Mr. & Mrs. J. F. Hilbert of Washington County, Tennessee

Working in an academic library, one sometimes encounters a genealogical treasure in a strange place. Such was the case when I opened The Life, Times, and Travels of St. Paul by J. S. Conybeare and J. S. Howson (Unabridged ed.; New York: E.B. Trent, 1869) which was missing its title page.

Pasted inside the front cover of the volume was an obituary from an unnamed newspaper, possibly the Herald and Tribune (Jonesborough, Tenn.), for Mrs. J. F. Hilbert.

Transcription:
DEATH CLAIMS MRS. J. F. HILBERT
Died at Her Home A Short Distance From Jonesboro Friday Morning

Mrs. J. F. Hilbert died at her home one mile south of Jonesboro Friday morning. Her death was due to a severe attack of pneumonia. She was sick just one week, having made her first complaint on Friday the 16th. The deceased was the widow of J. F. Hilbert who died Sept. 8th 1898. She was sixty two years old last August and was the mother of six children, four of which survive her. Mrs. Hilbert was a noble Christian and was loved by all with whom she was associated. Her death is greatly mourned by a large circle of friends both in Jonesboro and over the entire county. The funeral services were held Saturday, the interment being in the old family burying ground near Jonesboro. Mrs. Hilbert is the mother of J. L. Hilbert, who is well known throughout this section. Mr. Hilbert and the other members of the family have the sympathy of a large number of friends.
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Being the curious genealogist that I am, I wondered who she was. I knew that Jonesboro was an old spelling of Jonesborough so I suspected this family was from Washington County, Tennessee. I first located them in the 1880 census¹ which gave me given names for Mrs. Hilbert, her husband, and even the mentioned son.

Hilbert, Joel F.	W	M	40		M	Farmer	VA	VA	VA
--, Susannah	W	F	39	Wife	M	Keeping house	VA	VA	VA
--, Elizabeth B.	W	F	15	Daughter	S	At home	TN	VA	VA
--, John A.	W	M	12	Son	S	At home	TN	VA	VA
--, Joseph L.	W	M	10	Son	S	At home	TN	VA	VA
--, Robert A.	W	M	5	Son	S	At home	TN	VA	VA

 

I discovered that their marriage record from 1861 contained a curious date of issue for the license, 31 September 1861.² This was obviously a clerical error as most of us can recite, "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November . . . " The online 1861 calendar verifies September 1861 ended on September 30.

Joel F. Hilbert was born about 1839,³ probably in Rockingham County, Virginia,⁴ to William and Elizabeth F. Hilbert.⁵ The family moved from Virginia to Tennessee about 1846 to 1848.⁶ William (age 32), Elizabeth (age 32), Joel (age 11), John H. (age 9), Samuel D. (age 5), Adison P. (age 4), and Mary R. (age 1) are enumerated in Washington County's 4th subdivision in 1850 where William is occupied as a farmer.⁷ The family has grown to include three more children, Jacob K. (age 9), James W. (age 7), and Robert P. (age 3) by 1860 when the family is enumerated in Boones Creek in Washington County.⁸

Susannah Miller was born in August 1840,⁹ probably in Rockingham or Augusta County, Virginia,¹⁰ to Samuel and Elizabeth Wine Miller.¹¹ The family moved from Virginia to Tennessee about 1852 to 1854.¹² Samuel, his wife, here called Ann which may be a middle name, and children, William (age 17), David (age 14), Rebecca (age 13), Daniel (age 11), Susannah (age 9,), Ann M. (age 4), and Mary M. (age 2) are enumerated in the 4th subdivision of Washington County in 1850.¹³ The family is residing in Swinneys in Washington County in 1860. Children Daniel and Susannah are still present. Elizabeth is called Ann in this census, and Barbary, the same age as Elizabeth, is present. Mary M. is called Julia in this census. Peter (age 8), Joseph (age 6), Samuel D. (age 2), and Mary A. (age 3 months) have all been born since the 1850 census.¹⁴

As seen earlier, Joel and Susannah married 3 October 1861 in Washington County.¹⁵ They are enumerated in the 1870 census in District 14 in Washington County with children Elizabeth (age 6), John A. (age 3), and Joseph L. (age 3 months).¹⁶ In 1880, they are living in District 15 with the above listed children and one new son, Robert A. (age 5).¹⁷ Joel died 8 September 1898.¹⁸ Susannah is enumerated in Washington County's District 15 along with son Robert A. and his wife Lydda N. and a servant, Herbert T. Shipley in 1900.¹⁹ She died 23 January 1903 in Washington County and is buried in the family cemetery.²⁰

