The Hill Families of Pickaway County, Ohio

WILLIAM C. HILL, one of the representative citizens and prominent farmers of Jackson township, resides on his fine farm of 128 acres, all in one body, situated just off the DarByville turnpike. Mr. Hill was born in Muhlenberg township, on the Florence Chapel turnpike, two miles east of Darby ville, on May 16, 1846, and is a son of Thomas and Julia A. (Sharp) Hill.

The Hill family is of Scotch ancestry. It was founded in America by our subject's great-grandfather, who subsequently served in the Revolutionary War. His son, Capt. William Hill, was born in Virginia and came to Pickaway County and settled in Muhlenberg township, in 1815. Here he lived until the age of 83 years and at his death owned al-

8l2 most 700 acres of land, a large portion of which was under cultivation. During the War of 18x2 he served as a captain of a Virginia company of volunteers.

Thomas Hill, father of our subject, was born February 21, 1807, in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and accompanied his parents to Muhlenberg township, where he later cultivated a farm given him by his father. He died September 10, 1885, leaving an estate of 215 acres of land. For about a quarter of a century he was a trustee of Muhlenberg township. Politically he was a Whig and later a Republican. He married Julia A. Sharp, who was born in New York, July 1, 1813, and died May 14, 1893. She came here with her parents, who were of German descent. Thomas'Hill and wife had 10 children and all are living except Marcus, who died aged three years. The nine surviving members are as follows: Mrs. Margaret Darst, of Muhlenberg township; Mrs. Elizabeth Whiteside, of Darby township; Mrs. Mary Bolin, of Darbyville; Mrs. Ellen Mc- Kinley, of Franklin County; William C., of this sketch; Mrs. Matilda Wilson, of White County, Indiana; Robert C., residing on a part of the old homestead; Ezra Florence, of Darbyville; and Mrs. Sarah Stiverson, of Columbus.

William C. Hill remained on the home farm until January, 1872, and then worked on several farms until March 5, 1878, when he bought 100 acres of his present farm, which he has increased to 128)4 acres. Mr. Hill owns other property, being one of the county’s large landowners. One farm of 50 acres is located on the Circleville turnpike; another, of 30 acres, in Deer Creek township, occupied by his son; and a third of 66 acres, located on the Darbyville turnpike. Mr. Hill operates all these with the exception of the farm on which his son lives, devoting them to grain and stock, His property is well improved, his buildings being of a substantial character. He raises a great deal of first-class stock and is numbered with the intelligent and successful farmers of the county.

On October 26, 1871, Mr. Hill was married to Minerva A. Gulick, who was born in Muhlenberg township, near Darbyville, September 12, 1848, and is a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Seymour) Gulick, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter in Ross County, Ohio. The Gulick family is a pioneer one of this section. The children of our subject and wife now living are: Charles, of Deer Creek township; Addie May; Maude, now a bookkeeper in Columbus, who was formerly a school teacher; Seymour; James; Josephine; Ellen; Marion, who died July 11, 1875; an infant, deceased; and Lizzie, who died in November, 1880, aged two and a half years.

Mr. Hill is one of the leading Republicans of Jackson township, in which he has served two terms as justice of the peace and 20 years as school director. In 1900 he was the property appraiser of the township. He is one of the thoroughly reliable business men and valued citizens of Jackson township. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hill accompany this sketch.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

BERT C. HILL, a prominent resident and a trustee of Muhlenberg township, where he owns a farm of 50 acres, was born on this farm on September 8, 1851, and is a son of Thomas and Julia A. (Sharp) Hill.

Capt. William Hill, the paternal grandfather, was born in Virginia and came in 1815 to Pickaway County, Ohio, where he died in advanced age. He was the first magistrate in Muhlenberg township and was a man of prominence and substance, owning some 700 acres of land which in 1847 he divided among the six of his eight children that grew to maturity.

