CHARLES HILL, a retired farmer of Mt. Sterling, Illinois, was born in Cooperstown, Brown County, Illinois, November 14, 1834. His father, Robert Hill, was born in North Carolina, and was at the battle of New Orleans in the war of 1812. He was the son of John Hill, who was a General in the Revolutionary war. He was reared and married in his native State and resided there until about 1825, then came to Illinois and was one of the first settlers of Schuyler county. He resided near Rushville for eight years and then moved to that part of Schuyler, now included in Brown county, where he bought a tract of timber land. The log cabin in which our subject was born was the same in which the father resided until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Elizabeth Angel, who lived in North Carolina and was the daughter of John Angel and died at the home of her son-in-law, in Cooperstown.

Our subject was reared in his native State, where he married. He attended the pioneer schools, taught in the log house. In his youthful days there were but few improvements in the county and deer and other kinds of game were plentiful. He resided with his parents until his marriage, and then engaged in farming on his own account and was an active and successful farmer for many years and now lives retired in a beautiful home in this city.

Mr. Charles Hill has been married three times, the first time to Miss Farrington, and she died on the home farm in Cooperstown township. His second marriage was to Mrs. Ella Crooks, and she died at the age of thirty-two years; and his third marriage was with Miss Lizzie Irwin. This lady was born in Mt. Sterling, September 6, 1850. She was the daughter of William and Mary A. (White) Irwin. Her grandfather, John Irwin, was a native of Fayette county, where he spent his entire life and died at the age of eighty years. The father of Mrs. Irwin was born in Woodford county, Kentucky, April 15, 1840, and reared and married in his native State. He came from there to Illinois, in 1839, and was one of the pioneers of Brown county. He settled on section 1, of what is now Mt. Sterling township. Here he improved a farm and lived until his death, July 30, 1887. His wife returned to Maysville, Kentucky, in 1830 and died August 12, 1870. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Hill were James and Elizabeth (Browning) White, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of Pike county; later they moved to Macoupin county and died there.

In politics our subject is a firm supporter of the principles of Democracy and upholds the party measures upon all occasions. In religious matters Mrs. Hill is an active and zealous member of the Presbyterian Church.