The Hall Caine descendancy

The Caines of the Isle of Man can be traced back for many generations. The ancestors of which we have direct records start with William Caine who was born around 1730. He had several children including a namesake son, William. He in turn reared a large family with one son being named John. Due to the poor economic conditions in the Isle of Man in these times and the fact that the family had lost all their property which they had used for farming, John went to Liverpool, England to earn a living. It was there that Thomas, the most famous of the Caines was born.

Sir Hall Caine, born Thomas Henry Hall Caine, was a colorful personage famed for his many novels about the Isle of Man. His books, published between 1877 and 1931, were translated into dozens of languages and often reached more than 20 re-printings. For his work during the first world war, he was knighted Sir Hall Caine. This was unusual since most such titles include only the first name. Apparently, Sir Hall Caine disliked his given name of Thomas and convinced the King to bestow his title using only his last names. He had two sons, Gordon Ralph and Derwent, who served in Parliament with distinction and Derwent was also knighted and received a baronet. Derwent had at least three children out of wedlock, one of whom, Elin, was subsequently adopted by the elder Sir Hall Caine as his own daughter. Gordon Ralph had a son, Derek and a daughter Mary. Elin married Charles Gill and had a daughter, Gloria, who married a well known American TV financial analyst, Louis Rukeyser. They had three daughters and live in the United States. Elin died in 1998. Derek had a daughter, Melissa, who lives in New York and is the last person alive with the name Hall Caine . Derek died in June 2004. Mary, had two sons who live in New York and Florida. She passed away in December 2003.