Sarah Ewing Hall
Sarah Ewing Hall was a notable figure in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, born in Philadelphia during the 1700s as the daughter of a pastor and tutor. Despite lacking formal schooling, Hall was intellectually nurtured by her educated brothers. In 1782, she married John Hall and moved to a farm in Cecil County, Maryland, where they raised eleven children. The family returned to Philadelphia in 1790, allowing Hall to engage with the city's literary scene, particularly through the Tuesday Club and the journal The Port Folio, to which she contributed significantly.
In 1818, she published her well-received book, *Conversations on the Bible*, which generated multiple editions in both America and Britain. In the 1920s, Hall and her children took over The Port Folio, creating much of its content until its cessation in 1926, a year after John Hall's death. Sarah Ewing Hall passed away four years later, and her literary contributions continued to be recognized posthumously, with selections of her writings published in the following decades. Her life reflects a dedication to education, literature, and family amidst the social context of her time.
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Sarah Ewing Hall
Writer
- Born: October 30, 1761
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: April 8, 1830
- Place of death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1700’s, Sarah Ewing Hall was the daughter of a pastor and tutor. Although Hall did not receive formal schooling, she learned a great deal from her well-educated brothers. She married John Hall, the son of a wealthy Maryland family, in 1782, relocating from Pennsylvania to a farm in Cecil County, Maryland. Together the couple had eleven children.
Hall returned to her hometown of Philadelphia with her family in 1790 when her husband became secretary of a land office and U.S. Marshall for the district of Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, Hall spent her nights studying literature and writing and socializing with members of the Tuesday Club, a literary circle associated with a journal called The Port Folio. Hall began contributing to The Port Folio and remained a celebrated member of the group even after moves to New Jersey and Maryland. In 1811, the Halls returned permanently to Philadelphia, where Hall devoted herself to learning Hebrew to aid her in the writing of her book, Conversations on the Bible. Published in 1818, Conversations on the Bible was quite popular, generating three American and one British edition.
During the 1920’s, Hall and several of her children took over production of The Port Folio, writing much of the content themselves before retiring the magazine a year after John Hall’s death in 1926. Hall herself passed away four years later. Two of Hall’s works were released posthumously. Selections from the Writings of Mrs. Hall, Author of Conversations on the Bible was released in 1833. In 1920, a selection of her letters to Anne Harris was published in Harris, Dunlop, Valentine, and Allied Families.