Part of the Indiana Biographies Project
Benjamin Hill
Benjamin Hill, the subject of this sketch, was born in Dearborn, now Wayne, county, Indiana, September 23, 1809. His parents were natives of Randolph county, North Carolina. His father, Benjamin Hill, Sr., was born June 22, 1770, and was of English descent. In early manhood he married Mary Jessup. Their children were John, who died in Rush county, Indiana; Sarah, wife of Jehosaphat Morris; Jacob, who died in Henry county, Indiana; William, who died in Rush county; Joseph, who died in Boone county, Indiana, at the age of eighty years; and Mary, who was the wife of Richard Haworth, and died in Kansas.
In 1802 Benjamin Hill, Sr., removed with his family to Carroll county, Virginia, and in the autumn of 1806 became one of the honored pioneers of Indiana, locating in the midst of the unbroken forest, about three miles east of the present city of Richmond. There the family suffered all the hardships and privations incident to frontier life, and also bore a prominent and active part in the work of development and progress. Not long after their arrival in Wayne county the wife of Benjamin Hill died, and he afterward married Martha Cox, who was born November 28, 1779, and came to Indiana in 1807 with her mother and two sisters. One sister, Jane Cox, married John Harvey and lived near Centerville. The other sister, Mary Cox, became the wife of John Small. The mother resided with her daughter Martha until her death. The children of Benjamin and Martha Hill were Benjamin, our subject; Harmon, who lived near Richmond, and died at the age of sixty-seven years; Rebecca, who became the wife of Thomas Newby, and died in early womanhood; Ezra, who lived in Wayne township, Wayne county, and died at the age of seventy-five years; and Enos, who is the only surviving member of the family, his home being near Richmond. For many years in the pioneer epoch in the history of Wayne county Benjamin Hill, Sr., was extensively engaged in farming, and also built the flour and saw mill east of Richmond, long known as Hill's Mills. He was a life-long orthodox Quaker, and died February 9, 1829, in his fifty-ninth year; while his wife, Martha Hill, passed away January 25, 1867, in the eighty-eighth year of her age.
Benjamin Hill, our subject, during the greater part of his life carried on agricultural pursuits. He married Sarah Hoover, daughter of David Hoover, and soon afterward removed to a fine farm, three miles east of Richmond, where he resided for almost half a century, conducting his business affairs with such energy and judgment that he won a handsome competence. In connection with his brothers he carried on the mill built by their father until in 1839 he located on the homestead farm, the greater part of which he cleared of the native forest trees. He first owned one hundred and sixty acres of land, but added to his possessions until within the boundaries of his farm were comprised two hundred and thirty acres. He also acquired other valuable real estate. He was for a time connected with his brother Ezra in the ownership and operation of a large fiouring-mill north of Richmond. A very energetic, enterprising and honorable business man, he carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook, and his labors were crowned with prosperity. He gave his political support to the Republican party from its organization until 1872, when he cast his ballot for Horace Greeley, and later advocated Democratic principles. He always kept well informed on the issues of the day, and could give a good reason for his political faith. He was a member of the Masonic order from early manhood, was a Knight Templar, a member of Richmond Commandery, No. 8, and several years previous to his death he became a Scottish-rite Mason. He continued to live on the homestead until in August, 1888, he went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a visit to a son and daughter residing there, and after a few days' sickness died, September 12, 1888. His remains were brought home and buried in the Hoover cemetery by the side of his wife, who had died August 1, 1885.
Their children were: First, David H., who married Gertrude Tullidge, in early manhood taught school and later was bookkeeper for his father and uncle for a number of years. In 1873 he was admitted to the bar in Richmond, and afterward was elected justice of the peace, which office he acceptably filled for ten years. He was a man of great information and sound judgment, and consequently was qualified for almost any position in life. In 1887 he removed to a farm in Preble county, Ohio, where he died September 2, 1896, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. He had been a Mason for many years and was a Knight Templar, a member of Richmond Commandery, No. 8, at the time of his death. His widow and four children — Marguerite, Benjamin T., Rudolph and Alice—reside in Richmond. The second child of our subject, Martha E., is the widow of Mordecai Perry and lives in Richmond. Albert G., the third, married Lydia Moore, of Wayne township, and resides on a fine farm three miles east of Richmond; they have two children—Fred R., of New York city, and Sarah D., a student at Earlham College. Henry L., the fourth, married Cora Garwood, of Wayne township, and is a real-estate and insurance agent of Minneapolis, Minnesota; they have one son, Eugene G. Anna C., the fifth, is a widow, residing in Richmond; she has two sons—George W. and Paul E. Fisher. George W., the sixth, married Mary Scheid, of Preble county, Ohio, and lives on the old homestead; they have two children—Myron W. and Catherine Esther.
Source:
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties, Indiana, Volume 1, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1899
Benjamin Hill, eldest son of Benjamin and Martha (Cox) Hill, was born Sept. 23, 1809, in Wayne County, Ind., and was married to Sarah, a daughter of David Hoover, a pioneer of 1806. Their children are — David H., Martha E., Albert G., Henry L., Anna C. and George W. Benjamin Hill resides on a well-cultivated farm three miles east of Richmond, where he has lived for more than forty-five years, and has followed farming the greater part of his life. His father, Benjamin Hill, was born in North Carolina, June 22, 1770, of English descent, and was married to Mary Jessup. Their children were — John, Sarah, Jacob, William, Joseph and Mary. He moved to Virginia in 1802, and in the autumn of 1806 removed with his family to Indiana, and settled in the unbroken forest, about three miles east of Richmond, and was subjected to the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. Shortly after coming to Wayne County his wife died, and he was afterward married to Martha Cox, who was born in Randolph County, N.C., Nov. 28, 1779, and came to Indiana in 1807. Their children were — Benjamin (our subject), Harmon, Rebecca, Ezra, and Enos. Benjamin Hill, Sr., was extensively engaged in farming, and built the flour and sawmills east of Richmond, long known as "Hill's Mills," which he managed successfully. He died Feb. 9, 1829, in his fifty-ninth year. Martha Hill, his widow, died Jan. 25, 1867, in the eighty-eighth year of her age.
Source:
History of Wayne County, Indiana. Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Co. 1884. Volume 2