John C. C. Hill and Mary Ann Murray Masterson
This touching story of how John C. C. Hill and Mary Ann Murray Masterson came to marry in their twilight years, was taken from a 1964 manuscript found in the McMinnville, TN genealogical dept. of the Magness Library. I do not know who was good enough to place it there, but I have since found the source of the story. Lucy Amanda Hill, born in 1855, was a favorite niece of John C. C. Hill. They wrote extensively to each other over the years. After John C. C. and Mary Ann married, and while on their wedding trip, they stopped to visit John's brother, James Madison Hill (Lucy's father), in Austin, TX. Mary Ann recounted this story to Lucy, who recorded it as it was told to her in 1898. It is likely romanticized somewhat as was the writing style at the turn of the century, but interesting nonetheless.
John C.C. Hill married Mary Ann Murray Masterson in 1898, a sweetheart of his youth, at which time the Murrays resided in Mexico and young Hill was a student at the Mineria. (The Mining School in Mexico)
Mary Ann Murray was born in England in 1827 and moved to Mexico
(Orizaba) at the age of ten with her parents, a younger sister and brother. They remained there three years with the children attending Spanish school. The children were then taken to New Orleans to attend school, but were prevented from attending school because of a yellow fever epidemic. Mary Ann and the other children had the fever and as they were recovering their mother died. They remained there one year, then, in response to letters to their father requesting him to come for them, he came immediately and took the children, Mary Ann, Eliza and John M. Murray to Cincinnati, placing the girls in Notre Dame Convent
and the boy in college across the street from the Convent. They
remained there three years and then to prevent Eliza from taking the vows of a Nun, their father came to Cincinnati and returned to Mexico with his children. The voyage from New Orleans to Tampico occupied three weeks, they being unable to go directly to Vera Cruz because of a blockade as war was then in progress.
They encountered a very severe storm at sea and the vessel they were on was the only one of seven that was saved which had sailed at the same time for Tampico. Mary Ann remembered well how very much frightened all were at the time, and an incident as related by her; "There was a profane old man on board who could hardly speak without uttering an oath. In the midst of the storm he rushed to her father and said, 'Oh! Mr. Murray, I have been a wicked and profane man, but I live by Jesus, I'll be damned if I don't.' Her father said that he supposed that was the most earnest prayer the old man had ever uttered in his life."
They arrived in Tampico on Sunday morning (the date not remembered) just in time to go to church, after which they went to a hotel for breakfast. While eating, one of the waiters remarked in Spanish, not knowing they could understand the language, "They are pretty girls, but they eat very
much."
They went from Tampico to Mexico City, which time was at the beginning of the war, and remained there until 1849 when they moved to California, the cause of which is connected with the romance concerning the lives of Mary Ann Murray and John C.C. Hill.
They first met in her father's home, and after their first meetings John's visits became quite frequent, and later on he continued to visit the home regularly every Sunday and Wednesday. Both girls were very strictly brought up, their mother being dead, their father never permitted them to go out without a chaperone.
About this time Mrs. Tiernay, a half aunt of the Murray girls, came from England to reside in Mexico City, and she and her little daughter, then six years of age (afterwards Mrs. Blood of San Francisco, California) accompanied the girls in their walks and elsewhere. There also resided in the city a family by the name of Green who were intimate friends of the Murrays and at whose home John Hill and Mary Murray frequently met. Possibly these meetings gave rise to the rumor which came to Mr. Murray
through Mrs. Tiernay that a secret marriage was in contemplation between his daughter Mary and John Hill to take place at the residence of the Greens. Naturally, such intimation was almost incredible to a father who had been accustomed to receive the highest respect and perfect obedience from his beloved daughter. So greatly disturbed was he that he decided rather than gossip of this nature should exist concerning his daughter, it would be better to remove her elsewhere, thus for a time separating the two lovers.
However, he summoned his daughter to him and during a protracted
conversation with her in their garden he appraised her of the rumor which came to Mr. Murray through Mrs. Tiernay and asked her about what she had to say regarding it. She replied that it was untrue. Her father assured her that while he fully believed her assertion and at the same time entertained the highest regard for, and admiration of the character and good standing of her lover, he had decided the better course to prevent further gossip to be at least a temporary separation from each other, and that after young Hill had completed his education and had some business or profession, and they then were both of the same
mind, he would willingly consent to their union. The girl pleaded with her father not to separate them but her entreaties were in vain, and so they bade each other goodbye at the home of Mrs. Green.
Hurried preparations were made for the immediate embarkment of the family on one of the vessels which were in readiness to sail from Juan Blas to California and which had been chartered by Mr. Murray to convey his manufactured goods to that state. His daughters and son were accompanied on their voyage by Mrs. Tiernay and her daughter. At every place they stopped on their journey Mary Ann found a letter waiting for her from her distressed lover, to none of which did she respond, but wrote her father requesting him to allow her to return with her woman
nurse to Mexico. In reply to her request her father wrote her that by no means would he consent to her returning with such unsafe protection. (For at the time it was not considered proper for women to travel without suitable male protectors). He assured his daughter that he would join them in California and enjoined her to be content until he could see her.
In two months from then he removed his effects to the 'Golden State' where he resided thereafter. In the meantime young Hill continued to write to his sweetheart, though she dared not to reply to his letters. Finally her father said to her, "I will reply to those letters, myself." which he did, though she never knew what he wrote. She did not receive any more letters, however, nor hear directly from her lover, but heard from sources that he had embarked on a certain vessel to California, which vessel she afterwards knew to be wrecked, and therefore, for many
years believed him to be dead.
In the course of time she married a very worthy gentleman by the name of Masterson, but before marrying him she acknowledged she did not love him and that her heart was given to another whom she believed to be dead; and she recounted to him (and later to her children) the circumstances connected with her early love. In the memory of her children it was ever a familiar and pathetic story, to which they would refer most tenderly. Though she married without love, as many do, when she recognized the many excellent attributes of mind and heart which her husband possessed, and he had become the father of her children, she learned to love him and they lived happily together. Some months after his death she learned by accident that her former lover was still living. It happened this way:
When Hamlin Garland was in Mexico getting data for an article to be published in McCleure's Magazine, he interviewed John C. C. Hill relative to Grant's visit to that country some years ago, and in the article which was published later, Hill's name was mentioned and also some of the incidents of his early life, among others his capture by Santa Ana at Mier when a boy of fourteen years of age, etc. The article referred to came to the notice of Mrs. Masterson and Mrs. Blood in San Franscisco, California, both of whom recognized in the name and circumstances related, the friend of thier early youth and immediately the latter wrote to him asking if it could be possible they were mistaken and, if not, to tell them what had become of him all of those years. He replied, giving an account of himself to Mrs. Blood, and requesting her in return to write him of his old sweetheart and her present circumstances to which she replied.
A correspondance between the two old, but still young, lovers then ensued and continued for more than a year when they were happily united in marriage, with the full consent and blessing of their children.
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