Henry's record shows the earliest known ancestor as a Peter Hildebrand born 1655 in Hanover, Germany, the youngest son of a nobleman. Peter's father died while he was yet a boy. He was educated in a military school, then served several years in the army. Upon his return home, he received a cold reception from his older brother who had inherited the estate and titles. Peter decided that he would be better off to bring his family t o America. His oldest son, Jacob, born in 1680 was 10 years old when the family migrated to New Amsterdam. They stayed three years there before moving to northern Pennsylvania.

Following our line down, Jacob's second son, Jacob, was born in 1705. The autobiography states, "He was fond of adventure and joined in several exploring expeditions in one of which he was captured by a band of Miami Indians, and only escaped by plunging in the Ohio River and concealing himself under a drift of floating logs. His feelings of hostility against the Indians prompted him to join the expedition against them under Lieutenant Ward, who erected a fort at what is now called Pittsburg, in 1754. Here he was killed in a vain attempt to hold the garrison against the French and Indians under Contrecoeur."

The biography next traces "his third son, John." No doubt the writer of the Samuel S. Hildebrand biography got this wrong. Henry's book was tracing the lineage: Peter Jacob Jacob John, as the birth dates will bear out. However, he goes on to say that John was born in 1733 and was 21 years old at the death of his father. In 1754 he joined James M. Bride (McBride?) and others and passed down the Ohio River in a canoe. The company only reached the mouth of the Kentucky River, carved their initials in the barks of trees, and then returned.

The biography goes on to say that John made the trip to Missouri in 1770 with his family which consisted of his wife, and two boys: Peter born in 1758 and Jonathan born in 1762. The trip is described: "He built a flatboat on the banks of the Ohio, and taking a bountiful supply of provisions, he embarked with his family. To avoid the Indians he kept as far from the shore as possible, and never landed but once to pass around the shoals. On reaching the Mississippi he spent more than a week in ascending that river to gain a proper point for crossing. He landed on the western side at St. Genevieve. Viewing the country there as being rather thickly settled, he moved back into the wilderness about forty miles and settled on Big River at the mouth of Saline Creek. He was the first settler in that country which was afterwards organized as Jefferson County."

While it is interesting to have this tradition, some parts of it have been contradicted. The only son that records can establish as belonging to this John was his son, Jonathan, administrator of his estate.

Peter's birthdate is given as 1758 but as Bob Hildebrand points out, that would have made him just 14 years old when his first son was born. So it is likely that Peter was born before 1750. This is also born out by his wife's dates. She died in 1840 at age of 90 which would place her birth at 1750.

Lyman C. Draper, the Clark historian, interviewed Elizabeth Hildebrand McCourtney in Feb. of 1784. She stated, "her father, Peter Hildebrand and mother, Mary Garlock, were Pennsylvania Germans; her uncle, John Hildebrand, resided on the Monongahela and I think, emigrated to the Falls of the Ohio in 1779." She then goes on to relate what happened to her family. She was not accurate as to the date of John's removal as Houck has him in Missouri as early as 1770. But Betsy does establish that Peter was a brother of John. She did not know the exact story of John as Peter did not come with John.

These two men started off in the same area, then ended up settling near each other in Jefferson County, Missouri but they did not come together. John's history will be covered in another chapter.

The Jacob born 1705 could be the father of both Peter and John. It is more likely that there was another generation between Peter and brother John/Jonathan and their father may be named John. We may someday find a probate record in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, or Virginia to establish family ties. At this point, with records very sketchy, a lineage is difficult to establish.

John and Margaret's daughter, Ann, married William Drennen. Robert V. E. Drennen, the researcher on that family states: "Many of the 'Drennen' were from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Walter Drennen, settler of Greenbrier County, VA came from County Antrim, Ireland sometime around 1730 or 1740. He is the father of many, many of the Virginia/West Virginia Drennens (and I believe my ancester was William b. 1757 in PA, but I can't prove it). Many Drennens settled in Cumberland County Pennsylvania, then moved to Allegheny Westmoreland Co., PA. One, Samuel Drenning, settled in Bedford Co., PA. Peter Hildebrand was in Ohio County, VA in 1779 along with Jacob Drennen, son of Walter Drennen. Peter Hildebrand was in Pittsburg, PA (Then Augusta Co., VA) in 1775. Jacob Drennen and my 4th grt grandfather, William Drennen, both served as Indian spies along the Ohio River under George Rogers Clark.

Early land records in St. Louis County show a David Hildebrand on Negro Fork in 1785. This may be the same David who went to Natchez in 1805. There is an Abraham Hildebrand on Negro Fork in 1780 which is also very early. Since David and Abraham appear as names in John and Peter's lines, it would seem likely that these men are also relatives.

Our earliest record of Peter is in the book: The Monongahela of Old, or Historical Sketches of Southwestern Pennsylvania to the Year 1800, by James Veech. In it, Mr. Veech points out that in 1772 and until the erection of Westmoreland in 1773, Bedford County embraced all of S.W. Pennsylvania. That part of Fayette which is west of the line from the mouth of the Redstone to the mouth of Jacob's Creek was included in Rostraver Twp. Peter Hildebrand was listed as a settler here in 1772.

The area that became southwestern Pennsylvania was at one time a part of Virginia, known as The District of West Augusta. A reader of the Hildebrand Exchange sent us a note from the "Records of the District of West Augusta, Ohio Co., and Yohogania Co., VA." Yohogania was discontinued in 1786 after a dispute over the border between Pennsylvania and Virginia.

`Peter Hillebrand Mark be recorded: a Crop in the left Ear and a Swallow fork and under slit in the right."

The early pioneers registered their "mark" at the local civil authority (usually the courthouse) so they could distinguish their cattle or swine. The animals were allowed to range free and the marks were the only way everyone knew ownership.

Page 540 of this same book notes that Peter Hillibrand (sic) was subpoened to appear in the court case of Stevens vs Shilling. The notes, as sent to us, did not have a date associated. Perhaps this can be located.

While the above records do not add much to our genealogical record, they do place Peter Hildebrand in the Monongahela River area. We have included a map of this area that shows how the Pennsylvania corner was cut out of the District of West Augusta.

If this is our Peter, he had set up a home as early as 1772. We do not have a marriage record for him. He may have been married much earlier than that. We have an estimated date for his son, James, as ca 1772. However, in 1784 when Peter was killed, Elizabeth McCourtney's testimony was that one of Peter's eldest sons was sent for help. James was killed in 1790 and Moses in ca 1780, so it possible there were sons born before these two. We have no record of them as Peter had no probate records.

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The work of searching out genealogical materials never ends and it is always hoped that another record can be found to extend the lineage into the past and to clarify and fill in gaps. Perhaps genealogists on collateral lines such as Owen, Garlock/Carlock, McCourtney, Sullens, etc. will shed some light on our early families. As new materials are acquired, we will attempt to keep readers informed.

The following chapter was a paper written about Peter Hildebrand and published in the first edition of the St. Louis Genealogical Society's Journal.

The Hildebrand Database provides the original documentation to this work as well as for many Hildebrand lineages in the U.S.