Home Genealogy People Places Kilian History The First Generation, Sebastian Kilian, Grear-great-grandfather of the Pioneer Andreas Kilian The earliest ancestor of the pioneer immigrant Andreas Kilian with a documented line of descent is his great-great-grandfather Sebastian Kilian. He lived in Kühnhard, then in Bavaria, but after a boundary change in 1810 it was in the state of Württemberg until 1952 when Baden and Württemberg merged into the state Baden- Württemberg . Sebastian Kilian was recorded as the father of Georg Kilian in the record of Georg’s marriage to Anna Weldmann in Kühnhard on the 12^th of February 1611. The date of this marriage shows Sebastian Kilian had to have been born no later than 1570, but probably much earlier and 1550 is a better estimate. Georg was not his only child, and may not have been the eldest. Also Sebastian may have had an earlier wife, in which case he would have been born well before 1570. The land register of the barons of Wollmershausen in Castle Amlishagen  (11 kilometers northwest of Kühnhard) recorded that Bastian Kilian had a farm in Kühnhard and after him Martin Kilian. Bastian is a nickname for Sebastian. No other record has been found for Martin. He may, or may not have been Sebastian’s son. Farm leases were often hereditary, but Martin could have been some other relative.  Sebastian’s son Georg was born in Kühnhard, but moved a few kilometers away to Limbach, at least by the time he married Anna Weldmann in 1611. The land register of the barons of Wollmershausen  dated 1612 says Georg Kilian had a farm in Limbach, years ago, Later owned by Georg Hörner, which he obtained from Michel Ehenner. This means Georg was farming in Limbach at least before 1600, which would move his birth date estimate to at least ten years earlier than his marriage date indicates. The barons of Wollmershausen land records from 1612-1613 mention two other Kilians who had farms in Kühnhard and Limbach. The land records state that Endris was the brother of Georg and their farms were next to one another in Limbach. They also mention Hannß Kilian and named three people who had the farm after Hannß Kilian. Leonhard Trump had the farm in 1612, so Hannß must have had the farm well before the end of the 1500s. Hannß remains unidentified and could possibly be Sebastian’s father.  Brothers of Georg Kilian Sebastian had another son named Endris, also a resident of Limbach, born before 1601. Endris is known to be the son of Sebastian, because the barons of Wollmershausen land records said he had a farm in Limbach and his fields were near those of his brother Georg.   Sebastian’s son Endris had a four known children: 1. Johann baptized on the 11^th of February 1621 and buried ten     days later. 2. Stillborn child  born on the 20^th  of October 1623 3. Stillborn child born on the 4^th of January 1625. 4. Martin  who married Anna Hörsch, daughter of Georg Hörsch,     resident of Gaggstatt, on the 30^th of April 1648. Endris’ son Martin Kilian and Anna Hörsch had two known children: 1. Martin baptized on the 9^th of January 1653. 2. Margaretha baptized on the 15^th of November 1650, buried     three months and two days later on the 17^th of February 1651. These relationships are all proven by baptismal and burial records. The continuation of the name Martin through two more generations lends support to the hypothesis that the Martin Kilian mentioned in the land records was related to Endris and Georg and may have been their brother. Sebastian may have had another son named Andreas born before 1590 also resident in Limbach, but there is no proof of the relationship so far. Andreas married Eva (maiden name unknown) and they had one known child, a daughter named Eva baptized on the 2^nd  of May 1611 and was buried exactly nine months later on the 2^nd of February 1612. Andreas’ wife Eva was buried the same year on the 13^th of September. On the 12^th of January 1613 Andreas married Margaretha Veit, resident of Niederwinden. Andreas Kilian and Margaretha Veit had three known children: 1. Eva  baptized on the 26^th of December 1613 and buried on the 4^th of August 1618. 2. Martin  baptized on the 30^th of December 1614. 