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Note: and a daughter - the Reverend John Wesley Hunt, a missionary in the southwest Africa, and Marjorie, who is a nurse in a government hospital in south Africa the other sister is Maud, who married Arthur Horn, a salesman, and resides in Hunstanton, England.
William Thomas Hill attended school in Hunstanton, England, to the ninth grade and then entered the Evangelistic Theological School now known as Cliff College. He did evangelistic work for two or three years, a part of which was with the Methodist Home Mission Gospel Car work.
In September 1898, Mr. Hill came to New York State and was employed as a supply in the Troy Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church at a station on Lake George, known as Bolton Landing for one year. In 1900 he came to Michigan and supplied the Methodist church at Kingsley, and in 1901, supplied the Methodist church at Freesoil and was admitted on trial in the Michigan Annual Conference at Muskegon that year. He was appointed to Grawn in 1903; Marion, 1906; Stanton, 1907; White Pigeon, 1908; Pellston, 1910; Kalkaska, 1911; North Adams, 1913; Eau Claire, 1915; Comstock, 1917, Scotts, 1918, Damon, 1921; was given leave of absence in 1923; supernumerary, 1924-1933 was made effective and appointed to Wilson Memorial, Kalamazoo, 1933. He was admitted into full membership in the Annual Conference in 1903, and ordained Deacon by Bishop Foss at Jackson, Michigan, and was ordained Elder at Charlotte by Bishop Wilson in 1905. June 12, 1909, he was married to Vera M. Palmer, who was born August 22, 1886, daughter of Francis and Nettie Buckrell Palmer, in a log cabin in Montcalm county near Stanton, Michigan. She had a brother Glenn who died at twelve years of age. She was graduated from the eleventh grade in McBride and from the twelfth grade in Stanton; she then took training in the Grand Rapids Kindergarten School and was graduated and taught kindergarten in Stanton for two years.
Mr. Hill has made several trips to England. The first was in 1905 when he made a visit lasting nearly a year. The second was a wedding trip with Mrs. Hill from une to August, 1909. In 1914, he spent two months in England accompanied by Mrs. Hill and the two boys. In 1932, he made his last visit accompanied by his daughter.
In politics, Mr. Hill is an independent Republican. He enjoys gardening. In 1936, he built a home at 337 Glendale drive in Parchment.
His parents were Methodists in England and he joined that church when he was sixteen or seventeen years of age and was granted a local preacher's license at the age of eighteen and went into preparation for evangelistic work at the age of twenty-one. At nineteen he felt drawn to the ministry under the preaching of Gypsy Smith, who held a meeting in the town where Mr. Hill lived and visited in Mr. Hill's home. The foregoing was written in 1940.
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Brother Hill was educated in the schools of Hunstanton, England, and at the Evangelistic Theological School, now known as Cliff College. He did evangelistic work in England in Methodist Home Mission fields. In September, 1898, he came to America and was employed as a supply preacher in the Troy conference stationed at Bolton Landing on Lake George. Two years later he came to Michigan and supplied churches at Kingsley and following that at Freesoil. He joined the Michigan Conference on trial in 1901. His first regular appointment was at Grawn after which he served faithfully in the following charges, Marion, Stanton, White Pigeon, Peliston, Kalkaska, North Adams, Eau Claire, Comstock, Scotts and Damon church in Kalamazoo. Brother Hill was given a leave of absence in 1923 and took the supernumerary relation in 1924 and continued in that relation until 1933 when he again took the effective relationship. He was appointed to Wilson Memorial church in Kalamazoo which he served without accepting any salary. During this time he held a position in the personnel department of the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company. He continued his church work at Wilson Memorial church until the time of his death, Oct. 11, 1943.
Brother Hill's ordination papers bore the signature of Bishop Foss, who ordained him as deacon at Jackson in 1903 and Bishop Wilson who ordained him elder at Charlotte in 1905.
Brother Hill was united in marriage to Miss Vera M. Palmer of Stanton June 12, 1905. Mrs. ill was educated for the teaching profession and taught in the kindergarten department in Stanton for two years.
Three children were born to Brother and Sister Hill.
Mr. and Mrs. Hill took their wedding trip to England, visiting the places of his childhood and youth, and seeing again his relatives who were still there. Brother Hill was a man of the highest character, a Christian gentleman and a good minister of Jesus Christ. His preaching was warm-hearted. He was converted and united with the church at sixteen years of age. At eighteen he was granted a local preacher's license and at nineteen, under the preaching of Gypsy Smith, was led to consecrate his life to the work of the ministry. The love of the work of the ministry stayed long in his heart through all the years of his life. Mrs. Hill was a help at his side and well loved in the churches where he labored.
written by Victor Thrall
Note: {geni:about_me} William Thomas Hill was born in the city of Leeds, England, April 17, 1874, son of Thomas and Rosa Pratt Hill. William Thomas had two sisters Rosa, who married the Reverend John Hunt and became the mother of a son
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