George Williamson Hall 1818 - 1896


​George, like his brothers, was educated in England, France and Germany. At age fifteen he went to sea as a cabin boy to start his sailing apprenticeship. By 1844, he was Master of the barque Mary Miller that was sailing to and from South and North America. He continued in this role until 1849. In 1850 he married Agnes Emma Dryden. He made extensive enquiries about immigration and decided to follow his brother John to New Zealand. George, Agnes Emma and their daughter, Agnes Mildred, arrived in New Zealand 16 April 1853.
In 1852, in partnership with his brothers, George took up Run 17 in the Windwhistle area i but the partnership was discontinued after a year. He then took up a run called Ashburton Forks Station in 1854 and from 1857 lived there with his wife and daughter until the end of 1860. He also held runs in the Mackenzie country in partnership with his brothers Thomas and John. He was the Member of the House of Representatives for Heathcote from 1861—1862 and a Justice of the Peace. George’s health was not good and in the 1890s he and Agnes spent some time living abroad in England and in Jersey. His final residence was Bligh’s Road, Papanui, in Christchurch. He died in a Park Terrace house near his brother John’s home on 27 February 1896.

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Agnes Emma, née Dryden, 1826 – 1917, was the wife of George W Hall and sister of Rose Hall. George and Agnes lived briefly in Kaiapoi with their friends the Beswicks. In 1857 they moved to Ashburton Forks Station between the north and south branches of the Ashburton River.

​More information about George and Thomas Hall and their families can be found in Letters to Grace, Writing home from Colonial New Zealand, edited by Jean Garner and Kate Foster, pub 2011; and in Sailors, Settlors & Sinners by Moira Taylor, pub 2019.

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