Mother

Mother Alexandrine Zélie Hall

 If Richard Hall's father had a fascinating life story, the same can be said of his mother. Alexandrine Zélie Hall, née Cornetz, was born in Switzerland – how did she end up in Finland? The answer remains unclear for now, but here is what I have found out about her so far.

From Switzerland to Finland

According to her parish records, Alexandrine Hall was born in Neuchâtel on February 12, 1834. More precisely, she was probably from a place called Cortaillod, right next to Neuchâtel. This is stated in her obituaries, which were published in several newspapers 86 years later.

The records of the Swedish-Finnish parish of Helsinki indicate that she originally used the name Zelie Alexandrine Cornetz. The church records also include the following note: "Moved from the Pohja parish on October 27, 1856, according to the transfer certificate/announcement certificate. Accompanied by a certificate from Repulique & Canton de Neuchatel, dated 13 August 1856."

This suggests that Zélie Cornetz moved from Switzerland to Pohja, located near Tammisaari, in August 1856. A few months later, she moved again, this time to Helsinki. Zelie Cornetz is registered as a member of the Swedish-Finnish parish of Helsinki from October 27, 1856.

Marriage

Church records also show that William Hall was registered in Helsinki until 1860 as Tredinnick Esquire William Rudolf Hall. He had moved from the parish of Pohja to Helsinki on March 11, 1854. He and Zélie Cornetz were married on November 16, 1856. With this information, one can only guess how the couple met. The connecting factor seems to be Pohja. William Hall may have had work in Pohja, which is why they met there. Or perhaps there was a broader family connection behind the couple finding each other?

Apparently, the couple was united at least by their Protestant faith: William Hall was a member of the Lutheran Church, and Alexandrine Zélie Hall also joined the Lutheran Church in Finland. According to an article written by Mauri R. Hall and published in Satakunnan Kansa in 1975, the Cornetz family had fled from France to Switzerland during the Huguenot persecutions. The Huguenots were Protestants whom the French state considered a threat because they did not belong to the Catholic Church. The persecution of the Huguenots began in the 1560s and ended 200 years later.

Home teacher and chamberlain's widow

Furthermore, Mauri R. Hall's article reveals that Alexandrine Zélie Hall was a trained home teacher and that Richard Hall's artistic talent was inherited from his mother. It therefore seems that Alexandrine Hall was well qualified to educate her children at home. For now, this is all we know about her.

Alexandrine Hall lived a long life. She died at the age of 86 in 1920 at Villa Rauhala in Vanaja, near the city of Hämeenlinna. Among others, newspapers Hufvudstadsbladet and Hämeen Sanomat reported on the death of the chamberlain's widow.