Robert Hill

Birth: 2 Jun 1764, Frederick Co., Maryland, USA


Henry Hill * Ann Truman *
Robert Hill Rachel Robey
Robert Hill
m.Amelia (Maily) Fitzgerald

Father: Robert Hill
Mother: Rachel Robey

Married Amelia (Maily) Fitzgerald on 4 Apr 1790 at German Reformed, Frederick, Frederick Co., Maryland, USA

Notes: From http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hillsofsalem/
Robert Hill was born in Frederick Co. MD. He grew up on the front line of the French and Indi an war in a time when Indian scalps were rewarded with 50 pounds by the state of Maryland. In dians were shooting from behind every tree. When his father died in 1795, Robert was the exe cutor of the estate, and handled his father's administrative account. When all obligations we re completed, by October 13, 1796, he packed up his family and started for Kentucky. Frederic k County land record WR #13 383/384 dated June 1795 shows him selling livestock and two bed s to Joseph Hill. The details of the trip are unknown, but one of his children (Nathan) was b orn in Virginia, undoubtedly a stop along the way. All other children after that were born i n Mason Co. KY. On March 4, 1818, Robert Hill purchased 200 acres near the Salem turnpike fr om Aaron Owens for $500.00. The deed was witnessed by Nathan and John Hill. In 1839 Robert d eeded the land now known as Salem Methodist Church, although the building (church house) wa s already standing. Robert is the father of Salem United Methodist Church

