William Heavenhill...

[boone]

I was going through some pictures and found this one. I had completly forgotten about. Geezzzzzzzzzz...

This was taken at the Getz. I recieved a call asking to visit with some special visitors from the North. Those visitors were the decendants of William Heavenhill, (the two ladies on the right) Aunt Jo, is in the middle, then me and my daughter.

They wanted to hear some of our "family stories" of my family of Beam Distller's. We had a really good time .

I learned that the original Heaven Hill was Heavenhill...one word. I also learned that William Heavenhill distilled on that farm. There is no mention of this anywhere. They scheduled a trip here (Nelson County) as a fact finding mission. I gotta get in touch with these ladies and see how their mission is progressing.

The Heavenhill family graveyard is located right behind Heaven Hill. The tombstones are there---you can read Susan and Williams really well but the other's are just marked with rocks...non readable.

Bettye Jo

[Gillman]

Nice story, Bettye Jo. Do the descendants pictured, or one of them, carry the name Heavenhill?

One wonders too how they knew their ancestor was connected to the famous Heaven Hill distillery of today.

And, how did the name Heavenhill get changed into two words?

Gary

[cowdery]

It has always been part of the Heaven Hill story that the property was owned by a farmer named William Heavenhill before the original founders of the distillery acquired it. In the old distillery, the one that burned down in 97, there was a giant photograph of the man. The intention of the distillery's founders had been to name the company Heavenhill, since that was already the name associated with the property, but someone screwed up the incorporation papers and mistakenly made it two words. This is an oft-told story I have heard from Max Shapira many times. Nobody minded the result enough to go to the trouble of changing it. If you think about it, the surname probably was originally derived from a place name that, logically, would have been two words.

[boone]

As Chuck said, there was a typing error.

Their last names were not Heavenhill. They both were married. Cynthia has a bracelet that belonged to Susan, it has been handed down to them. They spoke about their ancestors becoming "Tee-totalers". The fact that any distilling was done was not mentioned in their family's past. They sold the farm and moved away and followed the "good book"...These two ladies, were trying to "fill in the blanks" in the histoy of their family.

I have a small newspaper (insert) the date on it is 1975, the title at the top, "Special Section", Heaven Hill Distillery's 40th anniversary. It's one of my "Priceless" treasures. It has a picture of my grandfather Harry Beam and greatgrandfather Joseph L. Beam in it. It's one of the "first" pictures taken at Heaven Hill. Joseph L. was one of the firms first original incorporators and was the first Master Distiller.

There are lots and lots of really neat articles about Heaven Hill in that issue. There is a section about B.B. Sisco, he was the Quatlity Control Department, who is in charge of the in-plan tours.

B.B. Sisco---He leaned back against the table where countless bottles and test tubes rested. As family tradition tells it, he says, William Heavenhill was born under a bluff, close to the waterfall on Rowands Creek while the family was being attacked by Indians.

Of course, he lived that attack and went on to farm the land where the distillery now stands. According to Nelson County history books. Heaven-hill was a distiller in his own right. Occassionally he would mix a batch from his fields of corn and rye, using the rich limestone water flowing from a spring on the farm. But it was most family and friends who enjoyed Heavenhill's secret recipe.

Despite the difficulties of pioneer life William and his wife, Susan lived to to ripe old ages. He died in 1870 at the age of 87 and was followed by his wife, Susan in 1871.

But the distillery which bears his namesake hasn't forgotten old William. In a hallway near the executive offices hangs his picture, and next to it a receipt for a barrel of whiskey sold and signed by William Heavenhill.

No one really remebers how the Heavenhill name was changed to two words. But according to company executive Ed Shapira, (Max's daddy) the story is that a secretary mistakenly struck the space bar while typing the name on corporate papers. The distillery never bothered to have it changed.

Thanks, Gary, your question made me go back into my records for this issue. I don't recall reading that part about William Heavenhill distilling and the receipt for the barrel of whiskey.

I have to get in contact with these ladies. They do not know this information. It has been "lost" for a very long time. Most all of the information about him puts great emphasis on his birth during a indian attack and he owned the farm.

Bettye Jo