George Riley Hall

For one of my classes, I've had to read a book about the Civil War and write a brief response to it. Naturally, I was curious to see if I had any ancestors that were involved in the war. I didn't think there would be, thinking of all my ancestors who were in Europe, Quebec, or Utah in the mid to late 1800s. But no! According to FamilySearch.org, I have a number of relatives that lived out on the east coast at the time (all that I've found were up in the north)! I looked around for any young men that died between 1861 and 1865, but to no avail. Then, my eyes were drawn to an old photo of a man named George Riley Hall. The thought occurred to me that he looked like a military man, so I clicked on his name and discovered his history.

This man had fought in the battle of Gettysburg, became captain of a New York regiment, and fought in many other battles. Before and after the war, he served as a Christian school teacher. He died of old age, having served faithfully for his country and his God.

Incredible.

I am grateful for my third great grandfather, George Riley Hall.