Abby Williams Hill papers, 1850-1985

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hill, Abby Williams
Title
Abby Williams Hill papers
Dates
1850-1985 (inclusive)
1890-1943 (bulk)
Quantity
22.4 linear feet, (39 boxes)
Collection Number
Mss.011
Summary
Abby Williams Hill (1861-1943) was a landscape artist best known for her oil paintings created en plein air, or outdoors, depicting the scenery of the American West. Her work was exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), St. Louis World's Fair (1904), the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland (1905), the Jamestown Tercentennial (1907), and the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle (1909). The Abby Williams Hill papers include 39 boxes of correspondence, journals, sketchbooks, news clippings, printed material, ephemera, photographs, and artifacts documenting the life of Hill and her family. The University of Puget Sound also holds separately the Abby Williams Hill Memorial Collection, which contains approximately 150 oil paintings and ink drawings created by Abby Williams Hill between 1886 and 1934.
Repository
University of Puget Sound, Archives & Special Collections

Collins Memorial Library
1500 N. Warner St.
CMB1021
Tacoma, WA
98416-1021
Telephone: 2538792669
archives@pugetsound.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to researchers by appointment.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Abby Williams Hill (1861-1943) was a landscape artist best known for her oil paintings created en plein air depicting the scenery of the American West. Her work was exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), St. Louis World's Fair (1904), the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland (1905), the Jamestown Tercentennial (1907), and the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle (1909).

Abby Rhoda Williams was born on September 25, 1861, to Henry Warner Williams and Harriet Porter Hubbard in Grinnell, Iowa. Hill showed an early aptitude for art and was taught by her aunt, Ruth Hubbard, a botanical watercolorist. Hill also studied painting at the Chicago Art Institute under H.F. Spread. In 1884, she moved to Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec, where she taught painting and drawing at a school for girls. In 1887, Hill moved to New York City to study with American painter William Merritt Chase at the Art Students League. She married Dr. Frank Hill of Marietta, Ohio, in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1888. In 1889, the couple moved to Tacoma, Washington. Soon after, Hill gave birth to a son, Romayne, her only biological child. The Hill's would later adopt three daughters, Ione, and siblings Ina and Eulalie DeRosier.

The Pacific Northwest offered Hill a plenitude of scenes for her continued artistic creation. She joined a 26-day camping trip to Mount Rainier in July 1895, followed immediately by a 12-day expedition to the Hood Canal. These trips contributed to Hill's interest in hiking, camping, and painting en plein air, and led to a brief career as a professional landscape painter for the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways.

Between 1903 and 1906, Hill accepted four commissions from the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways to paint scenery along their rail lines. This included views of the North Cascades and Mount Rainier in Washington and Yellowstone National Park, among other locations. The commissions allowed for extended stays in the wilderness, often in the company of her four children. Hill's paintings for the railroads were used in promotional materials and exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair (1904), the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland (1905), the Jamestown Tercentennial (1907), and the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle (1909).

In addition to her work as an artist, Hill was the founder and first president of the Washington State chapter of the Congress of Mothers, now known as the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). She advocated for the importance of early childhood education and for equal education for immigrants and African Americans. Hill was also interested in Native American life and culture and visited many different reservations in the early 1900s, including a five-week stay on the Flathead Reservation in Montana with her children in 1905.

In the 1910s, Frank Hill suffered from a period of severe mental illness. The family relocated from Tacoma, Washington, to Laguna Beach, California, in hopes that the warmer climate would help him recover. There, Hill became a founding member of the Laguna Beach Art Association and painted scenery in the Laguna Mountains and along the Pacific Ocean.

In the 1920s, the family purchased their first automobile and traveled extensively around the western United States and Canada. During this time, Hill became concerned with the threat that increased tourism and development posed to the natural environment. In response, Hill created a series of paintings of the national parks in the American West during the late 1920s and early 1930s, which she considered her legacy to future generations. She also embarked on a letter writing campaign to create a system of national sanitariums for tuberculosis patients.

Abby Williams Hill died on May 14, 1943 in San Diego, California.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Abby Williams Hill papers include 39 boxes of materials, the majority of which date from 1890 to 1943. The papers are arranged in eleven distinct series: Correspondence, Journals, Sketchbooks and Drawings, News Clippings, Printed Material, Ephemera, Biographical Information, Photographs, Artifacts, the Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill, and the Tom Kress Collection on Abby Williams Hill. The last two series (Smolenski and Kress) include materials donated in 2014 by persons unrelated to the Hill family.

These papers document the life of Abby Williams Hill and her family, Hill's artistic career including her commissions for the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways, her travels across the United States and Europe, her relationship with her husband and four children, and her passion for social causes. Significant topics represented in these records include Tacoma and Washington State history; hiking and camp life in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and California; Native American tribes in Montana and Washington, particularly the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation; the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama; the National Park Service; preservation and conservation of federal lands; early childhood education; the Congress of Mothers; and tuberculosis.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Name of document, date.] Abby Williams Hill Collection, Mss.011. University of Puget Sound Archives & Special Collections. Tacoma, Washington.

Restrictions on Use

Property rights reside with the University of Puget Sound. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Related Materials

Some of the materials in the Abby Williams Hill papers have been digitized and are available to researchers online. In 2019, nine of Hill's journals focusing on her travels throughout the United States between 1895 and 1906 were digitized and transcribed. These journals can be accessed at: https://digitalcollections.pugetsound.edu/digital/collection/awhj.

A selection of the photographs have also been digitized and can be accessed at: https://digitalcollections.pugetsound.edu/digital/collection/awhphotos/.

Images of Hill's artwork can be accessed at this site: https://digitalcollections.pugetsound.edu/digital/collection/abbyhill.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Correspondence, 1861-1945, undatedReturn to Top

This series includes correspondence belonging to Abby Williams Hill and her family, including her husband, Frank Hill, and her children, Romayne, Ione, Ina, and Eulalie. The series has been divided into six sub-series: Family, General, Congress of Mothers, Native American Correspondents, Tuberculosis, and Postcards.

Note that additional correspondence can be found in the series for the Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill.

