Mr. and Mrs. James A. Hill celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 2, 2010, at Crossroads Church in Hinesville with the Rev. J.R. Eason officiating the formal ceremony and rededication of vows. The Hills were married Sept. 20, 1960, at the Bessemer, Ala., home of the Rev. James Vines in a simple, quiet ceremony.  
They honeymooned at Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls, Tenn., before James reported to Fort Jackson, S.C., in time for roll call.
The couple met a church social for young people at Lacey’s Chapel Church of God after riding the same school bus for many weeks. 
In 1961, the Hills celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Pamela Hill. In 1964, they were blessed with identical twin daughters, Amanda and Angela Hill. In 1987, the Hill’s first grandson, Kevin Andrew Schmidt, was born. A second grandson, Stuart Ross Lewis Jr., was born in 1989; third grandson Robert (Bobby) Milton Lewis was born in 1992; granddaughter Ashley Marie Arnold was born in 1993; granddaughter Courtney Kay Arnold was born in 1995; and the Hills’ first great-granddaughter, Madalynn Schmidt, was born Sept. 9, 2010.
James A. Hill graduated from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala., in 1959 and immediately joined the Army. He served in the military for 27 years before retiring from the Army in 1979. The Hills settled in Hinesville and made their home. James A. Hill is the son of the late Robert A. Hill of Bessemer, Ala., and Mary M. Hill, currently residing in Bessemer. Bernice Hill, formerly Bernice Freeman, is the daughter of the late Robert Freeman and Minnie Beatrice Reese Freeman of Bessemer.
Bernice Hill tended to her family as a stay-at-home mom for most of her life.
The Hills thanked their children, other family and friends for their support and participation in their anniversary celebration. Five generations of the family attended the couple’s vow rededication and the reception that followed: Mary Morris Hill, first generation; James Alva Hill, second generation; Pamela Hill Schmidt, third generation; Kevin Andrew Schmidt, fourth generation; and Madalynn E. Schmidt, fifth generation.