Family Newsletter
As many of us have done, I have often wondered about who my ancestors were, what they did for a living, whether they were rich or famous, what they ate, where they lived, and a thousand other questions. Finally, about three years ago I began to investigate the family and its background. This investigation quickly turned into an addiction as I began to uncover many interesting facts and stories about my forebears. Today, after spending many hours in libraries, searching through old family records, and visiting various public archives, I have amassed a good deal of information about the Hitch family from its origins in America to the present day.
I decided to put together this newsletter to serve as a forum to disseminate some of this information to other Hitches and related families all over the world through interesting anecdotes and research reports. I also hope to generate enough interest that others of you out there might write to me and relate stories about your branch of the family tree that you may have heard from your parents, grandparents, etc. With your permission, I may print them as stories in this newsletter and almost certainly add them to my information about the family.
Ultimately, I plan to assemble enough information to write a book about the Hitches in America. To be all-inclusive, I need to know as much about my contemporaries in the family as possible. This includes relationships, birth/marriage/death dates, occupations, etc. Hopefully, this newsletter will provide a forum to help me gather these tidbits of information.
Please write to me with your thoughts, suggestions or comments about the HFN. Thank you and happy reading,
Mike Hitch
How Do You Spell That?
One of the most interesting things I discovered
while searching through old records was the
variety of ways in which the surname "Hitch"
was actually spelled. In olden times, especially
before the year 1800, names were often spelled
the way they sounded. Also, since most people
were either illiterate or only semi-literate at best,
the way in which a name was spelled based on its
sound varied by the individual actually doing the
writing. Now, you might think that the five
simple letters H-I-T-C-H could not possibly be
spelled that many different ways.
The surname "Hitch" is of uniquely English origin with records of its use extending well back into the Dark Ages. The name Hitch seems to refer to a geographical area in England called the "Hitchins" and "Hecheham". People living in the vicinity came to be called by their given name with an added suffix meaning "of Hitchins", or "of Hitch" for short. The modern-day surnames of Hitch, Hitchins, Hitchens, Hytche, and Hitchcock all probably have similar origins.
The church maintained much power over the people in those days and Latin was the language most often used in written records of the church. Consequently, "of Hitch" was denoted as "de Hitch" in the very early records. Furthermore, scribes in those days generally wrote words phonetically, or the way that they sounded, and not necessarily by any standard rules for spelling. For this reason, Hitch can be found spelled any one of more than twenty different ways. Most transcriptions of early English and colonial records cross-reference the name Hitch to one or more of the following spellings:
Heatch Hech Heche Heich Heitch Hicches Hich Hiche Hiches Hitch Hitche Hitches Hith Hithe Hiths Hycche Hych Hyche Hyches Hytche Hythe
Adam Hitch, who was in Maryland near the Eastern Shore town of Salisbury by 1687, seems to be the patriarch of the Hitch family in America. He was born in either 1658 or 1659 and shows up prominently in the early records of Somerset County, Maryland (current day Wicomico County) until his death in 1732.
The first record of Adam Hitch occurs in a deed in the Somerset County land records (Liber MA, No. 3 , Folio 891-892) dated March 13, 1687, where "Adam Heatch" purchased 300 acres of land called "Beaver Dams" from William Jones, Jr. I do believe, however, that Adam was in Maryland prior to that time as he is known to own a large tract of land along the Wicomico River named "High Suffolk".
Adam and his wife Ann (Elgate) had at least nine (9) children as follows:
William Hitch (10/31/1687-10/1730)
Mary Hitch (9/27/1689-?)
Adam Hitch Jr. (11/24/1691-c.1726)
Solomon Hitch (5/9/1694-3/1747)
John Hitch (c.1695-3/1763)
Samuel Hitch (c.1703/1709-6/1750))
Elgate Hitch (c.1710/1714-2/1773)
Catherine Hitch (?-?)
Elizabeth Hitch (?-?)
This family unit formed the basis for Hitch family name to spread throughout America. For instance, John Hitch had a son named George who was born in Somerset County in 1731 but moved to Massachusetts by 1765 where he died sometime between 1811 and 1820. Others moved to South Carolina, Kentucky, Delaware, etc.
