History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois, Vol. II.
William Henry Perrin, ed.
(Chicago: O.L. Basking & Co. Historical Publishers)
1883.
Doctor Hill, farmer, P. O. Hutsonville, whose portrait appears in this work, is one of
the worthy pioneers of Crawford County. He settled in what is now Hutsonville
Township, with his family, in the year 1818, after having resided for a period of nearly
two years in what is now Sullivan County, Ind. He was born June 28, 1796, in
Randolph County, N. C., a son of John
and Rachel (Sargent) Hill. The father was a farmer, born and raised on the same
place our subject was, and died in 1849, aged about eighty-two years. The mother was also
a native of North Carolina, and died in this county, at the advanced age of ninety-three
years. The parents were blessed with nine children. The educational facilities
of our subject's younger days granted him but a meager education in the old subscription
schools. His early life was spent in farming pursuits, and as necessity required he
also engaged at shoe-making and blacksmithing, and at the advanced age of eighty-six
years, he made two plows, upon which implement he claims to be the original inventor of
many substantial improvements. He was first married in his native county, in 1815,
to Nancy Boyd, born March 9, 1797, in Guilford County, N. C., a daughter of James Boyd.
She died in 1825, leaving a family of five children--Sargent, Elizabeth, Rachel,
Mary and Nancy. The second marriage of our subject occurred November 13, 1828, in
this county. He wedded Cynthia Smith, bon July 2, 1795, on the South Branch of the
Potomac, Virginia, a daughter of Jacob B. and Hannah (Hand) Smith, he a native of Germany,
and she of Virginia. Mrs. Hill died in January 1872. When he first came to this
county, our subject purchased 160 acres of land of the Government, but being unable to pay
for the same, retained only one-fourth of it, an act o Congress compelling him to
relinquish the balance. His present farm consists of about 402 acres, which is given
to general farming. Our subject has served this county as a Commissioner, under the old
system of county organization. In politics he adheres to the Democratic principles
of Thomas Jefferson, and he has distinct recollections of the administration of that
devoted espouser of the cause of Colonial liberty.
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