Thomas Hill, father of our subject, was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, February 21, 1807, and came here with his parents in 1815, where he spent the rest of his life, dying here September 10, 1885. He owned an estate consisting of about 215 acres of land and for about a quarter of a century was trustee of Muhlenberg township. Politically he was a Whig and later a Republican. Both he and his wife were Baptists. He married Julia A. Sharp, who was born in the State of New York, July 1, 1813, and came with her parents and a sister, to Westerville, Ohio. She died in Muhlenberg township May 16, 1895. Nine of their 10 children grew to maturity and are still living. The record is as follows: Mrs. Margaret Darst, of Muhlenberg township; Mrs. Elizabeth Whiteside, of Darby township; Mrs. Mary Bolin, of Darbyville; Mrs. Ellen McKinley, of Franklin County; William C., of Jackson township; Mrs. Matilda Wilson, of White County, Indiana; Robert C., of this sketch; Ezra Florence, of Darbyville: Mrs. Sarah Stiverson, of Columbus; and Marcus, who died aged three years.

Robert C. Hill is one of the best known residents of Muhlenberg township, having spent his whole life here, one of activity and usefulness. In addition to farming his own land, he operates a farm of 97 acres adjoining his own, which belongs to an aunt. For the past 28 years he has practiced veterinary surgery, although he never attended any school, doing all his reading by himself. He has filled a number of the important township offices and served one term as a justice of the peace. As a Republican he was elected assessor of the township for three terms and after 1886, when he became identified with the Democratic party, he continued to be elected to office. He was reared a Republican, his father having voted for Lincoln in 1860 and supported the principles of the Republican party until his death.

On May 10, 1893, Mr. Hill was elected trustee of the township and served as such for nine consecutive years. In the fall of 1905 he was again elected to this office. He has been a member of the School Board for six years, and for three years has been road supervisor. For 27 years he has been officially connected with Muhlenberg township.

In 1874 Robert C. Hill was married to Mary E. Wilson, who was born in Scioto township, Pickaway County, Ohio, April 11, 1854, and is a daughter of James and Anna (Hite) Wilson. Her paternal grandfather served in the War of 1812 and she has one of the old camp kettles he used when campaigning. One of her Uncles, Hon. John Sites, was a member of the Ohio State Senate and she had the pleasure of hearing him make a memorable speech in 1896, at Columbus, being then in his both year. Her mother died when she was four years old and she was reared in the family of an uncle. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have four children, viz.: Thomas, born November 20, 1874; Harry M., born December 29, 1876; Clarence V., born September 2, 1881, who died June 10, 1905; and Addie R., bom August 14, 1891.

Mr. Hill gave liberal assistance in the building of Florence Chapel Presbyterian Church and was one of the trustees. Recently he has united with the Darbyville Methodist Episcopal Church.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

The Hill family is of Scotch extraction and was founded in America by our subject's great-grandfather, who subsequently served in the War of the Revolution. His son, Capt. Wiliam Hill, was born in Virginia and settled in Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1815. locating in Muhlenberg township. During the war of 1812 he served as captain of a Virginia company of volunteers. He became a very prominent man in Pickaway County and served as a ' justice of the peace from 1828 to 1840, having charge of the whole half of the county west of 1 the river, prior to its division into townships. At his death, at the age of 83 years, he owned 700 acres of land, a large portion of which was under cultivation.

Thomas Hill, father of our subject, was I born February 21, 1807, in Hampshire County, ! Virginia, now \Yrest Virginia, and accompanied his parents to Muhlenberg township, where lie later cultivated a farm given him by his father.

He died September 10, 1 SS 5, leaving an estate of 215 acres of land. For about a quarter of a century he was a trustee of 'Muhlenberg" township-. In early days he was a Whig in his political affiliation, but became a Republican upon the organization of the party.

