Napoleon Hill ...The Merchant Prince of Memphis

Napoleon Hill

... The Merchant Prince of Memphis

Napoleon Hill was an immensely successful businessman who literally had the "Midas Touch". During the research for this page on the "Historic-Memphis" website, we scanned through hundreds of old Memphis newspapers. It's no exaggeration that his name appeared in one or more articles on every page of the papers. And on the pages featuring advertising, his name would be listed as "President" and "Trustee" on NUMEROUS Bank ads or Realty ads. His dominant trade was "Hill, Fontaine, and Co., Cotton Factors and Wholesale Grocers". It's amazing that one man could be associated with so many businesses. It's no wonder that he became the richest man in Memphis, and that his many friends began calling him "The Merchant Prince of Memphis".

Ironically, today he is rarely mentioned or remembered in the City, although his name still appears around town. Recently the Scimitar Building was renovated into a hotel. (Napoleon Hill was part owner of the Scimitar and built this building in 1902). The name of the new deluxe hotel: NAPOLEON HOTEL. Read on for more about this prominent family.

The "Prince's Midas Touch" was involved the businesses below - and MORE:

Grocery

Cotton

Realty

Banking

Steel

Compress

Railway

Click on small photos below to enlarge them.

	Early Life ... Napoleon Hill was born in 1830 in Columbia, Tennessee, near Nashville (Some references say he was born in Bolivar). He was one of 11 children. His father, Duncan was a physician who died when Napoleon was quite young, but he left the widow (Olivia L. Bill) and family well off with an estate over $40,000, which included the Longwood Plantation in Marshall County, Mississippi.
Napoleon Hill

		Hill's mother remarried (Josiah Deloach) in 1848 and she and the large family continued to live on the Hill plantation. According to reports Olivia was the idol of her new husband's life and he checked her opinion on all matters, because "her judgment was unerring and correct".
Columbia, TN	Marshall Co, MS

When he was 16, Napoleon moved to Bolivar, Tennessee where he clerked in a dry goods store. He learned the business well. Three years later he went to California during the Gold Rush. In 1857, he returned to Memphis, $10,000 richer, and ready to invest.
	Bolivar, TN	Gold Rush

With the $10,000 from the Gold Rush, Napoleon opened a cotton brokerage house and a wholesale grocery on the eve of the Civil War. He was a strong Unionist, and sat out the war on his Bolivar farm. After the war he returned to Memphis to build his empire. That original $10,000 company became the third largest cotton-factor and supply business IN THE WORLD, and that's when his friends began calling him "The Merchant Prince of Memphis".


Memphis Front St - Vintage	Early Photo of Memphis Cotton Row	1878 Ad Hill, Fontaine & Co

Hill, Fontaine & Co ...

Hill had become enormously wealthy and in short order became one of the leading businessmen in the city. Plus, he continued to invest more ... in banking and in real estate. With each step he accumulated more wealth and social prominence. He was so successful that at one time he owned much of downtown Memphis. His partner in the Hill, Fontaine & Co. business was another prominent Memphian - Noland Fontaine. Hill concentrated on the Cotton business and Fontaine concentrated on the Grocery Business. The partnership was and remained very strong. Noland Fontaine and his wife had 10 children and lived in a grand home on Adams Avenue. They became known for their famous and lavish parties.


Noland Fontaine	1800 Invoice - Hill, Fontaine & Co.	1880 Invoice


1887 AD	Fontaine Home	Fontaine Obit	Noland Fontaine


Hill-Fontaine Warehouse 31	Hill for Congress?	"Hill Luck"	Napoleon Hill

There are frequent newspaper reports that Napoleon Hill was "...one of the founders of the civic and social life of the city". In additional there are frequent newspaper articles that "Napoleon Hill would assume responsibility to keep everything working like it should. Of course he was very successful at this also. The article above "Hill for Congress?" contains comments from Memphis citizens about what they think of Napoleon Hill.

The Hill Family ...

In 1897, Napoleon married Mary Morton Wood. They had 8 children, William Duncan (1859-1860), Olivia Polk Hill Grosvenor (1861-1934), Nina Wood (1864-1865), Napoleon Jr (1866-1905), May Hill Overton (1868-1964), Edwin Polk (1872-1873), Francis Fontaine "Frank" (1874-1935), Matilda (No info). William and Nina lived only 1 year. Edwin died at 7 months and Napoleon Jr died young at 39.


Mary Morton Wood	Napoleon - Mary	Hill Children	May and a Cousin	Frank


Note from Olivia	Society Notes	Accidental death	Charles-Olivia-Carrie	Charles N Grosvenor

After Napoleon's death, his daughter Olivia Polk Hill Grosvenor inherited the Hill mansion. Olivia who died in 1924, was one of the founder of the Art Association which led to the establishment of the Brooks Museum of Art and the Women's Club of Memphis. Her marriage to Charles Niles Grosvernor in 1885 brought the Hill-Grosvenor families together. The Grosvenor's had 3 children: Charles Jr, Napoleon, and Phoebe Olivia. In 1919 the University Club was chartered and they leased the Hill mansion.

More Investments ...

Memphis was growing, becoming the world's largest cotton market and the nations largest wholesale grocery distribution center. In 1873, Hill helped organize the Memphis Cotton Exchange and headed it in the early 1880s. Cotton men owned and operated the city's cotton compress and storage facilites. Hill succeeded founder Henry Montgomery as head of the Merchants Cotton Press and Storage Company in 1885. The growth continued when Napoleon , Sam Tate, and Robert Snowden formed the Citizens Railway Company. This line was soon absorbed by Memphis City Railroad Co. But Hill's biggest investment was his original Hill, Fontaine and Company, a cotton and wholesale grocery business. And as a sideline Hill owned thousands of shares of Pratt Coal and Coke Company - which became the Birmingham, Alabama steel industry. But there's more. He was also a strong investor in Union and Planters Bank and served as a bank director. Plus he still found time to serve on the School Board.


