Probably JAMES MARTIN ALLEN was the first settler on the site of White Hall. A native of Tennessee, he was born in 1794. He found a home in Greene county as early as 1820. Shortly after his arrival he was married to Elizabeth A. Morrow. For many years he kept the only inn, or tavern, on the property now owned by Mr. Adams. When the present town of White Hall was laid out, he concluded to settle on a farm, and accordingly purchased a tract on Lorton's Prairie. He died in 1873, and his wife 11 months later.