Mark Hale was born in Illinois in 1949 and went with his family to Atlanta, Georgia, at age eight. He was educated in public schools in the Atlanta area and at Georgia State University. Since the early 1980s, he has researched and published the history of the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia and of the Rappahannock River tobacco kingdom. He is a volunteer with his city's efforts to preserve its historical cemeteries, also enjoys travel, and has published books of family history. Mark Hale is unmarried and lived in Norfolk, Virginia, for 36 years before retiring to Lakeland, Florida.

Mark Hale was born in Illinois in 1949 and went with his family to Atlanta, Georgia, at age eight. He was educated in public schools in the Atlanta area and at Georgia State University. Since the early 1980s, he has researched and published the history of the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia and of the Rappahannock River tobacco kingdom. He is a volunteer with his city's efforts to preserve its historical cemeteries, also enjoys travel, and has published books of family history. Mark Hale is unmarried and lived in Norfolk, Virginia, for 36 years before retiring to Lakeland, Florida.