Adam Hitch served on both the petit and grand juries of Somerset County numerous times during his life. His earliest documented time of service was in 1688 and he served at least a dozen other times before his death in 1732.
Two humorous examples of his jury service are documented in Somerset County records. On June 13, 1688, he made a petition to the court about being summoned "to be a Jury man". However, he pleaded that "som cattle breaking into his corn ffield" caused him to miss duty that day (Som. Co. Judicials, 11/1687-6/1689, page 50). In the next court session, on August 14, 1688, Adam made another petition, this time claiming that "hoggs broke into his corn field" and that he was "so damnified that" he "did happen to come one hour late" (Som. Co. Judicials, 11/1687-6/1689, page 58). Ol' Adam Hitch was excused both times for his tardiness, but it shows that he did have some trouble with his livestock getting into his crops (unless he just overslept on those days and could find no better excuses!!)
In 1727, Adam Hitch, along with Thomas Humphreys, built a ferry across the Wicomico River near a Presbyterian Meeting House. The "Upper Ferry" still runs today in that location about seven miles downriver from Salisbury, Maryland.
As Adam Hitch grew old, he gradually gave away his belongings to his children. His estate included over 2,000 acres of land, much property and a considerable sum of money and tobacco. He died quietly at about age 72, quite old in those days.
Ancient Hitches
The earliest reference to the Hitch surname found by this author was one to a Nicholas de Hiche (also Nicholas Hiche) from August 25, 1265. This mention comes from The Registrum Antiquissimum of the Cathedral Church of Lincoln (England), where Mr. Hiche was said to be a subdean at St. John in Newport. The same reference indicates that he had died by April 30, 1275.
A key set of reference material concerning early English genealogy is The Index Library. It is a 100-volume plus set of books that are transcriptions of early-to-ancient English church records, wills and administrations, various court proceedings, and marriage records. The first volume of the set was published in the early 1800s, with successive volumes published progressively until the 1960s. It provides a wealth of information from key genealogy sources with indexes by surname. In fact, The Index Library yields one 13th century Hitch reference to a "Robert Hythe and Gunnildam his wife." They had evidently made a plea to the court in Norfolk, England in 1297.
The author has found two references to the Hitch surname in the 14th century. The first comes from A Biographical Registry of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500, published in 1958. It refers to one William de Hycche who was chaplain and procurator domus of Merton College for the years 1334, 1335, and 1336. The second reference comes again from The Index Library which mentions a testamentary record from the year 1394 of "William Hicches of Enfield, Mdx.".
The earliest reference to the surname found by the author with the modern spelling Hitch can also be found in The Index Library. It refers to a "Henry Hitch of Segeford, St. Mary" in a will from the year 1473 proved in the Consistory Court in Norwick, England. In all, the author has identified seven (7) references from the 1400s and over forty from the 1500s to people with the surname Hitch. Research is on-going into these early references (pending a trip to England) and will be reflected in a later editions of this newsletter.
The Virginia Company of London
In the late 16th and early 17th century, the eyes of England turned toward the exploration and colonization of the New World. One primary driver of the exploration was the search for gold and silver which was thought to exist in great quantities in the newly-discovered lands. The race was on between England, France, Spain and other European powers to claim land in the New World as their own and relieve it of as much of its precious commodities as it would yield.
However, exploration of the New World in 1600 can be likened to exploration of the Solar System in modern-day times with both requiring large sums of money. In the late 1500s, that money usually came from a combination of the government and organizations of private speculators, both of which hoped to profit from any successful ventures. The Virginia Company of London was an example of an organization which believed it could profit from the colonization of the New World.
The Virginia Company founded the first permanent settlement in America, Jamestown, in 1607. From an initial population of about 100, many of which died in the first two years, the Virginia Company sent thousands of people to Jamestown annually through the middle 1600s. By 1625, the total population in and around Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia was still less than 5,000 people.
The Hitch surname shows up in the annals of early Virginia quite often. A John Hitch of London received a share of land from the Virginia Company from Francis Carter on July 17, 1622. (1) The reference, as transcribed in the records of the Virginia Company states, "ffrancis Carter passed ouer one share of land vnto Iohn Hitch Cittizen of London beinge the last share of the later 40 assigned vnto him from the Right Honoble Lady D'Lawarre." Additionally, a John Hitch listed as living in James City County (near Williamsburg) in early 1625 (2).
