Reverend Thomas Hall was born April 8, 1750 in the Township of Byberry, Pennsylvania, and was the second eldest son of Captain John Hall and Sarah Hall. He was a cousin of Dr. Benjamin Rush through his aunt, Susannah Hall, and a nephew of the ReverendSamuel Finley through his aunt Sarah Hall. Hall earned an B.A. degree from the University of Philadelphia in 1773. Thomas Hall is especially notable as an historical figure because during the years leading up to the American Revolution, Hall was a leading advocate of the acquisition of rights of all colonists in Philadelphia and later in Virginia. However, when it became apparent to him that the American colonies intended to split entirely with England, he left Virginia and never returned to America. A number of letters survive in which he recounts both his reasoning for his departure from America before the Revolution, as well as some of the details of his eventful life. Thomas Hall first resided in England. He matriculated 9 October 1779 at the University of Leyden in the faculty of law in the Netherlands. He did not graduate at this University although he is mentioned in the publication of Peacock. His uncle Dr. Benjamin Rush apprenticed under Dr. John Redman who also studied at the University of Leyden. After serving as a minister in Bristol, Hall departed from London to Livorno, Italy in 1784, where he became the chaplain of the British Factory. In 1803, upon the invasion of Livorno by Napoleon, Hall stood steadfast to defend again Napoleon's desire to destroy the Old English Cemetery there. It was Hall who presided over the cremation of the body of drowned poet Percy Bysshe Shelleyon the beach near Livorno, and who later sent Shelley's Ashes to Lord Byron. Hall died on April 12, 1825, and was buried in that cemetery. Hall married Marianna Kleiber in Livorno in 1786 and they had four children. Their descendants can be found in Scotland, England, Italy and Australia. Hall's brother in law, Sebastiano Kleiber, was a financial sponsor of author Mary Shelley during her stay in Livorno. His burial tomb, commissioned by his nephews was crafted by sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini, whose grand patron was Napoleon.
