Samuel Pollard Halls

Samuel Pollard Halls was born in Crediton, Devon, England in 1838. He was the son of Philip Halls who was a mason by training, and later a Bible Christian lay preacher in Canada, and Sarah Pollard. Samuel had a younger brother, John Philip Halls. In 1851 at the age of 13 Samuel, his mother Sarah, and his younger brother John emigrated to Canada. From what I can tell his father Philip went ahead to Canada to prepare for the rest of the family. The record at this time is spotty. Samuel, John and Sarah appear in the 1851 census of England, but Philip does not. They appear together as a family in the 1852 census of Canada, living in Mosa twp, Middlesex County, Canada West (Ontario). For some reason there is a Sarah Halls, of the correct age, but listed as being in Westminster twp, Middlesex County, with her brother-in-law, Thomas. Sadly the family was not reunited for long. Sarah died in 1852, shortly after the census. She is buried in the graveyard of Trinity Anglican Church, in Lambeth, Ontario (just southwest of London).

Samuel next appears in the records in the 1861 census of Canada in Usborne twp, Huron County. He is sharing a residence with his uncle, James Halls. It was probably about this time that people began to refer to Samuel Pollard as SP. Eventually the nickname became so common, and Samuel Pollard so well known in the area, that his name on his death record is just SP Halls.

Sometime between 1861 and 1864 SP married Charlotte Borbridge, and in January of 1865 the first of their three children were born. Those children were George William (1865-1872), Edward Albert (1866-1872), and Philip Henry (1872). Sadly all three of his children died in late August and early September of 1872 from dysentery. The forms recording their deaths show one of the saddest things I have seen. SP was the clerk of Usborne twp at the time his children died, so in the death records for his children he lists himself as both the informant, and as the township clerk.