Mary "Polly' Hildreth

Biography

Mary "Polly' (Kenney) Hildreth was born on July 4, 1779 in Augusta Co, Virginia. Her parents were Capt. James C. Kenney and Mary "Polly" (Frame) Kenney.

Mary married William Hildreth on May 21, 1801 in Bourbon Co, Kentucky. Together they had the following children: Alvin Kenney Hildreth; John S. Hildreth; Angeline (Hildreth) Mallory; William Henry Hildreth; Dorcas Tabitha (Hildreth) Yarnell; Mary Frances (Hildreth) McDowell.

She died after 1850 in Indianola, Vermilion Co, Illinois and was buried in Vermilion Cemetery, Indianola, Vermilion Co, Illinois.

The following story is undoubtedly about two of her relatives, but I have not been able to determine which. It is probably about one of her sons and his Frame cousin:

"The year 1831 was almost without a summer, the cold weather continued until late in the spring and a hard frost set in on September 20th, and it was so severe that it froze the corn, cob and all. In consequence of the loss of the crop, times got close and money was extremely scarce. The following year the settlers were compelled to send to Kentucky for their seed corn. In December 1836, a deep snow lay upon the ground. It began to rain and continued all day, when suddently it turned intensely cold making ice over the ground and freezing very hard. The sudden change caught many persons unprepared and they were frozen to death. Two men named Hildreth and Frame were crossing Four Mile Prairie on that day; they became bewildered and lost their way and were out when the change came. They killed their horses and Frame crawled inside the body of his horse for protection against the cold. But it proved his tomb as he was found therein frozen to death. Hildreth wandered around all night, and when found in the morning was so badly frozen that he lost his toes and fingers."

Mary Kenney Hildreth died at the home of her youngest daughter, Mrs. Mary Hildreth McDowell. She was buried near Indianola (Paglia), but I have not been able to locate her grave or a date of death for her.

-- Justin Swanström