James H. Hile was born in August, 1840, in a part of Penn township which has become incorporated with Lumber City, Clearfield county. Pa., a son of Anthony and Emily (Bloom) Hile, and a grandson of Henry and Mary (Johnson) Hile.

James H. Hile attended school in Penn township as opportunity offered in his youth and spent a number of years working as a stone mason and in making square timber and also as a clerk in a store at Lumber City.

For the last twenty-five years of his active life his business was that of scaling logs and was so engaged in Clearfield and Jefferson counties. Pa., and also in West Virginia. This business requires the accuracy and a mathematical sureness of vision and the workers in this field, therefore, are not as numerous as in many others.

James H. Hile settled at Lumber City after his marriage, where he was elected a justice of the peace, and served one term as auditor of Clearfield county, on the Democratic ticket.

He is interested in the Curwensville National Bank [Organized by John Patton (1823-1897) in 1864. They were not related.]

In 1861 he was married to Miss Mary H. Henry, a daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Moore) Henry, residents then of Ferguson township, Clearfield county.1776