Milton History
a pictorial history of Milton, PA
A personal note ......
You might be wondering who I am, and why I built this site on Milton history. I've never lived in Milton, but my father and many other ancestors did. He moved to Michigan in 1929 to take advantage of an opportunity to go to college with a buddy, and I was born and
raised there. Every summer we would travel to Milton to visit, and I came to love the town. My father took an interest in genealogy when he retired, and provided us with an enormous amount of family history, most of which centered on Milton for his side of the family.
Many people who are related to me directly or through marriage made a contribution to the town in one way or another. Many people in Milton knew my aunt, Betty L. Hill, who served on the borough council for many years. If you are interested, read on.
My great-great-great grandfather, Johannes (John) K. Hill, moved to Potts Grove with his family from Berks County in 1815. John was a member of the old Harmony Church in Milton. His sister Elizabeth was married to Jacob Bastian, who owned a pottery on Arch Street, across from where the Standard-Journal office is now, for about 30 years until his death in 1858.
John's son Elijah inherited the family farm in Potts Grove, and Elijah’s son, Seth Comly Hill, was a Milton merchant, and owned the building on the NE corner of Center and Front Streets from 1871 until 1880, when the family lost everything in the fire. His wife, Rachel Angeny, was the daughter of Abraham Angeny, the only person to die in the great fire.
Seth's son, Harry Martin Hill (my grandfather) married Mary Louisa Cadwallader, daughter of Albert Cadwallader, who was a prominent Milton businessman. He built the Milton Realty building on the corner of Broadway and Front Street in 1910. Harry's son Seth Arthur Hill married Ruth Young Chapin. They owned the Holland Tearoom at 15 Broadway from 1924-1926. Ruth was the daughter of Clarence A. Chapin and Hettie Haag. Hettie was the daughter of Benneville K. Haag, who built the Hotel Haag on Front Street in 1890.
The list goes on, but I have made my point. For further information on these and many other Milton people of years past, you are invited to peruse the site, which has search capability under Families in the menu. There are also links to specific families throughout the site in the form of a Search button on many of the pages. I am always happy to hear from people who have enjoyed the site or found it helpful. Additions, corrections and updates are always welcome. I try to limit the site to events before 1930 to protect privacy.
Larry Hill