William Grant Hillman was born on August 10, 1865, in Camden, NJ, the sixth of nine children of Edward Hillman and Margaret Grant. Edward Hillman, born on October 2, 1834, moved to Camden’s Middle Ward in the 1850s. By 1860, he was single, living with Samuel and Abigail Osler, and working as a deck hand on a Delaware River boat. Edward married Margaret Grant, and their son, James Hillman, was born around 1862.
By 1870, Edward was piloting a steam-powered ferry for the West Jersey Ferry Company and living in the Middle Ward with his family, which included Margaret and their three children: James (8), William (4), and Margaret (2). By 1880, they resided at 227 Benson Street, along with Jesse (5) and George (2). Edward continued to work as a ferry pilot, and William, at age 15, was still in school. Edward remained with the West Jersey Ferry until it was absorbed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, continuing under new management through at least 1890.
In 1883 and 1884, the Hillman family lived at the corner of South 5th and Stevens Street, then moved to 624 South 2nd Street in 1885. They were listed at 312 Mickle Street in the 1887-1889 City Directories and at 330 Royden Street by 1890.
William Hillman first appeared in the Camden City Directories in 1888-1889 as a deck hand, likely for the Pennsylvania Ferry, living at 26 Market Street. By 1890, he lived at 617 South 3rd Street, near his father’s home on Royden Street, in the house of another ferry pilot, George Hillman, who may have been related. William later worked as a “wheelman” and, in November 1899, joined the Camden Fire Department, serving with Ladder Company 2.
The 1900 Census recorded William as single, boarding with widow Caroline Martin at 214 Beckett Street. His mother, Margaret, passed away in 1900, and his father, Edward, died on October 6, 1903. On March 16, 1906, Fireman Hillman died alongside firefighters George Shields and William Jobes while fighting a fire at the former Sixth Regiment Armory at 4th and Mickle Streets. William was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, survived by his brothers George and Jesse and their families. His grave was unmarked until May 2006, when efforts by Camden Fire Department photographer Bob Bartosz and others provided him a headstone.
By 1906, Caroline and Arthur Martin had moved to 239 Beckett Street, and it is likely that William continued boarding with them until his death. George and Louisa Hillman divorced after the 1914 Camden City Directory was compiled. In January 1920, George was still living in Camden but not with his family. Jesse Hillman was also in Camden in 1920, still childless with his wife.
By 1924, George and Jesse Hillman were no longer listed in Camden. George Hillman’s daughter Emma married Edwin Van Horn by April 1930, living on River Road in the Delair section of Pennsauken, NJ. George Hillman and his youngest son, Frank L. Hillman, lived with the Van Horns, while George Jr. and William K. Hillman (named after his firefighter uncle) lived elsewhere in Delair. The Hillman family remained in the area as of 2006.
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