It was also where his family would spend summers in their grand home on the shores of Pleasant Lake, and the source of a daily cart which delivered vegetables, fruit, milk, butter, eggs and fresh flowers to their St. Paul . Gertrude married Peter Harvie Ffolliott in 1942. http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/sv000012.xml. We do not care enough for Rocky Mountains scenery to spend a large sum of money developing it. The city that is now North Oaks was purchased by James J. Hill in 1883 and turned into a 5,000-acre research farm. He also ran model experimental farms in Minnesota such as North Oaks to develop superior livestock and crop yields for the settlers locating near his railroads. The winners of that truce were Hill and Morgan, who immediately formed the Northern Securities Company with the aim of tying together their three major rail lines (Ironically, the Burlington Route, Northern Pacific, and Great Northern would later merge in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad). Over 400 workers labored on the project. His philanthropy included generous gifts to colleges and universities, and prompt responses to victims of disasters, such as the sinking of the Titanic, the Hinckley fire, and the San Francisco earthquake. Explore genealogy for James Hill born 1838 Eramosa Township, Upper Canada, British North America died 1916 Saint Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota, United States including parents + descendants + 1 photos + more in the free family tree community. Meanwhile, nearly every other transcontinental railroad went bankrupt. Near the end of his life, Hill played what a recent biographer, Albro Martin, called his "last and greatest role." A childhood accident with a bow and arrow blinded him in the right eye. . The 1887 building was converted between 2000 and 2004 to a 53 unit condo in the Historic Lowertown District of St. One of the critics of the proposed unit development was Thomas Watson, who is a former mayor of North Oaks. [8][9][10], Six months after the railroad reached Seattle came the deep nationwide depression called the Panic of 1893. James is 18 degrees from Jennifer Aniston, 18 degrees from Drew Barrymore, 17 degrees from Candice Bergen, 16 degrees from Alexandre Dumas, 17 degrees from Carrie Fisher, 28 degrees from Whitney Houston, 18 degrees from Hayley Mills, 19 degrees from Liza Minnelli, 18 degrees from Lisa Presley, 19 degrees from Kiefer Sutherland, 19 degrees from Bill Veeck and 22 degrees from Brian Nash on our single family tree. Hill was a hands-on, detail-obsessed manager. In order to generate business for his railroad, Hill encouraged European immigrants to settle along his line, often paying for Russian and Scandinavian settlers to travel from Europe. The move was politically unpopular and in clear violation of Minnesota statutes. Through this work, he learned all aspects of the freight and transportation business. Although Hill had little formal education, he went on to build the . Through hard work, perseverance, and sometimes sheer luck, Hill amassed a fortune in the railroad industry though his company Great Northern. Americans knew by the middle of the nineteenth century . Northern Pacific stock was forced up to $1,000 per share. As with his business dealings, Hill supervised the construction and design himself, hiring and firing several architects in the process. By the time he had finished, he was adept at algebra, geometry, land surveying, and English. [10], The Great Northern energetically promoted settlement along its lines in North Dakota and Montana, especially by Germans and Scandinavians from Europe. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember James J. Hill. After amassing a personal fortune estimated at $63 million and over $200 million in related assets, James J. Hill died in his Summit Avenue home on May 29, 1916, one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of America's Gilded Age. He imported grains from Russia and sold this to farmers. In order to ensure that he did not lose his patronage during the crisis, Hill lowered rail tariff shipping rates for farmers and gave credit to many of the businesses he owned so they could continue paying their workers and starting a "10 dollar trip" (equal to $301.59 today) for immigrants. The train continues as Amtrak's daily Empire Builder, which uses former Great Northern tracks west of St. Paul, Minnesota. (Peter Hill Beard is his great-grandson.) It doesnt have anything to do with whether or not theres an actual conflict of interest here. Now the North Oaks Company, owned by Hill's great-granddaughter, is suing the northern Ramsey County city that it helped to create accusing a new majority on the City Council of blocking a . By the late 1870s, James Hill's growing fortunes and family required a larger home that reflected his elevated status within the community. [25] Hill had seen the devastation done downtown by the Great Chicago Fire. Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. Under his management, StPM&M prospered. Hill was a supporter of free trade and was one of the few supporters of free trade with Canada. The result was restoration of the workers' wages to pre-depression levels. Over the next two decades, he worked relentlessly to push the line north to Canada and then west across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. James J. Hill was known as the "Empire Builder" for his work in founding and developing the Great . He was general manager (1879-1882) and president (1883-1890) of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company. Magners letter raised concerns about standing water in some areas of the development and other potential water issues.. Upon completion of the Summit Avenue residence, Hill had the family's old house, which he had constructed in 1878, razed. The Hills maintained close ties with Archbishop John Ireland and Hill was a major contributor to the Saint Paul Seminary, Macalester College, Hamline University, the University of St. Thomas, Carleton College, and other educational, religious and charitable organizations. He was within 40,000 shares of control when Hill learned of Harriman's activities and quickly contacted J. P. Morgan, who ordered his men to buy everything they could get their hands on. James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 - May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. Have you taken a DNA test? The city that is now North Oaks was purchased by Hill in 1883 and turned into a 5,000-acre research farm. James J. Hill, in full James Jerome Hill, (born September 16, 1838, near Guelph, Ontario, Canadadied May 29, 1916, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.), American financier and railroad builder who helped expand rail networks in the northwestern United States. After 20 years working in the shipping business on the Mississippi and Red rivers, Hill and several other investors purchased the nearly bankrupt St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1878. (1838-1916). Though a Protestant, Hill maintained a strong philanthropic relationship with the Catholic Church in St. Paul and throughout the northwest. The Great Northern reached Seattle on January 7, 1893. Jim Hill Mountain near Stevens Pass in the Cascade Range is named after him, also. Hill took drastic cost-saving measures to keep the Great Northern operating, but the pay cuts to railroad workers proved too much to bear. Meanwhile, nearly every other transcontinental railroad went bankrupt. By 1860, he was working for wholesale grocers, for whom he handled freight transfers, especially dealing with railroads and steamboats. The pass had initially been described by Lewis and Clark in 1805, but no one since had been able to find it so Hill hired Santiago Jameson to search it out. The house has many early electrical and mechanical systems that predate widespread adoption in modern domestic structures. Geni requires JavaScript! James Hill Sr. Born 1656 in Colony of Virginia. Many speculators, who had sold Northern Pacific "short" in the anticipation of a drop in the railroad's price, faced ruin. In May 1879, the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway Co. (StPM&M) formedwith James J. Hill as general manager. Over 400 workers labored on the project. Hill was intimately involved in the planning and construction (19141916) of a new company headquarters in St. Paul (to be known as the Great Northern Office Building), which was to house the corporate staffs of the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific and Hill's banking enterprises. ) Hill, James Norman Hill, Louis W. Hill, Clara Anne Lindley (born Hill), Katherine Theresa Hill, Charlotte Elizabeth Slade (born Hill), Sep 16 1838 - Eramosa Township, Ontario, Canada, Mary Elizabeth Hill, Alexander Samuel Dunbar Hill. It was a bitter blow to Hill, and the decision marked the role the federal government would often take in breaking up corporate monopolies in the 20th century. Funding provided by the State of Minnesota, the Legacy Amendment through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008, and our generous donors and members. The Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific tried to merge four times, in 1896, 1901, 1927, and 1955. After amassing a personal fortune estimated at $63 million and over $200 million in related assets, James J. Hill died in his Summit Avenue home on May 29, 1916, one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of Americas Gilded Age. He was the fifth son named James, and decided later in life to give himself a middle name to distinguish himself. When it was known as North Oaks Farm from 1883-1950, it was a working farm that produced prize-winning beef and dairy cattle . Six months after the railroad reached Seattle came the depression called the Panic of 1893. The City Council then convened on July 27 for a special meeting to discuss the Companys complaints. Hill was born in the small town of Rockwood in southern Ontario, on September 16, 1838. The development land is the Companys private property. The center, which opened in 1921 . By the time of his death in 1916, James J. Hill was worth more than $53 million (equal to more than $1,245,256,881 today). By 1860, he was working for wholesale grocers, for whom he handled freight transfers, especially dealing with railroads and steamboats. Not for the first time in Hill's career, competitors became partners. After working as a clerk in Kentucky (during which he learned bookkeeping), Hill decided to permanently move to the United States and settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the age of 18. [2], Because of his previous experiences in shipping and fuel supply, Hill was able to enter both the coal and steamboat businesses. The Union Pacific Railroad was the biggest competitor of Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railroads. Hill chose to build his railroad north of the competing Northern Pacific line, which had reached the Pacific Northwest over much more difficult terrain with more bridges, steeper grades, and tunnelling. James J. Hill. It was at this point that Hill went from general manager to the official president of StPM&M, and thereafter decided to expand the rail lines. Samuel Hill was born to Quakers, an abolitionist physician and his wife, in North Carolina in 1857. In order to ensure that he did not lose his patronage during the crisis, Hill lowered rail tariff shipping rates for farmers and gave credit to many of the businesses he owned so they could continue paying their workers. "[7] Hill got what he wanted, and in January 1893 his Great Northern Railway, running from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington a distance of more than 1,700 miles (2,700km) was completed. Workers went on strike that year. The surname Hill was first found in Worcestershire, where one line is descended