	18 Oct 2017
  Family ID	F5950	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1798 - South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Badges

  Halls of Taunton - DNA Family 024

  
  

• Notes

  It is obvious from several sources that Mercy Stedman was descended from the Rhode Island Stedman family but it is not entirely clear how. Her grandson in a 1937 letter claimed that she was a niece of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Examination of that family does not show how that would be possible unless she was illegitimate. Two of the possible connections would make her a second cousin to Perry. LDS records suggest that she was somehow linked to Oliver Stedman of Lenox, Massachusetts. Based on limited census data I am leaning now to believing that she was a daughter of Benjamin Stedman and his wife (and cousin) Susannah Stedman. Family records indicate that Mercy died in 1851; however, exhaustive searches for her in the 1850 census have not been successful and she was not living with Luke and her children at the time. Family legend is that Luke had brought her back to New York for "medical" help at the Saratoga Springs. Consequently, finding clues to her birth are mostly indirect. The only census reading that we know has to be Mercy is the 1830 census of Portage County, Ohio. She is listed as age 30-40 which places her birth before 1800. Luke Hall's wife in the 1820 Portage census is listed as age 16-26. I am not convinced this is Mercy. Luke had children in New York before coming to Ohio. I have yet to see a viable explanation of how he might have met any Stedman daughter in Smyrna, New York. I suspect that Luke's first wife died and Mercy married Luke in Portage or Geagua county in the early 1820s. As to where she was born, I have only found two children in the 1880 and 1900 census. Nelson says that his mother was born in New York in both census and Diantha says that her mother was born in Massachusetts. Nelson also said his father was born in NY, and Diantha says Connecticut. It would seem that Diantha seems to have had more knowledge of family history than Nelson. My experience is that, as a general rule, I tend to believe daughters more than sons. So it is likely that Mercy was born in Massachusetts and not New York or Rhode Island. Here is some discussion on each of the possibilities: 1/ Daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth. LDS records align Mercy with the family of Oliver Stedman, son of William Stedman, and his wife Elizabeth with some connection to Commodore Perry's family. I have been ambivalent about Mercy being a daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth. Because there has been a strong family belief I have tried to look for how it might be possible. One serious issue is that we do not know the maiden name of Elizabeth. Some data suggests that she might be descended from Governor Ward of Rhode Island. It is indeed strange that so little seems to be known about her. She and Oliver married in the late 1790s in Rhode Island and were enumerated in the 1800 census in South Kingstown with a daughter under 10. Records of Oliver's family are scarce. Based on the census, we know that he had a large number of daughters - many of whom are poorly documented, if at all. Some records suggest that this first daughter was named Abigail; however, I am becoming convinced that earlier researchers are confusing this daughter with Oliver's sister Abigail. Currently, I cannot identify who this first daughter was. However, she would have been born in Rhode Island and there is no evidence that Mercy was born in Rhode Island. 2/ Daughter of Joseph Stedman and Martha Stedman Joseph and Benjamin Stedman, sons of Samuel Stedman of South Kingstown and Granville West Society (Tolland) and Sarah Hull, married cousins - Martha and Susannah Stedman, daughters of Thomas McCoon Stedman and Mary Perry. Samuel Stedman moved his family to Granville West Society, Massachusetts before the Revolution. His brother Thomas  joined him there sometime after 1790. Joseph Stedman married Martha sometime before 1790 as they were enumerated in Granville in 1790 census. Census records for Joseph exist for each year and in 1800 show 2 boys under 10 and one girl. The girl is Mary/Polly who married Alpheus Baldwin and one of the boys is Joseph Dennis who married Matilda Worden. The second son is not identified; however, he does not appear in the 1810 census. Joseph removed to Portage county, Ohio sometime between 1810 and 1820. I believe there are tax records that indicate he was there as early as 1817. It should be noted that in the 1850 census, his son Watson, born about 1811, was listed as born somewhere in Connecticut. There is no census indication that Joseph could have had a daughter born in late 1790s. This does not rule it out, but makes it quite unlikely. 2/ Daughter of Benjamin Stedman and Susannah Stedman Benjamin and Susanna are recorded to have married in Granville in 1795. An 1800 Census record for Benjamin is not located; he might have been recorded with her father Thomas Stedman in 1800 in Granville. By 1810, he is listed with two daughters under 10 who have not been identified; I assume that one might be Mercy. The daughters were reported in 1820 census in Tolland as ages 16-26. He is next reported in Portage county in 1828 where he was buried. His sons Edward Perry Stedman and Isaac Newton Stedman are married and living in Portage county in 1830 census. Isaac was recorded as marrying in 1826 in Geauga County. Consequently, I am now leaning towards Benjamin as the father of Mercy. 4/ Wives of Luke Hall I am leaning to thinking that Luke Hall may have married someone else in New York before coming to Portage County. Clearly, the 1820 census shows him with 3 children in Portage county. I do not know how long before 1820 he came to Ohio. If Mercy were a daughter of any of the above families, there has to be a question of how she and Luke might meet in Smyrna. Since we have not developed any family linkage, we can easily assume the existance of a previous wife. And that, after Benjamin and his family arrived in Portage county, Mercy met Luke as a young widower needing a wife to take care of his children. Mercy Diadama Stedman who was born in the mid 1820s is likely a daughter of Mercy. However, Caroline and John could have been children of either Mercy or the presumed first wife.

  
  

• Sources

  [S60] Massachusetts Town Marriage Records, NEHGS, http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4079., Vital Records of Granville (Reliability: 3). STEDMAN (see Steadman), Benjamin and Susanah Stedman, Dec. 30, 1795. Intention not recorded. [S87] Massachusetts Marriage Index, Broderbund Family Archive #231.