Memorable Manitobans: Robert Brown Hill (1838-1900)

Carriage marker, journalist, author.

Born at Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland in 1838, he married Mary Kelly (1840-1903) in Paisley in 1863 and they eventually had seven children, including druggists John Kelly Hill and Andrew D. Hill (1880-1949), blacksmith Robert Hill (?-?), and two daughters. He worked as a carriage maker at Glasgow for some years then, in 1864, the family emigrated to Upper Canada (Ontario), and later came to settle in Portage la Prairie where he took up journalism and wrote for several local newspapers. He was the author of the book Manitoba: History of Its Early Settlement, Development and Resources (1890). Toward the end of his life, he was appointed janitor of the Portage courthouse building. He died at Portage la Prairie on 12 December 1900, at his residence in the courthouse, and was buried in the Portage Hillside Cemetery.

Sources:

“Robert H. Hill dead at Portage,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 December 1900, page 7.

Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 November 2020

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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