John Hill, of Dorchester

Parents unknown. John Hill (born about 1605 in England - died 31 May 1664 at about age 59 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts) married Frances; 12 children. She survived him & married Jonas Austin 2nd.

Family

Married: Frances Unknown. Most likely in England before 1630.

She remarried as his second wife, Jonah Austin, Sr., of Taunton on Dec. 14, 1667 in Taunton. [3] He d. there July 30, 1683; she d. in Dorchester, Nov. 18, 1676. [4] [5] See error section for a discussion on this marriage.

CHILDREN

1. John Hill, b. about 1630, probably in England. This is the date given by J. Gardner Bartlett. [2] However, as the second child given, Frances, did not actually exist, 1632 may be a better guess.
2. Frances Hill, b. 1632 [Error - did not exist]
3. Rebecca Hill, b. . about 1634, in Dorchester; admitted to the Dorchester church, Feb. 12, 1664/5; dismissed to the Taunton church, Feb. 18, 1671/2; m. Feb. 25, 1667/8, Joseph Gray of Taunton, who survived her. She d. May 13, 1676.
4. Mary Hill, b. 1636. Married Thomas Breck on 12 February 1656/7 in Dorchester. Removed to Sherborn, Massachusetts. Nine children. Died there 15 August 1726. [6]
5. Samuel Hill, Married Thomas Breck on 12 February 1656/7 in Dorchester. Removed to Sherborn, Massachusetts. Nine children. Died there 15 August 1726. [6]
6. Jonathan Hill, bapt. July 12, 1640.
7. Hannah Fisher (Hill), bapt. in Dec. 1641.
8. Mercy Willis (Hill) b. 1642, bapt. Jan. 8, 1642/3.
9. Ruth Hill, b. 1644-1736. b. in Aug, 1644; m. July 19, 1664, Roger Willis; settled in Sudbury, where she d. Sept, 1, 1736.
10. Ebenezer Hill b. 1645-1696
11. Israel Hill b. -1677
12. Martha Hill b.1648 Bapt. Aug. 20, 1648 ; no further record.
13. Mehitable HIll b. 1650-1679 Bapt. Feb. 18, 1650-1; d. unmarried, March 5, 1679

Source: John Hill of Dorchester, Mass., and his descendants by Bartlett, J. Gardner 1904 Page 4.

Origins

His English origins remain unknown. J. Gardner Bartlett in his article on John Hill’s descendants speculates that he could have been the same person has a John Hill from Chard, co. Somerset. [2] There were several other immigrants from Chard to Dorchester. Other than the name being the same, there is no reason to accept this identification. John Hill is far too common a name (there were several in New England even at this early date), and it must remain that his ancestry remains unproven and unknown.

Parents are speculated as Jane Hill & John Hill, of Pitminster - supporting evidence needed.

Also seen as son of George Hills

Immigration: Possibly by Feb 1631/32, but no later than Jan 6, 1633/34  Probably migrated with wife Frances and oldest son. Death:  May 31, 1664, Dorchester, Mass.

"John Hill is first mentioned in the Dorchester Records as follows: "Jan 6, 1633/34. It is agreed that the great lotts from Mr. Rosciter's to John Hills lott tow[ward] Naponset in bredth and eight score in length shall be forthwith enclosed by good sufficient Pale."

There is no evidence that he was member of the church, and the style of his will is totally different from that in vogue among the religious Puritan colonist. Not having been a church member he could not have been a freeman; and there is no record of his having held any public offices.

Not in a Church?  Most of our ancestors were Puritans or Quakers, and most were pronounced "freemen" (ie full citizens, with powers to vote). The John Hill article, in NEHGR 58:157-168 says there is no evidence of him becoming a member of the church, no record of becoming a freeman, and no record of holding any office. (However, do note that his wife and children were apparently church members, as the church records took note of her daughter's removal to Taunton and her marriage to Jonas Austin. nmt)

Death and Will

• Died: 31 May 1664 in Dorchester.
• "John Hill of the Great Lotts Departed out of this Life the 31st Day of May 1664." [7]
• Will and Inventory:
• Will of John Hill, of Dorchester, made 11th of April 1660. [8]
• I give unto my Eldest sonne, John Hill, that Estate of myne now in his hands, & for a remembrance I give him 5s.
• For the Rest of my Estate, house, Land & mooueables I giue unto my wife, Francis, During her life, for her Maintenance & for ye Bringing up of my Children, and at her Death my will is that my whole Estate bee giuen unto my nine youngest children, or to so many of them as shall be then alive, alway provided there be respect had to my sonne, Samuell, who hath been helpfull unto mee in my Infirme Dayes.
• I give my wife power to dispose of any parte of my estate as shee shall Judge meet, with the Advise of my Louing Freinds Tho: Tileston & John Minott.
• My dau Mary, hauing had her portion according to my abilitye alreadye, I Doe for a Remembrance give her 5s.
• And being confident of the Faithfulness and Care of my beloved Wife I make her my Executrix of this my Last will.
• John X Hill
• Signed in the presence of
• Thomas Tileston
• John Minott who deposed 30th, 4th, 1664 [Jun 30, 1664]
• Inventory of the estate taken 9th of June 1664, by Thomas Tileston, Jno Mynott. Amt £281.1s. Francis Hill deposed to this Inventory of the estate of her Late husband, June 30, 1664.

Notes

Jonas Austin married (2) in Taunton MA, 14 December 1667, Frances (_____) Hill, widow of John Hill of Dorchester. On 28 June 1674, "Francis Hill that was, but now Francis Asten, was dismissed [from the church at Dorchester] to join the church at Tanton." She died at Dorchester on 18 November 1676. No recorded children of this marriage.

