Part of an old map of the San Jacinto area from the Texas Revolution

Veteran Bio

Texian Location:  Participant

The Kemp Sketch

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HILL, JAMES MONROE -- Born in Putnam County, Georgia, on the Oconee River, March 13, 1818, a son of Asa and Elizabeth (Barksdale) Hill, who emigrated to Texas in the spring of 1835.

Mr. Hill was a member of Captain William W. Hill's Company at San Jacinto and on July 10, 1838, was issued Donation Certificate No. 427 for 640 acres of land for having participated in the battle. He was issued Bounty Certificate No. 1920 for 320 acres of land for having served in the army from March 1 to May 13, 1836.

On a roll of Captain William W. Hill's Company at muster April 11, 1836, a photostatic copy of which is in the Archives of the Texas State Library, the following information about Mr. Hill is given: He was born in Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia, in 1818; he was five feet four inches in height; was of dark complexion; had black hair and black eyes. He was enlisted at the home of Asa Mitchell in Washington County by Captain Joseph P. Lynch.

Mr. Hill was married to Jane Hallowell Kerr, daughter of Hugh Kerr, in Washington County, September 10, 1843, by Rev. O. Fisher. Mrs. Hill was born near Cornersville, Tennessee, October 28, 1824. Mr. Hill died February 14, 1904, while President of the Texas Veterans Association. Mrs. Hill died March 18, 1905, and her remains were placed by the side of those of her husband in Oakwood Cemetery, Austin. Their graves were marked.

Children of Mr. and Mrs. Hill were James Leonidas, who married Annie Fordtran; John William, who married Grace Pearsall; Homer Barksdale, who married Ella Rankin; George Alfred, who was married first to Mrs. Annie Hill, widow of his brother and after the death of his wife, Mr. Hill was married to Julia McHugh; Lucy Amanda, who married William B. Jones; Mary Elizabeth, who married Dr. Wilbur Fisk Flewellen; Iola Jane who died in infancy; Frank Webb, who married May Blanton; and Nola Hill who married Henry G. Connell.

Son of Asa and Elizabeth (Barksdale) Hill

Elizabeth B. was a daughter of Jeffrey Barksdale, a soldier of the Revolutionary war.

Asa came to Texas in 1834 and settled in what is now Washington County. The next year he returned for his family. His family and 16 others chartered a schooner that arrived at Matagorda May 31, 1835.

J. M. Hill married Jane H. Kerr, daughter of High Kerr.



Written by Louis W. Kemp, between 1930 and 1952. Please note that typographical and factual errors have not been corrected from the original sketches. The biographies have been scanned from the original typescripts, a process that sometimes allows for mistakes in the new text. Researchers should verify the accuracy of the texts' contents through other sources before quoting in publications. Additional information on the veteran may be available in the Herzstein Library.


Battle Statistics

  • Died in Battle: No
  • Rank: Private
  • Company: Lieut. Robert Stevenson
  • Battle Account: Published in an Austin newspaper in 1894; copy in vertical file. Also The Centennial Celebration of the Battle of San Jacinto : An Address by Geo. A. Hill, Jr., Houston, Texas, April 15, 1936, Before the Kiwanis Club of Houston at the Rice Hotel. [Houston? : Geo. A. Hill?, 1936 F386.5 H55 1936b

Personal Statistics

  • Date of Birth: 1818 Mar 13
  • Birthplace: Georgia, Columbus
  • Origin: Georgia
  • Came to Texas: 1835
  • Date of Death: 1904 Feb 14
  • Burial Place: Oakwood Cemetery, Austin, Texas
  • Comments: Civil War, Confederate Army
  • Bounty Certificate: 1920
  • Donation Certificate: 427
  • Wife: Jane Hallowell Kerr
  • Children: James Lionidas Hill; John William Hill; Homer Barksdale Hill; George Alfred Hill; Lucy Amanda Hill Jones; Mary Elizabeth Hill Flewellen; Iola Jane Hill; Frank Webb Hill; Nola Hill Connell
  • Family at San Jacinto: Cousin Isaac Lafayette Hill at San Jacinto.