The Hastings Banner — Thursday, April 14, 2022 — Page 7The confusion and misunderstanding of
the two Calvin Hill families of Barry County
Part IIIKathy Maurer
Copy Editor
Harold Burpee, in pursuit of information
on the Calvin Hill families of Middleville
and Yankee Springs, had about given up on
learning more about their extended fami-
lies. Until, that is, he found an article writ-
ten by Dr. Ethel W. Williams of Kalamazoo,
editor of Michigan Heritage magazine.
He doesn’t say he knew her personally,
but Williams’ mother was Alice “Allie”
Burpee, and likely was a second cousin to
Harold Burpee.
Ethel Williams, an osteopathic sur-
geon-turned genealogist was featured in the
March 26 Reminder as one of Barry Coun-
ty’s historic women. When she was a girl in
the late 1800s and early 1900s, her parents
owned the Yankee Springs store, which
stood just north of the original Yankee
Springs Inn, a well-known stagecoach stop
in the mid-1800s.
The Williamses lived about 3 miles south
of Calvin S. Hill and about 8 miles south of
Middleville, home of Calvin G. Hill. So,
the local and family history of the area cer-
tainly would have been within Ethel Wil-
liams’ area of knowledge and interest. Her
family sold the store in 1906, and it report-
edly burned down in 1919.
All of the information Burpee gathered
on the two Calvin Hill families was pub-
lished in three installments of The Banner
in February 1966. Information available in
2022 has been added to his original work
[appearing in brackets], extending it to four
weeks.
H.L. Burpee
In the Michigan Room of the Grand Rap-
ids City Library, I was looking at a micro-
film of the 1850 census of Thornapple
Township. The following is what they had
on the Hill family:
Calvin Hill, 62
Charlotte Hill, 59
A.M. Hill, 28
Delia Hill, 19
Harriet Hill, 18
Albert Hill, 35
Mary Hill, 10
Angeline Hill, 8
Charlotte Hill, 6
Arthur Hill, 4
Delia M. Hill, 2
S.S. Packard, physician, 26
Now let’s go back to the big monument
in the middle of the Hill family’s cemetery
plot with the inscription:
Lottie Hill
wife of Silas Sadler Packard
1844-
“Give her of the fruit of her hands and let
her own works praise her”
Obviously, she was Albert Hill’s daugh-
ter, the Charlotte Hill, 6, in the 1850 cen-
sus. Albert had evidently lost his wife
before this, at least she was not listed on
the census [Albert’s wife, Ellen E. Naylor,
had died in 1849. Albert remarried; he and
Mary Elizabeth Beach had four or five chil-
dren together].
Now the “S.S. Packard, physician, 26,”
who evidently made his home with the
Albert Hills, is really a puzzle. It doesn’t
seem like this physician, 26 years old in
1850, would have been the Silas Sadler
Packard who married the little Charlotte
Hill, 6 years old in 1850. Funnier things
than that have happened in this world,
though.
Now we still haven’t got to the real con-
fusion. Ten years later, the 1860 census
does not list S.S. Packard, physician. How-
ever, Middleville has a physician in 1860,
S.S. Parkhurst. S.S. Parkhurst was 10 years
older in the 1860 than S.S. Packard was in
the 1850 census. Furthermore, S.S.
Parkhurst was Silas Sherman Parkhurst,
and if Lottie Hill did marry the physician
Packard, his name was Silas Sadler Pack-
ard. [Confusion here lies within similar
names. The 1850 census shows S.S.
Parkhurst in the home of Albert Hill. Lottie
Hill married Silas S. Packard in Manhattan,
N.Y., in 1884, when Silas was 58 and Char-
lotte was 40. No records show Mr. Packard
ever living in Middleville. Silas S. Parkhurst
was a local physician, but Lottie Hill evi-
dently moved east where she met and mar-
ried S.S. Packard.]
Lottie Hill Packard did not die in Mid-
dleville. I have not been able to find any-
thing on her death in the 1903 Middleville
papers or The Hastings Banner of 1903.
Now I wouldn’t say there was nothing on
this burial. I could have easily missed it
when [looking] through a whole year’s
weekly papers. I have talked with Mr.
