Hall, Hercules

• Name	Hall, Hercules
  Gender	Male
  Event	Hallsport, Willing, Allegany, New York, USA
  	logging bee
  	20250920GHLn- https://www.paintedhills.org/ALLEGANY/Hallsport_stories.htm THE LAST LOGGING BEE IN HALLSPORT (This account was told me by Fred Richardson, son of Jennet Hall Richardson [Calfernia Jannette Hall]) When I was a little boy, I went to a logging bee on the Burlingame Farm, better know as the Parker and Babcock Farm. The whole side hill was covered with hemlock logs that had been cut for some time. Mr. Burlingame was well along in years. I would say sixty and perhaps more. He made this bee to clear up the hill from the woods down to the meadow. It was a long, steep side hill and well covered with these hemlock logs. There were about twenty yoke of cattle with their drivers and plenty of other help to roll up the logs in heaps or piles ready to dry out and later burn. After about an hour and the jug had been passed so all were feeling about right, someone mentioned they ought to have a little excitement. Mr. Burlingame had a yoke of four year old steers that one one could drive. They would turn the yoke or run away. They were good at both. Several had tried to drive them but failed. So this afternoon it was suggested Uncle Luther Hall be given a chance to see what he could do. This suggestion was made with the idea we all would see some fun and have plenty of excitement. Uncle Luther had his oxen there, a very nice pair. He also had a very substantial ox whip with a strong whip stock, in the end of which was a sharp goad and the whiplash was made by braiding two very large, strong leather strips lashed together with a knot in the end. So Uncle Luther said he would see if he could drive this pair of runaway steers no on else had been able to manage. Uncle Luther drove the steers up the hill until he came to the first log. It laid next to a stump so he hitched to the top end and started the steers. They went a few steps and then began to swing out, their trick to turn the yoke. Uncle hopped over that log like a boy sixteen and goaded first one then the other. They were soon sick of trying to turn the yoke so he drove them on up the hill until they were winded. Then he turned them around and hitched to the butt of the log and started down the hill. The chain around the log kept the log from running onto the cattle. Then they started to run away and such a lacing over the head as they got soon stopped them from any idea of running. I never saw a yoke of cattle get such a whipping and others there said the same. Then Uncle drove them down the hill and up to the log heap as nicely as any team there. No yoke of cattle there that day drew more logs or larger ones and when Uncle stopped at the log heap he laid his whip across their necks just back of the yoke. When he was ready to go he spoke in a very low tone, almost a whisper, and they followed him just like a dog. I heard one man say, “I never saw a man drive oxen before and whisper to them when he wanted them to stop or go.” There was no yelling, just a very low tone and they minded every time. When one of the oxen pulled a shoe everyone thought the show was over as it was quite a distance up to the blacksmith shop where there was a set of frames used to shoe oxen. Uncle spoke to Herk [Hercules Hall], his son, and asked him to come over and set the shoe. He picked the ox’s hind foot up and after quite a struggle the ox gave up and he nailed on the shoe. You ought to have seen the look and heard the remarks. No one thought of shoeing an ox unless they had a set of frames to hold the ox, but Herk did what no other man there could do and you ought to see how surprised they were. Herk was over six feet and weighed over two hundred. Every bit bone and muscle. No question but what he was the strongest man there that day.
  Name	Herk
  Person ID	I108921	WETZEL-SPRING

  
  

  Father	Hall, Luther W.,   b. 1852, New York State, USA
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F61685	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  20250920GHLn- https://www.paintedhills.org/ALLEGANY/Hallsport_stories.htm THE LAST LOGGING BEE IN HALLSPORT (This account was told me by Fred Richardson, son of Jennet Hall Richardson [Calfernia Jannette Hall]) When I was a little boy, I went to a logging bee on the Burlingame Farm, better know as the Parker and Babcock Farm. The whole side hill was covered with hemlock logs that had been cut for some time. Mr. Burlingame was well along in years. I would say sixty and perhaps more. He made this bee to clear up the hill from the woods down to the meadow. It was a long, steep side hill and well covered with these hemlock logs. There were about twenty yoke of cattle with their drivers and plenty of other help to roll up the logs in heaps or piles ready to dry out and later burn. After about an hour and the jug had been passed so all were feeling about right, someone mentioned they ought to have a little excitement. Mr. Burlingame had a yoke of four year old steers that one one could drive. They would turn the yoke or run away. They were good at both. Several had tried to drive them but failed. So this afternoon it was suggested Uncle Luther Hall be given a chance to see what he could do. This suggestion was made with the idea we all would see some fun and have plenty of excitement. Uncle Luther had his oxen there, a very nice pair. He also had a very substantial ox whip with a strong whip stock, in the end of which was a sharp goad and the whiplash was made by braiding two very large, strong leather strips lashed together with a knot in the end. So Uncle Luther said he would see if he could drive this pair of runaway steers no on else had been able to manage. Uncle Luther drove the steers up the hill until he came to the first log. It laid next to a stump so he hitched to the top end and started the steers. They went a few steps and then began to swing out, their trick to turn the yoke. Uncle hopped over that log like a boy sixteen and goaded first one then the other. They were soon sick of trying to turn the yoke so he drove them on up the hill until they were winded. Then he turned them around and hitched to the butt of the log and started down the hill. The chain around the log kept the log from running onto the cattle. Then they started to run away and such a lacing over the head as they got soon stopped them from any idea of running. I never saw a yoke of cattle get such a whipping and others there said the same. Then Uncle drove them down the hill and up to the log heap as nicely as any team there. No yoke of cattle there that day drew more logs or larger ones and when Uncle stopped at the log heap he laid his whip across their necks just back of the yoke. When he was ready to go he spoke in a very low tone, almost a whisper, and they followed him just like a dog. I heard one man say, “I never saw a man drive oxen before and whisper to them when he wanted them to stop or go.” There was no yelling, just a very low tone and they minded every time. When one of the oxen pulled a shoe everyone thought the show was over as it was quite a distance up to the blacksmith shop where there was a set of frames used to shoe oxen. Uncle spoke to Herk [Hercules Hall], his son, and asked him to come over and set the shoe. He picked the ox’s hind foot up and after quite a struggle the ox gave up and he nailed on the shoe. You ought to have seen the look and heard the remarks. No one thought of shoeing an ox unless they had a set of frames to hold the ox, but Herk did what no other man there could do and you ought to see how surprised they were. Herk was over six feet and weighed over two hundred. Every bit bone and muscle. No question but what he was the strongest man there that day.

  
  

TEST MARKER

TNG ID: I108921