There is also record of one Henry Hitch who sailed back-and-forth between England and Virginia (and perhaps New England) many times in the early 1600s. In 1622, Captain Butler published "the Vnmasked face of our Colony in Virginia as it was in ye Winter of ye yeare 1622". In it, Butler made many accusations of hellish living conditions in Virginia in hopes of proving that the colony was not suitable for human habitation. A rebuttal was prepared to Captain Butler's claim where members of the colony and frequent visitors made testimony contrary to his accusations. Henry Hitch made a deposition as part of that rebuttal on April 30, 1623 that went as follows:
"I Henry Hitch Chirurgion of ye James haveinge been severall times in Virginia and lived att one time there about 5 monneths doe affirme all the Answers wthin written save yt I know not of ye matters about James Citty. Henry Hitch"
From it we see that Henry Hitch was a doctor (3) on board the ship James during the early years of the Jamestown and Williamsburg settlements. He made many trips to the colony and once spent a full five (5) months in Virginia.
A Henry Hitch, maybe the same one, also shows up in The Index Library when his will was administered on September 8, 1630. The reference refers to the will of "Henry Hitch of parish St. Ethelburgha (sic), London, but (who was) deceased abroad. Admon w(ith) will, Sept. 8 to relict Francis N.E." (4) The author believes that Henry Hitch's wife, Francis may have been living in New England at the time as denoted by the "N.E." in the reference. This is further supported by the fact that the James was known to have a regular trading route which took it from England to New England and Virginia in the early 1600s. Whether this Henry Hitch is the same as the one who made deposition to The Virginia Company in 1623 will have to remain speculation until the author gathers more information in hopes of determining any potential relationship.
Two other references to the Hitch surname have been uncovered by the author in relation to early Virginia. Both are small mentions-in-passing which only reference the name with little background information. The first is a reference to a William Hitch who was a witness to a 1663 order of the court regarding an orphan in Surry County (5). The second is a November 16, 1674 reference to an Elen Hitch as a transportee to Virginia by Captains Laurence Smith and Robert Beverly. This, along with them having transported numerous others, entitled them to 6500 acres of land in Rappahannock and New Kent Counties (6). From here, the Hitch name disappears until it shows up in earnest in colonial Maryland after 1675.
The American Revolution
For me, probably the most interesting area of research I have conducted into the Hitch family revolves around those individuals who served in defense of the United States. There are Hitches who have served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and World War I and II. There are even records of a few of our progeny who served in the militias of the colonial years before 1775.
In coming issues, I will report separately on the services of Hitches in each of these historical wars. The following members of the Hitch family are known to have served in the Revolutionary War:
Severn Hitch - From lower Delaware, served as a Quartermaster and Battalion supply officer for the 1st Battalion of Washington County, Maryland in 1776 and 1777.
Robert Hitch - From Somerset County, Maryland, was appointed Captain of a Somerset Co. militia and also served as a Captain for the 1st Battalion of Washington County, Maryland in 1776.
Benjamin Hitch - Listed on muster rolls for the Salisbury Battalion, Mill Creek Company of Somerset Co. in 1780.
Elias Hitch - Listed on muster rolls for the Salisbury Battalion, Black Water Company of Somerset Co. in 1780.
Elijah Hitch - Listed on muster rolls for the Salisbury Battalion, Black Water Company of Somerset Co. in 1780.
Ezekiel Hitch - Listed on muster rolls for the Salisbury Battalion, Black Water Company of Somerset Co. in 1780.
George Hitch - Listed on muster rolls for the Salisbury Battalion, Black Water Company of Somerset Co. in 1780.
John Hitch - Listed on muster rolls for the Lower Battalion, 6th Company (of Montgomery Co., Maryland?) in 1780.
Thomas Hitch - Listed on muster rolls as a Sergeant for the Salisbury Battalion, Black Water Company of Somerset Co. in 1780.
