William John Hill -- Wives and Children

This narrative covers the births, marriages and deaths of William Hill, his two wives and fourteen children.

William John HILL was born on 30 May 1848 in Tyrone County, Ireland the oldest son of William HILL and Margaret MCCLINTOCK of Ireland. He died on 30 July 1912 from Bright's Disease and was buried on 31 July 1912 in Anaheim, Orange, California. William was naturalized in Los Angeles, California on 3 August 1887.

William married (1) Sarah Jane MCCLINTOCK daughter of Robert MCCLINTOCK on 8 September 1880 in Los Angeles, California. Sarah was born in March 1850 in Ireland. She died on 26 May 1890 and was buried in Anaheim, Orange, California. They had the following children:

i. William Robert HILL was born on 19 June 1881 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 8 December 1945 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. William married Hazel L. VON SCHMIDT daughter of Alfred W. VON SCHMIDT and Jennie L. SPIELMAN. Hazel was born in July 1885 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California.

ii. Samuel James HILL was born on 19 August 1882 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 1 December 1890 and was buried on 2 December 1890 in Anaheim, Orange, California.

iii. Sarah Jane or Jannie HILL was born on 6 August 1884 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died on 24 October 1967 in Los Angeles, California.

iv. Elizabeth Mary or Lizzie HILL was born on 10 October 1885 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died on 17 December 1952 in Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth married Wallace Walter ALDRICH in 1906 in California. Wallace was born on 2 March 1879 in Michigan. He died on 19 December 1942 in Los Angeles, California.

v. Sarah Annie HILL was born on 12 November 1888 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died on 24 November 1921 and was buried on 28 November 1921 in Anaheim, Orange, California.

William married (2) Blanche Lucinda SPIELMAN daughter of Lawson Wolf SPIELMAN and Sarah Ann B. or Annie Rose HATHAWAY on 11 March 1891 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Blanche was born on 12 March 1870 in Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland. She died on 22 March 1913 from heart disease and was buried on 24 March 1913 in Anaheim, Orange, California. They had the following children:

vi. John Harry HILL was born on 5 November 1891 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 19 July 1957 in Anaheim, Orange, California.

John married (1) Thekla Sophia CARLSON daughter of CARLSON in 1910 in Orange, California. Thekla was born in 1886 in Sweden. She died in 1930 and was buried in 1930 in Anaheim, Orange, California.

John married (2) Lillian M. WOLF. Lillian was born on 5 December 1883 in Ohio. She died on 29 November 1969 in Orange, California.

vii. Blanche HILL was born in May 1893 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died in 1939. Blanche married Nicholas PIERANGEL. Nicholas was born on 5 August 1880 in Ortona A Marche, Chieti, Italy.

viii. Edith Ella HILL was born on 3 September 1894 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died on 2 April 1957 in Santa Ana, Orange, California and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Westminster, Orange, California.

Edith married (1) William HILTON. The marriage ended in divorce. William was born about 1886 in Iowa.

Edith married (2) John Irving MCLEOD on 27 January 1920 in Seattle, King, Washington. The marriage ended in divorce. John was born on 2 May 1894 in Everett, Snohomish, Washington. He died on 14 March 1958 and was buried on 18 March 1958 in Seattle, King, Washington.

Edith married (3) Edward Nathan HARMON son of Nathan HARMON and Minerva Melissa RALPH on 22 July 1939 in Orange, California. Edward was born on 12 February 1893 in Caldwell, Noble, Ohio. He died on 18 February 1958 in Madera, Madera, California and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Westminster, Orange, California.

ix. Laura Rebecca HILL was born on 28 November 1895 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died on 13 June 1969 in Forest Grove, Washington, Oregon. Laura married Leon Lester GLINES son of Joseph Lorenza GLINES and Rosa Jane HELMS on 5 May 1916 in Westminster, Orange, California. Leon was born on 21 September 1893 in Westminster, Orange, California. He died on 4 January 1950 in Hood River, Hood River, Oregon.

x. George Oliver HILL was born on 3 June 1897 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 11 April 1923 and was buried on 13 April 1923 in Anaheim, Orange, California.

xi. David Joseph HILL was born on 16 January 1899 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 8 September 1899 and was buried on 9 September 1899 in Anaheim, Orange, California.

xii. William John HILL Jr was born on 10 October 1903 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 27 August 1966 in Orange, California and was buried in Lake Forest, Orange, California. William married Eunice CLARK daughter of Carlisle J. CLARK and Maria M. SCHILLING on 30 June 1924 in Los Angeles, California. Eunice was born on 24 October 1906 in Aberdeen, Brown, South Dakota. She died on 10 August 1987 in Sparks, Washoe, Nevada and was buried in Lake Forest, Orange, California.

xiii. Theodore Charter HILL was born on 21 August 1905 in Anaheim, Orange, California. He died on 24 February 1969 in Kern, California. Theodore married Evelyn Vaneah ROMACK daughter of Ira Winfield ROMACK and Laura A. BURTON. Evelyn was born on 14 June 1907 in Wade, Jasper, Illinois. She died on 8 January 1992 in Lake, California.

xiv. Marguerite Jessie HILL was born on 13 March 1908 in Anaheim, Orange, California. She died on 23 April 1987 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. She was buried in Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon.

