Sunday, February 13, 2005

Looking through a plastic box of loose papers, tonight. The legacy and genealogy left to me by my dad is just not going to all get done, I fear. However, here is a carbon copy or rough draft of something that is probably continued somewhere else, in another box:

The Early Years of Wiley Benjamin Hill, Sr. (my dad's father):

On the 11th of February, 1881, Wiley Benjamin Hill (to become Sr.) became the fifth of seven sons and two daughters of John Mack Hill, and his wife, Louisa Lydia King. These folks led an intinerant existence, moving frequently from rural farm area to shifting logging communities that were located in Marion County, Mississippi. Wiley carries the name given to his grandfather, Wiley King. Benjamin was perhaps a given name of some statesman, (the senator from Georgia, Benjamin H. Hill?). Many Southerners admired Senator Hill for his patriotism during the days of and following the Civil War.

Wiley's brothers and sisters, in order of their birth were:
  1. Langston "Lance" Joel Hill, born 25 Dec 1868; Died 15 Sep 1940; married Sarah Ann Mims on 13 April 1893.
  2. John Austin "Aus", born 29 Feb 1870; Died 4 Aug 1953; Unmarried
  3. Margaret Missouri Hill, born 7 Mar 1876; Died 15 Oct 1959; married William Alexander Conn on 13 Dec 1894 or 1897. See also: Peggy Conn Burley
  4. Mary Loucinda "Lou", born 29 Aug 1878; Died 15 April 1960; married Prentiss Ira Slade.
The story on this piece of paper ends here, but I have provided a few links that may shed more light on this family.

Always a good place to go to list queries or search for relatives is genealogy.com, in this case, to the Hill Forum.

Friday, February 11, 2005

Extract from Estate Administration (No Will)
County of Lawrence
State of Mississippi

To the Hon. John Dickerson, Judge of Probate Court:

Your undersigned petitioners respectfully show that Benjamin Bennett departed this life sometime in the month of February 1864, aged 92 years of age leaving a considerable estate consisting of one slave, about 80 acres of land, and promissory notes amounting to about $3,000.00, said personal estate amounting to about $4000.00 Petitioner does not know of any debts owing by said decedent.

Said decedent left the following named heirs:

Cynthis Saunders, Elizabeth Thames, Corandra or Cassandra Armstrong, of Choctaw Co., Mississippi; Richmond Bennett and Isaac Bennett. Also the children of Kasen (Kyzar?) Bennett, deceased, who was a son of said Benjamin Bennett, and the children of Drury Bennett, dec'd, who was a son of said Benjamin Bennett. It will be necessary that said estate should be administered on in order to collect (several debts) and make the distribution among the heirs aforesaid. petitioner is a grandson of said decedent and as several months have elapsed since his death without anyone applying for letters of adminstration, your petitioner has concluded to apply for same. Said Richmond Bennett has rejected petitions (or petitioners)to take the adminstration and his daughters are quite (must be dau. of Benjamin instead of Richmond)old; of whom is petitioner's mother (Cynthia Bennett Sanders) will not as petitioners thinks have any objection to his taking upon himself the trouble of the administration. On his securing bond as required he prays for letters.

Signed: B. T. Sanders, filed 27 June 1864. Estate Papers of Benjamin Bennett, Box ___? in Chancery Clerks Offices, Lawrence Co., Monticello, Miss. Book ___? Pg___? (I misplaced the original extract made by W.E. Driver).

Note: Cynthis Sanders must have been B.T. Sanders mother. Benjamin Bennett lived with his dau. Cynthia Sanders at time of 1860 census, in Lawrence Co., near family of Thomas J. Sanders, age 24, believed to be his grandson.

Copied for Blanche Bennett Robinson, duaghter of Marcus LaFayette, at 11888-B So. Truro Ave., Hawthorne, California.
_______________________________________

Extract from Will: Made by W.E. Driver, (checked later by Wiley Benj. Hill, Jr.), on 8 March 1966.

Date of Will 3 Feb 1849
County of Lawrence
State of Mississippi

Date of Drury Bennett's death: sometime during February, 1862.

To wife, Emily P. Bennett, all real and personal property, for her natural life, or until she remarries, in which case all property then to be divided among children.

Testator left surviving him, the following children:

Delila Elmira Allen, the wife of William Allen, deceased.
Susana F. Williamson, wife of Joshua Williamson.

The following minor children: Benjamin F. Bennett, Sothern M. Bennett, Drury B . Bennett, Carol B. Bennett, & Daniel Bennett, infant children of Unity Bennett, dec'd daughter of testator.

Note by Abstracter: Emily P. Bennett, died 16 April 1863 during period of time that the will of Drury Bennett was being probated.

Final Accounts made for Emily P. Bennett, Executrix.

