Reuben A. Hill, 1839-1905
A Better Soldier than Husband
 
Buried in Rosedale, North section, Block 168, Grave 7

(Grave marker photo courtesy of the
​Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.)

Reuben A. Hill was born November 5, 1839, in Naples, Cumberland County, Maine. He was the son of John Hill and Rebecca Garland, farmers in the area. Farming did not seem to be in Reuben’s future, however. By 1860, he was already in San Francisco, California, working as a common laborer.
 
That changed with the outbreak of the Civil War, when Reuben Hill enlisted in the Union Army for a term of three years. On September 29, 1861, he mustered in at Camp Downey, near Oakland, California, as a third corporal in Co. I, 1st California Infantry. 
 
As part of the California Column commanded by Colonel James H. Carleton, Hill’s unit was posted to the New Mexico Territory, where it saw action against the Confederates at Picacho Peak, Arizona. Hill seems to have been an effective soldier. He was promoted to sergeant and then commissioned a captain in Co. K, 1st New Mexico Volunteers (New), at Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory, Feb. 29, 1864. Captain Hill resigned at Fort Union, New Mexico Territory, on February 6, 1866. 
 
After the war, Hill returned to Maine where he married Vesta Marhon Whittier on January 19, 1865, presumably while on leave from his military duties. They remained married until January 1880, when Reuben divorced Vesta so that he could marry a widow, Jane Tyler Burrell Wilson.
 
Jane later alleged that Hill drank excessively and was abusive. By the time he moved out in 1894, he had spent all of Jane’s money. Destitute, Jane was forced to move in with her married daughter. Although Hill suggested that Jane divorce him, she did not do so—possibly because of the social stigma of being a divorced woman.
 
Reuben Hill then secured a loan from another widow, Olivia S. W. Payne, with which he purchased a hotel in Strafford, New Hampshire. He remained in New Hampshire until about 1902, when he sold the hotel and moved to Arizona to speculate in mines. Once in Phoenix, Hill was cagey about his past and intimated that he had traveled in Europe on a mission for the U. S. government’s secret service. 
 
On December 7, 1905, Reuben Hill died of a broken neck when thrown from his wagon near his mining property at Cave Creek, Arizona Territory. He was buried in Rosedale Cemetery, North section,  Block 168, Grave 7.
           
Hill’s widow Jane did not learn of his death until her son-in-law saw a notice published in a Boston newspaper. Since she was still legally married to Hill at the time of his death, she applied for and received a widow’s pension based on his Civil War service.
 
©2022 by the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc. Last revised 8 September 2022.

This December, we will commemorate 12 pioneers from our historic cemetery who passed away during this month. Through this countdown, we honor their contributions to our community, reflect on the challenges they faced, and remember the impact they had during their time. While some of their stories are somber, they are an important part of our history, reminding us of the resilience and humanity of those who came before us.

If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!
 

Perlina Swetnam Osborn, 1821-1912
Arizona Pioneer
 
Buried in AOUW Cemetery, Block 17, Lot 4, Grave 2

(Grave marker photo courtesy of the
​Pioneers’ Cemetery Association)

Perlina Elizabeth Swetnam was born on January 21, 1821, in Lawrence County, Kentucky. The daughter of Neri Swetnam and Mildred Cross, she was the youngest of their nine children. As Perlina is an unusual name, she sometimes appears on the census as "Paulina."
 
In March 25, 1841, she married John Preston Osborn, a native of Claiborne County, Tennessee. By 1850, they were farming in Morgan County, Kentucky, and already had four children.
 
Around 1853, the Osborns relocated to Adams County, Iowa. The Civil War was in full swing by 1863 when they moved to Colorado, but they had their sights set on the newly created territory of Arizona. Early in 1864, the Osborns joined a party of emigrants traveling via Santa Fe to northern Arizona. They arrived in Prescott on July 6, 1864, with three or four ox teams and wagons loaded with flour, ham, and bacon which they sold to Prescott’s hungry miners. With flour selling at $1 a pound and bacon at $.75 a pound, they soon had enough capital to begin their family’s new life in Arizona. 
 
The Osborns built Osborn House, one of Prescott’s first hotels, which provided modest accommodations with a menu of pork and beans, bread and coffee. Perlina, by now expecting her tenth child, remained in Prescott to run it, while John Preston explored Del Rio and the Verde Valley and tried his hand at farming and ranching. Unfortunately, his attempts came to naught as the local Yavapai tribesmen repeatedly raided his livestock and crops.
 
The Osborns’ oldest children having reached marrying age, daughter Jenettie wed Joseph Thomas Barnum in 1865, and Louisa married an up-and-coming lawyer named John Alsap on June 6, 1866. However, the alliance was short-lived as she died barely a year later.
 
The Osborn's son, John Jr., along with his erstwhile brother-in-law, John Alsap, moved south to the Salt River Valley in 1869, and John Sr. and Perlina joined them in January 1870, establishing a homestead at what would become McDowell and Seventh Street.
 
Once again, the Osborns were among the first white families to settle in a pioneer town. John Preston, now in his sixties, became an influential citizen of the new town. Perlina was known for her nursing skills, and the Osborns hosted many a traveling minister during Phoenix’s early years.
 
When John Preston Osborn died on January 19, 1900, he was buried in the A.O.U.W. Cemetery. Around the time of Osborn's death, the street that ran along the south side of the Osborns' farm became known as Osborn Road, a tribute to this pioneer family. 
 
Perlina passed away on December 3, 1912, at the age of 91. 
 
© 2024 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised November 28, 2024.

This December, we will commemorate 12 pioneers from our historic cemetery who passed away during this month. Through this countdown, we honor their contributions to our community, reflect on the challenges they faced, and remember the impact they had during their time. While some of their stories are somber, they are an important part of our history, reminding us of the resilience and humanity of those who came before us.
​
If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!

And on our 12th Day of Christmas
please join us on a special remembrance and celebration of the life of Thomas Hayden, a very special man, who devoted a significant amount of time to plotting the graves of the interred of the historic cemeteries of Phoenix and rejuvenated the Pioneers' Cemetery Association! Yes, he has a special place in our hearts on our 40th Anniversary year! Enjoy the graphic of his short bio and a few historic photos and memories.