The Shocking Truth~Sarah, wife of Samuel Deese, Is Not a Daughter of John Hill and Huldah Jackson

 There are 138 Public trees on Ancestry claiming that Samuel Deese married Sarah Hill, born 1811 or 1815 the daughter of John Hill and Huldah Jackson. I believe all those trees are in error. Samuel Deese did marry a young lady by the name of Sarah but her maiden name is unknown. The only source giving “Sarah Hill” as the wife of Samuel Deese is the death certificate of four of their 9 children; three daughters and one son. 

Individual pages of the John Hill Family Bible are contained within his Revolutionary Pension File (W-18014).

The Family Bible:

She supposes her husband kept no date of their Marriage till after the birth of her first Child then a Register was kept of the family in a large Bible belonging to a family & the following is a true statement from the family Register,

John Hill was born February the 4th day 1749, Huldah Jackson now the wife of John Hill was born February the 7th day 1764, Married in the year 1780,

The following is correct from the family Register of the names & births of the Children of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife,

John Hill the son of John Hill &Huldah Hill was born the 9th day of January 1781,

Sara Hill the Daughter of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 23rd day April, 1783

Abraham Hill the son of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 22nd day of July 1786,

Isaac Hill the son of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the ninth day of January 1788,

Jacob Hill the son of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 21st day December 1790

Elizabeth Hill the Daughter of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 12th day of November 1793

Jonathan J. Hill the son of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 9th day of January 1795,

Jonathan Hill the son of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 27th of February 1797,

Huldah Hill the Daughter of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 6th day of October 1799,

William Hill the son of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 7th day of September 1804,

Rebehah Hill the Daughter of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 23rd day of April 1809,

That her husband John Hill died the 14th day of August 1817,

Sworn & subscribed before me the day of February 1839.

S/ J. Gordon, JP                                             Huldah Hill, X her mark

It’s clear to see that John Hill and Huldah Jackson did indeed have a daughter named Sara Hill; but. she was borne in April 1783 NOT 1811 or 1815 and that she died in October 1789. 

Sara Hill the Daughter of John Hill & Huldah Hill his wife was born the 23rd day April, 1783

Clearly, the Family Bible Extract and copies of the actual pages show that Huldah (Jackson) Hill last borne child, was her daughter, Rebecca, on 23 April 1809.

The following 4 images are from the transcribed Pension Application for John Hill (W-18014) transcribed by Will Graves, 3/15/08, rev'd 12/29/15.

The location of this Family Bible today is unknown.

John Hill died 14 August 1817. His wife, Huldah (Jackson) Hill died 28 August 1840. If her daughter Sarah (Hill) Deese was borne in 1815 she would have been 25 years of age in 1840 when her mother passed away. 

The following pleas and quarters document was executed upon the death of Huldah (Jackson) Hill. Sarah (Hill) Deese did not pass away until 6 Sept 1881.

By Norfleet D. Boggan Clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for Anson County certify that satisfactory evidence has been exhibited to said court that Huldah Hill widow of John Hill died on the 28th day of August 1840 and left John Hill, Isaac Hill, Jacob Hill, Jonathan J. Hill, Huldah Hill and William Hill who survived her.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my seal of office and subscribed my name is 15th day of July 1845.
                                                                                                   s/ N. D. Boggan

If  the said Sarah (Hill?) Deese had been a daughters of Huldah (Jackson) Hill she would have been named in the above sworn statement. 

No daughter of John Hill and Huldah Jackson married Samuel Deese. Samuel married a young lady named Sarah about 1830 in Anson County. Her surname is unknown.  

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1, Ancestry, "Revolutionary War Service Records" database, Military Service Records (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 2 March 2023), entry for John Hill, Pvt; Captain Jonathan Jackson; Revolutionary War W18014.

2. https://www.fold3.com/image/23267350

Who are the Parents of Sarah Hill, b. abt 1811 and d. 6 Sept 1881

Sarah Hill, age 15-19, married  Samuel Deese, born 1805 in/or about 1830 in Anson County, North Carolina. Samuel was a son of Stephen Deese and his wife, whom many say is, Sarah Alice Honeycutt.

The parents of Sarah ‘Sallie’ Hill are UNKNOWN. Sarah, the wife of Samuel, can be found in the 1850, 1870 and 1880 Census. Her age in these censuses in order is age 35, age 55, age 60. The 1850/1870 Census suggests she was born in the year 1815. Her death notice in 1881 says she is 70 years of age suggesting she was born in the year 1811.

Ancestry Thrulines shows Sarah Hill as a daughter of John Hill and Huldah Jackson.

But, there is not a paper trail to substantiate this and I DO NOT believe that John Hill and Huldah Jackson are her parents.

John and Huldah did have a daughter named Sarah, b.  April 23rd, 1783; died. Oct 1789.

John Hill served in the Revolutionary War. The Family Bible is included in John Hill Rev. War File W-18014

In 1838/1839 Huldah Jackson Hill, widow of John Hill deceased, submitted an application for a pension related to the Revolutionary War service of her husband John Hill. Included within this application (W-18014) was a copy of pertinent pages from the Hill Family Bible. The last child documented as born to this family was/is Rebecca Jackson Hill, born  23 April 1809; d. Oct. 1811.

    

Since there is absolutely no proof establishing Sarah Hill, b. 1811; d. 6 September 1881 is a daughter of John and Huldah Jackson Hill I would offer the following reasons why it's impractical.

First, The Birth, death, and marriage of the John Hill Family are meticulously documented in the Family Bible and there is no indication in the Family Bible that a second daughter was given the name of the first deceased Sarah Hill.

•  Surely, Huldah Jackson Hill wouldn’t omit the birth of the last child from the Family Bible if this was indeed her child.
• Also if this is her child why would she omit her from the pension application. 

John Hill died, according to the Family Bible, on 14 August 1817. The 1820 Anson County, NC Census for this family substantiates that John was no longer in the Household. It also substantiates that there was not a Female daughter in the Household under the age of 10.  To be precise there were 2 females in the household, 1 age 16-25 and 1 over 45+ [Huldy], head of Household.  

Finally, Huldah was age 47 and John was age 62 when the 2nd Sarah was born in 1811. 

A review of the 1820 Census shows 3 Hill families in the County (Anson). In addition to Huldy Hill, there is a listing for two of her sons, Jonathan J. Hill and John Hill. Both Jonathan and John had females in their home under 10 years of age. John Hill, Sr and Huldah Jackson had seven sons but none of these eight men left Wills or Probate records in Anson County. Jacob Hill did leave a Will in Catawba County, NC. Huldah Jackson Hill is named in the Will of her Father John Jackson.  

Sometime prior to 1844, several of the Hill children moved their families to Dickson County, Tennessee. 

The parents of Sarah 'Sallie" Hill, b. abt 1811, d. 6 Sept. 1881 is still a mystery. If you have any clues to the names of her parents I would love to hear from you.