RALPH HILL IN BILLERICA

westmohney
Feb 12, 2021
6 min read

That, whereas, it hath pleased the Lord so to order and dispose of the Lands given by this honord Courte to the Church of Cambridge...if this honord Courte will please to grant to us, ye petitioners, a small tracte of Lande yt Lyeth yett ungranted ~ petition to the Court

a slow start

It was late in the dawn of New England, which had been a thriving colony for over 20 years, when Billerica was born in 1653. There was much to delay the progress of these lands which were bandied about as a possible plantation as early as 1635. The inland towns of Concord and Dedham had seen their share of problems, so five years passed quickly with nothing done to promote Billerica.

1640 saw action in the settling of boundaries. With that, the Court decided the time was ripe and in 1641 they granted the lands to Cambridge "p'vided they make it a village, to have 10 families there settled within three years." In 1642, an unfavorable report about conditions in the area made the prospect of a town being settled any time soon unlikely. Then in 1643, the Court magnanimously amended the grant to be "without any condition of making a village there...p'vided the church and present elders continue at Cambridge." In 1648, the lands were made available by the town of Cambridge for public stock and "improved for the good of the church." Also at this time, Cambridge granted land to "brethren with no house-right in town." Still, it would be five more years before Billerica became the 55th town settled in Massachusetts Colony.

on the far side of the river

The tract of land in question on the petition signed by fourteen men, including our grandfather Ralph Hill (11GGF) and his son Ralph Jr. (11U), was on the other side of the Concord river from the lands that had previously been granted to Cambridge. As the lands previously granted had not yet been settled, these fourteen men were the first inhabitants of the town of Billerica. Much of the property granted to Grandpa Ralph now comprises the Vietnam Veterans Park and the Ralph Hill Conservation Area shown on the map below.

Grandpa Ralph and Grandma Margaret

Ralph Hill (11GGF) was in New England for at least fifteen years before he became one of the founding fathers of Billerica. He first settled in Plymouth Colony sometime before 7 Aug 1638 when he was granted five acres of land there. He had immigrated from England with his two children, Jane (10GGM), about ten and Ralph, Jr. (11U), about six. His property in Plymouth lay next to that of the recently widowed Margaret Toothaker (9GGM). Just when and where Ralph's first wife died is unknown but, by 21 December 1638, neighbors Ralph Hill and Margaret Toothaker tied the knot.

Margaret (birth name unknown) Toothaker Hill came to America with her husband Roger Toothaker, Sr. and her infant son Roger Toothaker, Jr (9U). They made the voyage in 1636 aboard the ship "Hopewell" and settled in Plymouth Colony. Roger died sometime before 1638 when the marriage of Margaret and Ralph took place.

Grandpa Ralph and Grandma Margaret stayed in Plymouth for five years after their marriage. Then, in 1643, Ralph sold his property in the Wellingsly and Woeberry Plains sections of Plymouth and moved his family 50 miles northwest to Woburn. Ten years later they again uprooted and moved ten miles further northwest to Billerica.

Grandma "Mary" and another genealogical rarity

Grandpa Ralph married a woman in England whose name remains a mystery. However, I've found ample evidence to believe that our grandmother was the sister of William French (11U). William owned the neighboring property directly east of Ralph Hill's homestead in Billerica. In his will, Ralph calls William "brother," a term often used for brother-in-law. I've also given our grandmother the first name of Mary because that is what her daughter, Jane, named her own daughter. So, on our family tree, I have Ralph Hill's first wife as Mary French Hill.

The lineages of Mary French (11GGM) and Margaret Toothaker (9GGM) comprise yet another genealogical rarity in our family. Grandpa Ralph happens to be both our 9th great-grandfather and our 11th great-grandfather. The tree below shows the lineage for both of Ralph's wives. Margaret Toothaker's line leads through Nathaniel Hill (8GGF) down six generations to our pioneer grandmother Susanna Sherwin Parrish (3GGM). Mary French's line leads through Jane Hill Littlefield (10GGM) down eight generations to Susanna Sherwin Parrish.