William Hill & Robert McClintock – Pioneer Thresher & Teamster

William Hill (standing on the far left) bought and brought the first threshing machine to Orange County and operated it throughout Southern California. His neighbor Robert McClintock was also his brother-in-law by his first wife Sarah. Together these two men controlled all of the early threshing and much of the local heavy ground shipment resources. Below are three McClintock teams loaded and ready to roll from the Hellman tract; the teamsters are Bill McClintock (l), Bob McClintock (m) and Nate Harmon (r). The biographies of William Hill and Robert McClintock are also provided in this blog entry.

WILLIAM J. HILL -- Born in the north of Ireland of Scotch-Irish ancestry, William J. Hill came to America when a young man and after a short stay in New York City continued his journey on to California. After spending three years in San Francisco, in 1868 he came to Southern California and in Los Angeles County purchased land. He first bargained for eighty acres of unimproved land, for which he paid $10 per acre, beginning to improve it by building a small house and plowing some of the land. He put out eucalyptus and forest trees, also pines and evergreens, and a little later put out peaches, pears, apricots and prunes for home use. He raised grain on his ranch and also bought a threshing outfit and followed that business throughout Southern California for several years and became very well known. As he prospered he bought another forty acres which he put into grain. This is considered very valuable property, as oil has been developed on adjacent land. This and the home place has a valuation of about $400 an acre.

Mr. Hill was married, in 1880, to Sarah McClintock, by whom four children were born; Robert Hill; Sarah, in Los Angeles; Lizzie, the wife of Willard Aldrich; and Annie Hill, of San Francisco. Mrs. Hill passed away in 1890 and in 1891 occurred the marriage of Mr. Hill to Blanche L. Spielman. Of this union eight children were born, four daughters and four sons, as follows: Blanche, Edith, Laura, and Jessie, and Harry, George, William and Theodore. In politics Mr. Hill is a Republican, but has never sought office. He and his wife are members of the Episcopal Church of Anaheim. Mr. Hill is a member and past grand of Anaheim Lodge, I.O.O.F., a member and past grand patriarch of the Encampment, is past commander of Anaheim Tent, K.O.T.M., and he and his wife are members of the Rebekahs.

Mr. Hill has been a resident of Orange County for over forty-two years and took an active part in its organization as a separate county. He is numbered among the very oldest settlers in this locality and has seen the development of the raw land into productive ranches and the building up of the cities and towns throughout all of Southern California. By all who know him he is recognized as one of the public spirited citizens of Orange County.

Armor, Samuel (ed.), History of Orange County California with Biographical Sketches, pages 699-700. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1911

ROBERT MCCLINTOCK -- The early memories of Mr. McClintock are centered around his home in northern Ireland, where he was born, in County Tyrone, in 1857. His parents were natives and life-time residents of the Emerald Isle, and he himself was reared in his native surroundings until attaining young manhood. At the age of nineteen he came to America and the vessel on which he sailed dropped anchor in a Canadian port. For two years thereafter he remained in that locality, having found employment in a store. From there he went to Philadelphia, remaining there for the same length of time, after which, in 1882, he came across the continent to California. Settling in Garden Grove, Orange county, in 1882, he worked on ranches in that locality for a number of years, or until 1888, when he came to Westminster and assumed the lease of sixteen hundred acres of the Hellman tract. His first crop consisted of corn and potatoes, but of late he has made a specialty of raising barley and oats. During the year 1909 he gathered twelve hundred and ninety-six tons of barley hay. Fifty head of horses are employed in the care and harvesting of the crops. The raising of fine draft horses is also an important feature of the ranch, an enterprise started in 1902, when Mr. McClintock imported three fine Clydesdale stallions from Scotland. He not only raises stock for his own use, but also raises them for the market, and from his branch alone he realizes a handsome income.

Before coming to the west, Mr. McClintock was married in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1882, to Isabella Rankin, and five children, three sons and two daughters, have been born to them, Robert J., Mary E. (a teacher in the public school at Westminster), Anna B., William J. and David H. All of the sons assist in the maintenance of the ranch and their help and co-operation have contributed largely to the success of the enterprise. The family are communicants and members of the Presbyterian Church, and fraternally Mr. McClintock belongs to Westminster Lodge No. 72, I.O.O.F., and to the Woodmen of the World. Politically he is a Republican.

Armor, Samuel (ed.), History of Orange County California with Biographical Sketches, pages 565-566. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1911

William and Blanche (Spielman) Hill

On March 11, 1891 William J. Hill married Blanche L. Spielman at St. Paul's Church in Los Angeles, California. At 42, this was William's second marriage since his first wife, Sarah Jane (McClintock) Hill had passed away in 1890 leaving him with five children; Robert, Samuel, Jannie, Lizzie and Annie. Blanche was 21 and had been originally hired to be the Hill children's nanny.