While researching my family tree, I ran into a case of two John Hildreths who some people had combined on their family trees to make one John Hildreth. Both of their wives were named Mary, so that didn’t help the situation. One John mostly lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky and the other in De Kalb County, Tennessee. I have created this blog post to aid in my separation of these men along with figuring out which children belonged to which couple.
The timeline chart below is not a comprehensive list of all records, but highlights census and vital records to show that this is not the same man.
| Year (or range) | John Hildreth – Bourbon County, Kentucky | John Hildreth – De Kalb County, Tennessee |
| 1784 – 1785 | Born in North Carolina (from 1850 and 1860 DeKalb County, Tennessee censuses) | |
| 1790 | Born in Wythe, Virginia (Gravestone – census gives his birth place as Virginia) | |
| 1800 | ||
| 1810 | ||
| 1815 | 20 Nov 1815 – married Annie Finley in Wythe, Virginia | |
| 1820 | ||
| 1830 | ||
| 1840 | Age 50 – 59 (De Kalb County, Tennessee census) | |
| 1850 | Age 60 – born about 1790 (Bourbon County, Kentucky census) | Age 66 – born about 1784 (De Kalb County, Tennessee census) |
| 1860 | Age 75 – born about 1785 (De Kalb County, Tennessee census) | |
| 1870 | Age 81 – born about 1789 (Jessamine, Kentucky census) | |
| 1872 | Died (gravestone) |
Children
| John Hildreth – Bourbon County, Kentucky | John Hildreth – De Kalb County, Tennessee |
| Joseph Austin | Milly |
| Sarah Milton | Nancy J |
| John F | Alexander |
| Eliza Tabitha | George W |
| Minerva Jane | Hiram |
| Luvica | Samuel Jackson |
| Kate Ann “Kitty” | Elizabeth “Bettie” |
| Caroline Carrie | Mary Emaline |
| William J |
Parents
Jeffrey Hildreth and Lily Bowen were the parents of John from Virginia and Kentucky.
I am still researching to confirm the parents of John from North Carolina and De Kalb County, Tennessee.
Posted July 18, 2020
Down Home Genealogy 
I have the will of John Hildreth from Kentucky. Would love to discuss with you as it speaks to family members and his “yellow slave” Nancy, whom he freed as well as freed her children. The will was written in 1814. The wife
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