Container(s) Description Dates
Family
This sub-series includes letters to and from members of the Hill, Williams, and DeRosier families. The DeRosier family is Ina and Eulalie Hill's biological family. Phil, Guy, Clifford, and Lucille DeRosier are their biological siblings and they remained in close contact with each other after the Hill's adopted Ina and Eulalie. Clifford DeRosier accompanied the Hill family on a trip to Europe in 1908. Of note in this sub-series is the significant amount of correspondence between Frank and Abby Hill between 1887 and 1935. They were often separated for long periods of time due to Abby's frequent and extended trips, and these letters reveal much about their relationship and activities. There are also several folders containing letters from Abby Hill to her son, Romayne Hill, from 1895 to 1897. During this period, Frank and Abby Hill were in Germany while their young son remained in the United States with relatives. The letters are particularly notable for their ink drawings by Hill. When known, the relationship between the correspondents has been noted.
1861-1943, undated
Box Folder
1 1
Aunt Margaret [last name unknown] letter to Abby Hill
January 20, 1898
1 2
Beaton, Isabella letters to Abby Hill [with photograph]
Isabella Beaton (1870-1929) is Abby Hill's cousin. Beaton was an accomplished pianist.
1905-1918
1 3
Buckley, Parke letter to Jeanette and Abby Williams
Parke Buckley (1856-1925) was Jeannette Williams' husband and Abby Hill's brother-in-law.
September 7, 1881
1 4
Chevrier, Mollie McKittrick letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Mollie McKittrick Chevrier is Ina and Eulalie Hill's biological aunt.
1929-1935
1 5
DeRosier, Adeline letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Adeline DeRosier was Clifford DeRosier's wife and sister-in-law to Ina and Eulalie Hill.
1928-1937
1 6
DeRosier, Bette Lee letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Bette Lee DeRosier was Clifford and Adeline DeRosier's daughter.
1929-1938
1 7
DeRosier, Bette Lee letter to Romayne Hill
Bette Lee DeRosier was Clifford and Adeline DeRosier's daughter.
September 25, 1928
1 8
DeRosier, Clifford letters to Abby Hill
Clifford DeRosier (1891-1973) was the biological brother of Ina and Eulalie Hill.
1909-1912
1 9
DeRosier, Clifford letters to Frank Hill
Clifford DeRosier (1891-1973) was the biological brother of Ina and Eulalie Hill.
1907-1909
1 10
DeRosier, Clifford letters to Ina Hill
Clifford DeRosier (1891-1973) was the biological brother of Ina and Eulalie Hill.
1908-1909, 1924
1 11
DeRosier, Clifford letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Clifford DeRosier (1891-1973) was the biological brother of Ina and Eulalie Hill.
1933
1 12
DeRosier, Dolly letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Dolly DeRosier was Phil and Bessie DeRosier's daughter.
1938 and undated
1 13
DeRosier, Donald letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Donald DeRosier was Clifford and Adeline DeRosier's son.
1929-1933
1 14
DeRosier, Guy and Ruth letters to the Hill family [with photographs]
Guy DeRosier (1884-1959) was Ina and Eulalie's biological brother.
1898, 1909, 1911, 1923-1932
1 15
DeRosier, Lucille letter to Ina Hill
Lucille DeRosier (1894-1954) was Ina and Eulalie Hill's biological sister.
April 18, 1933
1 16
DeRosier, Phil letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
Phil DeRosier (1882-1952) was Ina and Eulalie Hill's biological brother.
1932
1 17
DeRosier, Phyllis letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
1930-1939
1 18
DeRosier, Phyllis letter to Romayne Hill
Phyllis DeRosier was Clifford and Adeline DeRosier's daughter.
September 25, 1928
1 19
Hill, Abby letter to Clifford DeRosier
August 14, 1909
1 20
Hill, Abby letters to Eulalie Hill
1900-1909 and undated
1 21-26
Hill, Abby letters to Frank Hill
1897 - July 1905
2 1-9
Hill, Abby letters to Frank Hill
August 1905 - 1935
2 10
Hill, Abby letters to the Hill children
1901-1909, 1923, 1928
2 11
Hill, Abby letter to Helen Hill
undated
2 12-13
Hill, Abby letters to Ina Hill
1901-1910, 1922-1940
2 14
Hill, Abby letters to Ione Hill
1905-1920
2 15-16
Hill, Abby letters to Romayne Hill
These letters each contain several ink drawings by Abby Williams Hill.
1895-1896
3 1
Hill, Abby letters to Romayne Hill
These letters each contain several ink drawings by Abby Williams Hill.
1897
3 2
Hill, Abby letters to Romayne Hill
This folder contains the envelopes (empty) from Hill's letters to her son, Romayne.
1895-1896
3 3
Hill, Abby letters to Romayne Hill
1906-1928
3 4
Hill, Abby letter to Ruth Hubbard
Ruth Hubbard is Abby Hill's aunt.
July 14, 1906
3 5
Hill, Abby letter to "Mother"
August 12, 1902
3 6
Hill, Angeline letters to Frank and Abby Hill
Angeline Hill is Frank Hill's mother.
1898-1899
3 7
Hill, Edgar letter to Romayne Hill
January 20, 1898
3 8-11
Hill, Eulalie letters to Abby Hill
1901-1934 and undated
3 12
Hill, Eulalie letters to Frank Hill
1902-1913
3 13-14
Hill, Eulalie letters to Ina Hill
1907-1941 and undated
3 15
Hill, Eulalie letters to Ione Hill
1901, 1904
3 16
Hill, Eulalie letters to Romayne Hill
1914, 1938
4 1
Hill, Fanny Norris Burnette letter to Frank Hill
December 7, 1908
4 2-8
Hill, Frank letters to Abby Hill
1887-1908
5 1-5
Hill, Frank letters to Abby Hill
1909-1935 and undated
5 6
Hill, Frank letters to Eulalie Hill
This folder contains a photograph of Frank Hill.
1906 and undated
5 7
Hill, Frank letter to Ina Hill
This folder contains a postcard with an image of Hillcrest, the Hill family's residence in Tacoma, Washington.
undated
5 8
Hill, Frank letter to Ione Hill
August 8, 1902
5 9-10
Hill, Frank letters to Romayne Hill
1896-1931
5 11
Hill, Helen letters to Abby Hill
Helen Hill was Frank and Abby Hill's niece.
1905-1906
5 12
Hill, Helen letter to Eulalie Hill
1906, 1922
5 13
Hill, Helen letters to Frank Hill
1906, 1923
5 14
Hill, Helen letters to Ina Hill
1906 and undated
5 15
Hill, H.L. letters to Abby Hill
1928, 1934
5 16
Hill, Ina letters to Abby Hill
1901-1907
6 1-4
Hill, Ina letters to Abby Hill
1908-1931 and undated
6 5
Hill, Ina letters to Eulalie Hill
1909 and undated
6 6
Hill, Ina letters to Frank Hill
1902-1913, 1934
6 7
Hill, Ina letters to Romayne Hill
1913-1915, 1928, and undated
6 8
Hill, Ina letter to Ada Park
June 6, 1943
6 9-10
Hill, Ione letters to Abby Hill
1904-1909
7 1
Hill, Ione letters to Abby Hill
1910-1920 and undated
7 2
Hill, Ione letters to Eulalie Hill
1909-1910
7 3
Hill, Ione letters to Frank Hill
1902-1908
7 4
Hill, Ione letters to Ina Hill
1901-1909
7 5
Hill, Ione letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
1901-1902, 1906
7 6
Hill, Laura letters to Frank and Abby Hill
Laura Hill was Frank Hill's sister.
1899-1932 and undated
7 7
Hill, Laura letters to Romayne Hill
Laura Hill was Frank Hill's sister.
1906-1907
7 8
Hill, Romayne letters to Abby Hill
1904-1928
7 9
Hill, Romayne letters to Frank and Abby Hill
1911-1912
7 10
Hill, Romayne letters to Frank Hill
1898-1912, 1933
7 11
Hill, Romayne letters to Ina Hill
1908, 1931
7 12
Hill, Romayne letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
1902, 1909
7 13
Hill, W.E. letter to Abby Hill
June 5, 1905
7 14
Hubbard, Harriet Porter to Abby Hill
Harriet Hubbard (1833-1877) was Abby Hill's mother.
1876-1877, 1882-1888
7 15
Hubbard, Ruth letters to Abby Hill
Ruth Hubbard was Abby Hill's aunt.
1868-1912
7 16
Hubbard, Ruth letter to Ina Hill
Ruth Hubbard was Abby Hill's aunt.
April 7, 1922
7 17
Hubbard, Ruth letter to Romayne Hill
Ruth Hubbard was Abby Hill's aunt.
undated
7 18
Janie [last name unknown] letters to the Hill family
undated
7 19
King, Olive letters to Abby Hill
undated
7 20
King, Olive letters to Ina Hill
undated
7 21
Latimer, Ada letter to Abby Hill
January 22, 1918
7 22
McMahan, George letter to Abby Hill
November 19, 1906
7 23
McMahan, Laura letter to Abby Hill
November 28, 1934
7 24
Park, Ada C. letter to Abby Hill
February 2, 1938
7 25
Park, Ada C. letters to Ina and Eulalie Hill
1900-1902
7 26
Sloan, David letter to Eulalie Hill
undated
7 27
Louis [last name unknown] letter to Abby Hill
January 22, 1924
7 28
[Unknown sender] letter to Romayne and Ina Hill
undated
7 29
Ward, Myrtle letter to Abby Hill
Myrtle Ward was Ione Hill's daughter and Abby Hill's granddaughter.
undated
7 30
Williams, Annie letters to Abby Hill
Annie Williams was Abby Hill's stepmother.
1906-1917
7 31
Williams, Annie letter to Eulalie Hill
Annie Williams was Abby Hill's stepmother.
January 28, 1901
7 32
Williams, Gussie letters to Abby Hill
1876
7 33
Williams, Henry Warner letters to Frank Hill
Henry Warner Williams (1830-1906) was Abby Hill's father.
1903
7 34
Williams, Henry Warner letter to Ruth Hubbard
Henry Warner Williams (1830-1906) was Abby Hill's father.
September 28, 1861
7 35
Williams, Jeanette "Nettie," letters to Abby Hill
Jeanette "Nettie" Williams (1860-1889) was Abby Hill's sister.
1877-1887
General
This sub-series includes letters belonging to members of the Hill family. Of particular note are letters and illustrations from German artist Hermann Haase, correspondence with the Northern Pacific Railway Company regarding Hill's art commissions, letters from American painter Edgar S. Paxson, African American educator and author Booker T. Washington, National Park Service landscape architect Merel S. Sager, and director of the National Park Service Horace Albright.
1882-1945, undated
Box Folder
8 1
A.H. Abbott & Co. letter to Abby Hill
Letter mentions having paintings by Abby Hill on exhibit.
May 6, 1890
8 2
Ahlers, Mary W. letter to Abby Hill
undated
8 3
Alston, Margaret letters to "Miss Hill"
1922-1928
8 4
Anderson, Jas. E. letter to Frank Hill
October 1, 1908
8 5
Andrew [last name unknown] letters to Abby Hill
1940
8 6
Association of Community Chests and Councils letter to Abby Hill
February 18, 1933
8 7
Barnes, A. H. letters to Abby Hill
1907
8 8
Beal, R.S. letter to Abby Hill
March 31, 1933
8 9
[Bearien], Annie E. letter to Abby Hill
Letter discusses the death of Frank Hill.
January 14, 1938
8 10
Bennitt, Mark letters to Abby Hill
Bennitt was the Superintendent of the General Press Bureau for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair / Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
1904
8 11
Billings, Frederick letter to Frank Hill
March 6, 1924
8 12
Bishop, Clara N. letters to Abby Hill
1901 and undated
8 13
Bismarck Mill Company letter to Seeley Company
Letter regarding an invoice from Frank Hill.
July 25, 1905
8 14
Blalock, Shirl H. letter to Abby Hill
1908
8 15
Blalock, Shirl H. letters to Eulalie Hill
1908
8 16
Boyle, Hugh letter to Frank Hill
May 7, 1924
8 17
Bradney, Carrie V. letter to Abby Hill
undated
8 18
Brainerd, William letters to Abby Hill
1938 and undated
8 19
Bucher, Charles letter to Abby Hill
May 7, 1934
8 20
Burbridge, Clifford letters to Abby Hill
Folder includes six photographs of the Burbridge family.
1930-1931, 1936, 1941
8 21
Caysine, Dorothy letter to Abby Hill
April 26, 1938
8 22
