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Micajah Hill Sr. and Dorcas Research Page

Micajah Hill Sr.

Birth date
The 1830 Morgan County, AL census indicates that Micajah Sr. was born between 1760 and 1770.
Birth place
The 1880 census page for daughter Narcissa states that her parents were both born in North Carolina. DNA evidence confirms that Micajah was the son of John Hill [WHEN DID JOHN HILL FAMILY MOVE TO ROCKINGHAM CO?]
Death
I don't know when Micajah died. There was a Micajah Hill head-of-household in Blount County in 1840, but I can't tell if it's Micajah Sr., Micajah Jr., or yet another Micajah Hill.
Parents
DNA testing confirms the previously held belief that Micajah was the son of John Hill of Rockingham County, North Carolina. See the DNA test page for more information.

Dorcas [surname unknown]

Birth date
The 1830 Morgan County, AL census indicates that Dorcas was born between 1780 and 1790 (early to mid 1780s based on when her children were born).
Birth place
The 1880 census page for daughter Narcissa states that her parents were both born in North Carolina.
Death
Jodi has Sherrill SMITH's family Bible (Sherrill's wife was Mary, daughter of Micajah and Dorcas), which says, "Dorcas Hill Seanior, died, April 18, 1850."
Parents
I'm not aware of any evidence about what Dorcas's maiden name was or who her parents were, but researcher Bill Corn and others have mentioned that there was a Moberly family living near the Hills who had a daughter named Dorcas.

Marriage

Based on ages and birth places mentioned in census schedules, it appears that Micajah and Dorcas were married in North Carolina sometime during or before 1804.

Children

Children of Micajah and Dorcas: (All of their marriages were recorded in Morgan Co., Alabama.)

  1. Lucinda, b. ca 1804 in NC, m. John WAGONER 8 Jun 1824.
    • I found a household in Texas in the 1850 census. This is almost certainly Lucinda based on her age, husband's name, birth place of her children, and the names of her children.
    • This family that I found in Texas in 1850 was back in Alabama in the 1860 census, but with no Lucinda, so Lucinda must have died between 1850 and 1860. One household over were Dorcas and Eretha Hill, which is more evidence that it was Lucinda's family.

  2. Cynthia, b. ca 1804 in NC, m. William JONES 16 Feb 1825 (Sharon: "William is a brother to Narcissa's husband Jesse, and Cynthia or Cintha as she was known figures prominently in some squabbling over the Jones boys' father's estate! She was a widow at that point.")

    In the 1850 census, Cintha is listed as 45 years old (same as Lucinda in the 1850 census), born in Tennessee. In the 1860 census, Cintha is listed as 56 years old, born in North Carolina. In the 1870 census, she's listed as 66 years old, born in North Carolina. I had previously been told that Lucinda was the oldest child, but the census information makes it appear that Cintha might have been older or they might have been twins.

  3. Dicy, b. ca 1809, m. James WEEKS 16 Feb 1825. I have not been able to find Dicy in any 1850-or later census schedules. Does anybody know anything about Dicy other than her marriage information?
  4. Nancy, b. ca 1809, m. Elijah RICH 28 Jun 1827. I also have not been able to find Nancy in any 1850-or later census schedules. Does anybody know anything about her other than her marriage information?
  5. Narcissa, b. ca 1811 in TN, m. Jesse Government JONES 7 Nov 1832.
  6. Micajah, b. ca 1813 in TN, m. Rachel MARTIN 1834.
  7. Dorcas, b. ca 1817 in TN, never married.
  8. Margaret, b. ca 1818/19 in AL, m. Henry A. WATKINS 13 Sep 1838.
  9. Mary, b. ca 1822 in AL, d. 6 Apr 1856 in Morgan County, AL, m. Sherrill SMITH 16 Jun 1840. Sherrill died in Morgan County, AL, on 21 Sep 1846.
  10. Eunicey (or Euretha), b. ca 1830, never married. Jodi sent a photograph of Eunicey and included the following note:
    Eunicey Hill (Aunt Nicey), d/o Micajah Hill & Dorcas, sister of Mary Hill. On some census records she is listed as Euretha but I believe it's Eunice or Eunicey, hence "Aunt Nicey."
    Aunt Nicey is buried in the middle of a pasture but it is fenced off. I was taken there several years ago by a great uncle. He told me there are five or six Indian children buried there at the same place. They were Hill children but he couldn't remember who they belonged to.

