References:
(1) Daughters of the American Colonists, Lineage Book, page 88.
References:
(1) Daughters of the American Colonists, Lineage Book, page 88.
References:
(1) Daughters of the American Colonists, Lineage Book, page 88.
References:
(1) Daughters of the American Colonists, Lineage Book, page 88.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United Stats, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42, 471.
(2) Some Prominent Virginia Families, page 337.
(3) Index Card to Logan Temple Records, No. 5817, Book R 2, page 193.
Historical Notes:
(1) Colonel John Hite was in the French and Indian War, as well as the
Revolutionary War. He was Captain of Precinct; President Courts Martial and
County Courts in 1760. He was Colonel of the Frederick County Militia, and
succeeded Lord Fairfax as County Lieutenant.(2) John Hite, eldest son of Yost Hite and Anna Maria Du Bois, was born about
1715. He was a man of unusual cultivation for his times, he wrote a good hand and became very sucessful as a business man, possessing much of his father's energy and executive ability. He was given lands on Opequon Creek, at a place called by traders and natives as "Red Bud." In 1753, he built the colonial stone dwelling still in good repair, at the point where the Valley turnpike now crosses the creek, and called it "Springdale." The date, with the builder's initials, "J.H." is cut on a dressed stone in the front of the house. In 1787, he built the first brick house in the Valley; it stands at the northern side of Newtown, now Stephen's City, and is still in good repair. Two years later he built the first merchant mill in the Valley. (Reference, Kercheval's "History of the Shenandoah Valley.") Colonel John Hite was Vestryman in Christ Episcopal Church in Winchester, Virginia, in 1752. Captain in charge of a precinct and member of a "Council of War," in 1744. He was Colonel in the French and Indian War of 1756, and Justice of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1756. He evidently took a warm interest in the affairs of church and state, and soon became prominent in all public movements. Schmidt, in his "History of the German Element in Maryland and Virginia," speaks of him as "Colonel John Hite, son of Yost Hite, distinguished for his bravery in the Indian Wars," page 82. Colonel John Hite married Zara or Sara Elting, daughter of Cornelius Elting and Rebecca Van Meter Elting in Maryland.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States; page 471.
(2) Virginia Historical Magazine, page 135, 355.
(3) West Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. III, pages 99-119.
(4) Annals of Augusta County, Virginia From 1726-1871, Waddel, page 23.
(5) Revised Code of Virginia, 1819, Vol. II, page 344, 347.
(6) Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 10, page 35.
(7) Virginia Genealogies, page 34.
(8) Index Card to Logan Temple Records, No. 5820, Book R-Z, page 193.
(9) Index Card to Logan Temple Records, No. 5819, Book R-Z, page 193.
(10)Index Card to Logan Temple Records, No. 5821, Book R-Z, page 193.
(11) Colonial Families of the United States, Page 201.
(12) Some Prominent Virginia Families, Vol. IV, page 332.Historical Notes:
(1) Hans Jost Hite was a colonizer of the Shenandoah Valley, he is said to have been a "Baron of the Alsace," he came to America with his wife, Anna Marie Du Bois, and his daughter Mary, and sixteen or more families in two vessels of his own, the "Swift," and the "Friendship." In 1716, he was in Pennsylvania with a colony. In 1730 he sold his Pennsylvania lands, and in 1731 he started with sixteen families from York Pennsylvania, for their new Virginia home.
(2) The Hite Family in America (From Some Prominent Virginia Families)
In 1710, Hans Josh Heydt or Yost Hite, as his name is spelled in English
documents dated at the time of his emigration, a native of Alsace, Germany,
came from Strasburg to New York, with his wife, Anna Marie, nee du Bois, and
their little girl Mary. He came in his own ships, Brigantine "Swift," and
Schooner "Friendship," bringing with him sixteen (some say more) Dutch and
German families, as tenants for lands he expected to settle.Hite remained in Kingston, New York until 1715, when he came south to
Germantown, Pennsylvania. In 1717, we find him on the Schuylkill River, where he bought lands, and in 1720 built a mill at the mouth of Perkiomen Creek, and a dwelling house, which is at present the country home of Governor Samuel Pennypacker, of Pennsylvania, and became a thrifty enterprising farmer and manufacturer. The mills are now called Pennypacker's Mills.At this time the Indians maddened by the encroachments of the whites, took revenge by making raids upon the colonists in both Pennsylvania and Maryland, ruthlessly murdering settlers and destroying property. In 1728 a petition signed by Yost Hite and many others, for protection against the Indians was presented to Governor Gordon of Pennsylvania, who ignored the petition and the atrocities, became more frequent and more cruel. Hite became disgusted by the culpable indifference of the government and inaugurated a scheme to re-emigrate to the wilds of the then unknown Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, and in January, 1730, sold his holdings on the Schuylkill and with his family and followers once more turned his footsteps southward.
In 1730, John Van Meter went to Williamsburg and obtained a contract from Governor Sir William Gooch, for forty thousand acres of aland in the Shenandoah Valley, and in 1731 sold this contract to Yost Hite, which sale was afterwards confirmed by Governor Gooch, and the tract was known as "Hite's Grant."
October 31, 1731, Hite took as partner a young Quaker, named Robert McKey, and obtained an order of council for one hundred thousand acres of land on the west side of the mountain on condition he would settle one hundred families on it in two years. Afterwards the time for making these settlements was extended to Christmas, 1735.
