Robert Hitch Jr.

Obituary of Robert Hitch from the "El Paso Journal", Thursday, Aug 3, 1933. (Prominent on front page. A photo was included; unusual for that paper, especially in that time period, and the only Hitch obituary found to date that has a photo. Also, Robert Hitch was written up in the Woodford County early settlers book of 1869.)

Robert Hitch Dies

Oldest Resident of El Paso Passes on at Age of 93 Years 6 Months and 26 Days.
-- Monday afternoon just before 4:00 o'clock, following a gradual decline of twelve weeks' duration, Robert Hitch died at his home on west Main Street, El Paso, where he had resided for the past twenty-eight years. Death resulted solely from loss of vitality ascribed to advanced age, and not as the aftermath of a paralytic stroke he was erroneously reported to have encountered some weeks ago. His tired body was afflicted with no disease of any nature, his trouble being merely a physical exhaustion to which he gradually succumbed.

Born in England
Robert Hitch was born in Norfolk, England, the second son and child born to Robert Hitch Sr. and Mary A. (Sharp) Hitch. There were six sons and two daughters in the family, born in the following order: Stephen S., Robert Jr., Charles J., Susanna, William A., Henry, Harry and Sarah Jane. Robert, just now deceased, was the last survivor of his generation. Immediately preceding him in death were two brothers, Stephen who died in Chatsworth in October 1931 at the age of 93 and Charles J. who died in Georgia in 1929, aged 87.

The Hitch family migrated from England to this country in 1863 when the younger Robert was 23 years of age. They settled in Woodford county, near El Paso, where the father died on April 7, 1877, age 73, and the mother on February 20, 1891, aged 77. On arriving here Robert engaged as a farm hand for a time. He was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary Bowman, widow of Thomas Bowman who died in 1870, and the daughter of John Ellis who was one of lower Palestine's early settlers and who later became a resident of El Paso. The date of the Hitch-Bowman nuptials was February 22, 1872, Rev. William North officiating. The year previous to his marriage Robert purchased a farm of his own. The land comprises a quarter section southwest of El Paso whereon he and Mrs. Hitch resided until they retired to this city in 1905, having purchased the residence property of the Major Wahten estate. Here Mrs. Hitch died on April 20, 1931, and Mr. Hitch on last Monday.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hitch, only two of whom are living, Roy and Joseph of El Paso. Harry died in 1919, Grace in 1913, and Robert E. in 1922. Two children of Mrs. Hitch's first marriage were Mrs. Laura (Bowman) DeBolt who died in 1921, and Mrs. William (Bowman) Danner now residing in Dallas Center Iowa. Besides the home farm here Mr. Hitch owned a farm in Indiana.

When the First National Bank of El Paso was organized in 1883, following the failure of the Tompkins bank, Robert Hitch was one of the stockholders of the new institution, a connection he maintained until the First National Bank failed in December, 1931. He served as director from 1896 to 1903 and as vice president from 1906 to 1926, a period of twenty-one years. Mr. Hitch was also a stockholder in the First National Bank of Secor closed last February 1.

Mr. Hitch was always an ardent Republican in politics, but never aspired to or would accept an office. He was a member of the El Paso Methodist church. While both he and Mrs. Hitch were born in England, they never met until coming to Woodford county some sixty or more years ago. Mr. Hitch was one of the few citizens of this county to remember Abraham Lincoln, and a short time ago showed us a silk memorial badge he procured in Springfield on the day of the martyred president's funeral which he attended in 1865.

This picture accompanying this item was made from a photograph taken a few years ago before Mr. Hitch discarded his beard.

Funeral This Afternoon
Funeral services will be held this afternoon from the home at 2:00 o'clock and from the M.E. church at 2:30, Rev. R. M. Howard officiating. Mrs. Danner of Iowa was among those who came yesterday to attend the services. Interment will be in the family lot in Evergreen cemetery. Mr. Hitch's commitment will be the third in Evergreen of his family whose given name was Robert, his father, his son and himself.

Robert married Mary E. Ellis, daughter of John Ellis and Mary Nettleton, on 22 Feb 1872 in Woodford Co., IL.^{1 2 3} (Mary E. Ellis was born on 25 Feb 1841 in Yorkshire, England,^{1 3 4 9 10 11 12} died on 20 Apr 1931 in El Paso, Woodford Co., IL ^{1 4 13} and was buried about 23 Apr 1931 in Evergreen Cemetery, El Paso, Woodford Co., IL ¹.)

