Scanned newspaper page from Image 5 of Ladysmith news (Ladysmith, Wis.), March 23, 1907, 1907-03-23 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America)
Scanned newspaper page from Image 5 of Ladysmith news (Ladysmith, Wis.), March 23, 1907, 1907-03-23 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America)

People

P. Hill

P. Hill was an Dundee, Illinois-based nurseryman operating during the Progressive Era, advertising under the trade designation "Evergreen Specialist." Beyond this single documented advertisement, the details of Hill's life — including full name, dates of birth or death, and personal history — remain unknown to local historians.

Scanned newspaper page from Image 5 of Ladysmith news (Ladysmith, Wis.), March 23, 1907, 1907-03-23 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America)
Scanned newspaper page from Image 5 of Ladysmith news (Ladysmith, Wis.), March 23, 1907, 1907-03-23 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America) | Source: Library of Congress, Chronicling America

Known Activities

As of March 1907, P. Hill was operating a nursery business in Dundee, Illinois, specializing in hardy evergreens and forest trees. Hill placed at least one advertisement in the Ladysmith News (Ladysmith, Wisconsin), suggesting a regional mail-order trade that extended well beyond the immediate Dundee area. (Source: ladysmith_news_1907-03-23_seq5)

The advertisement offered what Hill described as "50 bargain lots" priced between $1 and $10 per 100 trees, with freight prepaid — a pricing structure consistent with wholesale or semi-wholesale nursery trade common in the Midwest during this period. Hill also advertised a free catalog and bargain sheet, indicating a reasonably organized mail-order operation. (Source: ladysmith_news_1907-03-23_seq5)

To establish credibility, Hill reportedly claimed to have planted a five-acre grove on the Minnesota prairies, valued at $5,000 — a testimonial-style marketing claim that was common in nursery advertising of the era. Whether this claim can be independently verified is not presently known.

The use of the specific trade title "Evergreen Specialist" suggests Hill may have positioned the business to serve customers seeking windbreaks, shelterbelts, or ornamental plantings, which were in high demand on the prairies of the upper Midwest during the early twentieth century.

Timeline

DateEvent
March 23, 1907Advertisement for P. Hill, Evergreen Specialist, Dundee, Illinois, appears in the Ladysmith News (Ladysmith, Wisconsin), offering hardy evergreens, forest trees, and nursery stock by mail order. (Source: ladysmith_news_1907-03-23_seq5)
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Notes on the Record

This page is based on a single documented source — a newspaper advertisement — and should be regarded as a preliminary record. The "Dundee, Illinois" referenced in the advertisement most likely corresponds to the Dundee Township area in Kane County, which encompasses both East Dundee and West Dundee. It is not presently possible to determine whether Hill's nursery was situated within the present boundaries of East Dundee specifically. Further research in Kane County property records, township directories, and Illinois nursery licensing records from the 1900s and 1910s may help clarify Hill's identity and the precise location of the operation.

Sources