Joseph Hills (Massachusetts)

Joseph R. Hills Sr.
An engraving of Joseph Hills’ property c. 1680s
Magistrate for Middlesex County
In office 1665–1669
5th Speaker of the House of Deputies
In office 1647–1647
Member of the Massachusetts House of Deputies
In office 1667–1667
In office 1643–1656
In office 1638–1641
Personal details
Born	(1602-03-03)3 March 1602 Essex, Kingdom of England
Died	5 February 1688(1688-02-05) (aged 85) Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony
Spouse(s)	Rose Clarke Hannah Smith Helen Atkinson Anne Hills
Children	17, including Joseph Hills Jr.
Relatives	Hills family
Occupation	settler, militia officer, politician
Known for	1st generation patriarch of the Hills family, and founder of Malden, Massachusetts
Nickname	Joseph Hills of Malden
Military service
Rank	Captain

Captain Joseph Ralph Hills Sr. was an English-American politician and settler of Massachusetts in the seventeenth century. He served several political roles in the colony, including Speaker of the House of Deputies.

Early life & Family

Joseph Hills was born in 1602 to George Hill and Mary Symonds. His maternal great-great-grandfather was Sir Stephen Hyde (1475–1545) and his paternal great-great-grandfather was Sir Thomas Smith of Hill Hall. Another paternal great-great-grandfather, Reinhard Stäger Hills, died at the Battle of Gembloux (1578). He had four wives in his life, having a total of 17 children with them.

Immigration & Political Career

Joseph Hills immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and started serving in the Massachusetts House of Deputies. He would go on to be the selectman of Malden and was also Speaker of the House of Deputies as well as magistrate for Middlesex County and a captain in the local militia.

Later life & Legacy

Joseph Hills Historic Marker in Malden

Joseph Hills Sr. died in 1688 at the age of 86. He has many tens of thousands of descendants today including Ebenezer Hills Jr., Walt Disney, Bill Nye, Raquel Welch, Sam Waterston, Ben Affleck, Lucretia Garfield, and Tim Daly.