Tombstone Tuesday–George Hiller

George Hiller, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen

George Hiller, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen

This is the tombstone of George Hiller, located in row 6 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

George Hiller
1846-1932

According to Zion Chatt’s records Johann “George” Hiller was born 15 November 1846 in Hamilton County, Ohio, the second child of John and Mary M. (Müller) Hiller. His parents immigrated in about 1839 and the family lived in the Hamilton County area about 8 years before moving to Mercer County, Ohio. George was baptized in Hamilton County and confirmed at Zion Chatt on 1 June 1862.

George was the younger brother of Jacob Hiller, who married Martha Sundmacher. The Hillers lived in Adams County, Indiana, near Chattanooga, and attended church at Zion Chatt. George and Jacob’s mother Mary M. (Müller) Hiller was the widow of Erasmus Stump when she married John Hiller, and George and Jacob Hiller also had three step-siblings, Philip, Catharine, and Gertrude Stump. That surname was sometimes spelled Stumpf in the church records.

In 1860 George Hiller, 13, and his brother Jacob, 16, lived with their parents in Jefferson Township, Adams County, Indiana, and had a New Corydon address. Their father was a farmer and both boys attended school. [1]

George married Carolina “Caroline” Brecheisen on 20 April 1872. She was the daughter of Martin and Catharina Brecheisen, and was born in Mercer County, Ohio. George was 25 and Caroline was 17 years old at the time of their marriage, according to Zion Chatt’s records. Her name was spelled “Backhaus” on their Mercer County, Ohio, marriage record. [2]

George and Caroline lived in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, after their marriage and George farmed. Their neighbors included Phillip Emerick, William Betzel, John Fisher, George Hoffman, Henry Kuhn, George Bollenbaugh, and Ferdinand Kable.

In 1880 George and Caroline lived on their Liberty Township farm with their three daughters: George, 33; Caroline, 25; Barbara, 6; Lena E., 4; and Henretta, 2. They likely had lived in Liberty Township since their marriage because their daughters were all born in Ohio. [3]

George and Caroline had the following children, as shown in Zion Chatt’s records:
Katharina Barbara (1873-1950), married Thomas J Spohn
Helen Elisabeth (1875-1883)
Henriette (1878-?)
Margaretha (1881-?)

George’s wife Caroline (Brecheisen) Hiller died 20 May 1884, at the age of 29 years and 9 days. She is also buried in Kessler Cemetery.

George Hiller married Catharine (Katherine/Kate) Alt on 30 November 1884. They were married at the home of Jacob and Maria Barbara Betzel, who were also the witnesses to the marriage. Catharina was the daughter of Friedrich and Ursula (Koch) Alt and was born in Liberty Township about 1863.

In 1900 George and Catherine Hiller and their two sons lived in Liberty Township: George, 36; Catherine, 37; Henry, 14; and John 10. George and Catherine had been married 15 years and two of their three children were living. George was a farmer. [4]

By 1910 the George Hiller family had moved from Liberty Township to State Line Pike in Jefferson Township, Mercer County, Ohio. In 1910: George, 70; Kate, 47; Henry, 24; and John, 19. George and Catherine [Kate] had been married 26 years and this was George’s second marriage. Catherine [Kate] had given birth to 3 children but only 2 were living. George worked as a storekeeper in a grocery. [5]

George and Catharine (Alt) Hiller had the following children:
Heinrich Friedrich (1886-1966)
Maria Ursula (1888-1888)
John (1890-1981)

In 1930 George, 83, and his wife, named as Margaret in the 1930 census, aged 67, lived with their single sons John, 39, and Henry, 44, on a farm in Jefferson Township, Mercer County, Ohio. John was listed as the head of household. [6] Evidently Catherine/Katherine/Kate also went by the name Margaret, likely her middle name.

George Hiller died of nephritis on 5 January 1932 at the Mercer County Home at the age of 85 years, 3 months, and 25 days. Henry Hiller of Celina was the informant for the information on the death certificate. George was buried on the 7th. According to his death certificate he was a farmer, was married, and was survived by his wife Margaret. [7]

 

George Hiller buried near Hiller relatives, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

George Hiller buried near Hiller relatives, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

[1] 1860 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, p.234, dwelling 1649, family 1629, John Hiller; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 Jan 2016); from FHL microfilm 803242, from NARA microfilm M653, roll 242.

[2] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 27 Jan 20165), George Hiller and Caroline Backhaus, 20 Apr 1872; citing Mercer, Ohio, Marriages, Vol. 3, p.307; from FHL microfilm 914956.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 188, p.474C, dwelling 57, family 60, George Hiller; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 Jan 2016); from FHL microfilm 1255048, from NARA microfilm T9, roll 1048.

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p.2B, dwelling 41, family 43, George Hiller; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 Jan 2016); from FHL microfilm 1241304, from NARA microfilm T623, roll 1304.

[5] 1910 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Mercer, Ohio, ED 116, p.2A, dwelling 27, family 27, George Hiller; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 Jan 2016); from FHL microfilm 1375227, from NARA microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[6] 1930 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Mercer, Ohio, ED 19, p.9A, dwelling 190, family 190, John Hiller; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 Jan 2016); from FHL microfilm 2341584, from NARA microfilm T626, roll 1850.

[7] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,: database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 27 Jan 2016), George Hiller, 5 Jan 1932; citing Jefferson, Mercer, Ohio, file no. 4431, from FHL microfilm 1992566.

 

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