The 1904 genealogy of John Hill and his descendants, starting in NEHGR 58:157 in installments, shows a daughter, Frances, who married Jonas Austin, and had no children. (Possibly following the same assertion made by Savage, or vice versa.) This was actually the marriage of the WIDOW of John Hill: Frances (__). (See Torrey). The daughter was a "ghost" made up to fit the marriage. There was no such person. (Note, if one counts John, Samuel and Mary, who were mentioned by name in the will, one arrives at twelve children. The genealogy lists 13 children. Subtract the "ghost" of Hannah from that list, and one is back to the twelve we count from the will. The death date given for this "ghost", Nov 18, 1676, is that of the mother: Frances (___) (Hill) Austin.

Common Errors to Avoid

• Merge Caution: There were a number of John Hill's in Massachusetts during the period of the Great Migration. Care must be taken not confuse them.
• Origin and parents: J. Gardner Bartlett in his article on John Hill’s descendants speculates that he could have been the same person has a John Hill from Chard, co. Somerset. [2] There were several other immigrants from Chard to Dorchester. Other than the name being the same, there is no reason to accept this identification. John Hill is far too common a name (there were several in New England even at this early date), and it must remain that his ancestry remains unproven and unknown. Specifically, there is no evidence whatsoever that he is a son of John Hill of Chard by his wife Jane Gaud.
• Incorrect wife name: The maiden name of his wife Frances is sometimes said to be Tileston or Tildon. This is unproven and there is no direct evidence to support this. there was a relationship between John Hill and Tileston family. His will refers to his loving friend Thomas Tileston. She could not be a daughter of Nathaniel Tilden as is sometimes given. The family of Nathaniel Tilden is well-documented by English wills and baptisms. [15] He did not have a daughter Frances, and wills show there were no other undocumented daughters. She could not be a daughter of Thomas Tileston as he was born c1610.
• Incorrect daughter: J. Gardner Bartlett in his article gives John Hill 13 children, including a daughter Frances. [2] He states the daughter married Jonas Austin in 1667 and died without children in 1676. This is incorrect. It was John Hill's widow Frances who remarried to Jonas Austin. [16] [17] Evidence to support this includes the fact that Jonas Austin born in 1598 and was too old to have married a daughter of John Hill. John Hill's will indicates he had at most 12 children and not 13. There is no evidence of a daughter Frances.
• Occupation: He is sometimes said incorrectly to have been a blacksmith. This error is caused by confusing him with a different John Hill of Boston who was a blacksmith. Dorchester land records and his inventory indicate he was a farmer as would be expected.

References

• http://ntgen.tripod.com/bw/hill_index.html

1. John Hill of Dorchester, Mass., and his descendants by J. Gardner Bartlett. Published 1904 by New-England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston. Written in English.  Page 4-5.
2. Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 12 2020, 20:45:21 UTC
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36939536/frances-hill_austin
4. John Hill is related to US President William Howard Taft. Here is the trail. Torrey, Clarence Almon. "Some Ancestral Lines of William Howard Taft," The American Genealogist. (1945) Vol 22, Page 207.
5. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hill-753 cites
   1. Dorchester was annexed to, and is now a community of, the city of Boston.
   2. New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol. 58 no. 2 (April 1904):157-168. John Hill of Dorchester, Mass and His Descendants, by J. Gardner Bartlett. Books.google.com LINK Reprinted separately - Archive.org LINK
   3. Taunton, Henry Edwards Scott ed. Vital records of Taunton, Massachusetts to the year 1850, vol. 2: Marriages. (Boston: NEHGS, 1929):28.
   4. Taunton, Henry Edwards Scott ed. Vital records of Taunton, Massachusetts to the year 1850, vol. 3: Deaths. (Boston: NEHGS, 1929):21.
   5. Dorchester. A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1890):29. Books.google.com LINK.
   6. New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol. 56 no. 4 (October 1902):380- . The Sherborn Brecks, by Allen H. Bent. Books.google.com LINK
   7. Dorchester. A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1890):26. Books.google.com LINK
   8. New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol 12 no. 4 (October 1858):346. Abstracts from the Earliest Wills on Record in the County of Suffolk, Mass., prepared by William B. Trask of Dorchester. Books.google.com LINK, will of John Hill.
   9. Dorchester. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Town Records, second edition. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1883). Books.google.com LINK
   10. Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, 3 vols., (Boston: NEHGS, 1995):937.
   11. Dorchester. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Town Records, second edition. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1883):5. Books.google.com LINK.
   12. Dorchester. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Town Records, second edition. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1883):15. Books.google.com LINK.
   13. Dorchester. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Town Records, second edition. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1883):28. Books.google.com LINK.
   14. Dorchester. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Town Records, second edition. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1883):30. Books.google.com LINK.
   15. Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, T-Y. (Boston: NEHGS, 2011):42-46, Biography of Nathaniel Tilden.
   16. Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. (Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004).
   17. Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the ..., Volume 4. (New York, 1913):2020 Books.google.com LINK
6. Source List:
7. New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol 12 no. 4 (October 1858):346. Abstracts from the Earliest Wills on Record in the County of Suffolk, Mass., prepared by William B. Trask of Dorchester. Books.google.com LINK.
8. New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol. 58 no. 2 (April 1904):157-168. John Hill of Dorchester, Mass and His Descendants, by J. Gardner Bartlett. Books.google.com < link > Reprinted separately - Archive.org < link >
9. Dorchester. Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Town Records, second edition. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1883). Books.google.com LINK.
10. Dorchester. A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston: Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill,1890). Books.google.com LINK.
11. Dorcester. Records of the First Church at Dorchester, in New England, 1636-1734. (Boston 1891). Archive.org LINK Books.Google.com HathiTrust.org LINK

• Reference: Filae Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 7 2023, 13:41:25 UTC