Robert Hill of Mason County, Kentucky

Robert Hill was born June 2, 1764 to Robert Hill (1720-4/10/1795) and Rachel Robey Hill (1725 -1775). He was born and raised in Frederick County Maryland, an area around which could be co nsidered a front line during the French and Indian War. They lived on a 100 acre farm rente d by his grandfather Henry from Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Ind ependence. Life surely could not have been easy growing up in an area where Indians were shoo ting at you from behind every tree. As late as 1763, the state of Maryland was paying monitar y rewards for Indian scalps. Robert Hill was named Robert after his father Robert, and also a fter his great grandfather Robert who was born in October of 1650 in St. Dunstan's Parish, En gland and arrived in Port of Baltimore in April of 1678. As with many families, the Hills ten d to repeat the same names generation after generation, therefore from here on, I will refe r to Robert Hill of Salem Methodist Church as Robert Hill, Jr. and to his father as Robert Hi ll, Sr.
On Christmas Eve of 1786, Robert Hill, Jr. married Eleanor Hyfield. Ten months later she bor e him a son Benjamin on October 11, 1787. Benjamin grew to become Reverend Benjamin Hill an d married Sophia Tarleton. The couple had at least eight children, one of which also becam e a minister, Rev. Caleb Taylor Hill. Benjamin and his wife are buried in the Salem Methodis t Church Cemetery, as are his father and mother. Eleanor died sometime shortly after Benjamin 's birth, although no record has been found stating the exact date of her death or burial.
Alone with his young son Benjamin, Robert Hill, Jr. finds another bride. On April 1st of 1790 , He married Amelia Fitzgerald. Still living in Frederick County Maryland, the new couple i s found in the 1790 Frederick County U.S. Census living in a cluster of Hills on the same ren ted farm of Charles Carroll. In this Census we find Robert Hill, Jr. and family living with h is father Robert Hill, Sr. Also on this rented farm we find Robert Jr.'s brothers Henry Robe y Hill and Benjamin S. Hill all living next to each other. According to the Census data, thi s cluster of Hills also includes his uncles Joseph Hill and Thomas Hill (brothers of Robert S r.), and his widowed Aunt Penelope Robey Hill (sister of his mother, Rachel Robey Hill who ma rried Phillip Hill, brother of his father Robert Hill, Sr.).
The next record we have of Robert Hill, Jr. and wife Amelia is the birth of their first chil d together. On February 3rd, 1793, Amelia gave birth to her first child, Elizabeth, in Freder ick County Maryland. Elizabeth, three years old when her family made the long journey from Fr ederick County Maryland to Mason County Kentucky, later married Caleb Taylor Tarleton and set tled in neighboring Bracken County Kentucky. Caleb (also of Maryland transplanted to Kentucky ) was the son of John Tarleton and Elizabeth Taylor Tarleton. Elizabeth and Caleb settled i n the town of Brooksville and were among the founding families of the Brooksville Methodist C hurch, holding worship service in their home until the church building was constructed in 186 6. Elizabeth and Caleb are buried in the "Brooksville Old Town Cemetery". Their descendants a re numerous and are included in the "My Family Tree" link found on my homepage.
In 1795 Amelia gave birth to a son, John F. Hill (who married Edith Sargent on January 2nd, 1 822 and moved his family to Clermont County Ohio where he died in 1840). Shortly after the bi rth of his son John, Robert Jr. lost his father. Robert Hill, Sr. died on April 10th, 1795 i n Frederick County Maryland and was probably buried on the rented farm on Carrollton Manor. I n June of that same year, Frederick County land records show Robert Jr. selling livestock an d two beds, and settling his recently deceased father's administrative account which was fina lized in October of 1796. Robert Hill Sr. was the only Hill in Frederick County Maryland wh o had and administrative account settled before 1800.
Not many details have been discovered about the journey of Robert Hill, Jr. and family from M aryland to Kentucky, and their exact path is yet unknown, but their next child Nathan was bor n along the way. Nathan Hill, third child of Amelia Fitzgerald Hill was born in 1797, and cla imed in a later Census that he was born in Virginia. (Nathan later married Margaret Howe an d spent his life in Kentucky.)
The next record of Robert Hill, Jr. and family is in the Kentucky U.S. Census of 1810 which r eveals him living in Mason County. Several other children have been born by this time: Willia m Hill born in 1800, Linzy Hill born April 26th, 1802 and Ellen born in 1804, all born in Mas on County. William, like so many Hills before him, became a minister. He died on June 6th, 18 53 and is buried next to his parents in the Salem Methodist Church Cemetery. Linzy (my direc t ancestor) married Mary Mastin (her family being another founding family of Salem Church) o n October 25th, 1826 and they had eight children, most of which lived their lives on Salem Ri dge and sustained Salem Church with their Christian witness, livelyhood and numerous descenda nts. Linzy and Mary Hill are buried along side each other in the Salem Methodist Church Cemet ery. Ellen married Augustus F. Dillon (Dillon also being a founding family of Salem Church) o n Valentine's Day of 1844 and died in 1879. Ellen and Augustus are also buried in the Salem M ethodist Church Cemetery.
The 1810 Census data also revealed two other boys in the household under the age of ten, an d another girl between the ages ten and sixteen (most probably between 1797 and 1800). The na mes of these other three children have not yet been conclusively proven, but some suggest th e names Dorcus Jane, Otho, Dempson and a fourth additional child named Tabitha. It is interes ting to note that the names Tabitha and Dorcus both refer to the same Biblical character of t he New Testament, coming from two different Biblical Translations. Perhaps they are the sam e person, or perhaps another girl was born to Robert and Amelia sometime after the 1810 Censu s was taken.
The exact residence of Robert Hill, Jr. and his family is unclear until 1818, when on the 4t h of March he purchased 200 acres near the Salem turnpike from Aaron Owens for the sum of $50 0.00. This deed (Mason County deed book #48 page 152) was witnessed by Nathan Hill and John H ill, probably Robert's two oldest sons with Amelia, who would by then have been 42 and 44 yea rs old, respectively.
At some point between the date of this deed, March 4th, 1818 and the date June 23rd, 1835 Rob ert Hill Jr. built the Salem Methodist Church (also referred to as the Salem Meeting House) o n a portion of his farm bordering the roadway called Salem Ridge, now present day KY Highwa y #596. I use the ending date June 23rd, 1835, as it is the earliest date currently found whi ch mentions the Salem Meeting House. This deed (Mason County deed book # 41, page 320-321) sh ows Robert and Amelia Hill deeding land to Mary Hill and describes the portion as "being par t of the Thorton Survey of 303 and 1/3 acres, joining George White, Mrs. Taylor and the Sout h West Corner of the Salem Meeting House". Therefore the Salem Church Building had already be en erected by the date of this deed.
The next significant record available is dated October 16th, 1839, and is considered by som e to be the founding date of the Salem Methodist Church. As mentioned earlier, the church ha d been founded at least some four to five years prior to this, but this was the date that Rob ert Hill deeded the church building and surrounding land separate from his own farm as The Sa lem Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery. The property was deeded to the trustees of the c hurch for the purpose of "promoting the Christian Religion". For a transcription of this dee d click here .
From the earliest records available my Hill ancestors were descent God-fearing Christian peop le. The rented farm they lived on for so many years on Carrollton Manor was very close to th e Monocacy Monthly Meeting, a very active Quaker Church. Perhaps this association had some in fluence on this Hill family. Interestingly enough, one of the founding families of this Quake r Church was the White family, which was also one of the early families of the Salem ME Churc h. Any connection that may exist between these two White factions is yet undiscovered, but ma kes for a fitting irony at the very least.
In 1835, Robert buried Amelia on the land he had deeded for the Salem ME Church, near the Nor th-East corner of the church. Robert followed her home on November 12th, 1846 and is buried b eside her, next to the foundation of the church building, befitting spot for the founders o f this quaint historic House of Worship.
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