Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NamePeter Hilbush 
Birth1753, Montgomery Co, PA
Death1816
Father6G GF Peter Hollenbush (1709-1768)
MotherMaria Dorothea Finckler (-1790)
Relocated notes for Peter Hilbush
Peter moved to Berks County where his father-in-law Henry Kerst lived and adopted the Hilbush spelling. He and his sons Daniel and Henry later moved to lower Northumberland County (Jackson, Upper Mahanoy Township area) and so by 1820 or we have a growing Hilbush family on the East side of the Susquehanna River and they were cousins of the growing Hilbish family on the West side of the river.
My Comments notes for Peter Hilbush
Sorting out our direct Hilbish ancestors was confusing at first because among the Montgomery County family there was this other Peter Hollenbush of the same period as our ancestor Peter. Both Peters married women named Susanna -- Susanna Kerst in one case and Susanna Schell in the other.
It is their ages and the ages of their wives that allows us to tell them apart. We know from his tombstone that our ancestor Peter who died in Freeburg was born in 1763. And, from her tombstone, his wife Susannah was born in 1768.
The other Peter Hollenbusch was confirmed in 1768 at age 15 and he and Susanna Kerst had son Daniel in 1779 and Henry in 1782. Susanna Schell was only 11 years old in 1779 and simply could not have been Daniel’s mother.
We know that our Peter was the son of Adam. The other Peter, it turns out was Adam’s brother.
It is their ages and the ages of their wives that allows us to tell them apart. We know from his tombstone that our ancestor Peter who died in Freeburg was born in 1763. And, from her tombstone, his wife Susannah was born in 1768.
The other Peter Hollenbusch was confirmed in 1768 at age 15 and he and Susanna Kerst had son Daniel in 1779 and Henry in 1782. Susanna Schell was only 11 years old in 1779 and simply could not have been Daniel’s mother.
We know that our Peter was the son of Adam. The other Peter, it turns out was Adam’s brother.
Children Names notes for Peter Hilbush
Peter’s son Henry had a son Daniel F who lived his entire life in the Jackson Township area of Northumberland County. He married Elizabeth Bahner and they raised an interesting family.
A review of Daniel’s Census history shows a pattern of young children (I call them “orphans”) of different surnames showing up in his household, at times called his grandchildren. He had, in fact, four daughters who in some cases married quite young (about 16 or 17) and in other cases seem to have had children by fathers they did not marry and then later married a husband with a different surname than their children. These daughters and their children have been hard to figure out.
The daughter, though, of most interest to me, was Catherine Ann who, by the age of 16 had married and already had a son (presumably in that order) by Samuel Martz and they were the ancestors of George Amerman, which explains how Yank Amerman is our cousin in two different ways -- and a third way too because Yank’s mother was descended from the Hummels.
A review of Daniel’s Census history shows a pattern of young children (I call them “orphans”) of different surnames showing up in his household, at times called his grandchildren. He had, in fact, four daughters who in some cases married quite young (about 16 or 17) and in other cases seem to have had children by fathers they did not marry and then later married a husband with a different surname than their children. These daughters and their children have been hard to figure out.
The daughter, though, of most interest to me, was Catherine Ann who, by the age of 16 had married and already had a son (presumably in that order) by Samuel Martz and they were the ancestors of George Amerman, which explains how Yank Amerman is our cousin in two different ways -- and a third way too because Yank’s mother was descended from the Hummels.
Parent-Proof notes for Susanna (Spouse 1)
From Berks County records. 10 Nov 1800. “Peter Hollenbush of Oley Twp & Susanna his wife, late Susanna Kerst a daughter & devisee of Henry Kerst late of Oley Twp, deceased, appoint John Stitzel as their attorney to recover from Samuel Kerst, only son and principal devisee of Henry Kerst, deceased the sum of 100 pounds being a legacy bequeathed by said Henry Kerst to his said daughter Susanna.”