Welcome to the Hall County Nebraska & History Project

Welcome to
Hall Co. Nebraska Genealogy & History Project

Welcome to the Hall County, Nebraska. The main purpose for these pages is to provide genealogical research support for those who are digging for their roots and heritages in Hall County. If there are not any genealogical data readily available right now. Then, please be patient. These pages will evolve over time. Also, if your ancestors had or still lived here and you have information on these ancestors. Would you love to share with others? If so, contact the county coordinator and let us add your priceless data.

History about Hall County

Court House of TodayHall County is one of the oldest regions in the state, having been organized in 1859. It is situated in the sixth tier of counties west from the Missouri River and is approximately 150 miles west of Omaha. It is bounded on the north by Howard County, on the east by Hamilton and Merrick, on the south by Adams and on the west by Buffalo.

Grand Island is the Hall County seat. It is situated a short distance to the north of the Platte River, up on the level valley lands that extend far to the north. Grand Island is the terminus of the Union Pacific freight division; the terminus of the St. Joseph & Western railroad; and the terminus of the Grand Island, St. Paul & Loup Valley Railroad. It is fast becoming a railroad center, and is already the largest city in Nebraska on the Union Pacific line west of Omaha.

How did Hall County get it's name? There are two different "stories" on how the name Hall County came about. The first says the county was named in honor of Augustus Hall (1814 - 1861), Chief Justice, Nebraska Territory in 1858. The second suggests that it was taken from the surname of a man who was an early partner to William M. Spiker, in business here and later a resident of Colorado.

Hall County was organized and boundaries defined by an act approved by the Legislature on November 4, 1858. Check out the Map Page for past and present maps of Hall County.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

-- Anonymous

Surrounding Neigboring Counties

Hall County is surrounded by the following neighboring counties: On the north side is Howard, then touching the eastern upper side is Merrick, and lower side is Hamilton although Clay County doesn't touch but it is just southeast of Hall County. On the south side is Adams although Kearney County doesn't touch it is located southwest corner of Hall County. On the west side is Buffalo. Finally, on the northwest corner is Sherman County.

About the County Coordinator

Matthew D. Friend - 2011My name is Matthew D. Friend. I am the Hall County Coordinator. I live in Arkansas, so I cannot do personal lookup for you, but if you need any lookup just go to our "Lookups" link and see what is available. There are a wonderful group of volunteers for our county. If you had any ancestors living during Hall County's first official census of 1860. I will be glad to do lookup for you in our U.S. Census for Hall County. If you have any questions or suggestion, please contact the: Contact Me.

Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer.

-- Author Unknown

Special Thanks!

We would like to give a special thanks to those who have contributed or volunteered to the Hall County NEGenWeb Project these past few years.

Kaylynn Loveland, Jackie Rudnick, Glenda Odell, Diane Buckie, Connie Ludwig, and many others!

In Memory of Kaylynn Loveland

Kaylynn Loveland - 2010These pages are dedicated to our first Hall County Coordinator - Kaylynn Loveland. She died on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 in Grand Island. She had dedicated her time and effort to helping Hall County researchers since 1997 until 2005. Then, later resumed in 2007 until she died in 2010. If you have any success story from Kaylynn's legacy. Share your testimony of her legacy. Contact the current County Coordinator to add your story or thoughts about Kaylynn's legacy. To view her obituary ... [Click Here]



About USGenWeb & NEGenWeb Opportunity

The NEGenWeb Project was formed June, 15, 1996, when Dale Schneider created the Nebraska Genealogy Project as a part of the USGenWeb Genealogy Project. At that time, there was very little available on the web for those who were researching genealogy in Nebraska. Over the next year, volunteers were recruited to coordinate the WebPages for each county... (To Learn More...)

About American History & Genealogy Opportunity

AHGP is a group of independent webmasters who link together to share Historical and Genealogical data with researchers in a peaceful and harmonious setting.... (To Learn More...)

Genealogical & Historical Affiliations