Bio-Firestone, DellaHilling

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Della (Firestone) Hilling
(1885-1940)

Della T. (Firestone) Hilling was born on April 26, 1885 in Connellsville, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of George E. and Barbara (Minerd) Firestone Sr.

During her teenage years, Della lived with her parents at the Continental No. 2 mine.

Four days before Christmas 1904, at Connellsville, Della married William T. Hilling (1875-1919), the son of Nelson and Catherine Hilling. He was 10 years her senior, and may have been married before. They lived at Chalk Hill near Uniontown, PA.

The Hillings had nine children -- Annabelle Herring, Edward T. "Bo" Hilling, William Woodrow Hilling, Arthur Hilling, George N. Hilling, Mabel Bishoff, Nellie G. Hilling, Mary Fordyce and Gertrude Marie Hilling.

William was a "retail merchant," working in a local grocery.

Sadly, William died at age 44 on Jan. 13, 1919. The cause of his death is unknown. A 2002 search for his obituary in the old newspaper collection at the Uniontown (PA) Public Library was unsuccessful.

Della outlived her husband by more than two decades. She passed away in the Uniontown Hospital on Aug. 4, 1940, "after a lingering illness," said a local newspaper. She was buried beside her husband in the cemetery of the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church.

~ Son Edward T. "Bo" Hilling ~

Son Edward T. "Bo" Hilling (1919-1975) was a clerk with the National Tube Division of U.S. Steel Corporation in McKeesport, near Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA. He was married to Marguerite Geho ( ? - ? ) and had a son Eric Hilling and daughter Christine Hilling.

Edward lived in Pittsburgh circa 1968. By the mid-1970s, he had returned to Uniontown possibly following a divorce, and was residing at 75 Morgantown Street. His children remained in McKeesport, near Pittsburgh.

He died at the age of 56 on Nov. 18, 1975. Following a funeral at the Jerome W. Shell Funeral Home, he was laid to rest in St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery in Chalk Hill, officiated by Rev. Robert Walsh.

Furnaces of the National Tube works

~ Son William Woodrow Hilling ~

Son William Woodrow Hilling (1917-1968) married Ruth Epley. They resided on 44 Maurice Street in Uniontown and were members of the Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church of Farmington.

The Hillings had five daughters -- Sandra Hilling, Terry Hilling, Susan Hilling, Della Hilling and Cheryl Hilling.

William was a coal miner and member of the United Mine Workers of America. In 1968, he was employed at the Karen Mine in Fredericktown, Washington County, PA. Tragically, William died suddenly at work on Aug. 5, 1968. He was laid to rest in Lafayette Memorial Park near Uniontown.

~ Daughter Annabelle (Hilling) Herring ~

Daughter Annabelle Hilling ( ? - ? ) married Paul Eugene Herring.

Circa 1936, they lived at Hopwood, Fayette County. Later, they resided in Farmington, Fayette County.

~ Daughter Mary (Hilling) Fordyce ~

Daughter Mary Hilling ( ? - ? ) married (?) Fordyce. Circa 1968, they made their home in Clifton, TX.

~ Daughter Gertrude Marie Hilling ~

Daughter Gertrude Hilling (1906-1936) resided in Chalk Hill near Uniontown. She apparently never married. At the age of 15, she moved into the home of F.W. Gleason at Chalk Hill.

She had one daughter, Betty Jane Hilling. They were members of the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church.

Gertrude suffered from heart disease, and in November 1936, at the age of 30, was admitted to the Uniontown Hospital for treatment. She was unable to recover, and died in the hospital on Feb. 25, 1936. Following a funeral held at the Gleason home, she was laid to rest at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery.

~ Son George Hilling ~

Son George Hilling ( ? - ? ) married Mabel Staup ( ? - ? ), daughter of George and Anna (McNair) Staup of Ohiopyle, Fayette County.

The Hillings resided in Farmington. George worked for the Uniontown School District.

~ Son Arthur Hilling ~

Son Arthur Hilling ( ? - ? ) lived in Farmington in 1968.

~ Daughter Mabel (Hilling) Bishoff ~

Daughter Mabel Hilling ( ? - ? ) married Elmer W. Bishoff ( ? - ? ), son of Homer and Olive E. (Ramsey) Bishoff.

They resided in Farmington. In 1994, a photograph of Elmer, a member of the 1915-1916 elementary school class at Mt. Washington School, was published in the book, Yesteryear in Ohiopyle and Surrounding Communities, Vol. II, compiled by author Marci Lynn McGuinness.

Granddaughter Frances Bishoff married Louis H. "Spiz" Randlett (1927-2005). Said the Uniontown Herald-Standard, Spiz was a:

...self-made businessmen, ... employed by I.N. Hagan Milk and Ice Cream Company of Uniontown, Pa., during the 1940s. He then ran a service station in Farmington as well as the National Highway Motor Sales auto dealership in Markleysburg, Pa. After serving two years in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict he took over partnership in 1953 of the Uniontown Farm Equipment Company where he remained in successful business for 27 years. While in business, he served four years on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Farm and Power Association... He was a member of Mount Washington Presbyterian Church, Farmington, for over 60 years where he served as an Elder, Deacon and Trustee, and Property Committee Chairperson and was instrumental in the development and care taking of the church cemetery. He served on the Board of Directors for the Izaak Walton League of Uniontown. He was a Charter Member of the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department.

~ Daughter Nellie Hilling ~

Daughter Nellie Hilling ( ? - ? ) never married. She worked for the White Swan Hotel and at the Uniontown Hospital Gift Shop for decades. The White Swan, along the National Highway (Route 40), is seen here in the years before it was converted to a personal care home.

Nellie, Gertrude and Edward are buried with their parents at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery.