Valentine Hall Jr.

Valentine Gill Hall Jr. was born in New York City on March 27, 1834. His parents were Valentine Gill Hall Sr., an Irish immigrant, and Susan (Tonnelé) Hall. His maternal grandparents were Rebecca Waterbury Tonnelé and John Tonnelé Sr., a French-born individual. Hall had several siblings, including Margaret Tonnelé Hall, who married Edward Philip Livingston Ludlow, and Catherine Tonnelé Hall, who married Eugene Schieffelin. His family lineage included notable connections, such as his grandmother Rebecca Waterbury, daughter of Revolutionary War General David How Waterbury, Jr.

In 1842, Hall’s father and maternal grandfather were business partners in the wool merchant firm Tonnelé & Hall, which was recognized as the most extensive wool dealer in the United States at the time. Their enterprise was successful, and they accumulated significant wealth, with Hall’s father estimated to have a fortune of $250,000 in 1842, largely derived from wool trade and real estate holdings along Sixth Avenue in New York City. After his grandfather’s retirement, his uncle John Tonnelé Jr. took over the business, which was, at that time, valued at approximately $1,000,000. Hall’s family did not pursue careers in business but was known for their social standing, with Hall living a life characterized by leisure and religious study.

Hall attended theology school, allegedly as an act of penitence for youthful indiscretions, and became deeply committed to religious pursuits.

On April 24, 1861, Hall married Mary Livingston "Molly" Ludlow, daughter of Dr. Edward Hunter Ludlow and Elizabeth (Livingston) Ludlow. Mary’s family was part of New York's prominent Livingston family, descended from Edward Philip Livingston, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of New York, and connected to Chancellor Robert Livingston. After her parents’ deaths, Hall and his wife moved to the Ludlow estate in Clermont, New York. In 1872, they constructed an 8,375-square-foot mansion called Oak Terrace on Woods Road, overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.

Valentine and Mary Hall had seven children:

- Anna Rebecca Hall (1863–1892), who married Elliott Roosevelt in 1883; they were the parents of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

- Elizabeth Livingston Hall (1865–1944), married Stanley Mortimer in 1890.

- Valentine Gill Hall III (1867–1934), known as a champion tennis player.

- Mary Livingston Hall (1869–1872), who died young.

- Edward Ludlow Hall (1872–1932), also a tennis champion, married Josephine Zabriskie in 1898.

- Edith Livingston Hall (1873–1920), married William Forbes Morgan Jr. in 1904.

- Maude Livingston Hall (1877–1952), married polo player Lawrence Waterbury in 1900; they divorced in 1912.

Valentine Gill Hall Jr. died at his estate in the Hudson Valley on July 17, 1880, at the age of 46. He was interred in the Hall family vault at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Tivoli, New York. His widow, Elizabeth (sometimes referred to as Mary), continued to reside at various New York residences, including locations on West 37th Street and Gramercy Park. She passed away on August 14, 1919, at the age of 77.

Through his daughter Anna Rebecca, Hall is recognized as the maternal grandfather of Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady of the United States, who married Franklin D. Roosevelt. Other descendants include Eleanor Roosevelt’s siblings, Elliott Roosevelt Jr., and Gracie Hall Roosevelt.