John Hill (abt. 1605 - 1664)

Born about 1605 in England

Husband of Frances (Unknown) Austin — married 1630 in England

Descendants

Died 31 May 1664 at about age 59 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts

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John Hill migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 161) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Name

Name: John Hill, of Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts.^{[1] [2]}

Parents and origins are unknown.

Birth

Born: About 1605 in England.

Rough estimate based on his first son being born c1630.

Marriage and Children

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 of John and Frances Hill:

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. 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.
3. Mary Hill. Married Thomas Breck on 12 February 1656/7 in Dorchester. Removed to Sherborn, Massachusetts. Nine children. Died there 15 August 1726. ^[6]
4. Samuel Hill. b. and bapt. about 1638.
5. Jonathan Hill. bapt. July 12, 1640.
6. Hannah Hill. bapt. in Dec. 1641.
7. Mercy Hill. Mercy, bapt. Jan. 8, 1642/3.
8. Ruth Hill. b. in Aug, 1644; m. July 19, 1664, Roger Willis; settled in Sudbury, where she d. Sept, 1, 1736.
9. Ebenezer Hill.
10. Israel Hill.
11. Martha Hill. Bapt. Aug. 20, 1648 ; no further record.
12. Mehitable Hill. Bapt. Feb. 18, 1650-1; d. unmarried, March 5, 1679

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 and commentary

John Hill was among the earliest settlers of Dorchester, Massachusetts. He first occurs in the Dorchester town records when on 6 January 1634 it was recorded that: “It is agreed that the great lotts from Mr. Rosciter's to John Hills lott tow[ard] Naponset in bredth and eight score in length shall be forthwith enclosed by good good sufficient Pale.” ^[9] 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.

John Hill of Dorchester is not given a biography in Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration series, though he clearly should have. He does give a brief biography on a John Hill mentioned in a letter by Gov. William Bradford on 6 February 1631/2. ^[10] Anderson speculates that he could be identical John Hill of Dorchester who occurs in the records in 1633/4, so Anderson was clearly aware of his existence and that he was in New England prior to 1635.

- Noted as already owning land in Dorcester on 6 January 1633/4: "the great Lotts from Mr Rosciter's to John Hill's lott...shalle be forewith enclosed" ^[11]

- Granted 2 acres of marsh land on 18 February, 1636: as "Good: Hill 2 acres". ^[12]

- Granted land in Dorcester 2 January 1637/8: "One acre from the little necke towards the old harbor". ^[13]

- Granted land on 18 March 1637/8. ^[14]

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.

His residence, after 1644, was in that part of Dorchester called Uncaty, and later set off as Milton.

On 14 February 1734, his children or representatives of his children sold out there interests in his undivided land in Stoughton. This deed goes along way in proving the relationships of his children and who his children were.

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.

Sources

Footnotes and Citations:

1. ↑ Dorchester was annexed to, and is now a community of, the city of Boston.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} 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

Source List:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Dorcester. Records of the First Church at Dorchester, in New England, 1636-1734. (Boston 1891). Archive.org LINK Books.Google.com HathiTrust.org LINK

See also:

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. "HILL: John¹ m Frances ______; John² m Hannah _________²..."

Acknowledgements (contributors):

Brian McCullough, Calle Craig Mitch Thompson Joe Cochoit