Note: Grandmothers are on the left, Grandfathers on the right. The families are color coded to be easier to trace. Joseph Hill's daughter Susanna Hill married Daniel Proctor, Daniel Proctor's daughter Susanna married Daniel Sherwin, etc.

Note: In another family twist, Grandpa Ralph's son, Ralph, Jr. (11U) married his step-sister, Grandma Margaret's daughter, Martha (9A) even though they had been raised together since they were small children.

In Billerica

The first division of land in Billerica was the 1500 acre Dudley Farm. Our Grandpa Ralph bought one and one-half lots. This included 118 acres of upland by the Concord River and four separate parcels of meadow land. It appears from bequests in his will that his property was extensive so he may have purchased additional lots sometime before his death.

Grandpa Ralph was involved in a large portion of the business concerned with the founding of Billerica. He signed a petition for Shawshin to be renamed Billerica and his name appears first on the document allowing Samuel Whiting, Jr. to be appointed as the town's first pastor. He was a selectman in the first list of town officers for 1659-60. He also signed papers in regard to laying out roads and the setting of boundaries. In 1660 he was involved in planning the first meeting house. When the church was completed in 1661, the town appointed Ralph Hill, William French and two other men "to sett in the Deacon's seat; and the town do appoint & impower these four men...to appoint the rest of the inhabitants... there several places where they shall sitt in the meeting house..."

Today, a plaque naming Ralph Hill and two others commemorates the founding of the first meeting house in Billerica, built in 1660.

taking care of family

In 1655, Grandpa Ralph requested that the Town Committee grant a parcel of land to his son Ralph, Jr (10U). The parcel, at the south end of his own house lot, was granted.

In April of 1663, Ralph Hill gave one half acre of land to the town for a cemetery. This land is now part of the Old South Burying Ground.

Ralph Hill drew up his will in Nov of 1662 and died in April of 1663, shortly after he made the land grant for the cemetery. It is believed that he was the first person buried there.

It seems Grandpa Ralph, like many men of his time, may have favored his sons from his second marriage over those from the first. He chose younger sons Nathaniel (8GGF) and Jonathan (9U) as executors of his will. Nathaniel was barely 21 at the time and Jonathan only 17 whereas his oldest son Ralph, Jr. from his first marriage was almost 30. All of his property was split between wife Margaret and their two sons. Ralph Jr., on the other hand, only got £23 "due from the land I sold at Woburn, his full portion.' Even Ralph's stepson, Roger Toothaker (9U) was bequeathed 33 acres of land.

Ralph didn't forget the ladies. His daughter Rebecca (9A) received £30 and his step-daughter/daughter-in-law Martha (9A) received £20. His two grandchildren, Elizabeth Hill (1C9x) and Mary Littlefield (10GGM), received £20 and £15 respectively.

Margaret Toothaker Hill (9GGM) lived for another twenty years. She died in 1683 at about age 76. She never remarried.

lasting legacy

Grandpa Ralph's property was dispersed amongst his various descendents as the years wore on and, somewhere amidst the all intermarrying of various townspeople, a Hill married a Stearns. Through this union, the Stearns family received a portion of Ralph Hill's land.

The Stearns family was early in Billerica. John Stearns was one of the original 14 inhabitants along with Ralph in 1653 and branches of that family remained in Billerica until the 20th century. Dr. Charles Stearns (8C1x) inherited the land from his father in 1959. In 1989, he donated the land to the state of Massachusetts for use as a park. He requested that the park be named in honor Ralph Hill, the original owner of the property.

Note: I haven't, as yet, been able to trace Charles Stearns' exact relationship to Ralph Hill. We are however related to Charles Stearns through two other families as well, the Crosbys and the Proctors.