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<sup>1. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 15, SD 1, ED 31, p. 495B (stamped), sheet 20 (written), dwelling 190, family 210, lines 26-31, Joel F. Hilbert household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 1284.↩
2. "Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015), Joel Hilbert-Susannah Miller, 3 Oct 1861, Washington County marriage register, citing p. 207 (written), record no. 1866.↩
3. 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, population schedule, 4th subdivision, p. 247B (stamped), dwelling 1609, family 1644, lines 34-40, Wm Hilbert family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 November 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 898; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, population schedule, Boones Creek, Jonesboro post office, p. 36B (stamped), dwelling 310, family 310, lines 21-30, William Hilbert family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015); 1880 U.S. census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Dist. 15, p. 495B (stamped), dwell. 190, fam. 210, Joel F. Hilbert.↩
4. "Public Member Trees," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Nov 2015), "Saylor Family Tree" by sec3girls, profile for Joel Franklin Hilbert (2 Sep 1837-6 Sep 1897, d. Washington County, Tenn.) partially documented data.↩
5. 1850 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., 4th subdiv., p. 247B (stamped), dwell. 1609, fam. 1644, Joel F. Hilbert; 1860 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Boones Creek, Jonesboro p.o., p. 36B (stamped), dwell, 310, fam. 310, Joel F. Hilbert.↩
6. 1850 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., 4th subdiv., p. 247B (stamped), dwell. 1609, fam. 1644, Wm. Hilbert family.↩
7. 1850 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., 4th subdiv., p. 247B (stamped), dwell. 1609, fam. 1644, Wm. Hilbert family.↩
8. 1860 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Boones Creek, Jonesboro p.o., p. 36B (stamped), dwell, 310, fam. 310, William Hilbert family.↩
9. 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, population schedule, 4th subdivision, p. 252B (stamped), dwelling 2101, family 2145, line 11, Susannah Miller; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 898; 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, Swinneys, Jonesboro post office, p. 127A (stamped), dwelling 774, family 774, line 18, Susannah Miller; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1277; 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, Civil District 15, SD 250, ED 156, p. 211B (stamped), sheet 8B (written), dwelling 129, family 144, line 85, Susannah Hilbert; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 1604.↩
10. Susannah's birth place is consistently listed as Virginia. Younger brother Peter's birth location is listed as Augusta County, Virginia in his death certificate with his father's birth location as Augusta County and his mother's as Rockingham. See "Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 4 Nov 2015), Peter Miller, d. 6 Aug 1928, Washington County, Tennessee, citing file no. 25996.↩
11. While the 1850 and 1860 censuses link Susannah with the family, Elizabeth's maiden name comes from the death certificates of Peter, who is younger than Susannah, and Daniel, who is older than his sister Susannah. See "Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958," digital images, Ancestry.com, entry for Peter Miller, 6 Aug 1928; also entry for Daniel Miller, d. 6 July 1914, Washington County, Tennessee, file no. 278.↩
12. 1860 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Swinneys, Jonesboro p.o., p. 127A (stamped), dwell. 774, fam. 774, Samuel Miller family.↩
13. 1850 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., 4th suvdiv., p. 252B (stamped), dwell. 2101, fam. 2145, Saml Miller family.↩
1. 1860 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Swinneys, Jonesboro p.o., p. 127A (stamped), dwell. 774, fam. 774, Samuel Miller family.↩
1. "Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002," digital images, Ancestry.com, entry for Joel Hilbert-Susannah Miller, 3 Oct 1861.↩
1. 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Washington County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 14, Jonesboro post office, p. 326A (stamped), dwelling 122, family 122, lines 31-35, Joel Hilbert family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 3 Nov 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1568.↩
17. 1880 U.S. census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Dist. 15, p. 495B (stamped), dwell. 190, fam. 210, Joel F. Hilbert family.↩
18. Mrs. J. F. Hilbert obituary, undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, in The Life, Times, and Travels of St. Paul by J.S. Conbeare and J. S. Howson (New York: E.B. Treat, 1869), front cover; Mildred C. Iddins Special Collections, Stephens-Burnett Memorial Library, Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, Tennessee, 2015.↩
19. 1900 U.S. Census, Washington Co., Tenn., pop. sch., Dist. 15, p. 211B (stamped), dwell. 129, fam. 144, Susannah Hilbert household.↩
20. Although the obituary does not give the month or year, Friday, January 23, is consistent with the information in the article, and she would have been 62 on this date. See Mrs. J. F. Hilbert obituary, The Life, Times, and Travels of St. Paul.↩</sup>