^>^ 



tfolume 



The Late Geo. E. Hilton 



On July 12, 1911, there passed from earth one of 

 the kindliest of men, and also one of the most promi 

 nent bee-keepers of this country. Geo. E. Hilton was 

 favorably known not only in beedom, but also as a 

 valued citizen and member of society in the State of 

 Michigan. 



Mr. Hilton was born in 1847, at Leighton, Bedford 

 County, England, and came to this country with his 

 mother when he was but 5 years old, in the fall of 1851. 



%ll>r 





The family located near Cleveland, Ohio, where they 

 remained for 5 years, and then moved to Hillsdale 

 County, Mich., where they lived until ISfM, when Mr. 

 Hilton went to Fremont, which was his home ever 

 since, excepting for 2 years that he passed in the Ozark 

 Mountains of the South. 



Mr. Hilton held many important positions in civic 

 and religious life, among them being for two terms a 

 member of the Michigan Legislature, and for many 



years superintendent of the Congregational Sunday- 

 school where he lived. For 13 years he held the 

 office of post-master at Fremont. In 1909 he was 

 president of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 and presided at the meeting in Sioux City, Iowa. 



For many years Mr. Hilton was a leading bee- 

 keeper of his State, having as high as 2-50 colonies of 

 bees, from which he averaged, for 8 years, 75 pounds 

 of honey per colony. Latterly he kept about 100 colo- 

 nies, and also conducted a bee-supply business. 



It will be seen from the foregoing that Mr. Hilton 

 was a very busy man, interested in many lines of 

 work, and always successful. He was a man of good 

 judgment, fearless for the right, and interested in 

 everything that was for the advancement and up- 

 building of the community, as well as everything that 

 tended to the betterment of humanity everywhere. 



Mr. Hilton had been sick since last January, with 

 cancer of the stomach, his condition growing very 

 rapidly serious until within about a month before his 

 death, when hope of his recovery was abandoned. 



He came to Chicago July 10, 1911, to consult a 

 specialist in one of the most noted hospitals, but after 

 examination and consultation, it was decided that it 

 would be useless to perform an operation, as his 

 trouble was too faradvanced. He returned to Fremont 

 the evening of July 11th, and passed away the afternoon 

 of the next day, only a few hours after his arrival. 



Mr. Hilton was united in marriage to Elizabeth 

 Copeland,27 years ago. They had 4 children— Huber, 

 Gladys, Stockbridge, and Marjorie— who, with Mrs. 

 Hilton, remain to mourn the departure of a loving 

 and faithful father and husband. 



It was our privilege to spend about 2 hours with 

 Mr. Hilton in the hospital here in Chicago, and also 

 some time on the boat previous to his crossing Lake 

 Michigan for his home. He realized that he could 

 not live, and spoke hopefully of the future Home. 



Thus, one by one are our prominent bee-keepers 

 and other friends leaving this earth. Only about 6 

 weeks previous to Mr. Hilton's death, Mr. Hutchinson 

 passed away. In so brief a time were two of Michi- 

 gan's noted bee-keepers removed from the field ol 

 action. But the influence of their lives will remain tc 

 encourage those who are still in the ranks, and alsc 

 those others who will come into the field of bee- 

 keeping for many years in the future. It is not eas) 

 to estimate the debt that the present status of apicul- 

 ture owes to such men as Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Hilton, 

 and otiiers who have gone on before. The results 

 of their efforts to uplift and advance the interests ol 

 bee-keepers will remain, though they themselves pass 

 on to higher realms. They will be missed in the 

 gatherings of bee-keepers, both State and National, 

 For something like a third of a century their help and 

 influence have been felt among their fellows. And 

 those of us who remain to continue apiarian work can 

 but resolve to profit by the teachings and efforts 

 which they invested in the field of bee-keeping. 



