John Hill (abt. 1620 - 1689)

Born about 1620 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Kateren (Post) Hill — married 23 Sep 1673 in Saybrook, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 8 Jun 1689 at about age 69 in Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Darlene Clark [send private message], Donna Watkins [send private message], and Beverly Henry [send private message]

Biography

Name and Origins

John Hill of Guilford, Connecticut.^[1][2]

The parents and origins of John Hill of Guilford are unknown. Smith's History of Guilford states that he came from Northamptonshire, but there is no reason to think this is true.^[3] This may be caused by confusing him with a John Hill of Branford; they are not the same person as sometimes said as John Hill of Branford can be shown to have died in 1678.

He was previously made to be a son of Joseph Hills and Rose (Clark) Hills. This is certainly incorrect. Joseph and Rose Hills did have a son John, but he was baptized on 21 March 1632 which is too late to be having grandchildren born in 1661. And of course, no primary support for the link has ever been reported.

None of the births of his children have been found in the vital records of Connecticut or Massachusetts. All of their births can only be estimated from their marriages. In fact, the earliest records of John Hill are a series of slander cases from 1656 to 1659.^[4] He does appear on the list of freeman in 1659, but not on the list of 1650.^[5]

Birth

Born: Say 1620.

A birth date of 1615 is often found on the internet. Though possible, it would seem a bit early for a man who does not appear in the records until the 1650s, and was having children from the mid-1640s until the mid-1650s.

First marriage and Children

Married: 1st - Francis Unknown roughly around 1640 based on the estimated birth dates of their children. She is often called Francis Symonds, however, there is no actual evidence to support this LNAB. Frances died on 2 May 1673 in Guilford.^{[citation needed][6]}

Children: of John Hill and Frances Unknown:

The names of his children are only known with certainty from his will. Many of the children have precise birth dates found on the internet. In every case, these dates are in error and unsupported by primary records.

1. Ann Hill. Born say 1641. Said to be the wife of James Tapping of Milford and Middletown. If so, they were married by 1662 and had five children born between 1662 and 1673.
2. Sarah Hill. Born say 1643.^[7] She is believed to have married Henry Allen of Milford by 1663 when their first child was born.^[8]
3. John Hill. Born say 1645.^[9] He married Thankful Stowe by 1670. He died 8 May 1690 in Guilford.^[10]
4. Elizabeth Hill. Born say 1647. She was deceased at the time of her father's will. She apparently had married and had children, but their names are unknown.
5. James Hill. Born say 1657. He married Sarah Griswald about 1682 and had nine children. He died in October 1707.

Details from the Guilford town records

• 1655 to 1658 -- There is a largely illegible record of a Guilford town court, held on 14 May 1655 which included a case involving John Hill.^[11] The more legible court record of 3 February 1658 involved Thomas Charles as plaintiff and John Hill as defendant. "John Hill acknowledgeth that he did not well to ... Clark for a slander ... violence to him ... his throat or collar ..." From the barely legible image, it is not clear who slandered whom nor who grabbed whom by the throat or collar.^[12] Fortunately, this and other lawsuits involving John Hill as a defendant were described by a secondary source previously cited.
• 1672 -- An appraisal of the estates of those living in Guilford listed "John Hill Senior -- 54 - 07", "John Hill Junior -- 47 - 13" and "James Hill -- 42 - 0".^[13]

Second marriage

Married: 2nd - Katherine Post on 23 September 1673 in Saybrook, Connecticut.^[14] She was the widow of Alexander Chalker by whom she had seven children.^[15][16][17] She was last known living on 9 January 1693/4 when she consented to a deed, but dead by 18 September 1694 when her inventory was presented to the courts.

Death

Died: 8 Jun 1689 in Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut.^[10]

Will: John Hill Sen^r of Guilford^[18]

Dated 28 September 1688 and proved 17 June 1689.^[19]

The last will and testament of John Hill Sen^r late of Guilford deceased

Know all men by these presents that I John Hill in the county of New Haven in his majesties dominion of New England being in a weake condition of body, but of sound understanding doe make this my last will as followeth:

Imp^es I commend my soule to the free mercy of god in christ of my body to decent burial And for my worldly estate having already disposed sundry partially of my lands to my sons John and James which they stand possessed of the remainder of my estate I thus dispose

my just debts being payd out thereof saving what is only due to Mr Richard Bryan of milford &Thomas Cooke junior of milford, which debts are to be payd by my son James, and the debt due to my son John being payd out of my lands;

I doe then give to my deare wife Katherine a bible & a remnant of linsey-woolsey clothe being three yards

I give to my son James one third part of my land indebt the value thereof as it shall be prized in inventory to be paid to him by my son John; I alsoe give to my sd son James my featherbed with its appurtenances & my weaving apparell

I give to my daughter Tapping & to the children of my daughter Sarah and Elizabeth deceased two thirds of my moveable estate to be equally divided amongst them sd est the value thereof as apprized in the inventory to paid to them by my son John; ffrancis Allen to have a double share;

the remainder of my estate housing land & moveables I give to my son John and his heyres for ever

And I doe constitute my sd son John, with the advice of my son James, the executor of this my last will and testament. Dated this twenty eight September Anno domini 1688.

