Sarah Joyce (Hanks) Hill (1769 - abt. 1847)

Born 13 Jul 1769 in Pittsylvania, Virginia colony

Ancestors

Wife of Reuben Hill — married [date unknown] in Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died about 1847 at about age 77 in Columbia, Maury, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Sarah died in her brother, Elijah's, home in Maury County, TN at the age of 79.

'Gladys Hanks Johnson, GENEALOGY OF THE HANKS AND ALLIED FAMILIES (1965) page 17 "Joisey", so spelled in Thomas' Bible and "Joicie", by her own descendants. In my first letters to Mr. Arin Baber, an authority on the many Hanks lines of America, he immediately placed my family as being of the Moses Hanks line upon seeing the name "Joisey" through the different families.

Joisey maried Reubin Hill, born 17 June 1761, near Richmond, Virginia) and later they moved to the French Broad in Tennessee, then to Cumberland County, Ky., and settled in the American Bottom on the Cumberland River. They later moved on into Maury County, Tennessee, where the other Hanks kin settled. Here they lived on one of the experimental farms of James K. Polk, farming and Reubin following his trade of a "hatter"---that is, making hats. It is said that Moses Hanks died in the home of his daughter Joisey Hill.

Reubin died in the early part of 1833 and his sons went to court for an order to care for his estate:

State of Tennessee, Maury County March Sessions 1833

WhereaS it appears to the court that Reubin Hill late of this county is dead and having made no will and application being made by Andrew W. and Hanks N. Hill to have letters in the administration in the estate of the said Reubin deceased having first given bond and security and qualified according to law the same is granted. These are therefore to authorize. and empower you the said Andrew W. and Harks N. Hill to enter in and upon all and singular the Goods and Chattels rights and credits of the said Reubin deceased and the same into your possession take wheresoever to be found in this state and a true and a perfect inventory thereof make and return into our ensuing court and the just debts of the intestate to pay so far as the said estate will extend, or amount, and the residue deliver to those legally entitled thereto.

Witness:

Thomas J. Porter

Clerk of the said Court the 2nd Monday in March 1833

Thomas J. Porter C Clk

It is known that Joisey and her sister Sarah were devout students of the Bible, and this Bible is still in possession of her descendants in Murray, Kentucky. Here in 1960, Ars. C. W. Waldrop went through the Bible very carefully, remembering she had seen a paper with names on it in the years gone by. And here she found an old yellowed sheet of paper, listing Hanks men on the left of the page and Hill men on the right hand side. It also had some Bible verses listed and the supposition is that the two old ladies were checking these names with names in the Bible. The Hanks list gave the grandfather of the two ladies and the sons listed under Luke's name. The same was done with the family of Reubin Hill. This paper was sent to Mr. Baber who then sent it to the Illinois Historical Society who studied it for age, fibers and pencil content--they found it to stand up as stated as to age.

Joisey and Reubin were married about 1788; she died in Maury County in 1847. Below is a copy of a letter she wrote to one of her sons--George Hill, who served as a general in the Tennessee Militia in the War of 1812:

State of Tennessee, Maury Cty June 16, 1846

Affectionate son and daughter;

I received your letter, a source of great satisfaction to me to hear that you are all well--but still more gratified to hear that your family had embarked in the good cause of Christ. A good portion of this world's goods is essential while in this world, but above all things, the Religion of Jesus Christ is essential to our happiness in time and eternity. The vapor that appears and is then gone or the bubble on water that soon disappears is a fit representation of Man's stay on earth, and yet this mortal Spirit is destined to live forever and return to God with him to dwell or have its doom and sink to hell.

Joisey and Reubin Hill had 14 children.

The following is from a letter written in May 1891 by Hanks Neville Hill to E. E. McClure: Portland, Oregon May 1891

Thomas and William Hill, my great-grandfather and his brother, came from England and settled in Pennsylvania in the early days of the colonies--

Grandfather, Thomas Hill, was born in Pennsylvania, married and lived there until my father, Reubin, was 4 years old. He was the 4th child of a family of 16. When father was 4 years old grandfather moved to Virginia, near Richmond, where my father was married to Joice Hanks. Grandmother Hill was a Hamlin.

Father, Reuben Hill's brother, Joseph, was the oldest, then came William, Allen, John, who was captain in General Jackson's command and was killed during the "Cherokee War" about 1812. Allen was a Baptist minister. Other brothers of my father were Thomas, Daniel, and Delaware, of whom I know little except that Daniel lived on the French Broad, an affluent of the Tennessee. John was from Williamson Co., Tennessee; Allen was in Jackson County, Tennessee; one went to Texas, after rzmexation, and one to Illinois.

Father Reubin married Joice Hanks near Richmond and had one child, Thomas, before moving to the French Broad in East Tennessee, whence, in about four years he moved to Cumberland County, Kentucky, and settled in the American Bottom on the Cumberland River. Brother Moses was born on the French Broad, Keziah, Elias, Sarah, Nancy, George, Agatha and Lucinda (twins), and Minerva, Reubin, and Hanks (myself), were all born in Kentucky.