3. Johann baptized on the 12^th of February 1621 and buried ten     days later. Martin Kilian, son of Andreas, and Margaretha Viet had two known children: 1. Margaretha baptized 1650 2. Martin baptized in 1653. Andreas deserted Margaretha in 1632 and she was buried on the 16^th  of June 1636 at the age of 55. These relationships are all proven by baptismal, marriage and burial records. The fact they all three lived in the small village of Limbach and supports the hypothesis that Georg, Endris and Andreas were all three sons of Sebastian. Again two more generations of the name Martin suggests Martin was the somehow related to this line and may have been the brother of Georg, Endris and Andreas. Andreas Kilian and Margaretha Veit may have had another son named Andreas born before 1611. This Andreas’ marriage record said his father was Andreas Kilian, but there is no other proof, so far, that his parents were Andreas Kilian and Margaretha Viet. The son Andreas, was a baker who married Agnes, widow of Hanns Hoffholtz, on the 23^rd of September 1651.   A possible brother of Sebastian Sebastian Kilian may have had a brother named Andreas. He lived in Kühnhard and was born at the latest in 1562, but no proof of the relationship has been found so far. Andreas married Anna, (maiden name unknown). He was buried on the 4^th of March 1614 and Anna was buried on the 8^th of July in the same year. For 32 years Andreas was an alderman in Michelbach, near Kühnhard, and he was a Peasants Court Arbiter. The only thing we know about Sebastian Kilian as a fact is he had sons named Endris and Georg, as well as what is stated church books and the land records of the barons of Wollmershausen in Castle Amlishagen. We can make deductions from the facts recorded in the church books and the land records. Kühnhard and Limbach are very small villages close together and it is unlikely so many Kilians lived there if they were not related. It is also unlikely the names Martin and Andreas would be carried on for so many generations in various lines of descent if they were not all related. Second Generation: Andreas Great-Grandfather Georg Kilian born before 1580 Georg Kilian, son of Sebastian, was from Kühnhard, but later had a farm in Limbach. This is verified by the land records of the barons of Wollmershausen in Amlishagen and his residence is mentioned in the church records. On the 12^th of February 1611 he married Anna Weldmann, daughter of Georg Weldmann [modern name probably Waldmann] from Blaufelden.  Georg must have been born no later than 1580 judging from the date of his marriage and the land records said he was farming in Limbach years before 1612. If Anna Weldmann was not his first wife he would have been born much earlier. Georg Kilian’s marriage records said his father was Sebastian Kilian, resident of Kühnhard. His mother was not named and she was probably deceased when he married. Judging by the date of Georg’s marriage to Anna Weldmann and the Wollmershausen land records in 1612, his father Sebastian Kilian had to have been born no later than 1560. However, considering the age men normally married, it was probably as early as ca. 1540-1550. Georg Kilian and Anna Weldmann had three known children: 1. Barbara, baptized the 23^rd of January 1612, buried on the 29^th      of April 1612 2. Barbara, baptized on the 17^th of November 1613 3. Georg, baptized the 13^th of January 1616 Third Generation: Georg Kilian, Andreas’ grandfather, born in 1616 Andreas’ grandfather Georg was born in Limbach and his baptismal record said he was the son of Georg Kilian and Anna resident in Limbach. The marriage record of Andreas’ father, also named Andreas, said his father was the deceased farmer named Georg Kilian in Schambach. The mother of Georg was not named. There are four Schambachs in Bavaria. All are rather far from Kühnhard and Limbach and all have been 100% Catholic since 1651, shortly after the end of the 30-Year religious war in 1648. “Our Kilians” were Evangelisch [Lutheran] and church books show no Kilians were ever registered in these Schambachs. Discovering the identity of Andreas’ grandfaher Georg, with vague and inaccurate information, was time consuming and frustrating. Finally my wife realized in German handwriting in the 1600s Schainbach and Schambach look almost identical. An “in” is identical to an “m” except for the dot over the “i”. There is a Schainbach only 3 kilometers from Kühnhard and 2 kilometers from Limbach. We noticed the people in the area today pronounce Schainbach as Schambach.  No church records existed for Schainbach before 1684. Schainbach had its own parish, with a church and a cemetery, but did not have a pastor for a long period of time. It was administered by Gravestones Documents A Short History of the Kilian Family Home Genealogy People Places Gravestones Documents