The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-11-09
The Late Mrs. Hills.

most brilliant minds that Forest county
has ever known, and there closed life
that was, for almost eighty years, one of
greatest activity.
Juiiette Granville Brightman, the
daughter of a sea captain, was born in
Fall River, Mass, and was reared and
educated in the city of New Bedford in
the same state. When scarcely TWEEN
years of age, she married Daniel Hills,
Esq, young man of sterling worth and
of great enterprise, and with him emf
grated to the western part of New York
where they made for themselves a home
in the forests of Chautauqua county.
Buffalo was then but a village of few
hundred inhabitants, and the western
terminus of the Erie canal over which
route Mr.. and Mrs. Hills reached the
| lake city. One would think that young
woman who had enjoyed the many pleas
ures and advantages that Mrs. Hills had
in her Massachusetts homes, would re-
gret exchanging it for the meager com
forts of a pioneers life, and the privation
of seeing or hearing often from loved
ones in the New England states But not
so with her. She was perfectly delighted
with the primitive forests and never for
one moment regretted their selection of a
home. To her 1.-THE groves were Gods
first temple" and through them her soul
looked up to Him-the maker of the
! Universe. A student all her life, she
here found time to continue her nature
studios and to satisfy, to a great extent,
her love of botany, minerology,a and zool-
ogy. But being dirict decendent of a
member of the Pilgrim band who sought
refuge on a foreign shore and was one OF
the first to touch the rock that afterwards
| became the cornerstone Of our Republic,
and also of one of the worthy Huguenot
! families, we do not wonder that she
should be possessed ofsuch great courage
and fortitude, mingled with all the noble
characteristics of her ancestry, and tenn
pered with love and good will to all.
Mrs. Hills will never be remembered as
a woman of selfishness among those who
ever asked help of her. To her it was a
! pleasure to give, even to the last dollar
with no prospect in view OF more to come
when needed, only through the unyield-
ing faith in the love and care of Heav-
enly Father. But the home in the forest
soon expanded into broad fields and
acres, through the diligent care of its
owners, and home Of comfort took the
place of t. woodman's cabin. In this
nome three sons and one daughter were
carefully trained to become good citizens
and honored members of society. But
two are now living George Hills, Esq.
of jamestown, N. Y. and Mrs. c. Frank
Fox of Foxburg, this county, with whom
she made her home for many years.
During her lifetime the culture aud nat
ural ability of both her and her daughter
enabled them to become the hostesses OF
some of the most distinguished men and
women of our nation. and perhaps no
other home in Forest county, few years
ago, could claim the honors that belonged
to this household. Brilliant conversa-
tionalists, with an extensive knowledge
acquired by reading, travel and associa
ton with the best people, gave them {
place in society that might be coveted by
a people less favored than they were
And with all this deep interest was fell
by them in every one, and it was consid
cred real privilege to do an act of kind
ness for anyone, from those emp loyed il
the household to the most intimate ac
quaintances No doubt the same spiri
eff patriotism prompted Mrs. Hills to re-
ply to her son when he asked her per
mission to become volunteer in the lat
Rebellion, Daniel, would be ashamed
to think had reared son who would
not be willing to go in defense of hi
country when it needed him." that tilleC
the soul of her maternal grandfather IL
the war of the Revolution, and enabled
him to 90 barefooted during that noteC
winter at Valley Forge. Mrs. Hills saiC
she often counted the scars on her grand
fathers feet that were caused from Ak
posure in that war. 1t might be interest
ing to note that this grandfather, when
boy five years of age, had very narrow
escape from being killed by the Indians
A party ofIndians came into their yard
one day. picked him up and were abou
to dash his brains out against grind
stone when his neither begged of then
not to do so, saying he had been very sick
They granted her request in this, bu
pickle up a slave boy, dashed his brains
out, picked up little girl and two start
off with her. The mother followed beg
ging piteously for them to give her he
child, but they were deaf to her entreatie
and threatened to kill her if she did no
90 back. Seeing she could do no good ,sh'
returned to her home to find the feather
beds ripped open and everything out o
order, but not child about the house
She tarted for the blockhouse, hoping t
find them there, and on the way one o
the Indians tried to kill her by shooting
at her. The same Indian was kille'
when near the blockhouse by shot from
someone within. When there she ioun'
a daughter Is years of age with the baby
but no little boy. With a heavy heart
she returned to her home, began a searcl
for her little son and found him in an oil
clock where he had fled for safety. Man.
f years after the mother had a visit from
an Indian chief and his wife who proved
to be no other than the little daughter
stolen from her so many years before
She prevailed on her daughter to remail
| MIN I,nr Int Tho Indian lifn had NOR