A copy of an article from a December (8, 9 or 10) 1928 newspaper from Illinois (near El Paso) was sent to me by William H. Hitch of Ben Hill Co., Georgia in December 1994. It goes as follows:


Lincoln Had Great Appetite, Says Mrs. Robert Hitch Who as Girl of 16 Prepared Meals for the Emancipator ----------------- Several Dishes Used by Civil War President Still Treasured in the Home ----------------- (By Staff Correspondent) El Paso, Dec. 7.--Abraham Lincoln had a big appetite according to Mrs. Robert Hitch of El Paso, who prepared many meals for the Emancipator when she was just a girl and when Lincoln traveled through Central Illinois while he was practicing law.

Mrs. Hitch recalls that Mr. Lincoln wasn't "finicky" about his food. The only thing was that there would be enough of it and he liked good food. Another outstanding characteristic was that he drank great quantities of coffee. It was quite a task for the host and hostess, Mrs. Hitch says, to set a table that would satisfy his great appetite.

While on his way from the Woodford county courthouse at Metamora to the McLean county courthouse at Bloomington, Mr. Lincoln often stopped at the hotel at Bowling Green. This hotel was operated by William M. Denman and Mrs. Hitch, then Mary E. Ellis, was employed at the hotel when a girl of 16.

Caused Hurry in Kitchen.

Thus she remembers clearly, how it required a hurry and scurry in the kitchen to gather up food in large quantities whenever Mr. Lincoln tossed his saddlebags off under the trees in front of the hotel and announced himself as a guest for dinner.

Mrs. Hitch has been bedfast for some weeks now. She is 87 years old. But she still recalls Lincoln and her memory drifts back often to those early days of hard work and hardship and to the thoughts of those whom she knew then.

Mr. Hitch also knew Mr. Lincoln. One of the keepsakes he treasures is the badge he wore to the Emancipator's funeral at Springfield. The badge is a heavy ribbon on which is pinned a button with Mr. Lincoln's picture. Under the picture, on the ribbon, is printed the words, "We mourn the nation's loss, Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1865."

Oldest Man in El Paso.

Mr. and Mrs. Hitch are two of the few persons who remain in Central Illinois who knew Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Hitch is 88 years old, the oldest man in El Paso. He is in good health and walks downtown nearly every day.

As a girl, Mrs. Hitch recalls wondering at the lanky, gawky Lincoln. He was, she said, one of the most "homely" men she had ever seen. She recalls that he enjoyed talking and telling stories and that he was a most welcome guest.

"A better man never lived that Abraham Lincoln," Mrs. Hitch says. She says that he would have give his last penny to the poor.

Dishes out of which Lincoln ate at the Denman hotel are still in the possession of Mrs. Hitch. When all the members of the Denman family had died, the dishes were passed on to Mrs. Hitch who has had them for some time. The dishes are of a rather plain design with a blue figure of a flower on the outside. The pieces appear to be of good quality and age seems to have had little effect on them.

Mr. and Mrs. Hitch were both born in England. They did not know each other then but met and married in El Paso. They have been married 56 years. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. William North in 1872. Mr. Hitch came to the vicinity in 1860 when he was 20 years old. An uncle and aunt here had encouraged him to come from England. For some years he worked on a farm and then farmed for himself.

The trying times of those early days still are fresh in the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Hitch. They worked hard and times were not easy. Mrs. Hitch recalls that often they went to bed hungry.

Comfortable Now.

The story of their hardships seems almost impossible as one looks about the well furnished, large home in El Paso. In addition to this large residence, they own three farms, 178 acres near Wolcott, Ind., and 160 acres in two farms west of El Paso. And Mr. Hitch calls attention to the fact that he borrowed part of the money from an uncle to come from England here. For 23 years they have lived in El Paso after retiring from the farm.

Among the incidents recalled from those early days, was that they walked to Panola to Sunday school. There were no buildings in El Paso at that time.

Mrs. Hitch recalls the first burial in the El Paso cemetery. A Mrs. Frost who traveled, became ill while staying at the hotel. She died and was buried in the cemetery that had just been opened. Her grave was east of the entrance, Mrs. Hitch says, and for years its exact location was known. With no mark over the grave, however, in later years the exact location of the plot was forgotten.

In 1870, Mr. Hitch made and extended trip through the western part of the United States. At that time he remembers having seen thousands of buffalo in herds. One of the things he prizes now is a collection of pictures and cards that are illustrations of the country he has seen in travels some years ago. Mr. Hitch has two brothers, Stephen S. Hitch, 90, of Chatsworth and Charles Hitch, 86, of Fitzgerald, Ga.