Hilts

HILTS JEFFREY BRODSACK

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/22/2010 at 16:07:47

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Hilts Family
By Dorothea C Hilts

Dr Mark Bronson Hilts was born on November 3, 1859, near Bloomington, Illinois. After attending the local schools he studied at Rush Medical School in Chicago to become a doctor. He arrived in Sloan in March of 1886 to begin his practice of medicine. Sloan then had a population of 500-600 persons, with most of his patients living in the country. As a general fractioned, Dr Hilts estimated that he had delivered 1,000 babies into the world without the loss of a single mother.

George Hilts, the oldest child of Dr Hilts and Margaret Jeffrey was born January 14, 1891, at Sloan, Iowa. He attended school in Sloan graduating on May 28, 1909. He later attended Hohenschul-Carpenter School of Embalming located in Des Moines, Iowa.

On May 6, 1913, Ottlie Brodsack and George Hilts were married at Sloan, Iowa. Ottlie was born April 19, 1890, at Dakota City, Iowa.

The couple had three sons: John Mark, born on January 28, 1914, William Harold, born on January 17, 1917, and James Arthur, born on March 4, 1918. The three children were educated in the Sloan Schools.

John Mark attended Iowa State University at Ames, graduating as a general engineer with the rank of second Lieutenant. He was called into service in 1940 serving in the Asiatic theater of war. He married Virginia Frank in Chicago, Illinois, on June 24, 1939. Mark was involved as an engineer in the construction of the campus at the University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois. He retired as a colonel and makes his home with his wife at 707 LaSelle Drive in Champaign.

William Harold known as ‘Tarz’ by his friends also attended Hohenschul-Carpenter School of Embalming at St Louis, Missouri. On September 19, 1935, he married Margaret Thackaberry at South Sioux City, Nebraska. They had three children: Linda, born in 1936, Terrence on September 25, 1938, and Thomas, born on July 5, 1944.

James Arthur, the youngest son joined the U S Navy in 1939 after he attended Iowa State University at Ames for a year. He served his country for eight years and seven months attaining the rank of Chief Gunner’s Mate in 1946. He served in the Pacific theater during WWII.

He married Dorothea Clift on June 11, 1947, at the Lewis Clift farm north of Holly Springs, Iowa. She was an elementary teacher at Sloan. Two children were born to this union: (1) Brian Mark Hilts, born on June 11, 1951, who married Tammy Lynn Rea of Lawton on March 24, 1983. They have a son, Corey Joseph Hilts born on March 13, 1983. (2) Ronda Lea Hilts, born January 1, 1964, is a student at the University of South Dakota at Vermillion.

George Hilts after the death of his wife, Ottlie, in 1943, married Emma Polly in 1944. They continued with the undertaking business until his retirement.

George died on June 8, 1976, survived by his widow, Emma and two sons, Mark and James ‘Tim’.