Written by Mary Ann Hamilton Meyers, a granddaughter
The footprints of Alexander Hill, Jr. have been guiding posts for many of his hundreds of descendants seeking the abundant life by way of the gospel plan of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which meant so much to him
Alexander Hill first breathed the breath of life, March 1, 1811, at Johnston, Renfershire, Abbey Parrish, Scotland. His father was Alexander Hill, Sr. and his mother, Elizabeth Currie. He was the third child in a family of thirteen children. The first thirteen years of his life were spent in the bonny hills of Scotland.
In 1821 he immigrated with his father’s family to America and settled in Bathurst District, township of Lanark, Canada. This being a new country, they spend their time clearing timberland, farming, and making maple sugar from the sap of the maple tree which grew there in abundance.
In 1833 the family left Lanark and moved to a timber section near Toronto, Canada, where he met and later married Agnes Hood, daughter of James Hood and Jane Margaret Bisland. Here he cleared timberland and many other necessary tasks required to make a home in a new country.
Some time in the early part of 1840, a young Latter - day Saint missionary by the name of Samuel Lake came into this territory preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was a new religion and much comment, criticism, and opposition were expressed both for and against it. Not withstanding, many joined this church.
The entire Hill family was baptized April 12, 1840. A branch of the Church called the Essex Branch was organized with Alexander Hill, Jr. as presiding priest and his
brother-in-law, John Richards, clerk. Soon after the Hill family received the gospel, they also received the spirit of gathering with the main body of the Saints. Plans were made to dispose of their homes and property, but not until they had made great sacrifices of price in value were they successful in disposing of their belongings. However in September 1842 the Hill family, the Park family, the Gardner family, and the Hamilton family—all members of the same branch of the Church—were prepared for the move. There being no road connecting this locality to the main highway, the Saints cleared the brush and timber and made a road. Today that six-mile stretch of road is still called the Nauvoo Road. Archibald Gardner was the engineer who supervised the construction. He also had a flour mill in this locality. Without any serious accidents, they arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois on September 30, 1842, with all of their earthly belongings.
The winter of 1842-43 was extremely cold and severe. Grandfather labored hauling rock for the Nauvoo house and the Nauvoo Temple. To keep his family warm, he gathered driftwood from the islands in the Mississippi river. He associated very intimately with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum.
The Saints suffered very much from the persecutions of the evil-minded mobs. The murdering of the Prophet and his brother was a severe blow to them. The darkness of the despair seemed to be fathering deeper until the re-appearance of the Prophet to the Saints when his mantle fell on Brigham Young gave them renewed faith. And from then on, they were buoyed up by the knowledge that he was still their leader. Grandfather often repeated the incident to his descendants to strengthen their faith and testimony as well as his own.
As time went on, the Saints suffered more outrages committed by the ruthless mobs. By July 1846, the city of Nauvoo was almost a ghost city as far as the Saints were concerned. Grandfather and his family were forced to flee from their comfortable homes, taking the bare necessities with them and crossing the Mississippi River. He was known among his friends as “Sandy”. He took his team and aided many of the helpless families to make their hasty retreat across the river, hauling many of them as far as Garden Grove, Iowa. He then returned for his own family and moved them to Quincy, Illinois, where they remained for three years.
On May 14, 1849, they gathered their personal belongings and with ox teams started for the West. About the middle of June 1849, they left Council Bluffs, Iowa, with the Allen Taylor Co., under the command of Captain Allred destined for Utah. They endured many hardships, fording and swimming rivers, wallowing through the mire and mud holes of the prairies and plains in search of the haven of rest.
