William Henry Hill Sr.

William Henry Hill was born on April 25, 1842 in Skillington, England to James and Charlotte Timms Hill. William is a Pioneer of Richmond.

Early Life

William's parents were strict observers of the Bible, however, they never centered themselves on a specific religion or group of people and kept their sabbath days to themselves. After the age of 10, William began working with his father to provide for the family. They were masons and would carry bricks and mortar for the large sum of 25¢ a day.

William recounts his time about religion:

"In the meantime [of work] I was studying the teachings of our Lord and Master and the more I read the more I was convinced in my mind that there was something wrong with the teachings of the religious sects of the day, and try as I would to be one with any of them I would find something to deter me from doing so. For I had been taught by my Parents to always revere and reverence the name of God and his son Godly Jesus Christ and everything and this Influence has followed me through my life thus far."

At the age of 14, William was sent to be an apprentice in the carpeting business. He was accepted by Richard Dunsmore, and lived about two miles from his parents. 

Conversion

During this time, missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were visiting in a village about four miles from where William was. He was instructed by his father to go and listen to what they had to say. He, his father, and his older brother Joseph went to the meeting. William relates his feelings about the meeting:

"One of the arose, He touched on the principles of Faith repentance baptism and the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, And he spoke so plain and in such simple language that I thought of the words of the Saviour when he said, "A wayfaring man though a fool, could not but understand it," [Isaiah 35: 8] For I though a young boy felt the truth of his work in every fiber of my being, and was fully convinced that they were in accord with the teachings of the Saviour himself while dwelling in the flesh, as I had already learnt from the Scriptures. And when he sat down the other one arose and spoke upon the Apostasy from the Primitive Church. And also the restoration of the Gospel to the earth again in our day, with the same blessings and Gift to follow the believer as they did in the days of Christ. I was filled with joy in my very soul, Because they spoke with such convincing power and with authority that I was truly converted to the truth of every word, which they had utted. And felt in my heart that I would be willing to cast my lot with them Notwithstanding the finger of Scorn that might be pointed at me for so doing."

As the Hills walked home from the meeting, they felt unanimous that the teachings from the missionaries were true and they desired to be baptized. They were baptized on June 14, 1856 in the River Witham at Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, England.

After some time, William's father became offended with the Mission President of the England Mission and soon left. William's brother left to live in America and told his brother to get their father back into the Church, and William did so valiantly. Soon after, William sought to work in the United States, and on May 6, 1862, William set sail.

Travel West & Life in the Salt Lake Valley

William Hill traveled over the Atlantic on the Manchester beginning on May 6, 1862 and arriving in New York City, New York on June 12. After train and ferry, along with his brother Joseph who was waiting for him in New York, they joined the Willam H. Dame Company in Florence, Nebraska Territory on Aug 14, 1862. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Oct 29.

Soon after their arrival, William was hired to care for a team of a bricklayer for 25$/month until spring. William started his work on Nov 1, 1862, however, the man took back his offer on the day before Christmas Eve, William was forced to live with his brother Joseph in a dugout in Coalville, Utah. 

When Spring came around, William went to Temple Square and secured work in building the Salt Lake Temple and stayed with the widow of Don Carlos Smith, the younger brother of Joseph Smith. William continued to work on the temple until the work became too rough on his clothing and he could not afford to get new clothing. However, in the act of doing so, Apostle Daniel H. Wells approached William in conversation, and Elder Wells offered up to two new shirts to keep William in constructing the temple. Wells told William that he would do his best to help if he needed anything else.

Soon after, William approached Wells asking for a pair of shoes. Unfortunately, Wells could not help and asked William if he could help with a wagon train taking food from Nevada to Utah. William accepted and traveled with the train until they arrived the day before Christmas Eve.

In the Spring of 1864, William was hired by General Patrick E. Connor to superintend the development of a mine in Coalville, Utah for 90$/month. During this time, William was living in Salt Lake City and became acquainted with Isabella B. Wells, a recent arrival to the Salt Lake Valley from Yorkshire, England. William married Isabella B. Wells on Oct 31, 1864 in Coalville, Utah. 

Life in Cache Valley

Soon after their marriage, the Hill family moved to Smithfield, Utah by invitation from his brother Joseph. He wanted William to work with him as a mason. The Hill family left Salt Lake City on April 10, 1865. However, work was difficult to find as most people would construct their own homes. At times, William would have to go south to Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah to find work to sustain his family. In the meantime, William built a log home and planted a nice garden.

In 1869, while still trying to find work, William's brother approached him to see if he would be willing to tend to some of his land for work. William agreed, and the land was in the Richmond Ward, thus the Hill family moved to Richmond, about 2-4 miles south of the actual city. However, William is recorded in the 1870 Census of Richmond, and many of his children were born in Richmond between 1870-1880.

"The following spring [of 1883] I took a contract to build a house with cut stone up in Preston, Idaho for Brother Cowley, who afterwards became one of the twelve apostles. I hired some men and we went up there and started on the building and pushed it along as fast as possible, but owning to their being so many changes made from the plans I received, with caused a great deal of extra labor to be performed, I ran behind to the amount of something over $200 besides my summer's labor and board, therefore I was under the necessity of borrowing $400 and giving a mortgage on 80 acres of my farm for the purpose of paying the men I had working for me on the building, as I knew that they all needed their pay, and I had a long talk with Bro. Cowley and he promised me he would see that I was not a loser for the extra labor I had performed on the house, but as yet I have never received a nickel from him, but I did once here him say here in Richmond in a meeting he attended that the house Brohter Hill built him was the best house he had ever lived in, but that didn't pay be for the labor of building it."

Because William was unable to make any money from the construction of the home, he had to sell his farm to the Merrill family and move his family into a home in the city in 1895 that they first rented and later purchased.

William was called to serve a mission to his home of Great Britain from 1899 until 1901.

"In the spring of 1902 I was appointed Marshal for Richmond City serving one term for two years and then I was elected Justice of the Peace for the city of Richmond serving two terms of two years each, after which I was elected Justice of the Peace for Richmond Precinct, which was county office. In this I served two terms of two years each, and in December 1909 I was appointed to the office of class leader in the Richmond class of the High Priests Quorum of the Benson Stake, and was released from that office on August 27, 1911 and appointed to preside over the class of High Priests of the Richmond Ward of the Benson Stake of Zion. I have also acted as a ward teacher ever since my return from my mission in June 1901. We hold our general quorum meetings every Monday evening through the winter months but owing to the press of business in the summer months, we are compelled to take a vacation as the attendance gradually decreases until there is only one or two that attends. 

"I have also labored in the Sunday School for the past three years and six months. I have the credit for not missing but four Sundays during that time and that was through sickness and death in my family, and for years passed I have not done much mason work such as brick and rock work as I could not stand the heat of the summer time to work outdoors. But I have done considerable plastering because I could then be inside out of the sunshine. I have been in that condition ever since I returned from my mission to England, and now on the second of January of this year, 1912, I was appointed by the new city council to take charge of the city cemetery as Sexton for the city."

Epilogue