Hi!
My birth name is Nicole Hilgert Noriega. I'm the last of the Hilgerts in California. My grandfather, Charles Stephen Hilgert, son of Charles Henry Hilgert and Rose Schlegel, moved to California in 1939 from Philadelphia, where he was born and raised. He and my grandmother, Anna Marie Daley Hilgert, had one child, my mom, Anne Marie Hilgert Noriega. She's 74 and was born in Philadelphia in 1935. I too am an only child and I let the name die in our family when I didn't use the Hilgert name for my only child, a daughter as well. I just reconnected with my cousin Mark O'Neill through another post about Hilgerts. He had wanted info about my great grandparents, Rose Schlegel and Charles Henry Hilgert. I am very interested in family history and family is very important to me. I got married back in 1995 using my great grandmother's wedding band. It is still inscribed C.H. to R.S. It's over 100 years old. I wear my grandmother's ring on my other hand. I know that Rose Schlegel was one of 13 kids. I don't know anything about Charles H. Hilgert, my grandfather's dad. I think he died before I was born. (1969) I know that my grandfather's grandparents only spoke German and my grandfather grew up knowing German. My grandfather, Charles S. Hilgert was born in Phila. in 1910. Do you think we're related to the Hilgerts who came from Italy? That would be neat! It's great to hear from you!
Nicole