Thomas Hill married Julia A. Sharp, who was born in New York, July I, 1813, and died May 14, 1895. She came-to Pickaway County with her parents, who were of German.descent. Thomas Hill and wife had 10 children and all of these are living with the exception of Marcus, who died at the age of three years. The nine who survive are as follows: Mrs. Margaret Darst, of Muhlenberg township; Mrs. Elizabeth Whiteside, of Darby township; Mrs. Mary Bolin, of Darbyville; Mrs. Ellen McKinley, of Franklin County; William C, of whom a sketch will be found in this volume; Mrs. Matilda Wilson, of White County, Indiana; Robert C., residing on the old homestead, a sketch of whom will be found in this work; Ezra Florence, the subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Sarah Stiverson, of Columbus.

Ezra Florence Hill was reared on the homestead farm and obtained his education in the district schools. He was the youngest son in a large family and remained at home with his parents until his marriage. For some eight years following this event, he rented land and then purchased 136 acres of what was known as the Colonel Florence farm, located on the Florence Hill Chapel turnpike. There were no buildings on the property, so Mr. Hill and his family continued to reside on the home place but he farmer the land until 1905, when he disposed of it. In 1894 Mr. Hill purchased what was called the John McKinley farm, consisting of 203 acres. Here he took up his residence and lived until 1902, when he moved to Darbyville. At this time he purchased village property, which included a dwelling and barn. This property he has greatly improved. Since coming to the village, he has offered a fine line of carriages for sale. For so many years he has been actively employed that time would hang heavily on his hands without some outside interests.

Mr. Hill still retains a farm on the Darbvville and London turnpike adjoining the corporate limits of the village. lie also owns the Thomas Darst farm of 216JZ acres, located on the Harrisburg and Darbyville turnpike,; on Darby Creek, 37 acres of the Colonel Hor- 1 ence farm, and 50 acres of the old homestead. In all, lie owns 409 acres in Muhlenberg township and 100 acres in Darby township. He continues to oversee operations on a large portion of this farming land, his interest still continuing, although he has turned the direct management over to younger hands.

Mr. Hill was married (first) in 1879, and his children are as follows: Coleman IT, a teacher, residing at home; Harvey, who operates the McKinley farm; Lena May, of Cleveland; and Joseph P. who is attending the Bliss Business College at Columbus. Mr. Hill was married (second) on February 28, 1906, to Lissa M. Hewitt, daughter of William and Mary Hewitt. She was born in Pickaway County and before her marriage was a successful teacher in the public schools of Pick- away and Madison counties.

Politically Mr.- Hill has always been identi- 1 fied with the Republican party and has been a very prominent factor in township and county affairs, serving many times as a delegate to county, State and Congressional conventions. He has served three terms as trustee of the township, two terms as assessor, three terms as township treasurer, in 1890 was land appraiser and is now village treasurer. For 25 years he has been more or less connected with official life in the county and stands deservedly high in public esteem. Since 1890 he has been a member of the Presbyterian Church and is one of its trustees.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HENRY HILL, who is engaged in farming in Muhlenberg township, was born in Scioto township, Pickaway County, Ohio, March 31, 1861, and is a son of William and Anna Maria (Gochenouer) Hill.

William Hill was born in Scioto township, Pickaway County, Ohio, January 10, 1836, and here spent his whole life, owning a farm of 100 acres in this township which he operated until, his death at the age of 54 years. He was a Republican all his life but never entered actively into politics. He was a son of Joshua Hill who came to Ohio from Maryland, locating in Scioto township, Pickaway County, where he entered about 400 acres of land on the Scioto River bottom. He helped haul the stone for the old State House at Columbus. The most of his life, however, was spent in farming. He died on the old home place at the age of 66 years. He had eight children, two of whom are still living. Mrs. William Hill, the mother of our subject, was born April 8/1841, in Pickaway County, and is a daughter of Henry Gochenouer. She is still living and resides on her father's old place in Scioto township. She is the mother of 14 children: Henry, subject of this sketch; Joshua, who lives in Scioto township; William, who lives near Grove City, in Franklin County; Joseph, who lives in Scioto township; John, of Grove City,

Franklin County; Charles, who died in young manhood; Irwin, Milton, Samuel and Frederick, who live in Columbus; Isaac, a rural free delivery carrier, living in Orient; Rebecca, who lives at home; Wesley, who lives in Harrisburg, where he conducts a bakery; and Mary Elizabeth, who died at the age of 21 years.

