The Hale Family – William Walker Hale

The Hale family has been an interesting and somewhat difficult family to research. When I initially began my search on the Hale family, all I knew was what my father had written on his Family Bible. He had written that his grandmother, my great-grandmother was named Inez Hale and her father's name was Pink. It wasn't until after I began corresponding with other descendants of Pink that I was able to find his full name: Amos Pinkney Hale. This post and the next few will endeavor to display the research that has been done on this family. I will start at the earliest known Hale ancestor: William Walker Hale.

William Walker Hale was born between 1795 and 1806 in Alabama or Georgia. His exact birth date and birth town are not known at this time. Sometime before 1833, he married Mary. Some researchers believe that her maiden name was Parmer, but they do not offer any documents that prove this. Mary was born between 1789 and 1795 in Alabama or Georgia. William and Mary were the parents of three daughters, Mahala Jane, Mary Rebecca Nancy, and Rachel Lurania Melvina. By 1850, the family was living in Randolph County, Alabama in the town of Lamar. Do to lack of records, I do not know exactly when William or Mary passed away. William died after the 1870 census, probably in Randolph County, Alabama. After her husband's death, Mary lived with her daughter, Melvina, who had moved to Georgia. Mary died after 1880, possibly in Carroll County, Georgia or Randolph County, Alabama.

William and Mary, as well as their daughters, are often recorded as 'MU' or mulatto on the census records. It is not known whether they were recorded as mulatto for an African background or for a Native American background. From early photographs I have seen, it seems more plausible for the family to have Native American ancestry, since they are not as dark skinned as Africans and their hair seems to suggest more Native American. One researcher believes that William was a free African who married a white woman and therefore the family is recorded as mulatto. She has not found the proof yet of his ancestry, and it is entirely possible that there is African and Native American ancestry in this family. I know with 100% accuracy that some of William's grandchildren have Native American fathers, I just don't know their names.

Our William Walker Hale should not be confused with William Martsen Hale who married Sally Sterling. Yes, William and Sally had daughters named Mahala, Nancy and Melvina, but it is so clear from census records that they are not the same family. William and Sally lived in Blount County, Alabama while our William and Mary lived in Randolph County, Alabama. William and Sally had many more children, whereas we only know of three children for William and Mary. Some researches have merged these two Williams, and I want to make clear they are NOT the same.

One interesting fact about the three daughters of William is that none of them ever married. Each daughter had children, with various men, but never married to any of them. I do not know the names of any of the children's fathers, but I do know that some of their fathers were Indians, but from which tribes I do not know. I will focus on each daughter in her own section.

Ancestry Page

Sources
Obituary of Amos Pinkney Hale
Census Records – 1850-1880 Randolph County, Alabama, 1880 Carroll County, Georgia.