John S. Hill was born on February 28, 1843 in Laurens County, S.C. After serving in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, Hill was a dry goods merchant in Greenville for a number of years, and served as a U.S. Postmaster beginning in 1881.

According to newspaper accounts in 1893, Hill was appointed one of the first liquor dispensers in Greenville [East End Dispensary] after the South Carolina Dispensary system began (1893 to 1907). Hill stepped down from this position in 1901.

Hill married Susan Jane Walker (1845-1927) in 1871 and they had eight children. Hill died on November 28, 1909 in Greenville, S.C.

Other correspondents include cousins William Aron Hill (d. 1862) and Henry Marion Hill (1845-1931), sons of Henry and Elizabeth Hill; Daniel Sanford Hill (1837-1924), son of Enoch Hill; and Jerimiah B. Hill (1843-1862), son of William E. Hill.