Dr. Oliver Perry Hill

HILL-EVANS FEUD: Leader of Hill faction in Hill-Evans Feud when Dr. Evans killed Jesse Hill.

He built a home on Hill Court, just off Lexington Ave. in 1850 for his wife, Elizabeth Salter. He was a plant collector and claimed that he had planted an example of every shrub and tree which could be grown in the county in his yard. Some plants were given him by Henry Clay of Lexington. (From Historic Sites of Lancaster and Garrard Co, KY, The Kentucky Heritage Council, page 124).

Excerpt from: "Kentucky: A History of the State", Battle, Perrin, & Kniffin, 4th ed., 1887 Garrard Co... Dr. Oliver Perry Hill was born in Garrard County, March 2, 1814, and was named in honor of the great naval captain, under whom his grandfather had fought on Lake Erie. His early educational advantages were naturally limited to the common schools of his day, and he assisted his father in working upon the farm until he had reached the age of nearly twenty years. He then began the study of medicine under Dr. William Pawling, of Lexington, and subsequently attended lectures at Transylvania University, at that place, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in March, 1838. From that time until 1840 he practiced his profession near his birthplace in the north end of the county, but in the latter year located at Lancaster, where he has been in active practice since, a period of about forty-seven years. During all that time Dr. Hill has been recognized as an intelligent and skillful practitioner, and has been in the enjoyment of a large and lucrative practice, performing in the meanwhile the full duty of a useful and respected citizen. His first political vote was cast in 1836 for the candidates of the Democratic party, Van Buren and Johnson, and with that party he has always since acted, though never aspiring to political position. During the late civil war he was a consistent Union man and gave what support he could to the measures and policy of the National Government. From 1853 to 1855 Dr. Hill traveled extensively in the western country, crossing the plains on horseback, and extended his observations not only as far as the Pacific Ocean, but through Oregon and California down into Mexico and through several of the Central American States and the West Indies. He resumed his practice in 1855. He is of a naturally studious tendency of mind, and being possessed of a remarkably retentive memory, has added greatly to his store of knowledge, being able to repeat almost whole books from memory without special effort. He is particularly fond of the study of languages, and has mastered, without a teacher, French, German and Spanish, possessing a large library in these languages on general subjects. In religion he is a liberal; he believes in one God from whom all things in the universe have emanated. He believes in a future state of rewards and punishments. He believes in the immortality of the soul. He believes there is more or less good in all religions, as all are founded on Bibles claiming to be of divine origin, as all religions and all nations seem to be equally favored by God. He believes, if the Bible be true, that it teaches that all evil as well as all good comes from God, for His greatest prophet so declares- see Isaiah xlv, 7- and the Bible so declares in many places.