Ben Hall was born on 9 May 1837, at Wallis Plains, near Maitland, in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. His parents were Benjamin Hall (born in Bristol, England, 1802) and Eliza Somers (born in Dublin, Ireland, 1807). Both of his parents were convicts and sent to gaol in New South Wales. They married in 1834. Ben was their fourth child. After they were let out of gaol, they moved to the Hunter Valley. Benjamin worked for Samuel Clift on a farm called the "Doona Run". Around 1839, Benjamin moved to a remote valley, north of Murrurundi. He built a hut and began farming cattle. He also found wild cattle and horses in the nearby hills. In 1842, he bought a small block of land at Haydonton, near Murrurundi, and started a butcher shop. The family worked hard, but there were problems with the police over stolen cattle and horses. Near the end of 1860, Benjamin moved down to the Lachlan River area, taking his children, Ben, William, and Mary, and his stepson, Thomas Wade.