McLevit and different old-timers around
Middleville, and no one seems to know
anything about this burial. Where did Lottie
Hill live and die? Does anyone know? Silas
Sadler Packard evidently was not buried
with her.
[Lottie, who was born in Grand Rapids,
died of stomach cancer at age 57 in Great
Barrington, Mass. Her death certificate list-
ed her burial site as Grand Rapids. Her
husband, who preceded her in death, is
buried in Brooklyn, N.Y.]
Thus, one by one, these old links that
connect us with the past are being broken- benisons upon their heroic lives and the
peace of the pure in heart to their ashes.
Banner Jan. 27, 1862:
“HILL – In Middleville, Mich., in the 9th
inst. [this month], Charlotte, wife of Calvin
G. Hill, in the 79th year of her age.
“Mrs. Hill was born in Scipio, Cayuga
County, N.Y., in the year 1790, and with her
husband, removed to Rochester, N.Y., in the
year 1819 and came to this township in
- She was the first white woman in this
vicinity, and her husband was the first white
settler in what is now the village of Mid-
dleville.
“Mrs. Hill performed the two-fold duty
of physician and nurse for the early settlers,
and to aid and comfort the afflicted, would
traverse miles on the back of an Indian
pony through the woods with no thorough-
fare except Indian trails. At an early age,
she was converted to a religious faith and
joined the Disciple Church of this place.
After the dissolution of that organization in
this village, she became a member of the
First Congregational Church to which she
belonged at the time of her death. The
funeral obsequies were attended by many
of our citizens on the 11th inst. And the
body consigned to its long home.
“Among the elderly part of the congre-
gation but few dry eyes were seen, and all
seemed to feel they had lost a friend whose
spirit had flown to that ‘undiscovered
country from whose born no traveler
returns.’”
I have tried to ascertain who the parents
of Luther, Calvin G. and Elias were. They
had come from Gates, Monroe County,
New York, to Michigan. I even borrowed a
microfilm with a census of Monroe County
of 1830 from the state library to see if I
could find out who the parents were. I
found Luther and his family listed, and that
was about all.
Then lo and behold [I found answers in]
the spring 1965 issue of “Michigan Heri-
tage.”
Dr. Ethel W. Williams of Kalamazoo,
editor, had the following article. I not only
found out who the father was but who their
grandfather was, too.HILL FAMILY RECORDS
Jabez Hill immigrated from England,
settled in Massachusetts, and was taken
from his family during the French and Indi-
an War by the Indians and carried as a pris-
oner to Otsego County, New York, where it
is thought he died of fatigue. [No additional
information on his death could be found,
but Jabez Hill was not born in England. In
fact, he was the fifth generation of his fam-
ily to live in what became the U.S. His
fourth great-grandfather William Hill sailed
from England in 1629.]
Shadrack Hill, son of Jabez, was born in
1743, resided in Southborough, Mass., and
moved to Grafton County, New Hampshire,
in 1784. He died in Cayuga County, New
York, Feb. 15, 1812. His wife, Ruth
[Graves], was born in 1745 and died in
Monroe County, New York, February 1830.
Children (probably others): Calvin G.
Hill, born Hanover, Grafton County, New
Hampshire, Nov. 23, 1786; died in Mid-
dleville, Mich., May 29, 1867. He married
Charlotte Castle, daughter of Asa and Eliz-
abeth Castle, born in Washington County,
New York, Feb. 5, 1791; died Middleville,
Mich., January 1869. [Other children of
Shadrack and Ruth (Graves) Hill included
another Calvin, Enoch (both of whom like-
ly died young), Martin Luther (who moved
to Michigan and was known by his middle
name), Enoch Harvey and Mary.]
Children of Calvin and Charlotte:
1) Angeline Hill, b. Cayuga Co., N.Y.,
April 1, 1811; d. Shiawassee County, Mich.,
April 1848 [m. William Mosely].
2) Infant son, b. March 29, 1813; d. April
10, 1813.
3) Albert C. Hill, b. June 7, 1814, in
Monroe Co., N.Y.; d. Nov. 6, 1896.
4) Sabrina Ann Hill, b. June 26, 1816 [m.
Charles Patrick; d. Feb. 20, 1869; Wiscon-
sin].
5) Alpheus M. Hill b. Jan. 1, 1820; d.
