Richard HILL

                   Great cemetery website for Richard Hill is ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/wv/pocahontas/cemetery/cem-richardhill.txt
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From 'History of Pocahontas County,' pp116-117:  "Richard Hill, whose ancestral blood courses the veins of a great many worthy citizens, now claims our special notice in this paper. It is generally believed he came to this region soon after the armies of the Revolution were disbanded, from North Carolina. He was one of the more distinguished of the early pioneers as a scout and a vigilant defender of the forts. Upon his marriage with Nancy McNeel, daughter of the venerated pioneer of the Levels, John McNeel, he settled on Hill's Creek, on lands lately occupied by Abram Hill's family. As long as Hill's Creek flows and murmurs his name will be perpetuated. There were three daughters, Elizabeth, Martha, and Margaret; and seven sons, Thomas, John, Abraham, Isaac, William, Joel, and George.........."

pp121-122:
"This venerable man died early in the forties, full of days and greatly respected. The writer was at Colonel John Hill's house when he returned from the burial of his father, and listened for hours to his reminiscences of his grand old father; but alas, so much has faded from his memory that he would like to write.
Richard Hill, whose family history we have just endeavored to illustrate, with the assistance of our lamented friend, Mrs. Nancy Callison, his worthy grand-daughter, seems to have keen endowed with a charmed life. It would be better to say that in the providence of God he had a mission to perform, and was immortal until that service should be accomplished.
The Indian brave that slew James Baker, one of the first schoolmasters in this region, had shrewdly planned to shoot Baker in the act of crossing the fence and kill Richard Hill with his tomahawk before he could be able to recross and escape to the Drennan house, near Levi Gays.
While Richard Hill was repairing his broken rake in the rye field at Edray, near the grave yard, an Indian in the fallen tree top aimed repeatedly at his breast, and put his finger on the trigger time and again, and every time something seemed to restrain him. The Indian thought it was the Great spirit, and seemed to have felt it would not do to kill a friend of the Great Spirit, and thus incur his anger.

Then while scouting in the mountains toward Gauley he was thrice aroused by alarming dreams, and when the morning dawned he discovered that an Indian had tried three times to steal upon him and kill him while he was asleep.

There is also a tradition that a detachment of Indians were in ambush for several days near Mr. Hill's home on Hill's Creek, for the special object of capturing or killing him, as they had come to feel there would be little or no use to raid this region while he was alive or at large. They had taken up the idea that the owner of such a nice house would dress much better than anybody else, and would not work with his own hands. They saw men at work in reach of their guns, but none of them dressed to suit their ideas as to how Mr. Hill would be attired. It so turned out that Mr. Hill was one of the hands, and it was his workday dress that beguiled the Indians and prevented his being shot at or captured.

Richard Hill was one of nature's noblemen, who relied more on pure, genuine character than mere superficial appearances, and therein lay the secret of his safety and success. A pure character and a genteel appearance make a lovely sight, but a genteel exterior and an impure character make a nuisance that is simply unendurable to all except human John Crows or vultures."[39625.ged]

Book - Wm. T. Price - "Upon Marriage of Richard Hill and Nancy McNeel" 1963
Came to Pocahontas Co. VA shortly after the Rev. War. Described as an early pioneer and defender of forts.

"As long as Hill's Creek flows and murmurs, his name will be perpetuated." William T. Price

West Virginia in the American Revolution:
Feb. 18, 1832, Richard Hill made application for pension stating he came to Pocahontas Co., in March after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He volunteered for service in the Carolinas and after selltelement in Virginia in 1782 served at Bucks Station under Captain Clendenin and Col. Samuel Lewis. Supporting affidavits were filed by Jacob Kennison, Henry Casebolt, James Lewis and the Rev. John S. Blair. Claim was rejected.

Listed as enlisted in Public Service in VA during the Revolution.

Pocahontas Co. oath of alligience to the US was made March 5, 1822.

Deeded 20 acres Droop Mt. - 1824