Memorandum, That it is my will that my wife Katherine shall have halfe of the family provision & halfe of the crop of this present years for her reliefe & this entered before signing & sealing

The mark of John H Hill

The witnesses sworne in court: June 17^th 1689 & soe it was approved & ye executor accepted of his trust

As attests James Bishop

Signed and sealed in the presence of Stephen Bradleye and Nathaniall Stone

The inventory of John Hill was taken on 3 June 1689.^[19]

On the second Monday of June, 1695, the following record was made (New Haven County Court Records, I., 232): "The legacies yet due out of ye estate of John Hill of Guilford deceased is 9 lb 20s which is to be distributed to 13 grandchildren of the deceased the eldest of them viz. Frances Allen to have I lb 5s 5d as a double portion, and each of the rest to have 12s 20d as a single portion to every of them." An inventory of estate taken 13 June 1689. (History of the Plantation of Menunkatuck, full citation below.).

Notes

• Name of daughter Ann/Hannah: John Hill in his will named "my daughter Tapping." There is no direct evidence as to the given name of this daughter. However, it has been suggested that the best candidate is that this daughter married James Tapping of Milford whose wife was named Ann.^[2] The name Hannah, which is sometimes interchangeable with Ann, comes from a birth record of a Hannah Hill on 18 January 1652 in New Haven. However, this Hannah was the daughter of Robert Hill, not this John Hill. Therefore we have absolutely no evidence for the name Hannah, and this daughter should be called Ann.
• Marriage of daughter Ann: John Hill in his will named "my daughter Tapping." It has been suggested that the best candidate for the husband of this daughter was James Tapping of Milford.^[2] This is not certain, and is important for knowing the name of this daughter and for establishing dates. James and Ann Tapping were married by 1662 and had children born between 1662 and 1673.
• Marriage of daughter Sarah: John Hill named in his will his deceased daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth. He also named a granddaughter Frances Allen. The conclusion then is that either Sarah or Elizabeth had married an Allen and had a daughter named Frances. It is believed that Sarah was therefore the wife of Henry Allen of Milford as he had a wife named Sarah, a daughter named Frances and Henry's wife Sarah had died by 1685.
• Legal troubles: The earliest confirmed records of John Hill are actually a number of court cases:^[4]

- 1656, Richard Hubble accused John Hill of slander and was awarded L5.

- 1656, John Hill accused Thomas Clarke of slander, but lost and ordered to pay court costs.

- Feb. 1658/9, Thomas Clarke accused John Hill of assault. He was found guilty but Clarke was also found libel for destroying Hill's hay.

- Feb. 1658/9, related to the above case, Nathan Bradley accused Hill of slander. Hill had a counter claim. The case was settled without the court making a decision.

• Freeman: Though he was said to have been made a freeman by 1657, the basis for this statement is not known. There are two freeman lists for Guilford. John Hill does not appear in the list of 1650 but is on the list of 1659.^[5]

Common Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect parents: He was previously made to be a son of Joseph Hills and Rose (Clark) Hills. This is certainly incorrect. Joseph and Rose Hills did have a son John, but he was baptized on 21 March 1632 which is too late to be having grandchildren born in 1661. And of course, no primary support for the link has ever been reported.

• Birth date: He is often said to have been born in 1615. We have nothing to base a birth date on other than the marriages of his children births of grandchildren. Given that his son James did not marry until 1682, a date of 1615 seems a bit early. A better guess would be around 1620 (1615-1625).

• LNAB of first wife: His wife is often said to be Frances Symonds and that they were married in London in 1641. This comes from old ancestral file submissions and there is no evidence that this identification is correct.

• Origins: Smith's History of Guilford states that he came from Northamptonshire, but there is no reason to think this is true.^[3]

• Occupation: Smith's History of Guilford states that he was a carpenter, but there are no primary records to support this.^[3] In his will, he bequeaths a fair amount of cloth and also mentions "my weaving apparel." It would seem he was more likely a tailor in addition to the usual profession of farmer.