They arrived in Salt Lake Valley on the 15th day of October, 1849. The family stayed at the Orson Spencer home for a couple of weeks, then located on 30-acres of public domain near where Cottonwood Creek crosses State Street. Here he constructed a crude house and made a dugout in the side of the hill. This crude building served as a dwelling for him and his wife and family of nine children for two years. In the winter of 1849-1850, the first religious services held in this district were held in this house. At the
April conference in 1851, this district was made into an ecclesiastical ward, with Reuben Miller as Bishop, James Rawlins and Brother Hotchkisson as Counselors. Later in 1851, Brother Hotchkisson moved away and Alexander Hill, Jr. was chosen as Second Counselor. In 1852, Brother Rawlins was released and Alexander Hill was advance to First Counselor. In the spring of 1856, he was sent to open the mission to the Indians on the Salmon River Reservation at Fort Dinhi in Idaho. In the fall of 1856, he returned to Salt Lake for supplies and Brother Miller requested that he remain and his son, James H. Hill, was sent to take his place. While laboring among the Lamanites, they intended to make a real chief out of him. At one time they deprived him of all his clothes; but through kindness to them, they were taught that the body should be protected as it was the abode of the spirit.
In 1857 when Johnston’s Army came into Utah, he with his family joined the Saints in the move to the south and spent the summer at Spanish Fork, returning to their homes in the fall.
In 1859, Washington Semmon was chosen as Counselor in the bishopric and this trio remained intact for 23 years. Bishop Miller died in 1882 and Alexander Hill had charge of the affairs of the ward until March 30, 1884, when his son-in-law, James C. Hamilton, was sustained as Bishop. Alexander Hill served in the bishopric for 33 consecutive years. On February 16, 1872, his wife, Agnes Hood, died. On March 12, 1885, in company with his brother, Archibald, he went on a mission to Canada. He labored in and about Toronto where he first received the gospel. He met many of his old friends and relatives, but as far as we know, none of them were interested in the gospel message.
He spent nearly a year and a half in Canada, returning to Mill Creek late in 1886. Soon after his return, he became ill with Bright’s disease and died on February 8,
1889. He was buried beside his wife in the Salt Lake Cemetery. To do honor to his name, his family and the people of the ward with whom he had labored so long, contributed liberally of their means for the erection of a beautiful monument, which stands as an ensign to make the resting place of this good man.
The footprints of Alexander Hill, Jr. have been guiding posts for many of his hundreds of descendants seeking the abundant life by way of the gospel plan of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which meant so much to him
Alexander Hill first breathed the breath of life, March 1, 1811, at Johnston, Renfershire, Abbey Parrish, Scotland. His father was Alexander Hill, Sr. and his mother, Elizabeth Currie. He was the third child in a family of thirteen children. The first thirteen years of his life were spent in the bonny hills of Scotland.
In 1821 he immigrated with his father’s family to America and settled in Bathurst District, township of Lanark, Canada. This being a new country, they spend their time clearing timberland, farming, and making maple sugar from the sap of the maple tree which grew there in abundance.
In 1833 the family left Lanark and moved to a timber section near Toronto, Canada, where he met and later married Agnes Hood, daughter of James Hood and Jane Margaret Bisland. Here he cleared timberland and many other necessary tasks required to make a home in a new country.
Some time in the early part of 1840, a young Latter - day Saint missionary by the name of Samuel Lake came into this territory preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was a new religion and much comment, criticism, and opposition were expressed both for and against it. Not withstanding, many joined this church.
The entire Hill family was baptized April 12, 1840. A branch of the Church called the Essex Branch was organized with Alexander Hill, Jr. as presiding priest and his
brother-in-law, John Richards, clerk. Soon after the Hill family received the gospel, they also received the spirit of gathering with the main body of the Saints. Plans were made to dispose of their homes and property, but not until they had made great sacrifices of price in value were they successful in disposing of their belongings. However in September 1842 the Hill family, the Park family, the Gardner family, and the Hamilton family—all members of the same branch of the Church—were prepared for the move. There being no road connecting this locality to the main highway, the Saints cleared the brush and timber and made a road. Today that six-mile stretch of road is still called the Nauvoo Road. Archibald Gardner was the engineer who supervised the construction. He also had a flour mill in this locality. Without any serious accidents, they arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois on September 30, 1842, with all of their earthly belongings.
