Cass-Fremont County IA Archives Biographies.....Hill, Edwin Stoddard 1837 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 9, 2007, 6:04 pm

Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1896)

REV. EDWIN STODDARD HILL, D. D., founder and pastor of the Congregational
Church, at Atlantic, Iowa, is well known and highly esteemed for his good word
and work throughout the entire State. He came to Atlantic in 1869, and organized
the Congregational Church at this place with a membership of only eight persons.
The first meetings were held in a little old building in which four other
denominations have since started. It is yet standing, on Sixth street, and
within its walls are clustered many hallowed memories. Under the pastorate of
Dr. Hill, the Congregational Church of Atlantic has gradually increased in
membership until it now enrolls about 350 communicants, and the church edifice
is a fine building, erected at a cost of $15,000. Dr. Hill was born in Wakeman,
Huron county, Ohio, December 2, 1837. His grandfather, Isaac Hill, was a native
of Connecticut, of English descent, and a farmer and blacksmith by occupation.
His son, Leverett Hill, the father of our subject, was also a native of
Connecticut, born in 1797, and was reared in his native State and was also by
occupation a farmer. In an early day he removed to Wakeman, Huron county, Ohio,
and there met Esther Strong, a native of Woodbury, Connecticut, with whom he was
united in marriage. Her father, Ariel Strong, was also born in Woodbury,
Connecticut, where he was engaged in farming and was also interested in a
woolen-manufacturing business in that place. The Strongs were also of English
descent. Lieutenant John Strong, an uncle of Mrs. Esther Hill, was a
Revolutionary hero, •having faithfully served his country during its struggle
for independence. After their marriage Leverett and Esther Hill located on a
farm in Huron county, Ohio, where the husband and father died in 1851. Later,
the mother removed to Tabor, Iowa, where she died, at the age of ninety-four
years. Her people were all long-lived, three of the family living to be over
ninety-four years of age. They were the parents of seven children, one of whom
died in infancy. Leverett B., who was a farmer by occupation, died in 1892;
Edgar S. now resides in Indianola, Nebraska, where he is engaged in
merchandising; Elizabeth E. is now the wife of L. E. Webb, of Tabor, Iowa; Edwin
S. is the subject of this sketch; Isaac C. is a Justice of the Peace at Agency,
Iowa; and Julius M. is a teacher at Tabor, Iowa.

   The subject of this sketch was reared in his native place and there attended
the public schools, engaging in teaching at the age of eighteen years. He then
came with his mother and brothers to Tabor, Iowa, in 1856, and was one of the
first students of the college located at that place. He continued in attendance
at that college until 1861, when he enlisted as a private in Company A, Fourth
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. With the
exception of two, he was in all the battles in which his regiment participated,
including the Arkansas river campaign, the battles of Chattanooga and Arkansas
Post, the siege of Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Ringgold, and all the battles
leading up to the capture of Atlanta; was with Sherman in his march to the sea,
and in the grand review at Washington, at the close of the war. He had some very
close calls, many bullets passing through his clothes, but he was never
seriously injured. He was promoted from time to time, and was honorably
discharged at the close of the war with the rank of Lieutenant.

   On receiving his discharge Lieutenant Hill returned home and engaged in
teaching at Percival, Iowa. He was ordained to the ministry in 1866, and
accepted the pastorate of the Congregational Church at Grove City, Iowa. As
already stated, he came to Atlantic in 1869, and has since served the church at
this place, being its only pastor, which position he still holds. He received
the honorary degree of D. D. from Tabor College, of Iowa, in 1889, an honor
worthily bestowed.

   Dr. Hill has been twice married, his first marriage, in 1865,.was to Miss
Mattie Treat, who soon died, leaving him one son, Sidney T., who died July 21,
1895, at his father's home. His second marriage was in 1870, when he wedded Miss
Helen M. Jones, a native of Vermont, who in early life emigrated to
Massachusetts, and who was educated in Oberlin College, at which she graduated,
subsequently engaging in teaching, in which occupation she continued for several
years.

   In politics Dr. Hill is a Republican, and although he does not take an active
interest in political matters he has an abiding faith in the principles of that
party. In 1890 he spent four months traveling in Europe, visiting England,
Scotland, Germany, Italy, Holland and France. His travels were beneficial to
him, not alone in health but in knowledge acquired. The long pastorate of Mr.
Hill attests his popularity in Atlantic, his church being the leading one in
that city. He is an effective public speaker, a sympathizing pastor, and is
loved by his congregation and by members of other churches equally as well.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

A MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF IOWA

ILLUSTRATED

"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendants."'—MACAULAY.

"Biography is by nature the must universally profitable, universally pleasant,
of all things."—CARLYLE

"History is only biography on a large scale"—LAMARTINE.

CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1896


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