In the spring of 1731, Yost Hite with sixteen families left York,
Pennsylvania, and crossed the Potomac River at what was called Parkhorse Ford, afterward Mechlenburg, now Shepherdstown, and entered the fertile and
beautiful, but un explored Valley of the Shenandoah River. He made his first
settlement at New Mechlenburg, just one hundred and twenty-five years after the first settlement on James River, in 1607. "To Hans Yost Hite, therefore
belongs the honor of having planted the first standard of civilization in the
mountainous region of Virginia."Yost Hite proceeded down the Valley to a place called by the natives and
traders, as "Red Bud," on the Opequon Creek; there he located his eldest son,
John Hite, who built the first colonial stone house in the Valley, just where
the turnpike now crosses the creek, and called it "Springdale." These
settlements were on the west side of the Shenandoah River, hence were in no
county, as Spottsylvania extended only to the river. The county of Orange was made August 1734, and "extended to the utmost limits of Virginia," to-wit; "from sea to sea." Hite surveyed the land, marked out farms, and the old records of Orange County show many deeds from him. In June, 1734, an order of council stated, "Yost Hite," had complied with the terms of the grant, and had setted his land with more than the requisite number of families," and directed patents to be issued to him and his assignees, upon the surveys then returned to the secretary's office. This same year, Lord Fairfax, without making any investigation of Hite's claim, entered a general caveat against all orders of councils, deeds, patents, entries, etc., issuing from the crown office, for lands lying in his proprietary and gave Hite preemptory notice to purchase or vacate.The first of January, 1736, Hite and McKoy had fifty-four families on
their one hundred thousand acres of land. Some surveys were made, which were
returned to the secretary's office, in due time, but the caveat was served
before the patents on the surveys were issued. Lord Fairfax arrived in 1736,
and a survey of the Northern Neck was made, by which it appeared part of the
contested lands did lie within the boundary of his proprietary. This
condidtion of affairs gave rise to certain petitions made to the governor and
council, who confirmed the Fairfax surveys on express condition he establish
all the grants made by the crown, and, December 31, 1738, an order was issued
to that effect. Lord Fairfax gave his word the deeds should be made to the
grantees under the crown, particular mention being made of Hite and his
associates, who had threatened to remove to some other part of the country.
This promise was to be redeemed, as soon as Lord Fairfax could open his office, thereupon, Hite withdrew twenty-seven surveys and fees from the secretary's office, and lodged them with the proprietor for patents, and the claimants remained on the lands. Lord Fairfax opened his land office, and then refused to give the promised patents to Hite and his associates, and even conveyed part of the land to others. Hite and parties now filed a bill against Fairfax and those claiming under him setting forth all the facts and prayed his Lordship be decreed to make the deeds to the plaintiffs for the surveyed lands, etc., etc. On October 13, 1769, the court decreed that Hite and McKoy were entitled to the lands surveyed before Christmas, 1735, for which patents had been issued before August 11th, 1745, and that Fairfax must issued deeds for said lands, and appoint a committee to examine and state a memorial for all such surveys claimed by the plaintiffs, and that his lordship deliver the said commissioners all the original surveys lodged in his office, by Robert Green, Gent., deceased.Thomas Marshall and other commissioners reported twenty-seven surveys,
containing forty-seven thousand two hundred and seventy eight acres, showing
the Van Meter claim more than satisfied. In 1771 there was a final decree,
which gave Hite forty thousand of the Van Meter claim and to Hite and McKoy
fifty-four thousand acres of the one hundred thousand acres in the order of
October 21, 1731. Lord Fairfax appealed to the King in council, but never
prosecuted the case. Hite and others appealed from parts of the decree, which confirmed grants made by Fairfax since the commencement of the case. This went to the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Fairfax died in 1781. Gabriel Jones was one of his executors. Randolph argued the case in the Appellate Court for Hite et als., Baker for Appeals, John Taylor for Hite et als., Marshall for tenants.The Appellate Court gave Hite all he asked, with rents of the land from
January, 1749-50, and costs. Fairfax was a "Royal Pet," and it was almost as
daring in Hite to enter suit against him, as it was to go into the wilderness
of the Shenandoah Valley to settle, for the influence of Lord Fairfax, with the King and the Colonial Government, was quite equal to that of any other man in this country at that time. The suit was delayed fifty years, both contestants were dead, foreign influence was lessened and courts wer learning to act independently and according to the merits of the case. (Reference 4 Col. Va. Reports, 42, 83.)Of Yost Hite's private life there is but little known. He was honest and taciturn, and his public career marks him as a leader among men, possessing good judgement, fine executive ability, and indomitable will. Obstacles only aroused his ardor, and he feared no man; he also must have had large means at his command. His wife, Anna Maria du Bois, was of Huguenot extraction. Among the descendants of her son, Issac, there is a tradition that at the time of her marriage, neither she nor her bridegroom understood more than a few words of their respective languages. "Tis said, Cupid laughs at bars," but in this instance he laughed at words, for there was no difficulty about the courtship; all went smoothly until the question of a marriage settlement by Yost on his bride arose, then papa du Bois was determined there should be no mistake. They were married in Germany and emigrated in 1710, bringing one little daughter with them. While living at Kingston, New York, the baptism of two others were recorded. Yost Hite made his will in 1757 and died in Frederick County, Virginia in 1760.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.
References:
(1) Colonial Families of the United States, page 42.