See Rock City

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Monday, November 20, 2017

Hill And Grosvenor Family Papers, 1860-1952

The Hill and Grosvenor families of Memphis, Tenn., were joined by the marriage of Olivia Polk Hill (1861-1934) and Charles Niles Grosvenor (1850-1931) in 1885. Olivia Polk Hill Grosvenor's father, Napoleon Hill (1830-1909), made his fortune during the California gold rush and upon his return to Memphis, married Mary Martin Wood, daughter of a large planter. Hill then established a series of firms in Memphis, culminating in the formation of Hill Fontaine and Co., a large inland cotton house.

In 1897, Charles Niles Grosvenor and Olivia Hill Grosvenor moved to El Paso, Tex., for his health.

The three Grosveor children, Phoebe Olivia (d. 1963), Charles Niles, Jr. (1890-1930), and Napoleon Hill, remained in Memphis. Apparently in 1902, Olivia Hill Grosvenor moved back to Memphis, followed by her husband in 1903. The Grosvenors spent much of their later years in Pass Christian, Miss. Primarily family correspondence, especially love letters between Olivia Polk Hill and Charles Niles Grosvenor, 1874-1885; Phoebe Olivia Grosvenor and Marion G. Evans and other suitors, 1908-1919; and Phoebe Airey Evans and Jack Petree, 1940-1942. Also included are letters, 1890- 1891, from Frank F. Hill about life at the University of the South, where he was in school; a letter, 1890, from Hamlin Garland; letters reflecting on life in El Paso, Tex., 1897-1902; and letters from students at Georgia Tech and Washington and Lee University, circa 1908-1910. Other papers include financial and legal materials of the Hill and Grosvenor families; poems and other writings; four diary volumes, 1892-1915, of Mary Martin Hill (1835-1922) dealing with family and personal news in Memphis and other locations; items relating to social life in Memphis, Tenn., 1895- 1940; material relating to Army Air Force training during World War II; and maps, 1897-1899, of mines in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Source: finding-aids.lib.unc.edu