1. Thomas Hill married Elizabeth Cundiff. Had three children and moved to Dixon County (Tenn.). George Hill went to the Arkansas Territory in 1818 and in 1820 married Nancy Harpoll. Afterward he moved to Hempstead County, Arkansas. Was Brigadier General; represented the county in the State Legislature two terms; died in 1848, leaving three girls and two boys, George and William. Neville Hill.
2. Moses married Axley Henley in Murry (Maury) Co., Tenn., in 1818 and three years later moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was Sheriff of the county, died leaving one son, Reuben Hill.
3. Elias married in Kentucky in 1816 to Edith Blankenship. Settled in American Bottom, Illinois. Died soon after, leaving one son, who is living in Northern Missouri.
4. Reuben, born in 1808, married Margaret Lair. (He died 31 January 1890 at Albany, Oregon. His wife died November 1890 at the same place.) married William Dodson in 1817, had two girls and one son, Reuben Dodson. Youngest girl Mahala. All graduates of LaGrange College in Alabama. Emigrated 1843 to Chemingo (Tishimingo) Co. Mississippi.
5. Sarah married Andrew Hill of Irish descent about 1827. Had three daughters, Mary, Martha and Minerva Hill, and one son, William Hill.
6. Nancy married Alfred O'Neil about 1819 in Maury Co., Tenn. Moved to Satarcia (Sartartia), Mississippi, on the Yazoo River. Had one son, James O'Neil. Some years after O'Neil's death she married Henson Alverson. Had twins, William and Reuben Alverson. Alverson died. She was a widow when the Civil War began. Have heard nothing since.
7. Lunina. married Elijah Pritchard, 1820, in Maury County. Went to American Bottom, Illinois, had two children, Mary Ann and Jane Pritchard. Pritchard died. She later married Allen Bullock in Maury Co., Tennessee. Had several children. She moved to McCracken Co., Ky., and died there.
8. Agatha married William Gordon in Maury Co., Tenn. Had two children, Reuben and Elias Gordon. Died in McCracken Co., Ky., on the Ohio River.
9. Minerva, married in Maury Co., Richard Smith, moved to Mississippi on the Pearl River. Had 4 children, Joyce Ann, Joshua, William and Reuben Smith. Moved to Long Prairie in Arkansas and died.
10. Hanks Neville Hill, born March 10th, 1813, in Cumberland County, Ky. Emigrated to Maury Co., Tenn., 1818. Left there about 1837 and settled in McNairy Co., Tenn., married in 1844 to Elizabeth Ann Merrell, she born 4 Dec. 1819. Her father was killed and her mother's tongue was cut out by the Tories during the Revolution in Randolph County, North Carolina. Hanks Neville and Elizabeth Ann (Merrell) Hill remained in McNairy Co., until 1846. Harris, a son, born there December 1845. In 1846 removed to Barry Co., Missouri, and settled in Washburn Prairie. Jare, Jesse Reuben, and Margaret Elizabeth Hill born there. In 1853 they crossed the plains to Oregon in company with brother Reuben Hill and family.

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 BIRTH, MARRIAGE & DEATH

Name Joisey Hanks

Gender Female

Birth Place VA

Birth Year 1769

Spouse Name Reuben Hill

Spouse Birth Place PA

Spouse Birth Year 1761

Marriage State VA

Number Pages 1

In records of Big Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church, East TN, a list of members (undated) of -Big Pigeon Church Membership Document, Cooke County, TN. http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/cocke/church/bigpigeo.txt The relationships among these individuals is not clear, most likely they are brothers/sisters of Daniel. Joice Hanks-Hill was first cousin to Nancy Hanks - wife of Abraham Lincoln

• Hill, Daniel
• HIll, Joice (Hanks) (Reuben Hill's wife)
• Hill, Joseph
• Hill, Reben
• Hill, Samuel
• Hill. Susannah
• Hill, Thomas

U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules Index, 1850-1880

Name: Joyce Hill

Gender: Female

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1770

Birth Place: Virginia, USA

Age: 80

Death Date: May 1850

Cause of Death: Consumption

Census year: 1850

Census Place: Columbia, Maury, Tennessee, USA

Line: 7

According to Gladys Hanks Johnson, GENEALOGY OF THE HANKS AND ALLIED FAMILIES (1965), HILL SUPPLEMENT available Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: Johnson, Gladys Hanks,. Genealogy of the Hanks and allied families. Houston, Tex.?: unknown, 1990. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/18631/ page 204-206

Thomas Hill b. 19 November 1724 m. Hamlin or Hamblen. They moved from Pennsylvania or New Jersey to Virginia in 1765. There were sixteen children, we have most of them listed below:

1. Capt. John Hill.
2. Allen Hill.
3. Daniel Hill.
4. Joseph Hill.
5. Reubin Hill b. 1761 in Pennsylvania m. Joicey Hanks.
6. Thomas Hill.
7. Lurane Hill m. George Hanks (This is approximately where she fits in. BRR).
8. William Hill.
9. Delaware Hill.
10. Samuel Hill.
11. Abraham Hill.
12. James Hill.
13. Sarah Hill m. Rev. Thomas Hanks.

There were three more children according to a letter from Hanks Neville Hill, a grandson of Rev. Thomas Hill and son of Reubin and Joicey (Hanks) Hill. However he did not name them. We presume they were daughters. This family is an enormous one and, since the name is quite common, rather difficult to trace.

[Research note - Caution- I suspect that some of the "16 children" are not actually his children, but raised as a very large "family"]

Sources

• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 BIRTH, MARRIAGE & DEATH
• U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules Index, 1850-1880

• Gladys Hanks Johnson, GENEALOGY OF THE HANKS AND ALLIED FAMILIES (1965), HILL SUPPLEMENT available Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: Johnson, Gladys Hanks,. Genealogy of the Hanks and allied families. Houston, Tex.?: unknown, 1990. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/18631/ page 204-206