Petition of Elmira Allen and Jesse Ward, for letters to issue to them as administrators "de benis non", filed 3 Aug 1863. Appointment made as above 1st Monday in August, 1863. On January 4, 1866, Commission issued to Jas. Strickland, and to Jesse Ward, to divide lands of decedent among heirs.

Report of Commissions: J. M. Cannon, Jas. Strickland and James Bourn filed 22 Jan, 1866, reports that the lands of decedent cannot be equally divided among heirs.

Petition of Elmira Allen and Jesse Ward administrators filed 27 Aug 1866, prays for an order to sell the lands of Drury Bennett (which were about four or five miles southeast of Monticello, about 440 acres, estimated. Lands were sold to J. A. Scarborough, Isom Williamson and B.F. Bennett.

Note: Emily P. Bennett was sole executrix of will, and oath was taken 7 July, 1862, but she died 16 April, 1863, necessitating sale of lands.

Bondsmen: Jesse Ward and Jas. Strickland
Witnesses: Jas. Strickland, Benjamin Bennett, and Jesse Ward.
Proper Proof made of will by Jas. Strickland and Jesse Ward.
Letter from Wiley Benj. Hill, Jr.
Dated 25 Fewbruary 1966
Addressed to Mr. Albert L. Allen of
Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Dear Mr. Allen:

I am most grateful for the information sent.

Mr. Vogtle sent me many helpful clues, but the one vital bit of information was in your letter! I am looking for all of Benjamin Bennett's sons and daughters, so I am inclosing a family group sheet for you to fill out on Drury Bennett. All I had on him was from the 1850 & 1860 census of Lawrence Co. [Possibly you have all that, but if you don't, I will send it later].

Mr. Allen, even though you cannot devote as much time to genealogy as you would like...neither do I, but you are real close to the vital records, cemeteries, etc., where you could be obtaining a lot of real stepping stones along the path of your forebears.

Would like to strike a bargain with you. I have several microfilms of Lawrence Co., Marion, Lincoln, Covington, and a small but quite efficient reader. If you will furnish me with a pedigree chart which I have inclosed for you to fill out, I'll help you get started...before you retire!

IN return, I would appreciate your filling in all you know about the other brothers and sisters of Langston and Drury.

Do you by chance have a will or the administration of the estate of Drury? Or do you know where he died and is buried? Anything else regarding Benjamin's family. According to the standards of Drury's day, he was definitely well off! So he should have left a will, and it should be located in Lawrence Co., if that is where he died. He was not a survivor of Benjamin who died Feb. 1864, but he was on 1860 census. So he must have died between 1860-1864.

Will be glad to help you in any other way I can. I expect to come over there on nite of Saturday, 5th of March for the celebration of Robert Benton M. King, who is the son of Delilah Jane Bennett, one of Langston's daughter. He (Robert) will be 100 years...young! Since he is quite feeble, and not too well, I think they will have a quiet gathering at his home at 1842 Compress Ave., in Laurel, at the home of Emma Mae Barnes, his daughter. Robert Benton King's father was James Washington King and my he was my grandmother's brother.

I had better get this in the mail. Let me hear from you. With my best wishes to you and your wife and family, I am, Yours very truly, Wiley Benj. Hill, Jr.
[So, it would seem that the link to the Bennett family is more than that of one man's curiosity. I had always thought that my dad was just researching the Bennett's because of his grandmother's first husband who was killed in the Battle of Peachtree Creek--because of that incident, my dad's grandmother met up with his grandfather and hence, my dad came about].
From Mrs. H.O. Allen of Monticello, Mississippi
15 April, 1966

Delila Elmira Bennett married William Gordon Allen. Their children were:
Jane (Allen) Gray
Matt (Allen) Gray
Drury Albert Allen, born 14 November, 1849.

Miss Carrie Bennett of Columbia, Mississippi can give you infromation about the Bennett's.
Death Certificate
Doc. #: 15494
Marion County, Mississippi


Decedent was a resident of the county for sixty years. The street address of the decedent is listed as 1006 N. Main St., Columbia, Marion (County), Mississippi. This is inside the city limits.

The decedent is Mrs. Mary B. Bennett, a widow, who was born November 15, 1871. She died October 1, 1957 and the burial took place at the Columbia City Cemetery on October 2, 1957, under the direction of ___________Funeral Home. The death certificate is signed October 5, 1957.

Mary was born in Jeff Davis County, Mississippi. Her father was _____Burkett and her mother was Frances Cole. The informant for the information on this death certificate was Miss Tressie Bennett.

Mary was ill for 3-10 days before her death in __________General Hospital. The causes of death were 1) Uremia and 2) Acute pyelonephritus. Mary also had hypertensive cardiovascular disease.