William Hillis and Catherine Simpson

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Husband William Hillis ¹

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           Born: 8 Apr 1819 - Hempfield Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 1
     Christened: 
           Died: 19 Mar 1910 2
         Buried:  - Big Sewickley, Westmoreland Co, PA

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         Father: Robert Hillis (Abt 1784-1819) 1
         Mother: Elizabeth Wynn (      -      ) 1

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       Marriage: 22 Feb 1844 2

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Wife Catherine Simpson ²

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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         Father: James Simpson (      -      ) 2
         Mother: 

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Children

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1 M Albert Hillis ²

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           Born: Abt 1847
     Christened: 
           Died: 18 Jul 1913 - ? Westmoreland Co, PA 2
         Buried: 

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2 M Lyman Hillis ²

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 12 Sep 1911 2
         Buried: 

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3 M Edward C. Hillis ²

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           Born: 10 Aug 1859 - Westmoreland Co, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Amanda Mathews (      -      ) 3
           Marr: 12 Nov 1895 3

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4 M Warren Grant Hillis ⁴

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           Born: 26 Dec 1869 - Westmoreland Co, PA 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: A. Catherine Beistel (      -      ) 5
           Marr: 8 Jun 1901 6

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5 F Jessie Benton Hillis ²

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: Nov 1904 2
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Frank Van Dyke (      -      ) 2

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6 M Millard Fillmore Hillis ^{1 7}

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           Born: 24 May 1852 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Sarah Alice Gongaware (      -      ) 2 7
           Marr: 20 May 1875 2

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General Notes: Husband - William Hillis

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He was a native of Hempfield township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, the scene of his birth being his father's farm, situated about one mile north of Mount Pleasant. For the elementary portion of his education, he attended the local public school and was there prepared for college. He then matriculated at Washington College, but only remained at that institution for one year, when he left to take up teaching, a profession which at that age he had a strong taste for and desired to make his career in life. For ten years he taught the winter terms at the school in the region of Greensburg, but toward the end of that period his attention was strongly drawn to the opportunities which awaited operations in scientific farming, and he eventually resigned his position in order to devote his entire attention to the latter occupation. From that time, during the remainder of his active life, he devoted his entire attention to farming and stock raising, in both of which lines he met with a high degree of success. He started with a farm of some two hundred acres, but increased this until he was the owner of four hundred and sixty acres in all, all of which he kept in a high state of cultivation.
During his early life Mr. Hillis was a member of the Whig party, and upon the final disruption thereof he affiliated with the new organization of the Republican party, in which political faith he remained up to the time of his death. During the Civil War he staunchly supported the cause of the Union and was always actively engaged in politics, although he had no ambitions for public office and never accepted anything of the sort. He was strongly religious, and for upwards of three-quarters of a century was a member of the regular Baptist Church at Big Sewickley, and he was buried in the cemetery of this church.
Mr. Hillis was a liberal supporter of many philanthropic and charitable undertakings and was beyond doubt the leading member of the church. He made several large benefactions, the proceeds of which were to sustain churches or cemeteries and among these was included a bequest of one thousand dollars to the Children's Home at Greensburg. Still another provision of his will was for one thousand dollars, which he designated by the title of "The Lord's Fund," which was to be used for the support of missionaries. At the time of his death he had disposed of most of his large real estate holdings and had converted them into cash and rail-road bonds. Mr. Hillis had already donated lands upon which the stone church at Big Sewickley was built in 1844, as well as a large proportion of the material for its construction.

1 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 906.

2 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 907.

3 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 909.

4 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 538, 909.

5 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 538, 910.

6 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 910.

7 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 666.