M. (1) 2 Aug 1616 in Binfield, Berkshire, England
Wife: Johann Trebick
M. (2) 21 Dec 1638 in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Wife: Margaret
D. 19 Apr 1663 in Billerica, Massachusetts
The history of people’s lives is often tied to the land where they lived, and Ralph Hill of Billerica, Massachusetts still has a connection to the property he owned during the 17th century.
Ralph was a Puritan immigrant during the Great Migration, the wave of people who settled in New England during the 1630s. He likely came from Berkshire, England, where a “Raffe Hill” was listed on a marriage record in the village of Binfield. The wedding took place on August 2, 1616, and his bride was called “Johan Treebeecke” on the record, the only place where her name ever appeared. Also in the Binfield records are christenings for Ralph's children Jane in 1618, Joan in 1620, Margaret in 1625 and Ralfe in 1627. Jane and Ralfe (or Ralph) were known to be his daughter and son, so these records almost certainly prove that this was Ralph Hill who ended up in America.
The exact year Ralph migrated to the Plymouth colony isn't known. His wife Johan died at some point, because on December 21, 1638, Ralph married a widow named Margaret Toothaker. There has been speculation that Margaret Toothaker’s maiden name was French, based on the fact that Ralph mentioned “brother William French” in his will. But to Puritans, the term “brother” often meant two people who had a close friendship, not that they were literally brothers or brothers-in-law.
Wife: Margaret
D. 19 Apr 1663 in Billerica, Massachusetts
The history of people’s lives is often tied to the land where they lived, and Ralph Hill of Billerica, Massachusetts still has a connection to the property he owned during the 17th century.
Ralph was a Puritan immigrant during the Great Migration, the wave of people who settled in New England during the 1630s. He likely came from Berkshire, England, where a “Raffe Hill” was listed on a marriage record in the village of Binfield. The wedding took place on August 2, 1616, and his bride was called “Johan Treebeecke” on the record, the only place where her name ever appeared. Also in the Binfield records are christenings for Ralph's children Jane in 1618, Joan in 1620, Margaret in 1625 and Ralfe in 1627. Jane and Ralfe (or Ralph) were known to be his daughter and son, so these records almost certainly prove that this was Ralph Hill who ended up in America.
The exact year Ralph migrated to the Plymouth colony isn't known. His wife Johan died at some point, because on December 21, 1638, Ralph married a widow named Margaret Toothaker. There has been speculation that Margaret Toothaker’s maiden name was French, based on the fact that Ralph mentioned “brother William French” in his will. But to Puritans, the term “brother” often meant two people who had a close friendship, not that they were literally brothers or brothers-in-law.
Ralph sold his land at Plymouth on September 16, 1643, and moved to the town of Woburn, where he was chosen as a selectman in 1649. As time went on, colonists began to develop more settlements, a process where groups of men arranged to get large amounts of land to form communities. On October 23, 1654, a petition was received by the General Court asking for recognition of a new settlement that would become Billerica; it was signed by 14 men, including Ralph and his son. The request was granted in January of the following year. Ralph was given the largest plot of land when the original 1,500 acres was parceled out; over the next few years, he added to his property as the town acquired additional land.
Ralph chosen as one of five Billerica selectmen in 1660.
On July 25, 1660, Ralph, his son and three other men were approved to build a stable for their horses near the new Billerica meetinghouse. Most of the settlers walked to Sunday services, but Ralph and the others asking for a stable lived too far away. The following year, Ralph and three others were given the authority to decide where everyone in town would sit inside the meetinghouse. Puritans always had assigned seating in their churches. If anyone objected to where they were placed, they could submit an appeal to the committee.
Ralph wrote his will on November 18, 1662, and the following spring, he gave a half acre of land to the town for a burial place. This became the South Cemetery, or Old South Burying Grounds, and many of Billerica's earliest settlers have graves there. On April 19th, Ralph died, and was the first burial in the cemetery.
About 30 years after Ralph's death, his step-son, Roger Toothaker, was a Salem witch trial victim. Ralph became his step-father when he married Margaret, and he was the only father Toothaker ever knew. As an adult, he became a physician with a wife and large family. Then in 1692, three Salem girls accused Toothaker of witchcraft. One of the girls was a servant to a doctor who was Toothaker's competitor, and this may have been their motivation to claim he was casting spells on them. He was arrested, and his wife and one daughter accused and arrested as well. Toothaker was sent to Boston Prison, and in June 1692, he died there.
Ralph had a lasting legacy on Billerica; the wooded property he acquired in 1658 is today a hiking park known as Ralph Hill Conservation Area. The park consists of 61 acres of forest, wetlands and rock formations bordering on the Concord River. It has a beaver pond and nesting areas for birds native to the region. Ralph’s descendants include George W. Bush, Jeb Bush and Barbara Bush.
Children by Johan Trebick:
1. Jane Hill — B. before 8 Nov 1618, Binfield, Berkshire, England; D. 20 Dec 1646, Woburn Massachusetts; M. Francis Littlefield (1619-?)
2. Joan Hill — B. before 17 Sep 1620, Binfield, Berkshire, England; D. before 23 Jun 1635, Binfield, Berkshire, England
3. Margaret Hill — B. before 22 Jan 1625, Binfield, Berkshire, England; D. young
4. Ralph Hill — B. before 8 Apr 1627, Binfield, Berkshire, England; D. 9 Apr 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Martha Toothaker (~1635-1703), 15 Nov 1660, Billerica, Massachusetts
Children by Margaret:
1. Nathaniel Hill — B. 1642, Plymouth, Massachusetts; D. 14 May 1706, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth Holmes (~1646-1685), 21 Jun 1667, Billerica, Massachusetts
2. Jonathan Hill — B. 20 Apr 1646, Woburn, Massachusetts; M. Martha Hartwell (1649-?)
3. Rebecca Hill — B. about 1648, Woburn, Massachusetts; D. 29 Mar 1669, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Caleb Farley (1645-1712), 5 Jul 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts
Sources:
England Marriages, 1538-1973, FamilySearch.org
England Births and Christenings 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
History of Billerica, Massachusetts: With a Genealogical Register, Henry Allen Hazen, 1883
Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, William Richard Cutter, 1908
A genealogical history of the French and allied families, Mary Elizabeth Queal Beyer, 1912
The Richardson Memorial, John Adams Vinton, 1876
Wikipedia article for Roger Toothaker
“Free Trail Walk at Billerica’s Ralph Hill Conservation Area,” Michael Sanders, 2014, Sudbury Patch blog
Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, William Richard Cutter, 1908
A genealogical history of the French and allied families, Mary Elizabeth Queal Beyer, 1912
The Richardson Memorial, John Adams Vinton, 1876
Wikipedia article for Roger Toothaker
“Free Trail Walk at Billerica’s Ralph Hill Conservation Area,” Michael Sanders, 2014, Sudbury Patch blog
