When Leonard was 26 years old he married Sally Forbush. They became the parents of 10 children. They began their married life in Peterborough, building a home there. Leonard was a carpenter by trade, and their home was very comfortable and convenient for that period. In 1841, they were contacted by Mormon missionaries and converted to the Gospel. They were the only ones of their families to join the church and were ostracized from both their families and their friends.
In 1843 they decided to leave their comfortable home and move to Nauvoo to be with the main body of the church. Their families simply regarded them as lost. Adding to their sadness of being rejected by their families, in September of 1843, their youngest child at that time, Justus Franklin, age 5, died in Nauvoo.
After their arrival in Nauvoo, Leonard helped build many homes in that area. He built a new home for his family near the edge of town. It was never completely finished before they were forced to leave.
The Hill family rejoiced in being with the Saints. They were grateful for their association with the Prophet Joseph Smith, and were diligent in accepting and following his leadership and counsel. They were firm and true to their faith. As with the other faithful Saints, their grief was heavy when the Prophet and his brother Hyrum were martyred. In connection with this event, their daughter, Maria, related the following, "One day I was sitting on the doorstep of our home when the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum stopped at our home and came to the well to get a drink. The cup they used was kept in the family for a long time."
The family was driven from Nauvoo in May of 1846. Dreadful indeed were the sufferings of these forsaken beings on this trek west. Leonard Hill became very ill. Being a Priesthood father, undoubtedly he did without, that members of his family might have his meager share. He had endured strenuous labors and persecutions, but endurance has its limits. He passed away September 10, 1846, the exact location unknown. Records show that the baby, Emerald Jasper, passed away 20 days later. Daughter Maria stated, "The Lord blessed us, for a man came to us and seeing our plight, took us to his farm. He gave us one room in his home, put our cattle in his pasture, and buried our father and baby brother on his private burial ground. We stayed there a long time because our mother and older brother Charles were very sick."
Later that year, the Hill family moved on with a group of Saints. By February 1847 they reached the Missouri River in the winter months so they could cross on the ice. Sally Forbush Hill became very sick again, and passed away on the east side of the Missouri River. A hand sled was fashioned by her children, and it is said that her 10-year-old son, Heamon Alison, pulled her to the west side of the river so they could bury her on a hill on the opposite shore.
Only three months later, the oldest brother, Charles, age 18, died, and was buried along the wayside. Out of a family of eleven, only three girls and two boys remained. Sara, the oldest, was sixteen. They had no home, no parents, and no food. The children were left in a settlement, separated into different homes.
Their sister, Sara, soon married a widower by the name of Bingham Bement. He gathered all of the children together to live with him in his one room house. They worked diligently trying to prepare to continue their journey to Utah. In the spring of 1850 they finally continued their trek. They arrived in Salt Lake City in October with only the worn out clothes on their backs. Undoubtedly their parents, Leonard and Sally, were with them along the way.
Ancestral Line: Janeal Kindred Smith... Kent Lewis Kindred... Chloris Hill... Jasper Franklin Hill... Heaman Alison Hill... Leonard Hill
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