Israel Hill developed as a community of free black people in

Prince Edward County, Virginia Prince Edward County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,849. Its county seat is Farmville. History Formation and county seats Prince Edward County was formed in the Virginia Colony in ...

along the

Appomattox River The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia in the United ...

around 1810. It was established by Judith Randolph after the death of her husband Richard Randolph who inherited land and slaves from his father. He was a nephew of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. In 2009 a historical marker commemorating the community was erected. It is now part of

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...

Melvin Patrick Ely Melvin Patrick Ely (pronounced ; born 1952 in Richmond, Virginia) is an history professor and author in Virginia. He has written books about ''Amos 'n' Andy'' and Israel Hill. Life He grew up in Richmond and graduated from Princeton University ...

, a history professor at the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

, wrote ''Israel on the Appomattox'' about the community.

References

African-American history of Virginia Populated places in Cumberland County, Virginia 1810 establishments in Virginia {{Virginia-geo-stub