eMail from Bonnie Keller Montgomery 2007 Aug 27

Print Bookmark

Source Information

Title	eMail from Bonnie Keller Montgomery 2007 Aug 27
Short Title	eMail from Bonnie Keller Montgomery 2007 Aug 27
Author	Bonnie Keller Montgomery
_ITALIC	Y
_PAREN	Y
Source ID	S228
Text	From: clm2bkm@aol.com Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:46:03 To:carlvh@bellsouth.net Subject: Re: Hilton Genealogy Double Wow! You, dear sir, are a celebrity in my eyes. Before I stumbled across your "leavings" at the Lancaster County Historical Society, my knowledge of my Hilton family ended with my mother's grandfather, John M. & his wife Hettie Shelly. I didn't even know who his siblings were. I hope to repay that great moment in my search here and now: All events & dates are considered as having occurred in Lancaster County, PA John S. Hilton married Emma S. Reinhold (both middle initials were only initials, standing for nothing, according to family lore) in Rothsville, PA on October 5, 1912. She was 11 years older than John (born 3/31/1881, died 4/17/1945). I don't think the Hilton family really approved of her, she was plain (United Zion's Children). Their first child was born 6 months later, on April 1, 1913. James Howard (nickname "Hop") died January 23, 1965. He married Beulah Ritz (who made the best chocolate cake on earth) and had six children. Second child was John Ira, born 11/24/1414. Married Carrie Gerhart, no children. Died 4/15/1981. Third child, my mother, was Esther Arlene Hilton (referred to herself as "sandwich filling" because she was the middle child). She was born 12/13/1916, married several times, had 4 children, 1 died at birth, and died 4/11/1981--which was Wednesday of Holy Week that year. Mother was the black sheep of the family, and became the first woman motorcycle rider in Lancaster County. She rode (and owned) a Harley-Davidson, circa 1934-36. Fourth Child, Paul Edwin, born 4/26/1919, married Susie Good (who is still living and just wonderful) and had six children (including twins). He died, as you know, just last summer. He is buried just a few yards away from his mother and father, in the church cemetery where they worshipped when he was a boy. Fifth child, Rachel Verna, was born 11/14/1920, married Kenneth Buch & had one son (Cousin Larry, aka "Birdie" in his childhood). All five children were called by their middle names in the family. This was in keeping with the Reinhold custom of not using the first, or "Bible" names. Outsiders usually called them by their first names. The exception was Aunt Carrie. She was from Schaefferstown and had such a thick "PA Dutch" accent that she couldn't pronounce "Ira" so she called him "John" which, when she said it, sounded like "Chuhn". John S. Hilton died 4/17/1925 when he fell off a barn roof he was repairing. He landed, head first, on a boulder. He lingered for a few days, never really regaining consciousness. Emma was left destitute, and after some time was forced to place 4 of her 5 children out as "hired hands" on various farms. James Howard was the first to go, then John Ira, then Paul Edwin And Rachel Verna. Only my mother, Esther Arlene, was kept at home. The children grew up as near strangers in this manner, and in later years, in the late 1950's, they started to have reunions on Memorial Day and Labor Day. They would get together, make the best barbecue chickens in the universe, tons of strawberry shortcake on Memorial Day, roast Silver Queen corn on the cob on Labor Day (picked that morning from Uncle Hop's garden), and a ton of other good things to eat. And of course there was always a lot of Aunt Beulah's wonderful chocolate cake. They did this because they wanted to spend some time together, to make up for the time they lost in their younger days. All five kids, their spouses, and all us cousins spent two days a year together, and I always looked forward to it. The reunions were always at a place called "Althouse's" on Rt. 322 in Hinkletown, Pa. until Uncle Paul bought land in Strasburg. That was in the late sixties. We had the reunions there for a number of years, but now the cousins were grown up, bringing children of their own. About 1973 or so Uncle Paul sold his land and moved to upstate New York, and that was the end of the reunions. The 5 siblings still got together, usually for a dinner at a restaurant, about twice a year when Paul & Susie came down to visit. John S.' wife Emma S. Reinhold Hilton lived until 1945, dying just days before she would have seen my sister Ashley for the first time. Ashley had been born 2/1/1945. I was born three years later, 5/30/1948, so I never knew either of my Hilton grandparents. What I know about them was gleaned over the years from oral histories I collected from my mother, or Uncle Paul & Aunt Susie. I often asked