June 17, 1864, of fever in the Civil War. He
enlisted in a Michigan regiment at Mid-
dleville [m. Frances Ralph].
6) Harvey Hill, b. March 4, 1822; d. Sept.
17, 1831 [likely in New York].
7) Mary Ann Hill, b. May 11, 1824; d.
March 12, 1879; m. [Denison S.] Bugbee.
8) Martha Jane Hill, b. March 2, 1826;
[m. Sydney Beach; d. 1858; likely buried in
Middleville].
9) Frances Charlotte Hill, b. May 21,
1828; d. [1883] at Bennington [Township,
Shiawassee County], Mich.
10) Delia E. Hill, b. May 4, 1830; d.
Lodi, Calif., Jan 24, 1897; [m. Marshall
Wilcox, Clark Castle].
11) Harriet Hope Hill, b. October 1832;
d. June 1898 [m. George Hoffman].
The above records are in possession of
Harriet E. Castle, Orion, Michigan.
To be continued ...Sources: Hastings Banner, findagrave.
com, familysearch.org, MyHeritage.com,
Hastings Public Library, Lori Silsbee,
myheritage.com.Carveth Village
of Middleville
http://www.CarvethVillage.com
“Remember... if you can’t live alone... live with us!
690 W. Main Street, Middleville, MI 49333
269-795-Carveth Village
Looking to fill multiple positions
including:Housekeeping,
Dietary Servers, and
Nurse Aides for the Elderly
Flexible hours and
competitive wages available.Apply in person at
690 W. Main St., Middleville, MI 49333
or online at http://www.carvethvillage.comWhile some family plots have one large marker with similar smaller headstones, the
Hill family plot is a mix of mismatched markers. The largest is a sizable marker for
Charlotte “Lottie” (Hill) Packard, granddaughter of Calvin G. Hill, who died in
Massachusetts. Others in the plot include Calvin and Charlotte (Castle) Hill, their
granddaughter Martha Jane Mead, son Alpheus, daughters-in-law Ellen E. Naylor and
Frances Hill, and grandsons Frank and Charles Patrick.A park in Middleville is named in honor of the village’s first white settler, Calvin G.
Hill. The plaque reads: Calvin G. “Squire” Hill, founder of the village of Middleville,
came from New York state to Michigan in the autumn of 1834. He purchased 400
acres on both banks of the Thornapple River where the village now stands. In 1854,
he donated this land for a school. The Union School was built here and served the
area until 1932. The village council designated this site Calvin G. Hill Park during the
bicentennial year 1976. Dedicated 1977, Thornapple Heritage Association.
Hill family members
answered call to serve
Kathy Maurer
Copy Editor
The Banner Dec. 17, 1862, helped spread
the word that Calvin G. Hill’s son Alpheus
was working to recruit 150 men to serve in
the U.S. Cavalry during the second year of
the Civil War:To Raise a Company
“Alpheus M. Hill of Middleville is com-
missioned as captain, to raise a company for
the Seventh Cavalry. His field of operation is
to be in this county.
“Mr. Hill is well known
to the citizens of our coun-
ty as a thorough, earnest,
capable, generous and
humane man, and none
who know him doubt his
fitness for the responsible
position, which, if success-
ful in his endeavors, he is
to assume.
“Mr. Hill’s patriotism
early induced him to leave
a good business and enlist
as a private in the ranks of
the Michigan Third Regi-
ment, where he has since
faithfully served his coun-
try for his country’s sake
alone.
“His health became
impaired in the service,
and a few weeks since, he
was detailed for recruiting
service, his office being in
Grand Rapids. His health
is rapidly recovering, and
his friends desire to aid
him in attaining a position
better fitting his deserts
and qualifications.
“We hazard nothing in
saying that Mr. Hill will be
an energetic, thoroughly practical and
humane officer. Having seen much service,
he is fully fitted to carry his men to an early
proficiency in drill, which will enable his
company to obtain the position of honor in
the regiment. We bespeak for him the hearty
and earnest cooperation of our citizens wher-
ever he may go on his mission of obtaining
volunteers.”
The results of his effort to raise a compa-
ny for the 7th Cavalry are unknown. What is
known is that Alpheus Hill returned to the
3rd Regiment for two more years before
dying of “typhoid pneumonia” at a hospital
in Washington, D.C., in June 1864.
