This is the tombstone of Caroline (Brecheisen) Hiller, located in row 10 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:
Caroline
Wife of
George
Hiller
Died
May 20, 1884
Aged
20 Y. & 20 D.
Caroline Brecheisen was born in Mercer County, Ohio, on 30 April 1855, as calculated from her tombstone, or 11 May 1855, if calculated from her death and burial information in Zion Chatt’s records. Caroline was the daughter of Martin and Catharine Brecheisen, as written in Zion’s records. [Her mother Catharine’s maiden name may have been Huber.]
This family name is not very familiar to me, although I have seen the name in Zion Chatt’s records. It is spelled as Brecheisen and as Brechheisen in the church records and as Breichisen on Martin and Catherine’s tombstones, which are located in St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Towhship’s cemetery.
Although some Brecheisens attended Zion Chatt between the years 1862-1873, Caroline was not mentioned in the church records until she married George Hiller and later, when their children were baptized. The other Brecheisens attended St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Township, where some are also buried.
In 1860 M Brecheisen lived in Liberty Township with a Skeels Cross Roads Post Office. In the household: M, 38; Catharine, 41; George 15; Catharine, 12; Mary, 11; Barbary, 9; Caroline, 5; and Ellenor, 3 months. Caroline and Ellenor were born in Ohio but the rest were born in France, giving a good indication of when the family immigrated. [1]
In 1870 the Brecheisens still resided in Liberty Township. The family consisted of Martin, 49, farmer, born in France; Catharine, 52, born in France; Caroline, 15, attends school; Helen, 10, attends school; and Frank, 8. Their three children were born in Ohio. Their neighbors included Thomas Daley, James McDonald, Henry Hone, Jacob Lininger, Adam Bollenbacher, Peter Strabel, George Bollenbacher, and Jacob Baker. [2] This information corresponds with the 1878 Mercer County Map, which indicates M. Brecheisen owned land in Section 4, with neighbors John Lininger, A. Bollenbacher, and Peter Strabel. [3]
Who were the Brecheisens? The 1870 census indicates Caroline’s parents were both born in France. They probably immigrated between 1851 and 1854. In 1876 M. Brecheisen, likely Caroline’s father, owned several parcels of property in Liberty Township. He owned 40 acres in Section 4, along Schaadt Road and 80 acres in Section 10, along Oregon Road. [3]
In 1888 M. Brecheisen owned land in Liberty Township: 40 acres in Section 4, and 30 acres in Section 5, both along Schaadt Road; 60 acres in Section 10, along Oregon Road; and 80 acres in Section 19, along Frahm Pike and the Indiana State Line. [4] M. Brecheisen was not shown in the 1900 Mercer County Atlas.
Caroline Brecheisen married George Hiller on 20 April 1872, with George & Barbara Brecheisen serving as witnesses to their marriage. When they married, George was 25 and Caroline was 17 years old, according to Zion Chatt’s records. Caroline’s name was spelled “Backhaus” on their Mercer County, Ohio, marriage record. [5]
In 1880 George and Caroline (Brecheisen) Hiller lived lived on their Liberty Township farm with their three daughters and George farmed. Their household in 1880: George, 33; Caroline, 25; Barbara, 6; Lena E., 4; and Henretta, 2. Their daughters were all born in Ohio. Their neighbors included Phillip Emerick, William Betzel, John Fisher, George Hoffman, Henry Kuhn, George Bollenbaugh, and Ferdinand Kable. [6]
Caroline (Brecheisen) Hiller died 20 May 1884, at the age of 29 years and 9 days. She was buried in Kessler Cemetery on the 22nd, according to Zion Chatt’s records.
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-?)
After Caroline’s death George Hiller married Catharine Alt on 30 November 1884.
[1] 1860 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p.258, dwelling 999, family 1004, M Buckhiser; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Feb 2016); from FHL microfilm 805009, from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1009.
[2] 1870 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer County, Ohio, p.150B, dwelling 134, family 120, Martin Breckheimer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Feb 2016); from FHL microfilm 552742, from NARA microfilm M593, roll 1243.
[3] Mercer County Chapter, OGS, Mercer County, Ohio, Combined 1888, 1900 Atlases and 1876 Map of Mercer County, Ohio (Mt. Vernon, Indiana : Windmill Publications, Inc., 1999); 1876 Map of Mercer p.11.
[4] Mercer County Chapter, OGS, Mercer County, Ohio, Combined 1888, 1900 Atlases and 1876 Map of Mercer County, Ohio (Mt. Vernon, Indiana : Windmill Publications, Inc., 1999); 1888 Atlas, p.13.
[5] “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.
[6] 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.