• Disambiguation: He has been equated with the John Hill who was among the ealiest settlers of adjacent Branford, Connecticut. Facts associated with John Hill of Branford are summarized with a separate wikitree profile: John Hill (-bef.1689). In short, there are probate records for a "John Hill late of Branford" who died in 1679 and who is often assumed to be the same as the John Hill who originally settled In Branford in 1646.^[2] However, there is also a Branford record from 1658 which refers to a "John Hill of Gilford" who still owned a horse in Branford.^[20] A challenge in documenting the life of John Hill is that his name was all too common in 17th century New England. These included, in addition to previously discussed John Hill (abt.1620-1689) (of Guilford) and the "John Hill late of Branford"^[21]:John Hill (abt.1645-1690) (son of John Hill Sr of Guilford), John Hill (abt.1630-bef.1680), John Hill (abt.1605-1664), John Hill (abt.1635-abt.1708), John Hill (abt.1598-1647), John Hills (1648-1692), John Hill (abt.1648-1697), John Hill II (abt.1624-aft.1698). Robert Charles Anderson listed four men named "John Hill" in "The Great Migration Directory".^[22] There are also early records from New Haven showing that John Hill was fined by the court in 1643^[23] and took the Oath of Fidelity in 1644.^[24] Which of these records are for the John Hill who was listed first among the early settlers of Branford ?

• Birth date of son James: James is often said on the internet to have been born 15 May 1646 in Wethersfield, Connecticut. There are no primary records to support this date. This date would also seem to be much to early as his wife was born in 1662, he was married in 1682, and he had children from 1683 until 1701.

• Birth date of son John: The first NEHGR article gives his birth date as 10 January 1650.^[1] This is incorrect. A John Hill was born on this date in New Haven, Connecticut, however, this John was the son of Robert Hill.^[25]

• Birth date of daughter "Hannah": The first NEHGR article gives her birth date as 18 January 1652.^[1] This is incorrect. A Hannah Hill was born on this date in New Haven, Connecticut, however, this Hannah was the daughter of Robert Hill.^[26] Since this was the only evidence of a daughter named Hannah, the conclusion is that John Hill did not even have a daughter Hannah.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} NEHGR, vol. 57 (1903): pages 87-93. "Descendants of Luke Hill and John Hill of Guilford."
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} NEHGR, vol. 57 (1903):pages 250-252. "Notes on the Family of John Hill of Guilford, Conn."
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Smith. The History of Guilford, Connecticut. (1877): page 20.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Steiner. A History of the Plantation of Menunkatuck and of the Original Town of Guilford, Connecticut. (1897): pages 94-95.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Steiner. A History of the Plantation of Menunkatuck and of the Original Town of Guilford, Connecticut. (1897): page 128.
6. ↑ Where does this date come from? It is not in the Barbour Collection of Guilford vital records.
7. ↑ The date is rough estimate based on her marriage by 1663.
8. ↑ Anderson. Great Migration: volume I, A–B. (1999): page 29.
9. ↑ The date is a rough estimate based on his wife being born in 1646 and their marriage by 1670. The commonly found date of 10 January 1650 is an error.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Connecticut Nutmegger, vol. 10 no. 1 (June 1977): pages 160-177, see 169. "Old Guilford Births and Deaths."
11. ↑ Guilford town records. Volume 1. Page 145 & 146. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3F-N3KK-5?i=29&cat=358853) The court date is given on page 145. At the top of page 146, "John Hill" is legible. "John Hill" was also named in other Guilford court cases in 1657 (see https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3F-N3KX-2?i=88&cat=358853) and 1658 (see https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3F-N3KX-9?i=91&cat=358853 -- both pages)
12. ↑ Guilford town records. Volume 1. Page 175. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3F-N3KF-8?i=92&cat=358853 -- the page on the right)
13. ↑ Guilford town records. Volume 1. Page 49. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3F-N3KK-5?i=29&cat=358853)
14. ↑ NEHGR, vol. 4 (1850): pages 137-141, see pg 138. "Records of Saybrook, CT."
15. ↑ NEHGR, vol. 4 (1850): pages 19-22, see pg 22. "Records of Saybrook, CT."
16. ↑ NEHGR, vol. 160 (2006): pages 30-34, see page 33. "English Ancestry of Stephen¹ Post. "
17. ↑ The American Genealogist, vol. 68 (1993): pages 225-231, see 225, 229-230. "Alexander¹ Chalker of Saybrook Connecticut."
18. ↑ Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999: New Haven Probate Records, Vol 1-2 1647-1703. (Ancestry.com online database images of original document). Will of John Hill, image 259 of 452.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} “New Haven Probate Records, Vol. 1-2, 1647-1703”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L92K-G9N8-P  : 11 March 2021), New Haven, Connecticut, FHL microfilm 007626739, image 259-260. New Haven Probate Record, 1668-1703, Vol. 2, Part 1, page 7-8.
20. ↑ Branford town records. Volume 1. Page 381. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK7-B3LG-1?i=197&cat=157834)
21. ↑ New Haven Probate Records. 1647 – 1703. Volume 1. Part 2. Page 75. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L92K-G9NN-J?i=183 )
22. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles, "The Great Migration Directory", Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015, page 161.
23. ↑ Records of the colony and plantation of New-Haven, from 1638 to 1649. By Charles Hoadly. 1857. Pages 122 & 123 and 125 (https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyp00newh/page/122/mode/2up)"fined each 1 shilling for late coming to trayne"
24. ↑ Records of the colony and plantation of New-Haven, from 1638 to 1649. By Charles Hoadly. 1857. Page 138 (https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyp00newh/page/138/mode/2up)
25. ↑ Vital Records of New Haven, 1649-1850, part 1. (1917): page 5.
26. ↑ Vital Records of New Haven, 1649-1850, part 1. (1917): page 8.