Chauvet, J. letters to Abby Hill
1910-1912, 1925
8 23
Chew, Lenora letter to Abby Hill
May 7, 1934
8 24
Chittenden, Brigadier General Hiram M. letters to Abby Hill
Chittenden (1858-1917) was the Seattle district engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers from 1906-1908 and a Port Commissioner at the Port of Seattle. Folder includes a newsclipping titled "Chittenden, Seattle's Own General, Urges Government Development of Alaska's Mines."
1907-1912
8 25
Collins, Arthur and Gertrude letters to Abby Hill
Letters discuss Eulalie Hill's adoption by Abby Hill.
1898
8 26
Crow, J.M. letter to Abby Williams
Torn fragments, extremely fragile.
August 30,1888
8 27
Dement, John and Jane letters to Abby Hill
1939
8 28
Denman, A.H. letter to Frank and Abby Hill
April 4, 1912
8 29
Department of Botany, Iowa State College letter to Abby Hill
Letter regarding receipt of two paintings by Abby Hill.
March 12, 1907
8 30
Department of the Interior letter to Abby Hill
Letter regarding the naming of Mount Booker (after Booker T. Washington) in North Cascades National Park, Washington.
January 26, 1904
8 31
Donohue, Michael J. letter to Abby Hill
undated
8 32
Doyen, Dr. E. letter to Abby Hill
undated
8 33
Drahold, Alfred letters to Abby Hill
1932
8 34
Drummond, Elizabeth letters to Abby Hill
1906, 1911
8 35
Dudley, J. Lincoln letter to Abby Hill
August 20, 1935
8 36
Duffy, James (Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway Co.) letter to Abby Hill
August 8, 1930
8 37
Elder, J. Dwight letter to Frank Hill
August 6, 1905
8 38
Elliott, James A. letters to Abby Hill
1886
8 39
Emerson, O.F. letters to Abby Hill
1882 and undated
8 40
Evans, Bill letters to Abby Hill
1937-1939
8 41
Filloon, Mrs. [first name unknown] to Abby Hill
May 5, 1904
8 42
Fletcher, Annie letter to Abby Hill
1931
8 43
Fletcher, Mabel A. letter to Abby Hill
October 31, 1899
8 44
Gaebelein, Arno letters to Abby Hill
1934-1940
8 45
Goff, John letters to Abby Hill
Letters regarding the California Pacific Exhibition.
1935
8 46
Goldscheider, Sigmund and Charlotte letters to Abby Hill
1907-1912
8 47
Green, A.J. letters to Abby Hill
1908-1909
8 48
Grinnell College letter to Ina Hill
Letter regarding donation by Ina Hill to Grinnell College following Abby Hill's death.
February 9, 1945
8 49
Grody, Katie letter to Abby Hill
undated
8 50
Haase, Hermann letters to Abby Hill [with illustrations]
Hermann Haase was a well known German illustrator. Abby Hill studied art with Haase while she was living in Germany with Frank Hill in the late 1890s. Several letters are written in German. Folder includes several newsclippings in German, as well as photographs and artwork by Haase.
1902, 1912, 1923-1935
8 51
Halyclow, Effie M. letter to Abby Hill
February 24, 1902
8 52
Hart, Clara letter to Abby Hill
June 16, 1934
8 53
Hill, Abby letters to Horace Albright
Horace Albright (1890-1987) was the director of the National Park System from 1929 to 1933. He also held earlier positions as superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park. The letters discuss Hill's concerns about the environmental conditions at Seqouia National Park due to the increased number of tourists. Additional letters between Hill and Albright regarding Hill's ideas for the care of tuberculosis patients are included in the subseries for correspondence about tuberculosis.
1929-1930
8 54
Hill, Abby letter to Mrs. Ball [first name unknown]
March 20, 1905
8 55
Hill, Abby letter to A.C. Bartlett
Abby Hill writes to Barlett, editor of "The San Diego Sun" newspaper, about taxing unsold art.
August 17, 1934
8 56
Hill, Abby letter to Mrs. Bogle [first name unknown]
Hill reminisces about her life and career in this form letter sent to several of her friends. See letters to Mrs. C.W. Weyer and "Will and wife."
1940
8 57
Hill, Abby letter to Julian Dupuis
The letter is a photocopy of the original.
October 30, 1929
8 58
Hill, Abby letter to Mrs. Edwards [first name unknown]
Letter discusses Abby Hill's daughter Ione's clothing.
c. 1908
8 59
Hill, Abby letter to Douglas Fairbanks
Letter to actor Douglas Fairbanks regarding sale of Laguna Beach property.
undated
8 60
Hill, Abby letter to Grace [last name unknown]
Abby Hill discusses her husband Frank's medical history.
November 4, 1932
8 61
Hill, Abby letter to Mrs. Reath [last name unknown]
Letter discusses Abby Hill's daughter Ione's clothing and the reasons why Ione did not accompany the Hill family to Europe in 1908.
August 19, 1908
8 62
Hill, Abby letter to Sadie and Ella [last name unknown]
A lengthy letter describing various aspects of the Hill family's trip to Europe in 1908.
May 14, 1908
8 63
Hill, Abby letter to [recipient unknown]
c. 1905
8 64
Hill, Abby letter to Jack West
Letter regarding Jerome Shaffer's estate. Correspondence between Abby Hill and Jerome Shaffer can be found in the subseries for correspondence about tuberculosis.
undated
8 65
Hill, Abby letter to Mrs. C.W. Weyer
Hill reminisces about her life and career in this form letter sent to several of her friends. See letters to "Mrs. Bogle" and "Will and wife."
March 17, 1940
8 66
Abby Hill letter to "Will and wife" [last name unknown]
Hill reminisces about her life and career in this form letter sent to several of her friends. See letters to "Mrs. Bogle" and Mrs. C.W. Weyer.
1940
8 67
Hill, Eulalie letter to [recipient unknown]
January 10, 1906
8 68
Hill, Frank letter to W.C. [Barelsby]
June 16, 1923
8 69
Hill, Frank letter to C.A. Snowden
C.A. Snowden (editor, Tacoma Ledger). Includes newsclipping titled "Wheeling Through Europe" which details the Hill's trip bicycling through Europe.
1897
8 70
Hill, Ione letter to Roger [last name unknown]
Undated
8 71
Howard [last name unknown] letter to Eulalie Hill
June 8, 1923
8 72
Irvine, J.M. letters to Abby Hill
Letter regarding Frank Hill's health.
July 25, 1923
8 73
Johanne, Erick letters to Abby Hill
1937
8 74
Johnson, Esther letter to Abby Hill
May 4, 1940
8 75
Jolly, Franklin Pierce letter to Abby Hill
Folder includes a one page advertisement for Jolly's entertainment and lecture services.
December 6, 1907
8 76
Katherine [last name unknown] letter to Ina Hill
undated
8 77
Kellogg, Dr. Francis letter to Abby Hill
Letter regarding Abby Hill's eyesight.
May 5, 1928
9 1
Kieff, Hans letters to the Hill family [with photographs and journal]
This folder also includes a narrative account of Kieff's travels from Tacoma, Washington to London, England in 1904, written specifically for the Hill family.
1904-1938
9 2
King, Bettie letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 3
Klahr, Evelyn Gill letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 4
Lansley, Ruth Page letters to Ina Hill
February 18, 1930 & undated
9 5
Larcker, Rose letter to Abby Hill
April 10, 1907
9 6
Leanne [last name unknown] letter to Abby Hill
Folder contains four photographs.
January 13, 1937
9 7
Lecordier, Marcelle letter to Abby Hill [with photographs]
undated
9 8
Leeds, Deborah C. letter to Abby Hill
March 30, 1908
9 9
LeSort, Henry letters to Abby Hill
1904-1906
9 10
Lewis, Dr. J.R. letter to Abby Hill
December 27, 1911
9 11
Lormer, Florence letter to Abby Hill
October 18, 1931
9 12
[Mac...], Sadie R. letter to Frank Hill
October 31, 1904
9 13
Mackenzie, Glenn letters to Abby Hill
1924-1938
9 14
Mackenzie, Glenn letters to Ina Hill
1923-1924, undated
9 15
Main, John [President, Grinnell College] letter to Abby Hill
December 31, 1929
9 16
Malone, Cynthia letter to Abby Hill
January 1938
9 17
Martha [last name unknown] letters to Ina Hill
Folder contains a program with handwritten notations titled "Conference Under Auspices League of the Southwest to Discuss Colorado River Problems and Indian Affairs of the Southwest, June 7-9, 1923."
Undated
9 18
Martin, Mrs. A. letter to Ina Hill
March 10, 1923
9 19
McKay, Ann letter to Abby Hill
c. 1912
9 20
Meurice, J. letters to Ina Hill
Folder contains one photograph.
1923-1924
9 21
M.E.W. [full name unknown] letters to Ina Hill
1931-1934
9 22
Miller, Edwin [Pierce County, WA Assessor] letters to Frank Hill
1911
9 23
Miscellaneous correspondence to Abby Hill
1890s - 1939
9 24
Mitchell, Dr. S. Weir letter to Frank Hill
Letter regarding Romayne Hill's medical condition.
January 23, 1902
9 25
Murray family letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 26
Newberry, Eva Buckley letters to Abby Hill
1906-1908, undated
9 27
Newberry, Eva Buckley letter to "Franklin" [Frank Hill]
July 27, 1905
9 28
Newberry, Eva Buckley letter to unknown recipient
undated
9 29
Nina [last name unknown] letter to Abby Hill
December 2, 1923
9 30
Northern Pacific Railway Company letters to Abby Hill
Letters regarding Abby Hills contracts with the Northern Pacific Railway and her paintings for the Jamestown Exposition.
1904-1907
9 31
Oertel, Johannes letters to Abby Hill
1905-1908
9 32
Papst, Margaret letter to Abby Hill
April 24, 1912
9 33
Paris Fine Art Publishing Company letter to Abby Hill
May 21, 1906
9 34
Pasadena Sanitarium letter to Abby Hill
Letter regarding Frank Hill's medical condition.
December 16, 1919
9 35
Paxson, Edgar Samuel letters to Abby Hill
Edgar Samuel Paxson (1852-1919) is an American artist known for his portraits of Native Americans. One of his most famous paintings, "Custer's Last Stand," depicts the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass.
1907-1909
9 36
Penelope, Arlie letters to Ina Hill
1917-1938
9 37
Perry, Mary letter to Abby Hill
June 18, 1934
9 38
Peter [last name unknown] letters to Abby Hill
1928
9 39
Pick, Fritz letter to Abby Hill
June 7, 1907
9 40
Pietersgill, Anne letter to Abby Hill
December 22, 1939
9 41
Piney Woods Country Life School letter to Abby Hill
Folder includes a souvenir program of the Piney Woods School Singers.
April 19, 1935
9 42
Powell, E. letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 43
Prentice, Fannie E. to Ina and Eulalie Hill
November 22, 1901
9 44
Price, Mrs. William H. letter to the Hill family
undated
9 45
Ray, W.G. letter to Abby Hill
September 20, 1882
9 46
Reynolds, Thurston letters to Abby Hill
October 8, 1923
9 47
Richardson, M.E. to Miss Hill
undated
9 48
Robbins, Annie Whitcomb letter to Abby Hill
January 27, 1927
9 48a
Robinson, Frank and Dorothy letter to Ina Hill [with photographs]
September 25, 1971
9 49
Sager, Merel S. letter to Abby Hill
Merel S. Sager (1899-1982) is an American architect and landscape architect. He was employed by the National Park Services and worked in many different national parks in the western United States.
May 3, 1932
9 50
Sawyer, William P. letter to Abby Hill
November 19, 1909
9 51
Sewall, May Wright letter to Abby Hill
April 22, 1905
9 52
Shank, Jennie B. letter to Abby Hill
September 12, 1906
9 53
Shapiro, Harry letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 54
Shaw, Dr. Albert letters to Abby Hill
Albert Shaw (1857-1947), an friend of Abby Hill's from Grinnell, Iowa, was a journalist and editor of the American edition of the publication "Review of Reviews."
1884-1926
9 55
