Genealogy Chat

My g-g-grandfather was John Hinrich Hillmann who lived in Bensen, a village near Bremen, north Germany. His son (my g-grandfather) emigrated to England in 1851 where he worked for many years as a sugar-baker before buying the licence of the Duke of Gloucester pub in Whitechapel after naturalisation in 1878. His 1865 marriage certificate identifies his father as a farmer.

In 1847, a new hotel was built in Bremen by Johann Heinrich Hillmann. Named "Hillmann's Hotel" it was the smartest in town. Composer Hector Berlioz stayed there on a visit in 1852.

I know that the name Johann Heinrich Hillmann is unlikely to be unique so have been trying to find out if the hotel was built by 'my' Johann. If so, why did his 16-year-old son go to London in 1851 just 4 years later to a tough and dangerous job in the sugar industry?

I've scoured the Internet and found there were one or two other (unrelated) Johann Hillmanns in the region but no indication of any connections with the hotel. Have found very little information about the hotel itself, which was destroyed in 1944.

Any ideas?

- Stephen Henley

Plenty of references to it but nothing helpful on its founder at a quick glance , I think you would probably have to look in the archives in situ?

There may be some useful links here
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~deubre/

This from the bottom of a wiki article ( translated) might be some clue?

References [edit]
Rudolf Matzner: Hillmann's Hotel and the family connection to the postmaster Hillmann in Burgdamm. In: home-panoramic view. History, culture, nature. Nr. 112, 1/2015 (Spring 2015). Printing press-Verlag, ISSN 2191-4257, pp 10-11.

Architekturführer Bremen: Hotel am Hillmannplatz

Have you found the marriage for your John Hillman? just wondering what it gave for father's occupation? oops sorry just realised you have said, farmer... doubtful then that there is a connection unless there was a family rift?

Many thanks for the help! Yes - I have the son's marriage (in London) and the father's marriage (in Germany) but neither really helps.

My own feeling is that he probably is not the hotel builder. A German distant cousin has said that some of my Hillmann relatives were postmasters - it was a profitable extra business for them. But I am not aware of any connections with Burgdamm. The villages that my Hillmann ancestors lived in were Eitzen, Affinghausen, Sudwalde, and Bensen.

Thanks again!

Name Johann Heinrich Hillmann
Event Date 1846
Gender Male
Birth Date 22 Dec 1846
Birth Year 1846
Birthplace Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Father's Name Johann Heinrich Hillmann
Mother's Name Margaretha Dorothea Bolte

Name Johann Heinrich Hillmann
Event Date 1843
Gender Male
Birth Date 14 Sep 1843
Birth Year 1843
Birthplace Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Father's Name Johann Heinrich Hillmann
Mother's Name Marie Juliane Müller

Name Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Christoph Hillmann
Event Date 1850
Gender Male
Birth Date 26 Jul 1850
Birth Year 1850
Birthplace Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Christening Date 22 Sep 1850
Christening Place Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Father's Name Johann Heinrich Hillmann
Father's Age 43
Mother's Name Margarethe Dorothee Bolte
Mother's Age 42

Name Johann Heinrich Hillmann
Event Date 1862
Gender Male
Birth Date 02 May 1862
Birth Year 1862
Birthplace Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Father's Name Carl Hillmann
Mother's Name Sophie Lahmeyer

photographs of the hotel on this site


AK GRUSS AUS BREMEN HILLMANN'S HOTEL …

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AK GRUSS AUS BREMEN HILLMANN'S HOTEL STRASSEN ANSICHT 1913 in Sammeln & Seltenes, Ansichtskarten, Deutschland | eBay. Hauptinhalt anzeigen. …

AnnCardiff - Thanks very much for these. That seems to identify that there are two different adult Johann Heinrich Hillmanns actually IN Bremen city at around the right date.

I think that is fairly conclusive that our Johann was NOT the hotel builder - he was a farmer and lived in a village some distance from the city!