He had enlisted in Co. K, of the 3rd Mich-
igan Infantry May 13, 1861, just a month
after the war broke out. By mid-June, Hill,
41, and more than 1,040 other men were
headed to Virginia to join the Army of the
Potomac.
Alpheus had held elected office, serving at
the county surveyor in the mid-1850s. About
that same time, he married Frances Ralph
and they had a child the following year.
However, his wife died during or shortly
after the birth of their son. Less than 9
months later, his son died. “Our little Frank”
marks his headstone, indicating that other
family members likely had helped Alpheus
care for his infant son.
At nearly 43 years old when he worked to
raise a cavalry company, perhaps the widower
Alpheus Hill thought he had less to lose, or
more to give, than did other men with families.
He may have initially been buried at Sol-
diers Home National Cemetery in Washing-ton, D.C., and later reinterred at Mt. Hope
Cemetery in Middleville.
Grand Army of the Republic Post 159 in
Middleville was known as the Hill post, per-
haps in honor of Alpheus Hill. It was char-
tered July 11, 1883, and dissolved in 1912.
Alpheus was not the only member of Cal-
vin G. Hill’s family who fought for the Union.
Grandson Eugene A. Beach, served in
Co. E of the reorganized Michigan 3rd
Infantry. Son of Martha Jane (Hill) and Sid-
ney Beach, he enlisted at age 18 in the fall of
1864, and reached the rank
of captain before muster-
ing out May 25, 1866. His
post-war service likely
took him west, where he
would later relocate. Beach
worked as a railroad con-
ductor, moving first to
Nebraska then to Califor-
nia. He died in 1910, in his
early 60s, and is buried at
the Los Angeles National
Cemetery.
Grandson Leslie T.
Moseley. At 20, he enlisted
in Co. C of the 21st Infantry
Aug. 9, 1862, and mustered
Sept. 3, 1862. Mosely was
reported as missing in action
after the Battle of Stones
River, Tenn., Dec. 31, 1862.
He returned to regiment
June 1, 1863, and served
two more years. He mus-
tered out from Washington,
D.C., June 8, 1865. He was
the son of William and
Angeline (Hill) Moseley.
Incidentally, Moseley
served in the same company
as Capt. Leonard O. Fitzger-
ald, who died of wounds
received Dec. 31, 1862, at
the battle of Stones River. Fitzgerald was the
namesake of the Hastings GAR post.]
Step-grandson Edward Bugbee, 23, may
have made the trip to Grand Rapids with
Alpheus Hill, since both served in Co. K of
the 3rd Michigan Infantry, enlisting in Grand
Rapids May 13, 1861, for three years. Both
departed June 10, 1861, but neither returned.
Bugbee, who was the stepson of Mary Ann
(Hill), died of disease at Yorktown, Va., May
3, 1862. Michigan’s 3rd Infantry had a casu-
alty rate of more than 47 percent, including
99 men, who like Alpheus Hill and Edward
Bugbee, died of disease.
Additionally, Miner Mead, of Castleton
Township, married Calvin Hill’s grand-
daughter Mary Ann Hill (daughter of Albert
Hill). Mead enlisted in Co. B of the 10th
Cavalry, Feb. 24, 1865, for one year. He was
25 years old, and his young wife had died the
previous summer. He was discharged at
Chattanooga, Tenn., Oct. 28, 1865. He and
his second wife, Hortense Cook, are buried
at Barryville Cemetery. Mead’s younger
brother Melvin enlisted and mustered the
same day as Miner Mead and with the same
cavalry unit in late February 1865. However,
Melvin, 18, died of disease in Knoxville,
Tenn., less than two months after leaving
Michigan.Sources: Record of Service of Michigan
Volunteers in the Civil War 1861-1865;
Michigan in the Civil War 1861-1865, creat-
ed by Lois and Don Harvey; 1880 History of
Allegan and Barry Counties Michigan; find-
agrave.com; familysearch.org.Alpheus M. Hill served in
Michigan’s 3rd Infantry and
even tried to raise a compa-
ny for the 7th Cavalry, before
returning to the 3rd Infantry.
He died of disease in
Washington, D.C.