The theme for Week 5 and for February (for those of you doing the 12 Ancestors in 12 Months version) is "Branching Out." Have you branched out your research into looking at your collateral relatives? Made any good discoveries in records beyond the usual census and vital records? Or maybe you've discovered an ancestor who branched out in his or her education or occupation. Be creative!
As with all the theme’s thus far, “Branching out” does mean many things. The first thing that comes to my mind is branching my research into looking at my collateral relatives. Branching out has helped me with my DNA Matches.
One branch of my family, my maternal grandmother’s maiden name Hiltz/Hilts has caused me the most confusion. I have traced my Hiltz line back to my 3rd great grandfather, Lawrence Hiltz who was born Nov 8, 1808 in Manlius, Onondaga, New York, USA. His wife was Nancy who was born Mar 15, 1813 also in Manulius, Onondaga, New York, USA. I never found where they died, however they moved to Wisconsin by 1860 and by 1870, Lawrence is listed as a widow. I cannot find him after 1870.
The confusion is the next several generations back to the Immigrant ancestor, my 7th great grandfather Christofel HÜLS and his wife Eva Catherine Engel. Christofel was born about 1668 in Germany while his wife was born about 1670 in Germany. She died around 1770 in Schoharie, Schohaire, New York, USA. Christofel died sometime between 1725-1757.
My line is possibly, through Christofel’s son Christofel Hilts (6th ggf) who married Maria Engel, then his son Lorentz Hiltz (5th ggf) who 1st married Maria Catharina Miller and then married Barbara, followed by Lorentz Hilts (4th ggf) and his wife Margaretha Wartenbach. Finally ending with my proven Lawrence Hiltz (3rd ggf) and his wife Nancy.
This family line repeats so many names within each generation. So many Christofels and Lawrences that it makes my head hurt. Also, to add to more confusion, I found a book “Godfrey Hilts and his Canadian Descendants” compiled by Charlotte Hilts Steele and Harry Doner.
They have a Godfrey Hilts who married a Maria Miller which looks familiar to my Lorentz Hiltz who 1st married Maria Catharina Miller. In fact, the birth date I have for my Maria Miller is the same as Godfrey’s wife. Thus this questions all those branches. Which branch is really my branch? A distant cousin, also a descendant of Christofel HÜLS gave me my line. I inputted this line based on her knowledge (yes I know this could be my first mistake). I have been trying to prove these branches. The book doesn’t give me Godfrey’s father. In the genealogy given me by my distant cousin, I have a Godfrey Hilts and Maria Catharine Muller as the son of Chrstofel Hilts and his wife Maria Elzabeth Riegel who is the son of Simon Jacob Hilts and his wife Anna. Simon is a son of Christofel HÜLS.
My DNA matches seem to connect to these Canadian descendants, thus makes me think my line would be through Godfrey Hilts. Otherwise, I would not be sharing so much DNA with these people. Plus, it is not just me, it’s also my two sisters and one brother that I had tested too.
Therefore, a big project I have started is to create a family tree based on the Godfrey Hilts book. Then I want to place my DNA matches into that tree. However, many of my DNA matches tree’s don’t go down very far. However, the Godfrey Hilts book has births in the 1980’s, so I will be branching my research into my DNA matches and the Hilts book.
First I need to finish by Godfrey Hilts Book project; I am on page 232 of 319 pages. Back to work I go.
Are you going to branch out your research?
Check out Amy Johnson Crow 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Themes for 2022 to receive a weekly email with ideas for using the prompts or to check out the Themes for 2022.
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