Hillmann family
HILLMANN, VON THUN, HENLEY
Posted By: Stephen Henley (email)
Date: 10/2/2009 at 16:34:31
I think my great-grandfather may have been a younger brother of John Henry Hillmann (founder of the Mt Carmel store). His name was Gerd Hermann Heinrich Hillmann (GHHH), and he was born in Bensen, Hannover in 1835. He came to England in 1851, where he worked as a sugar baker at one of the many sugar refineries in the east end of London, together with many other German migrants including Heinrich von Thun from Bokel or Hetthorn, Hannover. In 1878 he was naturalised as a British citizen and under the name Hermann Hillmann became the licensee of a pub, the "Duke of Gloucester" at 81 New Street, Whitechapel, London. He married Gesche von Thun, Heinrich's daughter, in 1865 at St Paul's German Lutheran Church, London. They named their eldest son Johann Hermann Heinrich, though by the time of Gerd's death in 1884 he was known simply as John Henry - and continued running the pub until 1899 (he died in 1900). My grandmother, born 1881, was his younger sister Catherine Louise Hillmann, who married my grandfather Albert Henry Henley, in 1908. We have copies of some of GHHH's naturalisation papers, but they contain little information about his German origins. His marriage certificate gives his father's name as Johann Heinrich Hillmann, and occupation 'landmann' (farmer?).
I would be very interested in getting in touch with any Hillmann descendants who may be able to confirm (or disprove) the connection.
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