the others about their parents, but they were rather reticent on the subject. I think, even all those years later, it was still a painful subject. Today, I've lost touch with many of the cousins, and only Aunt Susie is left alive of her generation. I have some photos of the family, taken I don't know when. It is a group shot of John M. & Hettie in the middle, with all their children & grandchildren around them. I've also been to John & Hettie's gravesites. Mother never knew much about the Hiltons, or preferred not to say, but I gathered from a few statements made by Uncle Paul that when their father was killed the Hiltons sort of disappeared from their lives. Consequently, the family history was lost to us. The children's children: most of these are from the Reinhold family history published in 1970. James Howard's children are : Dorothy Louise,b. 6/23/1936, married Theodore Kupp, one son. Died 5/13/1980. Laura Mae, b.6/30/1944, married Thomas Wilson, one child Dawn Marie Wilson, b.9/13/1966 Dolores Fay, b.2/14/1946, married John Frank, one child Karen Renee b. 5/31/1967 Lois Elaine, b. 7/13/1947 Lois was born with Down's Syndrome and never married. Linda Ann, b. 8/24/1949, married Marlin L. Hershberger, one child Michael Lee, b. 8/26/1969 James Medwin, b. 2/9/1951, married after 1970. Lost touch. John Ira never had children. Esther Arlene's children are: Unknown daughter, b. abt. 1936 given up for adoption. Unknown infant, died at birth Ashley Hilton Willis, b. 2/2/1945, married Richard Appler, Jr., two girls: Tammy Jo b. 3/31/1964 Billy Jo b. 2/8/1968 Bonnie Marilyn Keller, b.5/30/1948, one son: Carl Lee Montgomery, III Paul Edwin's children are: Eleanor Theresa, b.2/2/1940, m. Dennis Dougherty & had a whole bunch of kids Twin Shirley, b.12/18/1941, married Jack Spahr. had two children Twin Margaret, b.12/18/1941, married Charles Cooper, had a bunch of kids too Richard, b. 4/9/1945, married Judith LaChance, had two sons Eugene, b. 7/18/1957, married Debbie McCall, had one son, divorced, remarried to a wonderful gal. Louise, b. 2/4/1959, widowed, remarried, a whole bunch of kids. Rachel Verna's only child: Kenneth Larry Buch, b. 2/2/1942, married Patricia Buchwalter, one son (or maybe two) Uncle Paul was called "Eddie" by family in his youth, but they also called him "Dick" because that was his father's (John S.) favorite nickname for him when he was a toddler. I was taught to call him Uncle Dick, and it was only about two years before he died that I found out why. Outsiders called him "Paul" and he was so disgusted by all the different names that he refused to allow his children to have more than one name, so that they would always be called the same thing by everybody. Aunt Susie was able to sneak a middle name in for Eleanor Theresa, but after that he put his foot down. So, except for Cousin Ellie, all the kids have only one name. I do have some marriage affidavits from the Lancaster County Courthouse archives...I spent many happy days there, photocopying every Hilton in the county because I didn't know which ones were mine. I can send you copies if you like. I can also mail you a copy of the Hilton family photograph. Besides these, I have many other documents, most of which are not scanned in, so I'll have to take another evening to do that. The marriage affidavits are too big for my scanner, and they have to be taken to a copymax to be copied, so that will be later too. Mother alsays said that there was always a John in the family, and that they went "all they way back to a surgeon in England". I don't think she realized how low a surgeon would have ranked in English society in the 1700s. Do you have any knowledge of where they came from? The files I found sort of stopped at John & Mary Mathew Hilton. If you have any photos, I'd love to have copies, but wait till you get mine before sending any, just in case its the same one! This is indeed a red letter day for me.....Hello, cousin!
Linked to	Keller James Eric Buch Kenneth Larry Buch Kenneth R Buch Kristen Anne Buch Patricia Buchwalter Daniel M Carper Charles A Cooper Craig Allen Cooper Dawn Marie Cooper Steve Todd Cooper Betty J. Duncan Carrie Gerhart Susie Elizabeth Good Darin Rahymond Hilton Delores Fay Hilton Derek R Hilton Donald Richard Hilton Dorothy Louise Hilton Esther Arlene Hilton Eugene Hilton James Howard "Hop" Hilton James Medwin Hilton John Ira Hilton Kermit Keath Hilton Laura Mae Hilton Linda Ann Hilton Louise Hilton Luetta T. Hilton Margaret H Hilton Mary B Hilton Paul Edwin Hilton Rachel Verna Hilton Richard G Hilton Shirley H Hilton Marita Hines Bonnie Marilyn Keller Clarence B. Keller Judith LaChance Debbie McCall Emma S Reinhold Beulah Ritz Amy Jo Spahr Jack Spahr Jennifer Sue Spahr Ashley Hilton Willis Phil Windus Family: John S Hilton / Emma S Reinhold