Hon. Isaiah Dill
Hon. Isaiah Dill |
Isaiah Dill's wife, Martha Dill |
| Born: | December 25, 1806, Gettysburg, PA |
| Died: | July 6, 1877, Madison County, AL |
| Buried: | Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, AL |
| Office: | 100 Courthouse Square | - Basement of Court House |
| Residence: | 118 Calhoun Street NE |
Notes:
• "My great-grandfather, Isaiah Dill was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1806. He came to Huntsville in 1843 and opened a law office on the courthouse square. He had to walk by the courthouse everyday and he would notice a lovely young lady sitting in front of the courthouse sketching the building. The young lady was Martha Sprague and she and Isaiah were married on March 5, 1846 at the First Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Isaiah was a deacon at First Presbyterian from 1850 to 1851. He served as a ruling elder from 1851 until his death in 1877. He was a Madison County judge for thirty years and served as Commissioner of the Confederate District Court for North Alabama." - Heritage
• Martha and Isaiah had eight children, Henry, Mary, Charles, Ellen, Arthur, Carrie, Emma, and baby Frank, who died in infancy. - Heritage
• Chancellor for North Alabama during the Civil War. - About.com
• Grand Master of Alabama Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 1871 - Record
• The Dills lived in a house that Isaiah built in 1857 that stands on the corner of Holmes and Calhoun (east corner). - Heritage
• "The 'house that Isaiah built' was constructed between 1855 and 1857 on what was then the northeast edge of the then little city. The lot was 2.5 acres. We have about one acre remaining today, the rest having been sold off long ago. Elizabeth Sydnor (Martha's mother) apparently contributed money to the home's construction, and she and her second husband lived in the upstairs balcony room. Her husband had a carpentry shop on the property. (The Dills had a much more modest home before that.)
If you look at the Wikipedia entry on Huntsville, you will see a sketch of the house on the 1871 map. It is the last one on the map on the east side on Holmes Avenue. It is easy to spot because Calhoun Street is shown going north past it. In fact, Calhoun Street was never cut through and there are now late Victorian houses where the road is shown. The house is two-story, with 18 inch thick interior and exterior walls. The floor boards are random width edge cut red pine. There are eight main rooms with fireplaces. Unfortunately, the previous owner tore down the brick servant quarters, which would have been a wonderful outbuilding to have.
Oddly enough, I am friends not only with some of the Dill descendants, but also with a descendant of the Dill family slaves." - Ancestry.com chat board
Related Links:
• About.com - Article by Jen Brandau, a descendant.
• About.com - Burritt - Photos of both Isaiah and Martha Dill are hanging in the dining room of Burritt Museum and are shown here. (Originally found at http://huntsville.about.com/blburritt.htm.)
• Ancestry.com chat board - An entry from a person (writestuff112) now living in Isaiah's house. (Originally found at http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=147&p=surnames.sydnor.)
• Directory - Old County and City Records for 1860 Huntsville Directory. (Originally published in 1859 by Coltart & Son) (Originally found at http://www.oldhuntsville.com/County_and_City_Records/1860_Huntsville_Directory.txt.)
• Heritage - The Heritage of Madison County, AL by Madison County Heritage Book Committee, submitted by Alice Dill Gardner, printed in 1998, p. 163-4.
• HMCPL - Isaiah's obituary is available for a fee at HMCPL. (Originally found at http://obits.hmcpl.org/index/mr-isaiah-dill-1877.)
• Record - A Dream Come True Volume One by James Record, ©1970, p. 367.
The Following Pages Link to this Page:
• 100 Courthouse Square
• 118 Calhoun Street NE
• Record