Sibley, M. letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 56
Simon, Henry letters to the Hill family
1933-1936
9 57
Stone, Ellen letter to Abby Hill
undated
9 58
Streeland, Anna Louise letter to Romayne Hill
September 25, 1928
9 59
Sutherland, David letter to Abby Hill
Letter regarding the death of Donald Sutherland's mother, Mary Sutherland of Grinnell, Iowa. Newsclipping of the obituary is included.
March 2, 1935
9 60
Sutherland, Mary C. letters to Abby Hill
1911 & undated
9 61
Tacoma Art League letters to Abby Hill
1910, 1912
9 62
Taggart, Harry letters to Abby Hill
1924
9 63
Texas Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Institute for Colored Youths letters to Abby Hill
1934, 1938
9 64
The Angola League of NYC letters to Abby Hill
Letters introducing Abby Williams Hill to Lady Henry Somerset [Isabella Caroline Somers-Cocks] and Lady Trelawne of England.
March 23, 1908
9 65
Tomb, George letter to Abby Hill
November 22, 1939
9 66
Trujillo, Dorothy letter to Abby Hill
March 21, 1924
9 67
Unknown sender letter to Romayne Hill
June 13, 1905
9 68
van Schravendyk, Henry letters to Abby Hill
Folder contains three photographs.
1904-1906, 1910
9 69
Verbeck, Ida S. letter to Abby Hill
February 12, 1898
9 70
von Cranach, Marie letter to Abby Hill
1896
9 71
von Hinckler, Julius M. letters to Abby Hill
1906
9 72
von Velton, Agnes letters to Abby Hill
1897
10 1
Washington, Booker T. letters to Abby Hill
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was an American educator, orator, and author. He was the first principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama. Abby Hill visited the school in 1902 with her children, Romayne and Ione, where she met Washington. More information about this visit can be found in Hill's journals.
1901-1902
10 2
Wassmann, Karl letters to Abby Hill
1907-1909
10 3
Wassmann, Karl letters to Eulalie Hill
1909
10 4
Wassmann, Karl letter to Romayne Hill
1909
10 5
Whicher, G.M. letter to Abby Hill
c. 1882
10 6
White, Mrs. George (Esther) letter to Abby Hill
December 28, 1939
10 7
White, George E. letter to Abby Williams
December 4, 1880
10 8
White, Lily E. letter to Abby Hill
March 29, 1905
10 9
Willey, F.C. letters to Abby Hill
1901-1903
10 10
Willey, F.C. letters to Eulalie Hill
1902-1903
10 11
Winegar, Melissa Wheeler letter to Abby Hill
July 30, 1940
10 12
Winkler, [illegible] letters to Abby Hill
1906
10 13
Winkler, [illegible] letters to Eulalie Hill
1906
10 14
Woodland Avenue Savings & Trust letters to Abby Hill
Letters address the last will and testament of Abby Hill's maternal aunt, Ruth Hubbard.
1920-1923
10 15
Wright, Beulah letter to Ina and Eulalie Hill
October 30, 1902
Congress of Mothers
This sub-series includes correspondence related to the Congress of Mothers, an early iteration of the Parent Teacher Association. The Washington State chapter of the Congress of Mothers was founded by Abby Williams Hill in 1905 and she served as its first president until 1911. The organization focused on education, health, and safety issues related to children and youth. In addition to this correspondence, other items related to the Congress of Mothers can be found in the News Clippings, Printed Materials, and Ephemera series.
1907-1934, undated
Box Folder
10 16
Burlew, Myrta Preston letter to Abby Hill
May 24, 1907
10 17
Hill, Abby letters to the National Congress of Parents and Teachers
1931
10 18
Hill, Abby letters to Washington Chapter of the Congress of Mothers
Folder includes an address given by Abby Hill to the Washington State Branch of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers in 1925.
1925, 1932, 1936
10 19
Malstrom, Kathryn letter to Abby Hill
undated
10 20
Martin, Governor Clarence D. letter to Abby Hill
May 29, 1934
10 21
Mears, Mary Grinnell letters to Abby Hill
1907-1908, 1924-1933
10 22
Mullen, Mrs. Roger B.W. letter to Abby Hill
undated
10 23
National Congress of Mothers letters to Abby Hill
1907, 1911-1912
10 24
Schoff, Mrs. Frederic letters to Abby Hill
Mrs. Schoff was involved with the Philadelphia Child Welfare Association and worked with Hill via the National Congress of Mothers. Letters from Mrs. Schoff can also be found in Box 10, Folder 23.
1927, 1932
Native American Correspondents
This sub-series includes letters to Abby Williams Hill from Native American people belonging to the Flathead, Sioux, and Nez Perce tribes. Hill met and befriended many Native Americans, particularly from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana, where she and her children had a lengthy stay in both 1905 and 1906. A detailed account of her stay on the reservation can be found in the Northern Pacific Railway Commission (1905-1906) journal in the Journals series.
1905-1927
Box Folder
10 25
Abeita, Pablo letters to Abby Hill
Pablo Abeita (1871-1940) was the governor of Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico.
1926-1927
10 26
Andrew Nine Pipes letter to Abby Hill
Andrew Nine Pipes was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
August 20, 1906
10 27
Charlo, Martin letters to Abby Hill
Martin Charlo was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. He was the son of Chief Charlo (c. 1830-1910), leader of the Bitterroot Salish from 1870-1910.
1910
10 28
Cincee letters to Abby Hill
Cincee was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
1907, 1910
10 29
[Cumbro] Paul E., letter to Abby Hill
Paul [Cumbro] was a member of the Nez Perce tribe.
February 27, 1907
10 30
Laura Standing Bear letter to Abby Hill
Laura Standing Bear was a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe. Her husband was Luther Standing Bear, a Sioux chief. This letter mentions White Bull (Ta Tan Ka Ska).
February 25, 1907
10 31
Lucy (Mrs. Big Johney) letter to Abby Hill
Lucy was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
September 28, 1907
10 32
Matilda Blue Breath letters to Abby Hill
Matilda Blue Breath was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
1907, 1910
10 33
Moses, John letters to Abby Hill
1907
10 34
Peo Peo Tholekt letters to Abby Hill
Peo Peo Tholekt (Bird Alighting) was a member of the Nez Perce tribe.
1907, 1909
10 35
Pichette, Peter letters to the Hill family
Peter (Finley) Pichette was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. Pichette became blind at the age of thirteen. Some of the letters in this folder are written in Braille.
1907-1924
10 36
Susie [illegible] letter to Abby Hill
Susie was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
February 1, 1910
10 37
Throssel, Richard letter to Abby Hill
Richard Throssel (1882-1933) was a photographer who documented life on the Crow Reservation at the beginning of the 20th century.
January 22, 1906
10 38
White Bull (Ta Tan Ka Ska) letters to Abby Hill
White Bull (Ta Tan Ka Ska) was a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe. White Bull and Abby Hill became acquainted with each other while visiting the Flathead Reservation in the fall of 1905.
1905-1907
Tuberculosis
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Abby Williams Hill embarked on a letter writing campaign urging officials in the United States government to create a system of national sanitariums in the southwest for the care of tuberculosis patients. This sub-series contains Hill's correspondence with various government officials and with several individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis, including Lolit M. Banerji, Spyridon Chrudas, and Jerome Shaffer.
1921-1938
Box Folder
10 39
Banerji, Lolit M. letter to Abby Hill
In this letter, Banerji inquires about Spyridon Chrudas and Malcolm Young. Additional correspondence between Hill, Chrudas, and Young can be found in this subseries.
May 27, 1930
10 40
Chrudas, Spyridon letters to Abby Hill [with photograph]
1931, 1938, and undated
10 41
Hill, Abby letter to Grace Abbott, Children's Bureau
November 14, 1930
10 42
Hill, Abby letters to Horace Albright
1930
10 43
Hill, Abby letter to Anti-Tuberculosis League
August 15, 1929
10 44
Hill, Abby letter to Newton D. Baker
January 3, 1933
10 45
Hill, Abby letter to Chairman, National Health Commission
April 26, 1930
10 46
Hill, Abby letters to Senator Royal S. Copeland
1931-1932
10 47
Hill, Abby letter to Madam Henri Cornet
January 7, 1931
10 48
Hill, Abby letter to General Cummins, National Public Health Service Bureau
April 2, 1929
10 49
Hill, Abby letters to Captain Hugh Barrett Dobbs
1930
10 50
Hill, Abby letters to James Garfield
1930
10 51
Hill, Abby letter to Blanche Haines, Children's Bureau
January 9, 1931
10 52
Hill, Abby letters to President Herbert Hoover
1930-1932
10 53
Hill, Abby letter to First Lady Mrs. Herbert Hoover
January 22, 1931
10 54
Hill, Abby letters to Representative Albert Johnson
1930
10 55
Hill, Abby letters to Senator Wesley Jones
1930
10 56
Hill, Abby letters to Representative Florence Kahn
1930
10 57
Hill, Abby letters to Senator Joseph Ransdell
1932
10 58
Hill, Abby letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
February 12, 1934
10 59
Hill, Abby letters to Jerome Shaffer
Letters relate to a debt owed to Hill by Shaffer.
1923
10 60
Hill, Abby letters to Albert Shaw
1930
10 61
Hill, Abby letter to Henry Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture
September 21, 1933
10 62
Hill, Abby letter to the White House Child Welfare Conference
November 19, 1930
10 63
Hill, Abby letter to Colonel Arthur Wood
November 16, 1930
10 64
Hygeia: The Health Magazine letter to Abby Hill
February 9, 1931
10 65
John H. Page & Co. Public Land Specialists letter to Senator Henry F. Ashurst
June 10, 1929
10 66
Johnson, Representative Albert letters to Abby Hill
April 12, 1930
10 67
Jones, Senator Wesley letters to Abby Hill
1930-1931
10 68
National Tuberculosis Association letters to Abby Hill
1932
10 69
Powell, Herman J. letter to Abby Hill
Letter informing Abby Hill of the death of Jerome Shaffer.
September 17, 1927
10 70
Shaffer, Jerome letters to Abby Hill [with photographs]
Jerome Shaffer was a musician who suffered from tuberculosis. He and Abby Hill befriended each other and he "adopted" her as his mother.
1921-1925
10 71
Swedish National Association Against Tuberculosis letters to Abby Hill
1930
10 72
Thompson, Raymond letters to Abby Hill
Raymond Thompson was the attorney handling the estate of Jerome Shaffer. Hill was trying to recover money that Shaffer owed her and paintings of hers that she had gifted to him.
1928
10 73
Young, Malcolm letters to Abby Hill
1927-1928
Postcards
This sub-series contains inscribed postcards from various correspondents. The postcards are primarily from locations in the United States and Europe. Postcards that were collected but not inscribed are found in the Ephemera series.
1904-1938
Box Folder
11 1-5
Postcards, inscribed
1904-1938
Box
33
Organic matter removed from correspondence
Organic matter (locks of hair, pressed flowers, porcupine quills, etc.) removed from folders in the correspondence series and boxed separately for preservation purposes.
undated