Cotton Exchange 1873	Merchants Cotton Press and Storage	Citizens Railway Co


4 Men on a Corner	Bank Presidents	Union Planters	1878 Ad	Napoleon Hill

As Memphis grew into the world's leading cotton market and one of the nation's largest wholesale grocery distribution centers, Napoleon Hill became richer, more powerful, and more socially prominent.

Mary Wood Hill ...

Mrs. Napoleon Hill knew how rich the family was and she knew how to spend that money. Scarcely a day went by when she wasn't mentioned in the Society Columns of the newspapers. The famous story about their wealth is the time a daughter was sent to boarding school outside the state. Mrs. Napoleon sent along a personal chef to prepare special dishes for the girl. (It's so ridiculous that it's probably true). During their lives, Napoleon and Mary received extensive coverage in Memphis newspapers for his business activities as well as for their social affairs. She was often referred to as "Queen of Memphis Society".

Mary Wood Hill


The Hill Family	Mary and others	Mary and friends	Napoleon Hill


Women's Club	1919 Article	Mary's Obit

	Silver Anniversary	Mrs. Napoleon Hill
	Mrs. Hill was president of the Beethoven Club of Memphis from 1895 to 1903. She was instrumental in setting up the division that included young pianists. The object of the Beethoven Club is to develop, sustain, and promote Classical Musicians. The Club is still very active.
Great Granddaughter Olivia Polk Hill Evans

The Family Home ...

Hill's businesses and investments made him immensely wealthy, powerful, and socially prominent. You would expect his family to live well? They did. Their home was a grand, ostentatious mansion on the site of the Memphis Sterick building - the corner of 3rd and Madison. The design of the home was French Renaissance style and was built in 1881. It was considered the most opulent mansion in Memphis. But the location of the home in the heart of downtown Memphis , was the mansion's downfall.

Napoleon Hill

Sadly, there are no known photos of any interiors of this fabulous building.


		Destruction of the Building

The Press Scimitar Building ...

In 1902 Napoleon built the Scimitar building across from his home at 3rd and Madison. He was part owner of the Evening Scimitar newspaper. The building was designed in a Beaux-Arts and Romanesque-Revival style and it was a remarkable example of French architecture during the Gilded Age. The architects of the original building were Hunker and Chigazola. The building was renovated in 2016 and is now the deluxe NAPOLEON HOTEL.

Press Scimitar Building - 1909


1891 Scimitar	1903 Scimitar	Hotel Napoleon	Hotel Napoleon - 2024


W. J. Hunker	A. A. Chigazola	Details	Napoleon Hill

As you walk by the building on Madison, look up and you'll still see the original lion details and the N. H. crest. It's one of the few places one will find any trace of Napoleon Hill.

The Sterick Building ...

The owners of the Sterick building made a big mistake when they selected this location for their building. Instead of purchasing the land itself, they signed a 99 year lease with the Hill family. They spent more than $2.5 million to erect a skyscraper on land they didn't own. And the lease terms were that the Hill-Grosvenor Estate would collect monthly payments of $1,500 in the form of gold bullion. Those details have certainly caused problems during the periods when the skyscraper has been sold. Today the great building has been vacant for many years, and is "in mothballs" ... waiting for the next developer who will hopefully renovate it and make use of it.

Sterick Building

	Francis Fontaine "FRANK" Hill Frank Hill followed his father in the various family businesses. He married well (Lizzie Willins) and lived in a grand home on Union Avenue. He and Lizzie had 4 children: Napoleon, Elizabeth, Frank Jr, and Marywood. Sadly Frank is perhaps mostly remembered because of the two year public battle to save his home from being demolished.
Francis Fontaine "Frank" Hill


Newspaper clipping	Napoleon	Home on Union Avenue	Info about the Home


Destruction newspaper articles in no particular order


Destruction newspaper articles in no particular order

Napoleon Hill died in November of 1901 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. At the time of his death, his estate was considered the largest in Tennessee.

According to Google, If someone is described as a "Prince", it's a metaphorical expression which means "someone who is exceptionally good, noble, and admirable in their behavior or character, similar to how a prince is expected to be". It suggests a person who stands out from others due to their exceptional qualities - one who is heads-and-tails above others in their virtues, social skills, and overall character.

Hill Memorial at Elmwood

During the research for this page on Napoleon Hill, we found nothing published about him that would indicate anything other than the above "Google" description of "Prince".

CREDITS

Anyone wishing to research the Hill-Grosvenor families will find papers and photos at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill Libraries. And many of the items are online "Open for research" and with "No usage restrictions". https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/catalog/04191

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The "Historic-Memphis" website would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their contributions which helped make this website possible: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Memphis Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Law Library, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Shelby County Register of Deeds, Memphis City Schools, Memphis Business Men's Club, Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis City Park Commission, Memphis Film Commission, Carnival Memphis, Memphis Historical Railroad Page, Memphis Heritage Inc, Beale Street Historic District, Cobblestone Historic District, Memphis Historic Districts, Vance Lauderdale Family Archives, Tennessee State Archives, Library of Congress, Kemmons Wilson Family, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew, George Whitworth, Woody Savage and many individuals whose assistance is acknowledged on the pages of their contributions. Special thanks to Memphis Realtor, Joe Spake, for giving us carte blanche access to his outstanding collection of contemporary Memphis photos.

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