Hi John,
We should probably connect. I'm the second great-grand nephew of Catherina Louise B�rner who married J.F. Hilgen on 11 August 1837 (in other words, my great-great grandfather was Catharina's brother, C.F. B�rner).
You already have the Hilgen genealogy from
Hilgen Heirs
by Alice Schimmelpfenning Wendt,
Schroeder Printing Co., Cedarburg Wisconsin.
That's a pretty good start and I am not aware of much more for the early Hilgens.
Best Regards
David Boerner