II:  Journals, 1877-1924Return to Top

This series contains journals created by Abby Williams Hill, Frank Hill, and three of their four children, Romayne, Ina, and Eulalie Hill. Abby Hill's journals provide a detailed account of the family's daily life and their extensive travels throughout the United States and Europe in the early 1900s. The series also includes several medical school journals belonging to Frank Hill as well as journals that the children kept for schoolwork and to document their travels.

Note that additional journals can be found in the series for the Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
11 6-7
Abby Hill, Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec
The bulk of this journal is written in French. It covers the period (1885-1886) when Abby Williams Hill was teaching painting and drawing at a school in Berthier-en-Haut (also known as Berthierville or Berthier) in Quebec, Canada. In June 1885 Hill went home to the United States for a lengthy visit. She writes about family life in Ohio and Iowa and her experience studying at the Chicago Art Institute. She returned to Berthier-en-Haut in October 1885 and remained there in her teaching position until July 1886, when she moved back to the United States. The French portion of the journal concludes in November 1887, with Hill writing about daily life and her blossoming relationship with her future husband, Frank Hill. At the end of the journal, Hill provides updates on her family life in 1900, 1901, 1904, 1906, and 1907. There is a single journal entry written in English for each of those years except 1907, when there are three entries. The updates include notes on Romayne Hill's birth and early life, Ione and Eulalie Hill's adoptions, Abby's father's (Henry Warren Williams) death and management of his estate, and the pending adoption of Clifford DeRosier, Ina and Eulalie (DeRosier) Hill's biological brother. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1885-1887, 1900-1907
11 8
Abby Hill, Mount Rainier and Hood Canal
This 64-page journal is written in a narrative style and includes Hill's experience joining a 26-day expedition to Mount Rainier, a trip to the Hood Canal in Washington State with friends, and her travels east to visit her husband Frank's family in Ohio. The journal dates from July 23, 1895 to October 9, 1895. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1895
11 9
Abby Hill, Germany
This 103-page journal is written in a narrative style and dates from September 1895 to July 1896. It includes Frank and Abby Hill's travels in Germany, where Frank studied medicine. Their son, Romyane, was left with relatives in Ohio for the duration of their trip. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1895-1896
11 10
Abby Hill, Germany [partial]
Five loose pages detailing Hill's travels in Germany.
c. 1896
11 11
Abby Hill, Italy
Twelve loose pages detailing Hill's travels throughout Italy, including Pistoia, Florence, Pompeii, Capri, Rome, and Vatican City.
c. 1896
11 12
Abby Hill, Europe
The bulk of this journal is text, but it does include some sketches by Abby Hill drawn during her travels throughout Europe in 1897.
1897
12 1
Abby Hill, Vashon Island
This 39-page journal is written in a narrative style and focuses on the summer of 1900, which Hill and her children spent in the town of Burton on Vashon Island in Washington State. The Hill family regularly rowed across Commencement Bay from their home in Tacoma, Washington, to camp on the island during the summer months. The journal dates from July 11 to September 17, 1900 and also includes a single entry from February 14, 1907. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1900, 1907
12 2
Abby Hill, United States Tour [daybook]
This 88-page daybook covers nearly a year of travel around the United States by Hill and her children. Hill took brief notes on a daily basis about her activities and these notes inform her full, narrative style journal from the same year (see Box 12, Folders 3-5). This journal includes notes on Hill's travels from Seattle to Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, Tuskegee, New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, the Columbia River Gorge, and various other locations. The daybook concludes with a two-month long camping excursion in Trout Lake, Washington. A typed transcription is available for this daybook.
1901-1902
12 3-5
Abby Hill, United States tour
This 951-page journal is written in a narrative style and covers over a year of travel around the United States by Hill and her children. It dates from October 8, 1901 to October 23, 1902. These detailed journal entries were informed by the brief notes that Hill recorded in her daybook of the same year (see Box 12, Folder 2). The journal begins with Hill's trip east to Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, and various other locations between October 1901 and January 1902. In February 1902, she and the children traveled to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where Hill was a guest of Booker T. Washington and attended the Annual Farmers Conference there. Following that visit, Hill and her children went to New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, Louisiana, where they remained for over a month. They then moved on to California, where they stayed in Los Angeles for two weeks before heading to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to camp in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. From there they traveled north to Oregon and then into Washington where they set up camp at Trout Lake and stayed for several months. They then traveled to Hood River and Warrendale, Oregon. The journal concludes in October 1902 with Hill and her children still at camp in Warrendale, Oregon. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1901-1902
12 6
Abby Hill, Great Northern Railway Commission [daybook]
This 41-page daybook is an account of Hill's trip to the North Cascade mountains in Washington State in the summer of 1903. Hill was under contract by the Great Northern Railway to paint the scenery along their rail line there; her artwork was used in the railroad's promotional materials. In return, she received 1,000 mile railroad tickets for her and her children. In this daybook, Hill records brief notes about her daily activities. It dates from May 1 to September 15, 1903 and also includes a single entry from April 12, 1906. A typed transcription is available for this daybook.
1903
12 7
Abby Hill, First Northern Pacific Railway Commission [daybook]
This 48-page daybook details Hill's first of three commissions painting scenery for the Northern Pacific Railway in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. It dates from July 21 to November 26, 1904. Hill took brief notes on a daily basis about her activities and these notes inform her narrative style journal from the same year (see Box 12, Folder 8). A significant difference between this daybook and Hill's 1904 journal is the inclusion of notes about her visit to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, also known as the St. Louis World's Fair, in November 1904. These notes are not found in the journal, which ends in October of that year. A typed transcription is available for this daybook.
1904
12 8
Abby Hill, First Northern Pacific Railway Commission
This 60-page journal is written in a narrative style and documents Hill's travels through the Cascade Mountains in Washington, to Lake Pend d'Oreille and Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, and the Clark Fork of the Columbia River in Montana in the late summer and autumn of 1904. Hill was under contract by the Northern Pacific Railway to paint the scenery along their rail line in these areas, her first of three contracts with the railroad. The journal dates from July 25 to October 7, 1904. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1904
12 9-11
Abby Hill, Northern Pacific Railway Commission
This 701-page journal is written in a narrative style and covers approximately sixteen months of travel around the western United States by Hill and her children. It dates from August 8, 1905 to December 14, 1906. During this period, Hill was working on her second and third commissions for the Northern Pacific Railway, painting scenery in Yellowstone National Park in both 1905 and 1906. She also began a personal project to paint portraits of Native Americans. Hill and her children lived on the Flathead Reservation in Montana for approximately five weeks in the autumn of 1905 and returned again in 1906. They also visted the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho. A typed transcription is available for this journal.
1905-1906
12 12
Abby Hill, Northern Pacific Views [partial]
This 19-page document consists of notes taken by Hill on various trips. The notes are not dated, but appear to be from her travels between between 1902 and 1906. The notes include details from a trip to New York, scenery Hill scouted in preparation for her first Northern Pacific Railway Commission, and her time living on the Flathead Reservation in Montana with her children. The end of the document contains lists of people that Hill wrote letters to in the summer and fall of 1905. These notes may be read alongside her full journals of the same years. A typed transcription is available for these notes.
c. 1906
13 1
Abby Hill, Europe
This journal dates from April 10, 1908 to October 25, 1908. The journal is written as a series of letters to Hill's husband, Frank. Hill provides detailed descriptions her travels throughout Europe with her children, Romayne, Ione, Ina, and Eulalie. Ina and Eulalie's biological brother, Clifford DeRosier, also accompanied the family on this trip. Although the letters are addressed to Frank, they are circular letters intended for sharing amongst family and friends.
1908
13 2
Abby Hill, Europe [daybooks]
This folder contains several bound daybooks as well as loose pages that Hill used to record brief notes about her activities in Europe in 1908. These notes inform her full, narrative style journal from the same year (see Box 13, Folder 1).
1908
13 3
Abby Hill, Europe
This journal dates from December 18, 1908 to October 5, 1909. The journal is written as a series of letters to Hill's husband, Frank. Hill provides detailed descriptions her travels throughout Europe with her children, Romayne, Ione, Ina, and Eulalie. Ina and Eulalie's biological brother, Clifford DeRosier, also accompanied the family on this trip. Although the letters are addressed to Frank, they are circular letters intended for sharing amongst family and friends.
1909
13 4
Abby Hill, daybooks
1922, 1923
13 5-9
Eulalie Hill
1900-1905
14 1-5
Eulalie Hill
1906-1908, undated
14 6
Frank Hill
1877
14 7
Frank Hill [medical school journal]
1883
14 8-11
Ina Hill
1901-1902, 1904-1905
15 1-5
Ina Hill
1906-1908, 1924, undated
15 6-7
Romayne Hill
1905, 1908

