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James Hill
JAMES HILL, retired farmer of South Buffalo township, one of the oldest
residents of that part of Armstrong county, was born Oct. 9, 1828, in County
Tyrone, Ireland, son of James B. and Margaret (Brown) Hill, of the same place.
The parents grew up and married there.James B. Hill was a cloth weaver by trade. He came to America in 1830, the
sailing vessel in which he made the trip having a very rough passage. The
sails were blown off and she was nearly wrecked, but with sails made of
blankets, sheets and other bed clothing proceeded on her way and Mr. Hill
landed in Baltimore, continuing thence to Freeport, Pa. He found work in the
Leechburg dam and also on the other public works for two years, in the spring
of 1832 locating in South Buffalo township, Armstrong county, where he
obtained a piece of land which had a small house and clearing but no other
improvements. Here he made a permanent home and lived until his death, at the
age of eighty-four years. His wife died when fifty years old. They were
Presbyterian Church members. This pioneer couple had four children: Jane, who
died of fever; Margaret, who died in Ireland; James; and William J., who died
when eleven years old.James Hill had little chance to go to school, and obtained most of his
education through his own efforts. He always lived with his parents and
followed farming, improving the homeplace greatly during his active years- in
fact the principle buildings are of his construction. In 1867 he built the
barn, and in 1869 made the brick for the present residence, which was erected
in 1871. He served as supervisor and in other local offices, to which he was
elected on the Republican ticket, and he is highly respected all over this
part of Armstrong county, where he is very well known. He has been a member of
the Presbyterian Church for fifty years.In 1849 Mr. Hill married Maria Hill, of Armstrong county, Pa., who died in
July, 1871, the mother of seven children: ( I ) George Harry, born Sept. 28,
1850, died when two years old. (2) Margaret Jane, born Jan. 31, 1852, married
O. E. Smith, of Verona, Pa., and they have five children, Ira, George, Roy,
Stella, Hyatt. (3) Hamilton, and (4) Nancy, twins, were born Feb. 24, 1854,
Hamilton was drowned in Elk River, in Kansas, in 1886. Nancy married Thomas A.
Rife, of Allegheny, Pa., and their children are Maria, Mary, Lida, and
Florence. (5) David F. is mentioned below. (6) Anna Maria, born Mar. 1, 1861,
now living in Allegheny, Pa., is the widow of John K. Miller, and has one
child Florence. (7) Thomas G., born May 12, 1864, married Carrie Weaver. He
runs the “Central Hotel” at Freeport, Pennsylvania.David F. Hill, son of James Hill, was born Aug. 25, 1857, and has always
lived on the old homestead, engaged on farming. He married Dec. 30, 1891,
Maude Iseman, of South Buffalo township, daughter of James and Sarah
(McClellan) Iseman, both of Armstrong county. Mr. Iseman was a farmer in South
Buffalo township. He died in February, 1901, and his widow is living in
Seattle, Wash. They were the parents of nine children, Maude, (Mrs. Hill),
Charles, Martha, Ida, Florence, Josephine, James (deceased), Grace, and Paul.Mr. and Mrs. Hill have six children, namely: Charles, Julia, Ward, Richard,
Hugh, and Robert.Source: Pages 893-894, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed November 1998 by Nanci Michalkiewicz for the Armstrong County
Beers Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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