On This Day - January 21

ROBERT CLEATON HALL was born on January 21, 1894 in Burns, Dickson County, Tennessee.  He went by his middle name Cleaton.  His parents were William Pullen Hall (1868-1958) and Laura F. Austin (1868-1953).  Both were life long residents of Dickson County.  Cleaton was the thrid  of nine children in the family, four boys and five girls.  In 1910 Cleaton was 7 years old, attending school and living on the family farm. In 1920 he is 16 and while attending school he is a farm laborer on the home farm.

In 1915 he is mentioned in the local newspaper, The Dickson Herald "Cleaton Hall of Burns spent Thursday Jan 21 with Connie and Homer Tidwell. They enjoyed a delicous dinner, it being the birthday of all three."  He again makes the newspaper on June 25 of the same year " Cleaton Hall and Charley Stuart, who are employed by the Telephone Co.were with home folks here Sunday."  And six months later there is another mention, " Cleaton Hall of Louisiana is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.P. Hall." 

In 1917 he registers for the draft:

He is described as medium height, stout, blue eyes and dark hair.  On the other side of the form he indicates he is a farmer. But here there is a notation that he "follows telephone and railroad work."  Just two months later there is the following article:

The official announcement followed:

They got their marriage license on August 1st and then on the 2nd at 6:00 drove to the Justice of the Peace and were married IN THE CAR.  Cleaton has a military headstone indicating he served in the Army during World War I, so he may have been about to go into the service when he got married.

The couple had moved to Nashville, Tennessee by 1920 where they are renting a house and Cleaton is working as a brakeman on the railroad. They have two boarders, age 14 and 15, who are working as laborers on the steam railroad. By 1930 they are renting at a different location but Cleaton is still a brakeman on to the railroad. In 1940 they have once again moved. This time they own a home valued at $5000.  Cleaton continues to work as a brakeman.  The 1950 Nashville Directory lists Cleaton and Maude with his occupation of conductor on NC&StLRy - Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. In 1959 he is not listed in the Nashville directory. Cleaton dies in 1968 in Dickson County.

The Tennessean,  23 Jul 1968, Tue,  Page 25, Nashville, TN, newspapers.com

Robert Cleaton Hall is my husband's great uncle.