Edward Hill, of Elizabeth City

EDWARD HILL was born in England about 1587 and came to Virginia prior to 1621. When he was living in Elizabeth City, he fought off the Indians and escaped the massacre of 1622. He was a member of the Council of Elizabeth City, Virginia. He was buried in Elizabeth City, Virginia on May 15, 1624.

Edward married Hannah Boyle (daughter of Richard Boyle of Blackfriars), and left his only child, Elizabeth Hill, an acreage in Elizabeth City County, which was later sold by her stepfather.). She married William Pinley. His wife remarried to Thomas Spelman and later to Alexander Mountney.

The immigration by Edward Hill to the Virginia colony is somewhat circuitous. As best as can be determined from the evidence, the unmarried Edward Hill, originally arrived in Virginia prior to 1616 and by 1619, he was seated on a 100 acre land grant plantation in Kecoughtan, renamed Elizabeth City in 1620. Edward returned to England and married Hannah Boyle at Chirbury, England. Their marriage banns were published on July 28, 1619, August 4, 1619 and August 11, 1619 at Chirbury Priory, Chirbury, Shropshire, England for their marriage on 17 Aug 1619. Shortly after the wedding, Edward Hill left his bride and sailed to Virginia alone, likely to prepare their home and/or to harvest his tobacco crop. Although the name of the ship for his 1619 trip back to Virginia is not documented, his return voyage to London is recorded on 08 May 1620, when Edward arrived back in England as one of only two passengers listed on the "Bona Nova's" return voyage. "Edward & Hanan Hill" were listed on the manifest of the "Bona Nova" on 21 Jun 1620, when it departed Gravesend, England for Virginia "loaded with ordinance and passengers". They arrived at Elizabeth City, Virginia on 08 Aug 1620. The newlyweds probably set quickly to work harvesting tobacco and preparing their new home for the winter. The years between 1619 and the 1622 Massacre are sometimes referred to as "golden years" in the colony. Population, crops and profits were healthier and growing.

This era of prosperous tranquility ended abruptly on Friday, March 22, 1622, when the colonists suffered a massive well orchestrated attack by the Natives. Nearly 400 colonists were brutally murdered as they casually went about their morning routines. The Natives made repeated strikes against the colonists for another year, destroying their crops and livestock, killing many more men, women and children as they ventured forth searching for food. John Smith described the year following the uprising as a series of “crosses and losses”. The Edward Hill family survived the massacre, but faced starvation in the aftermath.

On 16 Jul 1622, Edward and his family were living in Elizabeth City in a house on the west side of the Hampton River, within an area under the command of Capt. William Tucker. On 14 Apr 1623, Edward sent word to his brother, John Hill, a London mercer in Lumbar Street, that 400 people were killed in the 22 Mar 1622 Indian attack and that 20 had been slain since then. He stated he had loss many cattle at his plantation in Elizabeth City and complained about the high cost of food and equipment, adding he expected his household to perish of famine. Edward also sent a letter dated April 14, 1623 to his father-in-law, Richard Boyle, a London book store owner, stating his family faced starvation due to the famine.

As noted above, on April 14 of 1624, Edward wrote sad letters home to his brother and Hannah’s father, relating the scarcity and high price of food, and his fears that he could not save all their lives. See letter transcription below:

Edward Hill to his Brother, Mr. Jo. Hill, mercer in Lumbar Street [London]: " dat’ 14 Ap. 1623

Now for the state of this Contrey, There was the first Massacre killd of o’ English 400 and odd psons: since at tymes there have been killd XX and odd.

And in this last Massacre there was cutt off by th’ Indians a Pinnace, a shallopp, and a small Boate w’th 26 men all in compleat Armour the 27 of M’ch 1623. [Henry Spelman Massacre]

So the truth is we lyue in the fearfullest age that ever christians lyued in: And to speake the truth I stay to gett what I haue lost and then god willing I will leave the Contrey: for this is the worst yeare here that ever I saw like to bee...We are all like to have the greatest famine in the land that ever was.

Now I protest I and myne are like to p’ish[perish]. Corne is at xxx s. [30 shillings] a bushell and not any scarce to be gott: Meale is at 12 £ a hogshead, but there is none to be soulde, yet if I gett not 40 buz [bushels] I am like to doe ill:

Yet I had not wanted proivsion but that we might not be suffered to plant as much Corne as we would: And indeed, we dare scarce stepp out of o’ dores neither for wood nor water.

The last yeare I had a very hard yeare of it by reason of th' Indians and I feare this wilbe as bad: I lost the last yeare as many Cattle as were worth a 100 £ "

Yet if we save but o{our} lives god willing the next year I will see yo

15. Idem to his father-in-law Mr. Richard Boyle in Blackfryars [London]: dat’ from Elizabeth City vt supra } For my part I care not for any proffitt, indeed it is as much as we can doe to save o’ lives. A hogshead of Meale is here at xii [12] £. Corne is xxx s [30 shillings] a bushell and but a little buz neither: I have a great many people to keep and if I can but save their lives I hope I doe not amiss."

(Ref: Records of the Virginia Company, Volume IV, Kingsbury, page 256)

With the cattle dead, the crops burned, Edward and Hannah somehow suffered the winter of 1622 - 1623 by rationing their scarce supplies and eating oysters and crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, when they could be gathered. The sporadic attacks continued in the spring.

On 16 Feb 1624, Edward Hill was still living in Elizabeth City and sharing his home with his wife, Hannah, and daughter, Elizabeth. A patent issued to a neighbor in September 1624 mentioned Edward's land, whereas a 01 Dec 1624 patent for a neighboring property noted Edward was deceased. Edward, surely weakened by the desperate days after the Massacre, died and was buried on May 15, 1624 (Dorman, Vol. 1, 2004, p. 63).

There is speculation that he may have starved himself in order to feed his family.

By early 1625, his widow Hannah (Boyle) Hill had married Hill's neighbor, Thomas Spellman (Spillman, Spelman, Spilman), who on 10 Jan 1627 served as decedent's administrator.

Sources:

1. "Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5" by John Frederick Dorman, Vol. I, 4th Ed., 2004, p357.
2. Karen Penley of PenleyPearls.com (This is a fantastic resource on Hannah Boyle and her husbands)
3. "Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635" by Martha W. McCartney, 2007, p387.

Bio by Gresham Farrar.

References

1. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hill-13096 cites
   1. McCartney, Martha W.: Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635, page 387. (NS dates) < GoogleBooks >
   2. Edward Hill (decd) in the Virginia Muster of 1624/5. < [ http://www.virtualjamestown.org/Muster/search.muster.cgi?database=d... link] > Also his wife Hannah, remarried. < link > Also his daughter Elizabeth Hill < link >
   3. Penley Pearls. < link >
   4. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116027866/edward-hill
2. http://lindahiser.com/hill2.html (has errors)
3. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hill-31963
4. Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 13 2020, 11:07:16 UTC