Margaret Hill Ford

Dave F. Ford
1858 - 1912

Willie H. Ford
1884 - 1908

Margaret Hill
1851 -1901

At rest
FORD

Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales

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Biography

Margaret Hill is a member of the African-American community and appears to be either a blood relative or an in-law of David Ford’s wife—whose name is given as “Josephine Hill†in their marriage record (Nueces County Marriage Record, vol. E p. 182). Josephine was born about 1861 according to census records and Margaret is listed as born in 1851 on her tombstone so it may be that they are sisters or sister-in-laws. The fact that Josephine is not listed on the stone with her husband, son, and Margaret is probably because they all preceded her in death and no one was left to put her name of a stone after her death. Josephine appears to be the same “Josephine Hill†listed in the 1880 census as living in Indianola as a domestic servant of James M. Crain (Calhoun County, p. 305). There she is listed as a native of Texas who is 17 years old (born about 1862 or 63 in this record rather than 1861). However, there are no other members of her family who seem to live nearby (at least not under the name of “Hillâ€). It is also unclear where Margaret may have been living at this time or even in 1900 (she dies in 1901 according to her marker). There is a “Margaret Hill†living in the Houston area (Harris County, ED 85, sheet 1A). In this record she is listed as born in October of 1845 (rather than 1851 as on the gravestone). She is alone, a native of Mississippi (or Missouri) who is of the African-American community. She is a domestic servant who resides in a type of boarding house on Chartres Street. However, there is no evidence to confirm that this is the same “Margaret Hill†who is buried in Old Bayview Cemetery.

Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell