Hillegas3

Michael Hillegas is the reason that I became interested in genealogy. My grandmother Powers had always said that my 5th great-grandfather was the First Treasurer of the United States. I only wish I had paid closer attention to her stories. One day, while sitting at my computer, I got the urge to "search" Hillegas. Only thing, I didn't even know how to spell it. After several failed attempts, I found a reference to him. The rest is history (pardon the pun). Since that time, I have become obsessed with finding my roots. Michael Hillegas was a hometown boy, born and raised in Philadelphia. He was well educated, scholastically and practically. Much of his education came to him in his father's office. He was only 20 when his father died and he inherited from his father a well established sugar refining business. His early business training, along with his maturity, made him the choice candidate for Treasurer of the United States. Early in his life, he took an active part in government. In 1763, he served as Commissioner of the County of Philadelphia. A number of the correspondences between Michael and George Washington are available for view on-line. He was a personal friend to Benjamin Franklin, both members of the American Philosophical Society. He was an accomplished musician, playing the forte, piano, flute and fiddle. He is credited with being the author of "An Easy Method for the Fife". He married Henrietta Cox Boude on May 10th, 1753, in ChristChurch in Philadelphia. She was the daughter of Samuel Boude and Deborah Cox. Although they had 10 children, only Samuel had sons. None of Samuel's sons reached adulthood. None of Michael's direct descendants carry his name. The Hillegas name, itself, ranks only 43,476th in frequency in America today.