William Mayall

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Spelled variously, hatmaker William Mayall is said to have been born in London about 1772.

On June 15, 1795, an Albany newspaper announced that "William Mayell, hatter, from London, had just opened, for sale, at the store of T. Fradgley, No. 3 Market street, a general assortment of men's, women's and children's fashionable hats, various colors." Mayall would settle into the community and remain an Albany mainstay for the remainder of his life - a span of almost sixty years.

We seek information on his spouse, his family, and possible church affiliations.

From the first directory in 1813, he was identified as a hatter at 84 Court Street (later 510 and 534 South Market). By 1819, the name of William Mayell, Jr., also a hatter and at 446 South Market, began to be listed in the directory as well. Also by then, his name appeared as a member, officer, and contributor of a number of community-based organizations including being the treasurer of the Albany Insititute of History and Art. By the 1820s, he was being elected and/or approinted to city government-related offices.

However, his name does not seem to appear on the Albany census or on city assessment rolls for the 1790s or early 1800s. Perhaps he resided beyond the city limits and rented business and manufacturing spaces along Court Street.

He may have been the William Mayell of Albany who was associated with the "Eastern New York Anti-slavery Society" in 1845.

William Mayall died in May 1855 at the age of eighty-three. A newspaper obituary summarized his long life.


biography in-progress


notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of William Mayall has not been assigned a CAP biography number. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.





first posted: 1/20/09