The winter of 1842-43 was extremely cold and severe. Grandfather labored hauling rock for the Nauvoo house and the Nauvoo Temple. To keep his family warm, he gathered driftwood from the islands in the Mississippi river. He associated very intimately with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum.
The Saints suffered very much from the persecutions of the evil-minded mobs. The murdering of the Prophet and his brother was a severe blow to them. The darkness of the despair seemed to be fathering deeper until the re-appearance of the Prophet to the Saints when his mantle fell on Brigham Young gave them renewed faith. And from then on, they were buoyed up by the knowledge that he was still their leader. Grandfather often repeated the incident to his descendants to strengthen their faith and testimony as well as his own.
As time went on, the Saints suffered more outrages committed by the ruthless mobs. By July 1846, the city of Nauvoo was almost a ghost city as far as the Saints were concerned. Grandfather and his family were forced to flee from their comfortable homes, taking the bare necessities with them and crossing the Mississippi River. He was known among his friends as “Sandy”. He took his team and aided many of the helpless families to make their hasty retreat across the river, hauling many of them as far as Garden Grove, Iowa. He then returned for his own family and moved them to Quincy, Illinois, where they remained for three years.
On May 14, 1849, they gathered their personal belongings and with ox teams started for the West. About the middle of June 1849, they left Council Bluffs, Iowa, with the Allen Taylor Co., under the command of Captain Allred destined for Utah. They endured many hardships, fording and swimming rivers, wallowing through the mire and mud holes of the prairies and plains in search of the haven of rest.
They arrived in Salt Lake Valley on the 15th day of October, 1849. The family stayed at the Orson Spencer home for a couple of weeks, then located on 30-acres of public domain near where Cottonwood Creek crosses State Street. Here he constructed a crude house and made a dugout in the side of the hill. This crude building served as a dwelling for him and his wife and family of nine children for two years. In the winter of 1849-1850, the first religious services held in this district were held in this house. At the
April conference in 1851, this district was made into an ecclesiastical ward, with Reuben Miller as Bishop, James Rawlins and Brother Hotchkisson as Counselors. Later in 1851, Brother Hotchkisson moved away and Alexander Hill, Jr. was chosen as Second Counselor. In 1852, Brother Rawlins was released and Alexander Hill was advance to First Counselor. In the spring of 1856, he was sent to open the mission to the Indians on the Salmon River Reservation at Fort Dinhi in Idaho. In the fall of 1856, he returned to Salt Lake for supplies and Brother Miller requested that he remain and his son, James H. Hill, was sent to take his place. While laboring among the Lamanites, they intended to make a real chief out of him. At one time they deprived him of all his clothes; but through kindness to them, they were taught that the body should be protected as it was the abode of the spirit.
In 1857 when Johnston’s Army came into Utah, he with his family joined the Saints in the move to the south and spent the summer at Spanish Fork, returning to their homes in the fall.
In 1859, Washington Semmon was chosen as Counselor in the bishopric and this trio remained intact for 23 years. Bishop Miller died in 1882 and Alexander Hill had charge of the affairs of the ward until March 30, 1884, when his son-in-law, James C. Hamilton, was sustained as Bishop. Alexander Hill served in the bishopric for 33 consecutive years. On February 16, 1872, his wife, Agnes Hood, died. On March 12, 1885, in company with his brother, Archibald, he went on a mission to Canada. He labored in and about Toronto where he first received the gospel. He met many of his old friends and relatives, but as far as we know, none of them were interested in the gospel message.
He spent nearly a year and a half in Canada, returning to Mill Creek late in 1886. Soon after his return, he became ill with Bright’s disease and died on February 8,
1889. He was buried beside his wife in the Salt Lake Cemetery. To do honor to his name, his family and the people of the ward with whom he had labored so long, contributed liberally of their means for the erection of a beautiful monument, which stands as an ensign to make the resting place of this good man.