III:  Sketchbooks and Drawings, 1888-1908, undatedReturn to Top

This series contains sketchbooks and loose drawings created by Abby Williams Hill and her children. Of particular interest is the sketchbook created by Hill while she was studying at the Art Students League in New York City in 1888. Note that additional sketchbooks can be found in the series for the Tom Kress Collection on Abby Williams Hill.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
15 8
Abby Hill, Art Students League sketchbook
1888
15 9
Abby Hill, drawings [Europe]
1908
15 10
Abby Hill, drawings
undated
16 1
Hill children, sketchbook
undated
16 2
Eulalie Hill, sketchbook
1900-1905
16 3
Eulalie Hill, drawings [Crater Lake]
1904
16 4
Eulalie Hill, drawing [Christmas]
undated
16 5
Ina Hill, sketchbooks
1902, 1904-1905
16 6
Ina Hill, drawings
undated
16 7
Romayne Hill, sketchbooks
1904, undated
16 8
[Artist unknown], drawings
undated

IV:  News Clippings, 1880-1948, undatedReturn to Top

This series contains news clippings collected by Abby Williams Hill and her family. Several articles have written notations. The clippings include articles and obituaries relating to the Hill family and reviews of Hill's artwork. There are also several articles written by Abby Hill for local newspapers. Other topics include Tacoma, the St. Louis World's Fair, medicine, Native Americans, art, nature, and love.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
17 1
Abby Williams Hill obituary
1943
17 2
Art and artists
undated
17 3
"Artist Says Tucson Should Wake Up Before Its Too Late to Save Scenery," Tucson Daily Citizen
May 12, 1929
17 4
"Chinese Viceroy and Chief of Revenue"
Annotated by Abby Williams Hill, "Rode with on the Great Northern to Wenatchee".
undated
17 5
Congress of Mothers
1905-1948, undated
17 6
"Facing Death Daily in China: As Told By a Seattle Woman Missionary," Seattle Sunday Times
January 26, 1930
17 7
Frank Hill obituary
1938
17 8
Governor Roland Hartley [Washington Governor] recall
These clippings were sent from Frank Hill to Abby Hill in 1926.
1926
17 9
"Grinnell Had Music and Art from the Beginning," Grinnell Herald [photocopy]
October 18, 1929
17 10
"Immigrant Mothers Need to Learn English," by Abby Hill, The Washington Parent-Teacher [Congress of Mothers]
December 1916
17 11
Isabella Beaton obituary
Isabella Beaton is Abby Hill's cousin.
1929
17 12
Jeanette "Nettie" Williams Buckley obituary
Nettie Williams Buckley is Abby Hill's sister.
undated
17 13
Jerome Shaffer
circa 1920
17 14
Marriage and love
1931, undated
17 15
Medical issues
undated
17 16
Mt. Booker [North Cascades National Park]
Abby Hill named Mt. Booker in North Cascades National Park in Washington State after Booker T. Washington. Hill met Washington in 1902 during her visit to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
1904, 1930, undated
17 17
Native Americans
undated
17 18
Nature
undated
17 19
"Our Prize Picture," The Washington Parent-Teacher [Congress of Mothers]
September 1924
17 20
"Planting Edelweiss on Mount Tacoma," Tacoma News Tribune
August 20, 1923
17 21
Relating to Abby Williams Hill and family
circa 1880-1931
17 22
"Remember the Sick," by Abby Hill, Tacoma News Tribune
This folder contains a list of paintings loaned to the Fannie Paddock Hospital in Tacoma.
circa 1895
17 23
"Senate OKs Chittenden's Rise in Rank" [Brigadier-General Hiram M. Chittenden]
undated
17 24
Sent by Abby Hill to Frank Hill
1905-1906
17 25
Sent by Clifford DeRosier to Ina Hill
1908
17 26
Sent by Ina Hill to Frank Hill
1903
17 27
St. Louis World's Fair
1903-1904, undated
17 28
Tacoma, Washington
1905, undated
17 29
"The College and the Man," [Grinnell College, Leonard Fletcher Parker]
undated
17 30
"The Tuskegee Student"
1904
17 31
"The Wildflowers of California," The California Illustrated Review
May 1924
17 32
William McKittrick obituary
McKittrick is the biological uncle of Ina and Eulalie Hill.
undated
17 33
William Merritt Chase, "Lady with a Fan" reproduction, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 7, 1926

IV:  Printed Material, 1882-1926, 1985, undatedReturn to Top

This series includes printed pamphlets, souvenir booklets and travel guides, and art books used by Hill for reference purposes. This series is arranged alphabetically by the title of the publication. Of particular interest is the pamphlet titled "Scenic Washington along the Great Northern Line," which contains images and descriptions of Abby Williams Hill's paintings for the Great Northern Railway commission completed in 1903 and "Eulalie's Letters," a compilation of letters from Eulalie Hill while she was studying education under Maria Montessori.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
17 34
A Compendium and Question Book of Parliamentary Law: Systematically Arranged for Ready Reference in...Women's Clubs..., by Lilian Cole-Bethel
1892
17 35
A Summer Outing to Lake Chelan and the Valley of the Stehekin, by The Mazama Club
1899
17 36
Address of President Roosevelt Upon the Occasion of Its Opening...Souvenir of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
1904
17 37
Book of Psalms
undated
17 38
Can Slums Be Abolished or Must We Continue to Pay the Penalty, by J.J. Kelso
undated
17 39
Child-Confidence Rewarded, by Mary Wood Allen, M.D.
undated
17 40
Combating the Cigarette in Public Schools: Interesting and Effective Methods, The Presbyterian Board of Temperance and Moral Welfare
undated
17 41
Courmayeur [Italy]
circa 1908
17 42
Die Stadt Nürnberg in Wort und Bild [The City of Nuremberg in Words and Pictures]
undated
17 43
Diet for the Prevention of Dental Diseases, by Dr. H.S. Hawkins
undated
17 44
Eighty Views of Washington [D.C.]
1901
17 45
Eulalie's Letters: Studying Under Madam Montessori in Rome, 1914, compiled by Dolores Sandegren
1985
17 46
Extension Post Card, 24 Views of Lewiston [Maine]
undated
18 1
General Guide to the British Museum, Natural History
1906
18 2
Grand Canyon National Park, United States Railroad Administration
1920
18 3
Guide to the city of Quebec and Environs, by Thomas J. Oliver
1883
18 4
Home Tours Around the World, by John L. Stoddard
undated
18 5
Ile de France
circa 1908
18 6
Illustrated Official Guide to the London Zoological Society's Gardens in Regent's Park, by P. Chalmers Mitchell
1908
18 7
Lend a Hand, by Edward E. Hale
1910
18 8
Les Precieuses Ridicules, by Moliere
1882
18 9
Luray Caverns [Virginia]
circa 1901
18 10
Montreal in Halftone, by Dr. W.H. Drummond
undated
18 11
National Congress of Parents and Teachers Handbook
1926
18 12
Outline of Work and Plans for Road Cadets...Good Roads for Child Welfare, National Congress of Mothers
undated
18 13
Pacific Monthly Magazine
January 1906
18 14
Pictures That Talk, by E.J. Pace, Christian cartoons from The Sunday School Times
undated
18 15
Potato Culture on the Island of Jersey, by Rev. Charles D. Merrill
1896
18 3
The Power of a Surrendered Life, by Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman
1901
18 16
Puget Sound Realty Associates
circa 1906
18 17
Rand McNally Economizer: A Guide to the World's Fair, St. Louis
1904
18 18
Report of the Acting Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park to the Secretary of the Interior, by Major John Pitcher
1903
18 19
Report of the Conference in Los Angeles," Congress of Mothers [photocopy]
September 1907
18 20
San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland Steam Ship Company
undated
18 21
Scenic Hot Springs, Washington: Ninety Miles from Seattle on Main Line Great Northern Railway
circa 1905
18 22
Scenic Washington Along the Line Great Northern Railway [images by Abby Williams Hill]
circa 1904
18 23
Singer Souvenirs of Washington [D.C.]
circa 1901
18 24
Souvenir de Versailles [France]
circa 1909
18 25
Teaching the Tenant, by Johanna von Wagner, National Housing Association
1911
19 1
The Art Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Chapman H. Hyams, Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans
1915
19 2
The Gateway to Nature
undated
19 3
The Power of a Surrendered Life, or, Turning Back at Kadesh-Barnea, by Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D.
1901
19 4
The Transformation of White Arm, by Howard B. Grose, The Crow Mission
undated
19 5
The Way of Life Made Plain, by John Ritchie
undated
19 6
Thrift: Ideas and Quotations Concerning Thrift Gathered and Compiled, by Mrs. J.L. Van der Veer, California Congress of Mothers
circa 1920
19 7
Uncle Tom's Trail, Grand Canyon National Park
undated
19 8
Vashon Island, Washington, Vashon Island Commercial Club
undated
19 9
Views of Quebec, Nelson's Viewbooks for Tourists
circa 1885
19 10
Wayside Notes Along the Sunset Route: West Bound New Orleans to San Francisco, Southern Pacific Railway
1901
19 11
Yosemite National Park, Yosemite National Park Company
circa 1920
31
Selections from Picturesque California: The Region West of the Rocky Mountains, from Alaska to Mexico, edited by John Muir
1888
31
Selections from Picturesque California: The Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Slope, edited by John Muir
1888
31
Selections from The Art of the World Illustrated in the Painting, Statuary, and Architecture of the World's Columbian Exposition, edited by Ripley Hitchcock
1893
32
Selections from One Hundred Crowned Masterpieces, Volume 1, published by Gebbie and Company
undated
32
Selections from One Hundred Crowned Masterpieces, Volume 2, published by Gebbie and Company
undated
32
World's Masterpieces of Modern Painting, Edition De Luxe, published by William Finley and Company
1893

V:  Ephemera, 1850-1945, undatedReturn to Top

This series consists of material collected and received by members of the Hill family, including calling cards, receipts, postcards, programs, certificates, lists, notes, and other items. Blank postcards collected by the Hill family are included here (inscribed postcards are found in the Correspondence series) as well as bound and mounted "art appreciation" photographs and reproductions, including stereoscopic views of various subjects. Of note is Abby Williams Hill's contract with the Great Northern Railway, ephemera related to the family's trip to Europe in 1908 and 1909, a list of paintings exhibited for the Great Northern Railway at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, and various notes written by Abby Hill on topics including Native Americans, tuberculosis, and air quality for factory workers. Materials related to Hill's work with the Congress of Mothers can also be found in this series.

