William was born on 14 June 1869 in Janesville, Wisconsin to Emanuel and Ellen Hilt. In 1890, he married Frances Jane Churchill in Fulton, Wisconsin. They had eight children, four daughters and four sons. He was an honorary member of the Kienow-Hilt post 1621, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the post having derived a portion of its name as a memorial to his son, Frank Hilt, the first Janesville boy to die in the service during the First World war. Private Hilt died of pneumonia while training in Waco, Texas in 1917. William was elected alderman for the Fourth ward district in Janesville in 1919, and served a two year term on the council. Mr. Hilt was a mason and cement contractor. He constructed sidewalk, curb and gutter and foundations in all parts of the city, having been active in this field at a time when old board sidewalks were being replaced by order of the council. He built and owned four cement block houses on Riverside Street, across the street from the Hilt family home. In 1940, William and Frances celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their home on Riverside St, where they entertained 450 friends and neighbors. Guests enjoyed dancing on the pavilion that was constructed on the lawn at the Hilt home. He died in his home on 24 February 1942, after suffering from a stroke the previous summer.
Name: Willie Hilt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1870; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1870, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNS7-56N : 19 March 2020), Willie Hilt in entry for E W Hilt, 1870.
Name: William Hilt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1880; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1880, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNH6-XV3 : 14 November 2020), William Hilt in household of Emanuel Hilt, Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district ED 184, sheet 168A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,444.
Name: William John Hilt; Event Type: Marriage; Event Date: 11 Aug 1890; Event Place: Rock, Wisconsin, United States; Gender: Male; Father's Name: Emanuel W. Hilt; Mother's Name: Ellen McClusky; Spouse's Name: Frances Jane Churchill; Spouse's Gender: Female; Spouse's Father's Name: Joseph Churchill; Spouse's Mother's Name: Newel
Citing this Record: Wisconsin Marriages, 1836-1930, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRF8-FMZ : 30 January 2020), William John Hilt, 1890.
Name: William J Hilt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1900; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1900, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM2H-2D2 : accessed 27 December 2020), William J Hilt, Janesville city Ward 4, east side, Rock, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 179, sheet 10B, family 217, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,815.
Name: William J Hilt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1910; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1910, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPKW-GT2 : accessed 27 December 2020), William J Hilt, Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 116, sheet 13A, family 267, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1735; FHL microfilm 1,375,748.
Name: Wm J Hilt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1920; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1920, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFLQ-91M : accessed 27 December 2020), Wm J Hilt, Rock, Wisconsin, United States; citing ED 115, sheet 10B, line 56, family 218, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 2014; FHL microfilm 1,822,014.
Name: William J Hilt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1930; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1930, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9SP-6SF : accessed 27 December 2020), William J Hilt, Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 29, sheet 15A, line 14, family 383, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2610; FHL microfilm 2,342,344.
Name: William Helt; Event Type: Census; Event Date: 1940; Event Place: Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States
Citing this Record: United States Census, 1940, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7JP-T5Y : 26 November 2019), William Helt, Ward 9, Janesville, Janesville City, Rock, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 53-40, sheet 17A, line 31, family 387, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4520.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52455702/william-j-hilt), memorial page for William J Hilt (1869–26 Feb 1942), Find a Grave Memorial no. 52455702, citing Oak Hill Cemetery, Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA ; Maintained by Jessica Symons (contributor 47253204).
This week's featured connections are Redheads: William is 20 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 20 degrees from Clara Bow, 27 degrees from Julia Gillard, 17 degrees from Nancy Hart, 16 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 19 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 22 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 24 degrees from Rose Leslie, 21 degrees from Damian Lewis, 21 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 25 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 37 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.