We don't know much about Martin V.B. Hill, but what we do know is a little sad.

Born in 1844, Hill was probably named after Martin van Buren. He grew up in Deerfield and was still a teenager when the Civil War broke out. According to one source, he enlisted in the Union Army with his three brothers. Based on enlistment records, we think we've found a reference to one of these brothers, Isaac; someone of the same name owed him money at the time of his death, which sounds like a brother to us. Isaac and another Hill boy, "G.E. Hill" belonged to the Deerfield Guard , a local military training club, prior to the war.

Martin Hill was a private in Company D of the 9th New Hampshire Volunteers. As soon as he joined, his unit was sent to Maryland, where he fought in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. In January of 1863, he came down with Rubella (German measles) and was sent to an army hospital. Apparently, he recovered from the measles there, but caught tuberculosis. He stayed in the army for another two and a half years, in various hospitals and the "Invalid Corps", before being discharged in July of 1865.

Hill returned to Deerfield and worked as a shoemaker in one of the local shops. He was married to Emma Tilton in January of 1873. They had three children - Woodbury, Esther and Clarence. He was in extremely poor health for the rest of his life and struggled to get a disability pension from the federal government. His petition was denied again and again, until he finally proved his disability to the Army's satisfaction about 20 years after his discharge. Unfortunately, he died a year or so later.

Sadly, the bad news didn't end there. Both Woodbury and Esther died as teenagers - Woodbury at 16 and Esther at 14 . There is no death record for Esther in the Deerfield Town Records, but according to Woodbury's, he died of tuberculosis (which he probably caught from his father). Also according to Woodbury's death record, he was working as a shoemaker, like his father and was probably supporting his family that way. Emma must have had to bury her husband and two children, then raise her remaining child on a military pension of eight dollars a month.

Martin V.B. Hill, Emma Tilton Hill, Woodbury and Esther are all buried in Tilton Cemetery in Deerfield Parade.

Below are copies of some of the primary sources the students consulted when researching the life of Martin V.B. Hill:

The Hill Family graves	Deerfield Town Records	Basic information about New Hampshire's 9th Regiment and Hill's service in it
What did Martin V.B. Hill look like?	1880 census records	The Schedule of Real Estate from Hill's probate documents (an inventory of everything he owned at the time of his death)
A short biography of Clarence B. Hill, Martin's youngest son

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The Hill Family Graves

Martin V.B. Hill, his wife Emma Tilton Hill, their son Woodbury P. Hill, and their daughter Esther Hill are all buried in the Tilton Family Cemetery in Deerfield Parade.

	MARTIN V. B. HILL DIED FEB. 28, 1887 AGED 43 YRS
	EMMA F. TILTON WIFE OF MARTIN V. B. HILL DIED JUNE 11, 1938 AGED 81 YEARS
	WOODBURY P. SON OF MARTIN V.B. AND EMMA F. HILL TAKEN MAY 18, 1890 AGED 16 YRS ________ AT REST
	ESTHER M. DAU OF MARTIN V.B. AND EMMA HILL TAKEN JULY 25, 1894 Æ 14 YRs, 3 MOs, 4 Ds SWEETLY SLEEPING

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Deerfield Town Records

Marriages, births and deaths were recorded in Deerfield by the Town Clerk in the 1800s. They were handwritten in leather-bound books. There are occational discrepencies. For instance, Esther's date of birth in the Town Records does not match that on her grave. Perhaps her date of birth was reported in 1886 and it was recorded that way.	1873 Marriages: Names: Hill, Martin V.B., Tilton, Emma Date: Jan 30
1874 Births: Name: Woodbury P. Hill Date of Birth: May 18, 1874 Names of Parents: Martin V.B. Hill, Emma Tilton Residence: Deerfield	1886 Births: Name of Child: Esther Hill Date of Birth: Apr. 21, 1886 Names of Parents: Martin V.B. Hill, Emma Tilton Residence of Parents: Deerfield Occupation of Parents: Shoemaker Birthplace of Parents: Deerfield Color of Parents: W
1887 Deaths: Name: Martin V.B. Hill Years: 43 Months: Days: 3 Sex: M Color: W Condition: M Occupation: Shoemaker Place of Birth: Deerfield Place of Death: Deerfield Date of Death: Feb. 28, 1887 Disease, or Cause of Death: Consumption Names of Parents: Wm H. Hill, Elizabeth Durgin Birthplace of Parents: Epping, NH Nortwood	1890 Deaths: Name: Woodbury P. Hill Years: 16 Months: Days: Sex: M Color: W Condition: Sin Occupation: Shoemaker Place of Birth: Deerfield Place of Death: Deerfield Date of Death: May 18, 1890 Disease, or Cause of Death: Turburculosis Names of Parents: Martin V.B. Hill, Emma F. Tilton Birthplace of Parents: Deerfield

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Household Information From the 1880 Census

Name	Relation	Marital Status	Gender	Race	Age	Birthplace	Occupation
Martin V.B. Hill	Self	M	M	W	36	NH	Shoe Bottomer
Emma F. Hill	Wife	M	F	W	33	NH	K.House
Woodbury P. Hill	Son	S	M	W	6	NH
Esther M. Hill	Dau	S	F	W	1M	NH

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Biography of Clarence B. Hill, Martin's Younger Son

CLARENCE B. HILL, a prominent merchant of Fremont, N. H., was born at Deerfield, this state, March 12, 1882. He is a son of Martin V. B. Hill, who with three brothers, enlisted and served in the Civil war, Martin contracting a severe illness during his service, which ultimately led to consumption, from which disease he died in 1888. He married Emma F. Tilton of Deerfield, N. H., who still survives him. Clarence B. Hill was the youngest of his parents' three children. He was educated in the village school and high school and at the age of eighteen years began industrial life as a clerk in the store of Brown & Kelsey, at Deerfield, where he remained three years. He then went to Deerfield, where he purchased a store, which he conducted for two years. At the end of that time, or in 1907, he sold out and came to Fre- mont, where he entered into business for himself at his present location, dealing in general merchandise. His store is one of the best in this part of the county and he is doing a large and successful business. A Republican in politics, he is now serving as town supervisor and trustee. He is a member of the Grange, and served it as assistant steward while a resident of Deerfield.

Mr. Hill was married, August 25, 1908, to Leona F. Robinson, of Deerfield. They have no children. Mr. Hill is an enterprising and re- liable citizen, taking an interest in everything calculated to promote the prosperity and development of the town and county, and ready at all times to lend his aid and influence to a worthy cause. He and his wife have many friends in this part of the county.

Source: Charles A. Hazlett, A History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and Representative Citizens, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, Ill, 1915, Page 1032

Accessed online at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nh/rockingham/bios/hillcb.txt , 25 April, 2003

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