EARLY LIFE AND EXPERIENCES

I was born Jan. 25, 1843 in what is now Ontario, formerly called Upper Canada, or Canada West. My forefathers on both my father's and my mother's side were Quakers. My father's name was Walter Hill, and my mother's maiden name was Phoebe Brown.

About the first thing I can remember was going to a Quaker meeting. Their meetings were held every Sunday and Wednesday, called by the Quakers first day and fourth day. Oft-times they would sit in silence for an hour or two, until some of the older brethren would shake hands, which would be the signal for all to rise, shake hands and go home. The men would sit with their hats on during meeting.

Another peculiarity of this peculiar people was, that the men and women would by no means sit together during divine service; but the fathers would take their sons and the mothers their daughters, and sit in their respective parts of the church. I can see them now; in my mind's eye, as they filed into the meeting house-- the brethren in their Quaker coats and hats, and the sisters in their plain dresses and huge bonnets, a good and upright people, saying "thee" and "thou", and addressing one another, no matter how old or venerable, as James, or John, or Martha, or Mary, as the case might be.

When I was quite young, we lived for two years in the township of Malahide, not far from Lake Erie, where my father ran a sawmill. We boys took great delight in swimming, for which the creek and mill pond afforded splendid facilities.

Before I learned to swim, I had a very narrow escape from drowning, which happened on this wise: A lot of boys coming home from school could not resist the temptation to go in swimming. I was only seven years old, and had not yet learned to swim. There was a ridge in the bottom of the creek, that I could wade across on; but if I went to the right or left, I would go in overhead. I waded across all right with the water up to the chin, but coming back I went too far to the left, and went down out of sight. The large boys that could have helped as well as not, were so frightened that they could not do a thing but look on. I knew I must get out of there somehow, and every time my toes