This list of children is, I think, based on information that was passed down from generation to generation and supported by evidence such as census records and family bibles. Some of the circumstantial evidence of this family being as stated here:

  • Jodi has Sherrill SMITH's family Bible, which mentions the senior Dorcas, daughter Mary (Sherrill's wife), and John WAGONER (Lucinda's husband). This shows a connection between Mary, Lucinda, and the senior Dorcas. As mentioned above, the bible says, "Dorcas Hill Seanior, died, April 18, 1850." This gives us her date of death and tells us that she had a daughter named Dorcas. Jodi also knows that Eunice (Aunt Nicey) was a sister of Mary and Lucinda. In the 1860 census, at least two of the Smith children (children of Mary) were living with Dorcas and "Erutha" one household over from Lucinda's family.
  • Sharon's note (see below) about Cynthia and Narcissa marrying brothers makes it likely that they are sisters, but it does not tie them to the others.
  • In the 1850 census, Mary's and Margaret's families were listed one after the other in Morgan County. The names of Margaret's children included Dorcas, Nicey, Micajah, and Mary.
  • In the 1860 census, Dorcas and Eretha were listed right before Lucinda's family (as mentioned above) and Lucinda's first son was named Micajah.
  • Micajah, Jr. named three of his daughters Dorcas, Eunice, and Mary. (Micajah, Jr.'s Eunice was also known as Nice or Nicey.)

Homes

Based on birth places of the children, it appears that the family moved from North Carolina to Tennesse sometime between 1805 and 1811.

Around 1817 or 1818, the family moved from Tennessee to Cotaco County (later renamed Morgan County), Alabama. This is based on birth places of children and the land patent mentioned below.

If anybody has more specific information about where in North Carolina and Tennesse the family lived, please let me know.

Micajah Hill Sightings in Cotaco County (Renamed Morgan County in 1821):

  1. Ellen found a land patent for Micajah Hill in Cotoco County from Oct 1818.
  2. Mike found the following from A History of Morgan County, Alabama by John Knox, page 44. This appointment was made in March 1819 session of the Cotaco County court in Somerville.
    "Isaac Blanton and Micajah Hill were appointed overseers on a section of road between Six Mile Creek and the intersection of the above road—to the head of Cain Creek on the mountain where the road now crosses said creek"

    Karen found a reference to the same from Maxine Newton Gibson's Orphans Court Register Book I, Cotaco County, Alabama 1818-1873 (Decatur, AL), page 8:

    "Ordered by the court that Isaac Blanton be appointed overseer of that part of a road marked and laid out from Sommersville to intersect a road leading from McMahan's Ferry to the Bear Meat Cabbins lying between the west bank of Cotaco Creek including the west bank of said creek to where it intersects the above mountain road and that Micajah Hill be appointed to proportion the hands to work on the same." [8 March 1819]
  3. Micajah Hill served as a juror in the Superior Court of Cotaco County in Somerville on the first Monday in November, 1819. (From Valley Leaves, Volume 33, Number 4, June 1999, a publication of Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society.)
  4. Karen sent me the following court references from Maxine Newton Gibson's Orphans Court Register Book I, Cotaco County, Alabama 1818-1873 (Decatur, AL).:
    • p. 4 [This refers to "M. Hill", which may be Micajah]:
      "On petition of W. Gray and others, court granted an order for a road leading from Somersville on the Spring Frog Trace till it shall intersect the road leading from McMahan's Ferry to Bear Meats Cabbings, and ordered that Walter Holmes, D. Duris Holms, E. Pope, Wm. Beard, John Rhea, Isaac Blanton, and M. Hill be appointed a jury of review to lay off and mark the way for said road." [14 Sept 1818]
    • p. 17:
      "Herbert Kyle & Dougherty
      use Lawrence Rapelye Att.
      vs Micajah Hill } Debt.
      This day came the plaintiffs by their attorney and the defendant in person and the defendant stated that he cannot gainsay the action of the plaintiff, but that he is indebted to the plaintiffs in manner and form alleged. Therefore, it is considered by the Court that the plaintiff's recover against the defendant two hundred dollars debt in the declaration mentioned, together with the sum of one dollar and ninety cents, the damages occasioned by the detention of that debt and the costs of therein above this suit in this behalf expended."[7 Feb 1820]