Hill Family Graves in Texas
In September of 1998 my sister and I took a trip to Dallas, Texas, to visit our first cousin once removed, 94 yr. old Marie Brady Hunter, grandaughter of William Carroll Jackson Hill. She shared with us a wealth of information and arranged for us to visit the small towns of Gay Hill, Somerville, Round Top, Rutersville, and LaGrange, where the Hills were so prominent in Texas history. This picture of the original old Gay Hill post office is where William C. J. Hill served as seventh postmaster in this small community named after his father, Asa Hill, and another Texas pioneer and friend, Thomas Gay.
One of our first stops was Oak Rest, the small cemetery in Gay Hill. It is a lovely, well-kept cemetery on a hill in the countryside, with a scenic view of the surrounding area. There are large oak trees and flowering crepe myrtle throughout. It was originally the site of Prospect Presbyterian Church, the second Presbyterian Church founded in Texas in 1839. A historic marker gives the history.
Markers of William Carroll Jackson Hill, his two wives, Elizabeth Bowering Jack and Amelia Williams, buried on either side of him, and daughter with Amelia, Ella Hill McCabe to far right.
There is a special historical marker in front of W.C.J. Hill's grave that reads: "Citizen of the Republic of Texas, 1836-1845"
Epitaphs for the four read as follows:
"To the memory of W.C.J. Hill
Born December 25, 1814
Settled in Gay Hill, Tx in 1834
A Texas Veteran
Died January 5, 1897
He is not dead, but sleepeth"
"In memory of Mother
E. B. Hill
Born March 15, 1816
Died March 24, 1866"
"Amelia Hill
Born Feb. 18, 1848
Died Feb. 6, 1920
Earth hath no sorrow
That heaven cannot heal.
Our Beloved Mother"
"Sister Ella Hill McCabe
Born Feb. 22, 1882
Died Feb. 20, 1912
Thy life was beauty, truth,
goodness and love."
In nearby Waelder, Texas is the gravesite of Jeffrey Barksdale Hill, brother of William Carroll A. J. Hill. Jeffrey was in the Somerville Expedition, and later the ill-fated Mier Expedition, where he was severely wounded.
In Somerville we stopped at Oak Lawn Cemetery where several of W.C.J. Hill's children are buried, including John C. Hill and his wife Matilda Harker, and Elizabeth "Betty" Adelia Hill Watson.
We drove through Rutersville next where there is a large roadside historical marker that tells of Asa Hill and his role during the U.S.-Mexican War, the Mier Expedition and the infamous "black bean" episode. Asa Hill, son of Isaac Hill, Sr., came to Texas in 1834 with his son, William C.J. Hill, and nephew, Isaac Lafayette Hill, moving his large family from GA the following year and building the family homestead. The large log two-story home in Gay Hill, TX is no longer standing, but here is a sketch of its original layout and grounds, done from memory by Wm. C. J. Hill's granddaughter, 94 yr. old Marie Brady Hunter of Dallas, who spent many childhood days there.
Coming into Round Top, we saw this rustic split rail fencing along a country road. The town is doing a wonderful job of restoring old structures and preserving the history of the area. There is a large restored building in the center of town with a historic marker and monument nearby which tells of the contributions of Hills and other early families.
Just off Highway 237, outside Round Top, is the Hill Cemetery. This cemetery is very well maintained by the "Isaac Lafayette Hill Cemetery Association", a group of local folks who volunteer their time. The head caretakers were working when we arrived.
As you enter the grounds, your eye is drawn to the large white monument centered among four graves. This is the marker for Isaac Lafayette Hill, his wife Francis A. Lloyd, son Isaac Param Hill, and an infant son, Johnnie Hill, with his third wife, Laura Gant.
The monument has Isaac Lafayette Hill's countenance etched into the white marble. The inscription reads;
"Isaac Lafayette Hill
1814 - 1889
Asleep in Jesus
Blessed sleep
From which none ever
Wake to weep.
Born in Jasper County, GA
Feb. 1st, 1814
Died in Fayette County, TX
July 8, 1889
He was a hero at the Battle of Jan Jacinto in 1836."
The historical plaque on the grave tells of his early years in the Cole Settlement, and his service as State Senator from 1853 - 1857.
As we left Round Top, we continued to LaGrange where Asa Hill and his son Dr. Green Washington Hill are interred in LaGrange City Cemetery in the center of town. Asa was originally buried on the property of his son, Green W. Hill, near Cedar Creek. This is a picture taken in 1972 of the original grave of Asa Hill. G. W. Hill was buried there as well. When the state decided to create a man-made lake that would flood that area, their remains were moved to LaGrange Cemetery. Their marker reads:
"Asa Hill
c. 1784 - c. 1845
Veteran of the Texas Revolutionary Army
and the Battle of Mier
His son
Dr. Green Washington Hill
May 27, 1812 - Sept. 20, 1844
Remains removed in 1975 from family plot beside
Cedar Creek in lake site and reburied here."
Finally, we drove to Monument Hill State Historic Park where the men of the Dawson Party of 1842 in Salado, Texas, and the men who drew the black bean at Hacienda Salado, Mexico in 1843, are honored. One of those who drew a black bean and was executed was J. N. McD. Thompson, a cousin to Jane Kerr Hill, wife of James Monroe Hill.
Dawson Party Men
Men Who Drew The Black Bean
Two recently published books on the Mier Expedition and the Somervell Expedition are: "Dare-Devils All; Texas Mier Expedition", by J. M. Nance, published 1998, and "Soldiers of Misfortune; The Somervell and Mier Expeditions", by Sam. W. Haynes, published 1997. I was able to buy both books at the State Park Center.
I recently came across this wonderful old photo of the Last Reunion of Old Texian Veterans, Goliad, Texas, 21 April 1906. Asa C. Hill (1826-1913) is in the middle with long white beard, holding the flagpole. With only six living members, the Texas Veterans Association dissolved in Austin on April 19, 1907, and its work was taken over by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
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