Mary Vesta Hill (maiden name: Smartt) was born on August 23, 1825, in Warren County, Tennessee. She married Benjamin Jefferson Hill, and they had one child, who died in infancy. They lived in McMinnville, Tennessee, and her husband worked as a merchant. By 1860, they owned $12,600 of real estate and $18,400 of personal property. Her husband died on January 5, 1880. She remained in McMinnville, and she operated a hotel. By 1900, she was living in her sister’s household in McMinnville. She died there on March 31, 1909.