History of the American Negro: West Virginia Edition

James Levi Hill

96 history american negro and seeks to lead them along lines of right thinking and action not only from the pulpit on Sunday but steadily and constantly through his personal contact with them. As a result he has the confidence of young and old. Another thing should be said also. His relationship with his white neighbors has always been cordial, wherever he has gone, and it is not unusual for him to have attentive white hearers in his congregations. In politics Mr. Hill is a Republican, and among the secret and benevolent orders affiliates with the Odd Fellows, the Masons, the Eastern Star and the Heroines of Jericho. He is Chaplain of the Odd Fellows and Grand Chaplain of the Masons. Strugglingupfromslaverythroughpovertyandobscuritytoaplace of large usefulness, Mr. Hill has not only succeeded; he has pointed the way by which other struggling boys may rise. These self-made men constitute one of the greatest assets of the race. Mr. Hill has intimate personal knowledge of conditions among the people, and he believes that the greatest need of the race today is a practical spirit of mutual helpfulness and co-operation. James Levi Hill Few states, in proportion to population, have contributed to other states more men who have become successful in their chosen lines of work than the Old North State. Prof. James Levi Hill, principal of the colored schools of Bluefield, is one of these. He was born at the old town of Reidsville, N. C., near the Virginia border, on February 20, 1881. His father, James D. Hill, was the son of David and Jane Hill. The mother of our subject, before her marriage, was Caroline Virginia Harris , who was the daughter of Levi and Alsey Harris, and Levi Harris was the son of Nathan and Sarah Harris. Somewhere in the early ancestry was a free woman, as the grandparents of Prof. Hill were “issue free” as the legal term went. james levi hill and family 98 history american negro Young Hill attended the public schools of North Carolina and Virginia as a boy, most of his boyhood and youth being spent at Martinsville , Va., where he attended the Presbyterian Parochial School. Later, when the father secured a government job, and the family moved to Washington, D. C., he went to school there. For his college work he went to Kittrell College, N. C., finishing there in 1903. The way to an education was not easy, but he refused to be discouraged and cheerfully accepted whatever work was available in order to pay his way in school. The happy, helpful influence of a Godly mother, together with the wholesome influence of a small Sunday School, in which he was a teacher and later superintendent, held him steady during the formative years of boyhood and youth. The lives of great men like Franklin, Washington and Lincoln were also helpful. He began his work as a teacher at Martinsville, Va., in 1903, as assistant principal. He passed from that to the principalship, and while there did summer work in the Martinsville Christian Institute. During his principalship ground was acquired for the relocation of new building for colored schools. School was moved from Brown St. to Genoa Avenue, and a new building constructed. In 1903 he resigned and accepted appointment from Governor H. D.Hatfield,as superintendent of WestVirginia Colored Orphans Home. A system of receiving children was adopted and a system of placement . A field agent was appointed, who found homes and foster parents for the unfortunate children. This home was a state institution. During his administration the appropriation was increased from $10,000.00 per year to $12,000.00 for current expenses, $2,500.00 to $3,500.00 per year for repairs and improvements. A modern $7,000.00 barn and silo were constructed in which “The James” sanitary fixtures were placed. A brick engine house constructed, in which was placed a Foos gas engine, a filteration system, worked out whereby the institution had a full supply of water at all times. A $30,000.00 wing was built, in which was nursery, dormitory for girls, parlor, school room, drawing room, laundry and quarters for west virginia edition 99 superintendent and family. School room was equipped with desks of a modern make and adjustable; a farm of 190 acres was cleaned up; an orchard of 500 Ben David and Roman Beauty apples pruned and a new orchard...