Hill, Napoleon, 1830-1909

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. The couple had three children: Phoebe Olivia (1886-1963), Charles Niles, Jr. (1890-1930), and Napoleon Hill (1888-1968). Olivia Polk Hill Grosvenor’s father, Napoleon Hill (1830-1909), made his fortune during the California gold rush, spending 1850-1857 in California. Upon his return to Memphis, he married Mary Martin Wood (1835-1922), daughter of Benigna Polk Wood (1816-1887) and William H. Wood (1814-1888), a large planter. Hill then established a series of firms in Memphis, culminating in the formation, with Nolan Fontaine, of Hill Fontaine and Co., a large inland cotton house.