Note that additional ephemera can be found in the series for the Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
19 12
Address Book, Abby Hill
c. 1897
19 13
Address Book, Ina and Eulalie Hill
undated
19 14
American Federation of Arts Convention program
1930
19 15
American Line passenger list, Philadelphia to Liverpool, England
1908
19 16
Bank Book, Abby Hill
1921
19 17
Berthier-en-haut, Quebec
1885-1886
19 18
"Birds Around Prospect Hill, Tacoma"
undated
19 20
Birth announcement, Myrtle Adelaide Ward
Ione Hill's daughter.
October 27, 1911
19 21
Blank prescription pad, Dr. Frank Hill
undated
19 22
Books by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, list
undated
19 23
"Bridal Souvenir" booklet, Frank and Abby Hill
1888
19 24
Calling cards
undated
19 25
Certificate of Registration of American Citizens [Hill family]
1909
19 26
Certificate, Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University
1896
19 27
Chore list, Eulalie Hill
undated
19 28
Church programs
1906-1907, 1928
19 29
Congress of Mothers
1906-1912, 1923, 1928, undated
19 30
Contract, Great Northern Railway [Abby Hill]
1903
19 31
Cyclist Touring Club, Special Customs Tickets
1909
20 1
Daily Consular & Trade Reports
June 28, 1911
20 2
Exhibition card, "Collection of Recent Paintings by Mrs. Abby R. Hill"
1907
20 3
Frame sample, Pacific Picture Frame Co., Tacoma
1905
20 4
Gallery card, Italy
1897
20 5
Grinnell College Master of Arts degree, Abby Hill
1907
20 6
"Interracial Relations," letter to the editor [author unknown]
July 3, 1943
20 7
List of paintings for St. Louis World's Fair
1904
20 8
Map, United States [annotated]
undated
20 9
Memorial cards
1897, 1913
20 10
Mt. Rainier National Park, souvenir photographs
1913
20 11
Music composition notebook, Ina Hill
undated
20 12
Music programs
1904-1927, undated
20 13
National Park passes
National Park passes for Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Glacier, Zion, and Mesa Verde.
1925-1929
20 14
Notebook [blank], Abby Hill
circa 1897
20 15
Notes on air quality for factory workers, by Abby Hill
undated
20 16
Notes on Andrew Nine Pipes, by Abby Hill
Andrew Nine Pipes was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
1906
20 17
Notes on Native Americans
undated
20 18
Notes on tuberculosis, by Abby Hill
circa 1935
20 19
Notes and fragments by the Hill family
undated
27
Notes and fragments by the Hill family
These notes and fragments are organized into numbered envelopes. The envelopes are individually labeled in Abby Hill's handwriting with the names of countries, states, and other subjects. Each envelope contains notes relating to the subject on the envelope. Organic matter (pressed flowers and leaves) has been moved to Box 33 for preservation purposes.
undated
Folder
20 20
Paintings loaned to First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma
1929
20 21
Pamphlets on religion
undated
20 22
Poems
undated
20 23
Postcard illustrated by Abby Hill
undated
20 24
Postcards depicting Native Americans
undated
20 25
Prescription for burns and scalds
undated
20 26
President Theodore Roosevelt inauguration program
1905
20 27
Prohibition and alcohol
1931, undated
20 28
Receipts
1898-1945
20 29
Recommendation to teach French, Abby Hill
1888
21 1
Souvenir prints, Europe
1908
21 2
"The Motoring Tourist," by Abby Hill
undated
21 3
The Orchard Home School / Bethesda Society financial statement
1938
21 4
Ticket, "President's Visit to Tacoma" [William Taft]
October 10, 1911
21 5
Translation, "Squaxadub" to English [Squaxin Island Tribe]
undated
21 6
United States Forest Service, Special Use Permit
1916
21 7
University of Bonn, certificate in political economy, Abby Hill
1896
21 8
Valley Fair Association tag
1911
21 9
"What the individual can do for erring and unfortunate children," by Abby Hill, Congress of Mothers
undated
21 10
White Bluffs Irrigation Company Statement [Frank Hill, President]
1908
21 11
Will of Ruth Hubbard
Ruth Hubbard was Abby Hill's aunt.
1918
24 1-4
Postcards, blank [U.S. and World]
This box contains blank postcards collected by the Hill family from the United States and abroad. Inscribed postcards can be found in the Correspondence series.
1850-1940
25 1-2
Postcards, blank [U.S. and World]
This box contains blank postcards collected by the Hill family from the United States and abroad. Inscribed postcards can be found in the Correspondence series.
1850-1940
25 3-4
Stereocards
undated
26 1-4
Collected illustrations: "The Perry Pictures"
This box contains various illustrations collected from a publication known as "The Perry Pictures." There are no notations on these prints.
undated
29
Collected art prints
undated
30
Collected art prints
undated

VI:  Biographical Information, 1943-1951, undatedReturn to Top

This series contains biographical information about Abby Williams Hill, including a lengthy essay on her life titled "Peaceable Fruit: A Brief Biography of Abby Williams Hill." There is also a folder containing genealogical information about the Hill and Williams families.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
21 12
"Abby Williams Hill," [author unknown]
undated
21 13
"Abby Williams Hill, a [biographical] sketch," by Ina Hill
21 14
"Abby Williams Hill - Artist," by William Frothingham
1943
21 15
Genealogical information, Hill and Williams families
undated
21 16
"Peaceable Fruit: A Brief Biography of Abby Williams Hill," by E.M. Stetson
1951

VII:  Photographs, 1865-1942, undatedReturn to Top

This series contains photographs and has been divided into four sub-series: Family, Miscellaneous, Native Americans, and Travel.

Family includes formal and candid photographs of Frank, Abby, Romayne, Ione, Ina, and Eulalie Hill, as well as their cousin, Helen Hill, who frequently accompanied them on trips.

Miscellaneous includes photographs of the Hill family's homes, pets, and other photographic prints and negatives, both identified and unidentified.

Native Americans includes photographs of Native American people that Abby Williams Hill met during her travels, both identified and unidentified.

Travel includes photographs of the places where the Hill family traveled. This sub-series may also include photographs of individuals in the Hill family. Of particular interest are photographs of the family in Bay St. Louis, Louisiana, Yellowstone National Park, the Canadian Rocky Mountains, France, and Thun, Switzerland.

Note that additional photographs can be found in the series for the Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill.

Container(s) Description Dates
Family Photographs
circa 1865-1942
Box Folder
21 17
Hill, Abby Williams [portraits]
1882-1930
21 18
Hill, Abby Williams [candids]
undated
21 19
Hill, Abby Williams and Jeannette Williams Buckley
circa 1865
21 20
Hill, Eulalie
undated
21 22
Hill, Frank
undated
21 23
Hill, Frank and Abby
1888-1938
22 1
Hill, Helen
undated
22 2
Hill, Ina
1908 - circa 1980
22 3
Hill, Ione
undated
22 4
Hill, Romayne
undated
22 5
Hill, Romayne and Ina
1942
22 6
Hill children [group photographs]
undated
22 7
Hill family [group photographs]
undated
Miscellaneous
undated
Box Folder
22 8
423 G. Street, Tacoma, Washington [Hillcrest]
Hillcrest, located at 423 G. Street in Tacoma, Washington on the outskirts of Wright Park, was the Hill family home.
undated
22 9
1008 High Street, Grinnell, Iowa
This home, located in Grinnell, Iowa, is where Abby Williams Hill was born.
undated
22 10
1610 Plumosa Way, Laguna Beach, California
This home, located in Laguna Beach, California, is where the Hill family lived from 1932 until Abby Hill's death in 1943.
undated
22 11
Dr. Frank Hill's office, Chamber of Commerce Building, Tacoma, Washington
undated
22 12
Family pets
undated
22 13
Paintings by Abby Williams Hill
Includes black and white photographic images of "Chelan Gorge," "Looking Across Lake Chelan," "Tumwater Canyon," two unidentified images of forest scenes, and one unidentified image of a "pioneer home" interior scene.
undated
22 14
Photography experiments
undated
22 15
Individuals, identified
undated
22 16
Individuals, unidentified
undated
22 17
Photographic negatives, unidentified
undated
22 18
Scenery, unidentified
undated
Native Americans
1905 and undated
Box Folder
22 19
Chief Charlo
Chief Charlo (c. 1830-1910) was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. He was the leader of the Bitterroot Salish from 1870-1910.
undated
22 20
Chief Luther Standing Bear
Chief Luther Standing Bear was a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe.
undated
22 21
Peo Peo Tholekt
Peo Peo Tholekt (Bird Alighting) was a member of the Nez Perce tribe.
undated
22 22
White Bull (Ta Tan Ka Ska)
White Bull (Ta Tan Ka Ska) was a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe. White Bull and Abby Hill became acquainted with each other while visiting the Flathead Reservation in the fall of 1905.
1905
22 23
Native Americans, unidentified
undated
Travel
undated
Box Folder
23 1
Arizona
Subjects include Grand Canyon National Park and Mesa Verde National Park.
undated
23 2
Bay St. Louis, Louisiana
Two photographs of Romayne and Ina Hill with an unidentified woman.
circa 1902
23 3
Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec, Canada
circa 1884-1886
23 5
California
Subjects include Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, Laguna Beach, Kings Canyon National Park, and Seqouia National Park.
undated
23 5
China
undated
23 6
France
Subjects include photographs of the Hill family in Villa bon Port, France in 1908 and Saint Raphael.
undated
23 7
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
circa 1931
23 8
Iowa
Subjects include Abby Hill's hometown of Grinnell, Iowa and other sights.
undated
23 9
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio is the birthplace of Dr. Frank Hill.
undated
23 10
Montana
undated
23 11
Rocky Mountains, Canada
Subjects include Lake Louise and the Valley of the 10 Peaks.
circa 1926
23 12
Santa Fe, New Mexico
1920
23 13
Tacoma, Washington
Subjects include the Tacoma waterfront and Port of Tacoma, Wright Park, and Mount Rainier.
undated
23 14
Thun, Switzerland
circa 1908
23 15
Washington State
Subjects include the Yakima Reservation, Columbia River, Sunset Falls, the Tatoosh Range, and several photographs of unidentified women (presumably Abby Hill and her daughters) on a mountain.
undated
23 16
Yellowstone National Park
Includes images of Abby Williams Hill, her children, and her aunt, Ruth Hubbard.
1905-1906
23 17
Zion National Park, Utah
undated