Samuel Hitch - Born in 1741 and died on 3/12/1825, from Massachusetts, listed as a Corporal in the American Revolution by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). He was a Corporal in Captain Thomas Crandon's Company in "defense of the seacoast". He enlisted on 7/17/1775. He also enlisted in Captain Nathaniel Pope's Company from 8/3/1780 to 8/9/1780 in Rhode Island on alarm.
George Hitch - From Bristol County, Massachusetts, was a Corporal in Captain Thomas Crandon's Company in "defense of the seacoast". He enlisted on 7/17/1775. He also enlisted on 7/31/1780 where he served in Captain George Claghorn's Company of Colonel Abiel Mitchell's Regiment raised to reinforce the Continental Army for three months.
John Hitch - From Massachusetts, was a Private in Captain Daniel Egery's Company, Colonel Timothy Danuielson's Regiment. He enlisted on 10/6/1775.
Pleasant Hitch - African American from Massachusetts on a list of men raised in Bristol County in 1779 to serve in the Continental Army. He was described as "age 27, stature 5'-5", with a negro complexion". He served in Captain Daniel Pillsbury's Company, Lieutenant Colonel Calvin Smith's Regiment in earnest through 7/25/1782 when he was reported as deserted.
Most of these names were dug up by the author from the files at the National Archives in Washington, DC. There are probably others who served and I would appreciate any information any of you may have in this area.
Letters & Queries
This section of the HFN is set aside to answer questions from readers about any articles that have appeared in each issue or for readers to solicit information regarding Hitch genealogy. Since this is the inaugural issue, there are obviously no questions or comments to field from the readership ranks. Instead, I myself will pose a question that I hope may return an answer from my fellow family members.
Q: What happened to Washington Hitch? Washington Henry Hitch was born about 1822 in Worcester County, Maryland, the first son of Samuel (c.1784-c.1858) and Henrietta (Brown) Hitch (c.1784-before 1850). W.H. had a brother named Handy Irving Hitch who was born in 1825 and died in 1901.
Washington married Matilda Margaret Denston on March 13, 1848 and they had children Samuel H. (1848-1924), Hernie(?) (1850-?), Mary (1852-?) and Levin Thomas Hitch (1856-1942). My problem is that I do not know when, how or where Washington Hitch died.
Family legend has it that he died by being struck in the head by a "grubbing hoe" by a Mr. Brown over some indiscretions between their children. While being pursued by the law, Mr. Brown allegedly froze to death. I have not had any luck finding any information to support this story in old newspaper accounts or court records. However, I do know that W.H. Hitch died sometime between 1871 and 1879. I have not found where he is buried as he probably had a wooden tombstone which has long since decayed. Can anyone help me with my dilemma?
Next in HFN
Coming in the next issue of the Hitch Family Newsletter:
• Hitch accounts in John Nelm's store in Salisbury, 1758-1787.
• Hitches in the Civil War.
• United States Census records from 1790 to 1920.
• How to gather information about your branch of the family.
• And much, much, more.
How Did You Like This Newsletter?
Please send me your comments or suggestions on the newsletter. Also, if you wish to continue to receive the HFN in the future, please fill out and return the following information to:
Mike Hitch
12310 Backus Drive
Bowie, MD 20720
Name: _________________________
Address: _________________________
_________________________
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1. Records of the Virginia Company, Volume III, 1607-1622. Published by the Library of Congress, 1933.
2. Spelled John Hitchy, he is listed in the Musters of the Inhabitants of Virginia 1624/25 as part of the "Muster of mr Edward Blaney" of James City County. The "y" on the end of Hitch appears to be due to the transcription of the account that was written in typical 17th century script.
3. A "Chirgurgion", or chirgion, is a surgeon in modern terms which simply meant that he was a doctor.
4. Abstracts of the Probate Acts in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Lane. Reviewed at the Peabody Institute Library, Baltimore.
5. Surry County, Virginia Court Records 1652-1663. William Hitch signed as a witness in the matter of orphan Joseph Fisher on "29 7ber 1663" (September 29, 1663).
6. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, Volume II, 1666-1695. Capt. Smith and Capt. Beverly got 6500 acres in Rappahannock and New Kent Counties adjoining 4600 acres already owned by Smith. Elen Hitch was one of 130 persons transported by the respective Captains to Virginia.