From "Hill Cousins of Early Central Texas, by Yates Michel Hill"
Three brothers, Middleton M.M, Thomas B, J, and Abraham (Abram) Wiley Hill came to Bastrop County from Alabama and arrived July 3, 1835 when they both the headright of Edward Burleson for fifty cents and acre, on the Colorado River about 12 miles from Bastrop. Returning to
Thomas Hill was a Justice of the Peace August 5, 1846. 1850 he moved to
After the Civil War he was poor financially and when his sons returned, gave them the management of the farm as he had no slaves left. He apparently died intestate and his land was divided between Mrs. S.L.S. Hill (mother) T.A. Hill, and D.O. Hill. He and Sarah adopted as many as 13 orphans after the Civil War.
Recollections of EARLY
This is from page 254 of this account:
Abraham Wylie Hill, the son of Sarah McGehee and Thomas Hill was born in
About 1854 Wiley Hill built a large, southern-type mansion on his half of the Jenkins league. It still stands. In 1850 Hill's real estate alone was valued at $14,925--which was then a large amount. Hill and his wife had six children. He died in 1887.
References:
Libby's comments: This account that Wiley didn't fight in the
Mom has the portrait of Sarah McGehee Hill....amazing how it has traveled and survived.
See Eva's story about Evaline to complement this story.
Also, see my notes about John Holmes Jenkins who was our cousin.
Editorial note from Libby: so many accounts are amazed at how the house still stands.
This is John Holland Jenkins account of a panther hunt:
Our earliest settlers were much troubled in their raids upon our small animals. Co. Wylie (Abraham Wiley) Hill and I lived near together and owned good dogs, and we used to have frequent occasion to meet and go panther hunting. I remember an incident which occurred on one of these little hunts, which was indeed a hairbreadth escape to me. One of his finest hogs had been killed by a panther. He sent for me. From all signs there had evidently been two of them--an old one and one just grown. We soon treed and killed the old one and then the dogs stated and treed the young one. As we galloped up to the tree, I proposed that we dismount and shoot at one and the same time. He agreed. As we struck the ground his gun hung on his saddle and in some way went off---the ball passing though my shirt sleeve and the powder burning my arm. The shock to us both was considerable, and Colonel Hill was much excited and relieved to find the accident had not produced serious results. I waited until he reloaded and we took our simultaneous shot, killing the panther instantly. The old pecan tree still stands on the banks of
So many interesting things used to happen, than even in this connection I could spin out incidents ad infinitum. About forty years ago now, Wylie Hill was at his gin, which stood near the big springs and hearing something catch one of his hogs, he called his dogs. Setting them on the trail, they treed something immediately, whereupon he hollowed for me to bring my gun. By that time it was dark and I could barely see the outlines of a large panther as it crouched in the darkness and leaves of post oak. I shot and the animal fell as if dead, but in an instant it rallied and we heard signs of a fresh and furious fight, as the dogs would bark and howl and yelp in the gloom. The night was a very dark one, and that hollow in that cedar brake could come nearer illustrating "a darkness to be felt" than any place I ever saw. True to the native fearlessness of his character, Colonel Hill went into the thick of the fight, in the thick darkness of the cedar brake, and killed the panther with his knife.
Another instance in his life was equally unusual. He happened to be in the pine hills across the river accompanied by his dogs without a gun. They jumped a large bear and treed it. He pelted it out of the tree with rocks and with the dogs, soon killed it.
A few years ago I overheard a young man---rather inexperienced in such matters, talking about having spent the night with the brave old soldier, and he laughingly alluded to these two adventures, declaring, "Mr. Wylie Hill must have been a wonderful hunter in his time---to kill a panther in the dark with a knife and a bear with rocks!" He was a stranger to us all and evidently thought these adventures rather too marvelous, but I assured him that I knew them to be positive facts, being an eyewitness---at least being present. It was too dark for eye witnesses when the panther was killed.
In going over these little experiences of our early times here I am reminded of a familiar old acquaintance of those days, who was famous for barbecuing meats and serving fine dinners. He had been complimented upon this faculty, till he felt very complacent upon the subject, and once triumphantly asserted that he had more experience in that line than anybody, adding" I know that I have prepared and superintended at last four hundred "Fourth of July dinners!"
Along in these times it was reported among us that "a Mexican Lion" haunted
Libby's notes: See Ethel's letter to Mom describing this knife and Mom has the knife (and she gave it to Libby). It will be displayed next to an account of this story.
John Thomas McGehee must be a cousin...will Hill and McGehee roots....could he be a double cousin
T.B. J. Hill Moved His
by Libby on Thu 25 Nov 2004 03:04 PM PST | Permanent Link
T.B.J. Hill moved from their plantation across the river from present-day Smithville for the education of their sons T.A.W. and Cap Hill. They lived on
(He and Wiley, Josiah Whipple, were on the Board of the