VIII:  Artifacts, circa 1880-1930, undatedReturn to Top

This series contains items collected by Abby Williams Hill. Of particular significance is her paint box, which she traveled with and used while painting outdoors, and the gold medal awarded to her at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, Washington.

Also of note are the Native American artifacts in this series. While it is unknown how these items came to be in Hill's possession, we can assume based on her journals and correspondence that they were either purchased by Hill or gifted to her. When known, the tribes that created the artifacts are identified.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
28
Framed portrait of Romayne Bradford Hill by Abby Hill
c. 1890
28
Gold medal, Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
The medal is inscribed with Abby Hill's name.
1909
28
Homemade papoose trinket
undated
39
Paint box belonging to Abby Hill
undated
Native American artifacts
These artifacts were gifted to or purchased by Abby Williams Hill during her travels in the early 1900s. An independent appraiser provided a detailed description of these items to the University of Puget Sound in 2007.
circa 1880-1930
Box
38
Beaded Hat / Head Band
Loom beaded hat or head band. Thread sewn with glass opaque seed beads in a repeating geometric design. The band is joined to create a circle.
circa 1905
36
Leather quiver and 10 arrows [Athabascan]
Athabascan arrow quiver made from Native tanned leather with leather carrying strap. Quiver is decorated with trade cloth, paint, and beads. 10 arrows [9 Athabascan, 1 Northern Plains tribes] include six with copper points, three with iron points, and one with the shaft carved to form a barbed point. All of the arrow shafts are made from hand carved wood.
undated
38
Moccasins [Crow]
Constructed of white Native tanned leather, sinew sewn, with upper cuff and hard parfleche soles. Fully beaded with seed beads, vamps have pink field with geometric design in translucent green, cobalt blue, and white.
circa 1905
37
Moccasins [Iroquois]
Constructed of chrome tanned commercial leather, sewn with thread, with upper cuff of black velveteen trimmed with red braid, soft commercial leather soles. Beaded with pony beads, vamps have a floral design and a round green and white target design on the field. Lined with light pink muslin.
circa 1880-1930
37
Moccasins [Northern Plains tribes]
Constructed of white Native tanned leather, sinew sewn, with upper cuff and hard parfleche soles. Fully beaded with seed beads, vamps have dark green field with geometric design in translucent green, powder blue, red, and white.
circa 1905
38
Parfleche [Plateau tribes]
Parfleche envelope used for carrying food, clothing, and other essential items while traveling. The design on this parfleche is most often seen on Crow or Nez Perce parfleches. Made of rawhide and never used.
circa 1910-1930

IX:  Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill, 1880-1943, undatedReturn to Top

The materials in this series were donated to the University of Puget Sound in 2014 by Bonnie Smolenski. Smolenski is not related to the Hill family. This series contains two boxes of materials relating to the Hill family, including correspondence, journals, ephemera, and photographs. Note that some correspondents in the Bonnie Smolenski Collection on Abby Williams Hill may also be found in the Correspondence series.

Container(s) Description Dates
Correspondence
1910, 1918, 1922-1940, undated
Box Folder
34 1
Banerji, Lolit M. letter to Abby Hill
May 6, 1929
34 2
Browne, Belmore letter to Abby Hill
April 2, 1936
34 3
Burbridge, Clifford letters to Abby Hill
1934 and undated
34 4
Burbridge, Joan letters to Abby Hill
1929, 1934
34 5
Chrudas, Spyridon
1930, 1932
34 6
Curran, Charles letters to Abby Hill
1936
34 7
Glaser, Cecilia letter to Abby Hill
December 21, 1934
34 8
Hellmann, Mamie letter to Abby Hill
March 10, 1940
34 9
Hill, Abby letter to the City Planning Commission of Los Angeles
April 13, 1929
34 10
Hill, Abby letter to Eulalie Hill
August 30, 1935
34 11
Hill, Abby letters to Frank Hill
1933, 1936-1937
34 12
Hill, Abby letter to Mrs. Louis Henry
1940
34 13
Hill, Abby letter to Romayne Hill
November 14, 1918
34 14
Hubbard, Ruth letters to Abby Hill
1910
34 15
Hudson, [Mariel] letter to Abby Hill
October 30, 1933
34 16
[Illegible], Frank (Department of the Interior, Superintendent of Southwestern Monuments) letter to "The Custodians"
This is a letter introducing Frank and Abby Hill to the custodians of the Southwestern Monuments, where Abby Hill planned to camp and paint the scenery.
January 24, 1927
34 17
Iowa State College letter to Abby Hill
October 28, 1932
34 18
Kellogg, Dr. Francis B. letter to Abby Hill
July 7, 1940
34 19
Kemmery, Mrs. C.J. letter to Frank Hill
c. 1930
34 20
"Leading Women of America" [publication] letter to Abby Hill
This folder includes biographical information about Abby Hill.
1940
34 21
Meurice, [Illegible] letter to unknown recipient
undated
34 22
Meyer, Ruth letter to Abby Hill
January 15, 1934
34 23
Powdrill, M.H. letter to Abby Hill
October 5, 1940
34 24
Quan, Madeline letter to Abby Hill
May 15, 1940
34 25
Richard, Joseph letter to Abby Hill
1938
34 26
Savage, L. letter to Abby Hill
1910
34 27
Verien, Jean letter to Abby Hill
1922
Journals
1896-1932, undated
Box Folder
34 28
Abby Hill, Europe [daybook]
1909
34 29
Laura Hill
1923-1927
34 30
Author unknown [possibly Laura Hill]
1896-1987
34 31
Author unknown [possibly Ina Hill]
1929-1932
Ephemera
1880-1943, undated
Box Folder
35 1
Abby Hill, message to Washington State Branch of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers
May 2, 1936
35 2
Autograph Book, Abby Hill
c. 1880
35 3
Biographical information, Sophie DeWitt Potocka and Anton Graff
1924
35 4
News clippings
undated
34 5
New Testament Bible, Eulalie Hill
1923
35 6
Obituary, Abby Hill, "The News-Tribune," Tacoma
June 13, 1943
35 7
Reprints, "Mt. Booker" and "Papoose" by Abby Hill
undated

X:  Tom Kress Collection on Abby Williams Hill, 1890-1926Return to Top

The materials in this series were donated to the University of Puget Sound in 2014 by Tom Kress, who found them in a roll top desk at a local construction site. Kress is not related to the Hill family. This series contains three folders including two sketchbooks and a certificate for Dr. Frank Hill from the California State Homeopathic Medical Society.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
35 8
Sketchbook: Hill children
1905-1906
35 9
Sketchbook: Abby Hill
1890-1926
35 10
California State Homeopathic Medical Society certificate, Frank Hill
1901

Elizabeth Anderson Collection on Abby Williams Hill, 1878-1925, undatedReturn to Top

The materials in this series were donated to the University of Puget Sound in 2023 by Elizabeth Anderson. Anderson was the great-great-niece of Abby Williams Hill. She was the great-great-granddaughter of Hill's sister, Jeanette "Nettie" Williams. This series contains five folders of materials relating to the Hill and Williams family, including correspondence, ephemera, and photographs. Note that some of the ephemera in the Elizabeth Anderson Collection on Abby Williams Hill may also be found in the News Clippings and Bonnie Smolenski series.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
35 11
News Clippings
1889, 1923, undated
35 12
Photographs of Israel Hubbard and Rhoda Hurlbut
undated
35 13
Reprints, "Mt. Booker", "One of the Little People", and "Waiting For Her Warrior" by Aby Williams Hill
undated
35 14
Reprint, "Our Prize Picture" from The Washington Parent-Teacher
1924
35 15
Williams, Jeanette "Nettie" and Stella [last name unknown] letters to Abby Williams Hill
1878, 1887

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • African Americans--Education
  • Elementary and secondary education
  • Native Americans
  • Railroads
  • Tuberculosis
  • Women painters--Washington (State)--Tacoma

Corporate Names

  • Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.)
  • National PTA (U.S.)
  • Northern Pacific Railway Company
  • United States. National Park Service

Geographical Names

  • Northwest, Pacific
  • Washington (State)
  • West (U.S.)--Description and travel

Form or Genre Terms

  • Drawings (visual works)
  • Landscape painting