Henry Hill was reared on his father's farm, where he remained until the time of his marriage, in 1885, to Sarah E. Brown, who was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1864, and is a daughter of Samuel E. and Elizabeth ( Morris) Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have had three children: Florence, who died at the age of eight years; Georgia F. and Elizabeth M. After his marriage, Mr. Hill purchased his present place of 1J/2 acres, where he has a fine home which he built about 12 years ago. He also operates a farm of 200 acres, which belongs to his mother-in-law, Mrs. Elizabeth Brown. Mr. Hill at one time worked about five years at carpentering, but has spent the most of his time in farming. Mr. Hill has always been a Republican. He is district commissioner, road supervisor, and is serving on the School Board.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

BOSHUA HILL, a well-known farmer and reliable citizen of Scioto township, who owns valuable farming land which is divided into two portions, one of 5 2% acres and the other of 42J/2 acres, is a native of Scioto township, where he was born March 26, 1862. His parents were William and Anna Maria (Gochenouer) Hill.

The grandparents of Mr. Hill, Joshua and Hannah (Kramer) Hill, came to Pickaway County from Maryland. William Hill, father of our subject, was born in Scioto township, Pickaway County, Ohio, January 10, 1836, and died March 7, 1890. Lie married Anna Maria Gochenouer, who was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, April 8, 1841, and is the only surviving daughter of Henry Gochenouer, a prominent farmer of Scioto township. They had 14 children — 12 sons and two daughters. Two are deceased, namely: Charles, who died January 23, 1892, aged 24 years, 10 months and 15 days: and Elizabeth, who died May 15, 1892, aged 21 years, 6 months and 23 days. The other members of the family are: Henry, who resides near Darbyville, in Muhlenberg township; Joshua, of this sketch; William, who lives near Grove City, in Franklin County; Joseph, who resides in Scioto township; John, a carpenter, who works in Columbus and lives at Grove City, Franklin County; Irwin, who resides in Columbus, where he is employed in the shops of the P., C., C. & St. L. Ry. Isaac, a rural mail carrier, residing at Orient; Milton, who is with a cash register company at Columbus; Samuel, who is employed at the State Insane Asylum at Columbus; Frederick, who works as a carpenter, at Columbus; Rebecca, who resides with her mother; and Wesley, who conducts a bakery at Harrisburg, Franklin County.

Joshua Hill was reared on a farm situated half a mile west of Commercial Point, which is known as the A1 Brown farm and is now owned by Henry Gochenouer. His education was obtained in the common schools of Scioto township. He has devoted his whole life to agricultural pursuits and is numbered with the successful farmers of his section. He has resided on his present farm for the past 10 years; prior to his occupancy, it was known as the George Gochenouer farm.

On February 11, 1883, Mr. Hill was married to Lydia Beavers, a daughter of Peter and Olive (Kepler) Beavers, who reside in Scioto township on what is known as the Elisha Wilkins farm. Her grandparents were William and Elizabeth (Deckert) Beavers. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Beavers had seven children, viz.: Lydia (Mrs. Hill); Warren, of Columbus; Addison; Nora, wife of Jacob Marburger; Bertha, deceased, who was the wife of Perkins Miller; Jesse, who lives in Columbus; and Ray, who died in infancy.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill have eight children, as follows: Arthur H., born February 9, 1884; Harry Edwin, born December 20, 1886; Edith Ann, born September 7, 1889; Weldon, born November 8, 1891; Clyde, born February 8, 1893; Mary Ethel, born June 6, 1894; Elsie Pearl, born September 1. 1896; and Millard Wendell, born August 26, 1904.

Politically Mr. Hill is a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Commercial Point.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.