The Hall family (James A., Rachel, and five sons) moved to Pleasant Valley about 1936 from West Hartford, James was Agency Secretary at the Travelers Insurance Company and sought a country environment to raise us in. We lived in the old Lane house, more recently owned by the Bouteillers. We grew up with families named Fuller, Norton, Slater, Haynes, Dunbar, Tiffany, etc. I worked for John and Rose Grant at the General Store as a teenager or young adult. I see Doug Roberts on the Board; his brother Larry lived in Pleasant Valley for a while, and I worked at Peoples State Forest with Arb, under Ranger Brooks. The younger Hall boys attended the then newly two-room schoolhouse and our teachers were Marjorie Miller and Harriet Bouteiller. All five of the Hall boys (four now surviving) graduated from The Gilbert School. Jim is now a poet and writer living in Pueblo, Colorado. Bob is a retired professor of sociology and social psychology residing in Easton, Maryland. Bill is a retired engineer living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our younger brother, Jack, was an M.D. He died of leukemia in 2000. I am a semi-retired writer-editor, still doing freelance work at home. Our cousin, Stelle, used to visit us in Pleasant Valley fairly often and got to know many families there too. She is living in San Diego, California. The brothers and Stelle stay in touch via a family web site. My activities can be followed on www.hallrichard.com. I am a book author and member of the Authors Guild. - Richard Hall, Brentwood, Maryland

Originally posted: 09 Feb 2002