| Sources |
- [S674] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (http://new.familysearch.org), ((http://new.familysearch.org)), ). (Reliability: 3).
- [S1041] Madison County Historical Society Newsletter, Robert L. Haught, "Francis Henry Hill," (Feb 2026): pp. 3-4. (Reliability: 3).
Francis Henry Hill, Madison public servant and Masonic leader, was born on November 26, 1818. He was the second of seven children born to Henry Hill, Jr. (1782-1846) and Matilda Susan Payne Hill (1797-1889). Research indicates he was born in the family home, a large frame house lying west of what is now US Rte 29, about 7 miles north of the Town of Madison in the hamlet of James City (now Leon). Hill spent his lifetime farming properties he owned. He purchased 13 acres of land in the Town of Madison in 1842 and soon thereafter acquired a white frame house lying on the north side of and adjacent to the Court House in the Town of Madison which he occupied as his home. Later, in 1858, he bought a large frame house on the west side of Main Street which had been built in 1856. It was sometimes referred to as the "Carl Eddins" house. Following his marriage to Anne Steele McChesney in 1846, it became their home for the rest of their lives. At the age of 22, Hill was appointed Postmaster of Madison. Nineteen years later, in 1859, he became Clerk of the Circuit Court, a position he held until 1875 when he entered the practice of law. He was very well liked and respected as the Court Clerk and his obituary, published in the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star on February 2, 1894, noted that he had served as the Clerk for a number of years "discharging his duties so neatly, accurately and well that it was claimed that he was the best clerk in the State." Francis Henry Hill He became an outstanding figure in the history of Free Masons in Madison County and the State of Virginia. He was raised a Master Mason in Linn Banks Lodge No. 126 in 1865 and served as its Worshipful Master. In 1884 Brother Hill served both as Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of Virginia and Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons in Virginia (an appendant body) of Free Masonry in Virginia. Upon the death of the Grand Master of Masons in Virginia in 1884, Hill succeeded to that position, serving through December 1886. As Grand Master, he dedicated Lee Lodge No. 209 in Waynesboro and participated in the public Cornerstone laying of the Statue of General Robert E. Lee in Richmond where he was asked to offer remarks in honor of General Lee. He also laid the cornerstone of Rose Park Methodist Church in Wolftown in Masonic form. On February 21, 1885, he was invited by the grand Master of Washington, D.C. to participate in the Dedication ceremony for the Washington Monument. Brother Hill was recognized by the Grand Lodge as a man of "magnificent physique, level headed", speaking in a clear voice, and very knowledgeable in both the written and unwritten work of the Fraternity. He was one of the first four District Lecturers appointed in 1887. It was said he cheerfully took on the task of teaching Virginia ritual in District 3, his assigned 28 Cities and Counties from Arlington to Danville. He served as the District Lecturer of District 3 from 1887 until his death in 1894. In 1888 he reported that he had met at Luray with the several Lodges located in the Valley and stayed there five days teaching any interested brother who had a desire to learn, and spent a large amount of time helping them improve their work. He was an advocate for teaching and qualifying more men as District Lecturers, which Linn Banks Lodge Building (Continued on Page 4) Page 3(Continued from Page 3) was the forerunner of the current Grand Lodge Committee on Work. It is with interest that he was allotted $250.00 per year for travel and other expenses. Francis Henry Hill and his wife, Anne, had five daughters, all born in Virginia. They were: Frances Jane "Jennie" Hill Hume, born in Leon, Virginia in 1846, died in Madison in 1931. She married Robert Thomas Hume in 1872 and lived in a house formerly owned by Horace Lohr located on the easterly side of Main Street. She and her husband are buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Madison, a short distance from the graves of her parents. Horace Lohr House Henrietta "Etta" Matilda Hill Fry, married Hugh N. Fry and lived in a white frame house (the William b. Yager House) on the west side of Main Street in Madison. Emma Gold Hill Cave, was born in Madison County in 1850 and died in Charlotte, N.C., in 1914. She married Benjamin Belfield Cave and lived in Madison until 1899 when she moved to Charlotte to live with her son P.M. Cave. Mary Aurelia "Relia" Hill, who was born in 1854, died on January 2, 1929. She married first a Mr. Sublett and then Terrell Crawford Taylor. She and her husband are buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, near the graves of her parents. Carl Eddins House Serena Moore Hill Jeffries, was born in 1861 and died on New Year's Day, 1941. She married John L. Jeffries and they had four sons. She is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Culpeper, where her husband and two of her four sons are buried. Her son, John L. Jeffries, Jr., grandson John L. Jeffries, III, and daughter in law, Helen M. Jeffries, were prominent attorneys in Culpeper, Virginia, and all are buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Culpeper. Anne Hill died in 1890, and Francis Henry Hill's health began to deteriorate in 1892. He became bedridden shortly before his death on January 28, 1894. As is noted above, his obituary was lavish in praise and included this observation: He was a man well known throughout our borders and was universally honored and respected and by those who knew him best greatly beloved ... He was a man of fine personal appearance, generous impulses, benevolent disposition and strong attachments. He was pleasant and entertaining in conversation, which always contained a vein of humor that was much enjoyed by his companions. The Hill family tombstone marking the graves of his wife and him bears the fitting epitaphs: "Well grounded Hope A well spent life" And "The memory of the just is blessed."
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1850 - 1914 (64 years)
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