CHARLES JOSEPH ALBERT HILL

Charles Joseph Albert Hill, who follows farming on section 32, Lincoln township, Worth county, was born in Danville township of the same county on the 5th of December, 1874, his parents being Albert and Mary (Carlsberg) Hill. The father was born in eastern Canada, while the mother is a native of Norway. In early boyhood the father crossed the border into the United States in com­pany with his parents, who settled in New Hampshire. Afterward they removed to Winneshiek county, Iowa, establishing their home near Bluffton, where the grandfather purchased land and engaged in farming. He built a log house upon his place and there resided for a number of years. His wife died upon that farm and afterward the family removed to Worth county, settling west of Kensett, where the grandfather purchased farm land at four dollars per acre. Again he built a log cabin and with characteristic energy began the development and improvement of his property, which he converted from a tract of wild prairie into productive fields. In the early days Plymouth was his nearest railroad sta­tion and he necessarily faced many of the hardships, trials and privations of pioneer life. He did his plowing with oxen and thus converted his one hundred and sixty acre tract of land into a valuable farm. He afterward sold that prop­erty and bought a farm of equal size in Danville township, upon which he re­mained to the time of his death at the age of sixty-nine years. He was a repub­lican in his political views and his religious faith, was that of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Albert Hill, the father of Charles J. A. Hill, was reared under the parental roof, remaining with his father until after the removal of the family to Winne­shiek county, Iowa. On leaving home he took up his abode near Madison, Wis­consin, but at a subsequent date again went to Winneshiek county, where he was married. With his bride he came to Worth county and the young couple began their domestic life in Danville township, Mr. Hill having previously purchased eighty acres of land, to which he added from time to time as his financial re sources increased until he was the owner of two hundred and forty acres of land. This he continued to cultivate throughout his remaining days save for the period of a year which he passed upon a homestead claim near Jackson, Minnesota. He long ranked with the representative and progressive agricul­turists of Worth county and enjoyed the warm regard and goodwill of all with whom he came in contact. He died in the year 1892, when forty-one years of age. His wife still occupies a part of the old home farm. In 1898 she became the wife of John Freitag, of Danville township.

Charles Joseph A. Hill, of this review, spent his boyhood days on the old homestead farm in Danville township and attended the district schools to the time of his father's death, which occurred when he was sixteen years of age. He then took charge of the farm and continued its further development and im­provement as the years passed by, remaining thereon with his mother and younger brother until he had reached the age of twenty-two years. He then married and built a house for himself and his bride, after which he and his brother continued to operate the farm for three years longer. Charles J. A. Hill then removed to Lincoln township, Worth county, in 1901 and purchased his present home farm of one hundred and twenty acres, to which he has added until four hundred acres are now within the boundaries of his place, constituting him one of the large landowners of the township. His labors have wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of the place, for he has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation, has erected new buildings upon the farm and has so wisely and care­fully managed his affairs that success in substantial measure has come to him. His methods have ever been practical as well as progressive and he employs the most modern and scientific means in enhancing the productiveness of his fields. The neat and attractive appearance of the place and its substantial improve­ments make it one of the most attractive features of the landscape. In addition to controlling this property Mr. Hill is identified with other business concerns of value and interest to the community, being a stockholder in the Farmers Bank of Manly, in the Farmers Creamery Company and a director of the Stock Ship­ping Association. He is a man of sound business judgment and keen discrimina­tion and he carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.

In 1897 Mr. Hill was united in marriage to Miss Maggie Holden, a daughter of George and Hannah (Stone) Holden, who came to the United States with their family when their daughter, Mrs. Hill, who was born in Shepley, England, was but two years of age. The family residence was established near Plymouth, Iowa, where Mr. Holden worked in the mills. He afterward removed to Rock Falls, where he was employed in a flour mill, and subsequently he purchased a farm southwest of Rock Falls, which he operated for a year. He then entered the Rock Falls mills and also continued to further develop his land. In 1897 he left that locality and removed to the vicinity of Fremont, Iowa, where he culti­vated a rented farm for two years. In 1882 he became a resident of Manly and purchased forty acres of land in Lincoln township, to which he kept adding from time to time as his financial resources increased until he was the owner of five hundred and forty-five acres, constituting a valuable farm property. Later he divided this among his children, giving to each son a farm, while the remainder he continued to develop to the time of his death, which occurred in 1901, when he had reached the age of sixty-nine years. His wife survived him for a considerable period, passing away in 1916, at the age of eighty years. They were members of the Unitarian church and Mr. Holden gave his political allegiance to the republican party. His was an active and well spent life in which he won substantial success as the reward of earnest, persistent labor.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hill have been born four children: George A.; Cecil and Virgil, twins; and Ethel. The family is well known in Lincoln township and other sections of Worth county and their many excellent traits of character have won for Mr. and Mrs. Hill the high regard, confidence and friendship of those with whom they have been brought in contact. Mr. Hill follows an independent course in politics but his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to several local offices, he having served as assessor, as road supervisor and as secretary of the school board. He and his wife are members of the Uni­tarian church and their aid and influence constitutes a potent force for moral progress as well as for the material development of the community. Whatever success Mr. Hill has achieved is the direct and merited reward of his labor. Thrown upon his own resources at the age of sixteen years, he has steadily worked his way upward step by step and each forward step in his career has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. His course has ever been such as would bear the closest investigation and scrutiny and all who know him speak of him in terms of warm regard.

SOURCE: HISTORY OF MITCHELL AND WORTH COUNTIES, IOWA, 1918, VOL. II; Pages 618 - 6120

Transcription by Gordon Felland, 8/08/2006