from the De Montes of Castlemorton in Worcestershire. Hill was an avid collector and patron of the arts. . Great place to start your Hill genealogy search. In addition, he donated to numerous schools, including the Saint Paul Seminary. A daughter, Katie, died in infancy (1876). - Eramosa Township, Ontario, Canada, May 29 1916 - Saint Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota, USA. Under his management, StPM&M prospered. The StP&P in particular was caught in an almost hopeless legal muddle. An enthusiastic conservationist, Hill was invited by President Theodore Roosevelt to a governor's conference on conservation of natural resources, and later appointed to a lands commission. The 14-story building cost $14 million to construct. James J. Hill household, 1895 state census, Ramsey County, Minnesota, population schedule, Saint Paul, Ward 7, Precinct 2, page 89; GSU Film Number 000565801. They frequently entertained Rachel's parents at their home and Rachel and her daughters lived at 240 Summit for a few years ca 1918-1922. Nancy, David and his brother Frank were notorous outlaws during the economic downturn be carried was james j hill descendants today by family. [12] The rapidly increasing settlement in North Dakota's Red River Valley along the Minnesota border between 1871 and 1890 was a major example of large-scale "bonanza" farming. Mary Hill died in 1922 and was buried next to her husband by the shore of Pleasant Lake (North Oaks, Minnesota) on their North Oaks farm. When he was looking for the best path for one of his tracks to take, he went on horseback and scouted it personally. Hill noted that the secret to his success was "work, hard work, intelligent work, and then more work."[4]. His particular talents for English and mathematics would be critical later in his life. From 1886 to 1905, American exports to Japan leapt from $7.7 million a year (equal to $232,226,296 today) to $51.7 million, equal to $1,559,233,704 today. Book your tickets online for James J. Hill House, Saint Paul: See 502 reviews, articles, and 236 photos of James J. Hill House, ranked No.8 on Tripadvisor among 124 attractions in Saint Paul. They were married for 49 years and had 10 children. Hill Family Website Registry A Comprehensive list of WebSites and HomePages pertaining to the surname HILL. In 1867, Hill entered the coal business, and by 1879 it had expanded five times over, giving Hill a local monopoly in the anthracite coal business. Mary Hill Hill, who married Samuel Hill of Washington D.C. & Seattle. At Hills insistence, the case was tried in St. Paul at the Federal Courts Building (now Landmark Center). The Democratic Party's continued enchantment with the populist William Jennings Bryan led Hill to support Republican presidential candidates William McKinley (1896 and 1900), Theodore Roosevelt (1904), William Howard Taft (1908 and 1912). Louis succeeded his father as president of the Great Northern Railway, and lived with his family next door at 260 Summit Ave. Physically, Hill was short and barrel-chested, with a long torso and short legs. He was the descendant of a Scottish family that had immigrated to British North America. Died Oct 1708 in Henrico, Colony of Virginia. James J Hill of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Hill got what he wanted, and in January 1893 his Great Northern Railway, running from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington a distance of more than 1,700 miles (2,700 km) was completed. Hill avoided this by investing a large portion of the railroad's profit back into the railroad itselfand charged those investments to operating expense. The Hill Library has developed numerous online programs and now serves millions of small business owners worldwide. In 1995, Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to become the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. It was at this point that Hill became the official president of StPM&M (not that he hadn't been the man behind the curtain before), and decided to expand the rail lines. This ended Hill's ability to maintain competitive rates in Asian countries and in the subsequent two years American trade with Japan and China dropped 40% (or $41 million). Built at a cost of $930,000 and with 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2), the James J. Hill House was among the city's largest. Husband of Mary T Hill and Mary Theresa Hill IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. As a result, one feature Hill integrated into the construction of the 1887 company headquarters (the Great Northern General Office Building) was barrel vaulted ceilings constructed of brick and railroad steel rails that held up a layer of sand several inches deep. The school, which was all-male, consolidated in 1971 with the all-female Archbishop Murray School to form Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Minnesota. Heirs of railroad magnate James J. Hill meticulously designed and built the private community of North Oaks over seven decades espousing quality and conservation as core values guiding development. He was within 40,000 shares of control when Hill learned of Harriman's activities and quickly contacted J. P. Morgan, who was on vacation in Europe at the time. Schonberger, Howard. The City Council revisited the matter at an August 13 meeting, at which point Dr. Magner had cut off all communication with city leaders. Rugged stone, massive scale, fine detail and ingenious mechanical systems recall the powerful presence of James J. Hill, builder of the Great Northern Railway. James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 - May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. Unfortunately for the Hill-Morgan alliance, on the same day they formed the Northern Securities Company, President William McKinley was assassinated, placing Theodore Rooseveltthe "trust-buster"in the office of President. 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