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 4 no. 1 (January 1850): pages 19-22, see pg 22. "Records of Saybrook, CT," by Sylvester Nash. Google books link.

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 4 no. 2 (April 1850): pages 137-141, see pg 138. "Records of Saybrook, CT" (concluded), by Sylvester Nash. Google books link.

• The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 57 no. 1 (January 1903): pages 87-93. "Descendants of Luke Hill and John Hill of Guilford, Conn., and their Descendants," by Ralph D. Smith.

• The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 57 no. 3 (July 1903): pages 250-252. "Notes on the Family of John Hill of Guilford, Conn.", by Edwin A. Hill.

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 160 (2006): pages 30-34, see page 33. "English Ancestry of Stephen¹ Post of Saybrook, Connecticut," by Steve Carter. AmericanAncestors.org link

• Connecticut Nutmegger, vol. 10 no. 1 (June 1977): pages 160-177, see 169. "Old Guilford Births and Deaths", by Herbert H. Olding. AmericanAncestors.org Link. These are records left out of the Barbour Collection.

• The American Genealogist, vol. 68 (1993): pages 225-231, see 225, 229-230. "Alexander¹ Chalker of Saybrook Connecticut: His Wives and Children," by Norman W. Ingham. AmericanAncestors.org link

• New Haven. Vital Records of New Haven, 1649-1850, part 1: Births Marriages and Deaths. (Hartford, 1917): page 5. page 8.

• Smith, Ralph D, and Lewis H. Steiner. The History of Guilford, Connecticut: From Its First Settlement in 1639. (Albany, 1877). HathiTrust.org link.

• Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999: New Haven Probate Records, Vol 1-2 1647-1703. (Ancestry.com online database images of original document). Will of John Hill, image 259 of 452...

• Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, volume I, A–B. (Boston: NEHGS, 1999): page 29. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• Steiner, Bernard Christian. A History of the Plantation of Menunkatuck and of the Original Town of Guilford, Connecticut. (Baltimore, 1897): pages 94-95, 106 and 128.

• Atwater, Edward E. History of the Colony of New Haven to Its Absorption into Connecticut. New Haven: Printed for the author, 1881. Print. read online

• Hill, Edwin A., Esq. Genealogies of Connecticut Families Vol. II Notes on the Family of John Hill of Guilford, Conn: pages 163-165. read online

• Lawrence, John S., Compiler. The Descendants of Moses and Sarah Kilham Porter of Pawlet, Vermont: with some notice of their ancestors and those of Timothy Hatch, Amy and Lucy Seymour Hatch, Mary Lawrence Porter and L Lucretia Bushnell Porter. Grand Rapids: 1910, p. 128.

• Ricker, Jacquelyn Ladd. The Ricker Compilation of Vital Records of Ea rly Connecticut: Based on The Barber Collection of Connecticut Town Vit al Records and Other Statistical Sources. Baltimore: 2006. p. 6265

• Roberts, Gary B, and Judith McGhan. Genealogies of Connecticut Families: From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1983. Print. p. 163-165.||find in a library||read online

• Dr. Alvan Talcott's manuscript genealogies of Guilford families link

• Boyer and Munson Family from Washington state

• gleaned with notes

• History of Guilford, New Haven County, CT

• Find A Grave: Memorial #170432018

• http://records.ancestry.com/John_Hill_records.ashx?pid=23199918

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to Lisa Hill for starting this profile. And also thanks to Larry Gardner for management, starting on Saturday, January 4, 2014. And thanks to Robin Lee for advice on this profile.
• Thanks to Joshua Allen for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Joshua and others.