Sterling, since its formation in 1812 from the Town of Cato, has been fortunate to have had the services of many caring doctors. The earliest doctors recorded in the town's history were Dr. Steven Bent, who had served in that capacity during the Revolutionary War and his son, Dr. Stephen Bent Jr., who had served with the 167th Regiment of Militia during the War of 1812. Here in Sterling in 1826 was Dr. Alexander Proudfit from Washington County. I could go on and on with the names of these early doctors. I, however, am going to tell you about a prominent and well-known doctor of the late 19th century.

Dr. Albert Llewellyn Hall, one of the most well-known doctors of the late 1880s, was born on Dec. 14, 1855 on a farm near Central Square, Oswego County. His parents were Ransom and Mary Jane (Barnes) Hall. Albert Hall attended the local school and later attended and graduated from Cazenovia Seminary.

He taught school for a number of years and eventually served as a principal of schools in Parish, Cleveland and Constantia. In 1874 he won a scholarship to Cornell University, where he began his study of medicine. In 1878, he entered the medical college at Syracuse University and graduated from there in 1879. After graduation, he came to Fair Haven and opened a practice, where he remained for the next 20 years.

Dr. Hall was a pioneer in the field of forensic ballistics, and was considered an expert in identifying firearms from ammunition fired there.

He was called as an expert witness in many of the murder trials of the 1890s. Among them, the 1897 case of the People vs. Charles Allen charged with the murders of Mary Daly and Margaret Crouch of Sackets Harbor.

He was also called as a witness in the 1898 trial of George H. Smith charged with murdering his wife in Churchville.

He was the recipient of many awards and honors. In 1895, he won a second place award given by the International Journal of Surgery for the best description of an accident case, or emergency box, as part of a railway train equipment.

His paper was published in full in an issue of that publication.

Also, in 1895, he was appointed Executive Committeeman of the Republican State League of Cayuga County. On the local level, besides his duties as village physician, he served as health officer and president of the Village of Fair Haven.

In 1900, he and his family moved to Fulton, where he was active in many community affairs, including the Fulton water pumping and purification system.

He was the author of the paper titled, “The Missile and the Weapon,” which, with his permission, was republished in 1931 by the crime detection laboratory of Northwestern University of Chicago.

Dr. Hall married twice, his first was wife Almeda Allen, who died in 1907. They had two children, a son, Ralph L., and a daughter, Blanche A. A few years later, he married Lena H. Howell of Fulton.

Their only child, Dorothy, was born in 1918. Dr. Hall died at his home in Fulton on Aug. 3, 1931.

He was survived by his wife, three children, two brothers, doctors E.D. Hall and A.W. Hall, and a sister, Mrs. Cora Brinkerhoff. Burial was in Mt. Adnah Cemetery in Fulton.

Hallie Sweeting is the historian for the town of Sterling