Family Newsletter

Welcome back to the Hitch Family Newsletter (HFN)! This is the fifth issue of this well-received publication. Thanks to you all for the feedback I have received about your specific areas of the HITCH family. This has been the single most important area from which I have received my information about the family. This being the Christmas season, and a time where family is the closest thing to our hearts, I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In this issue I try to tackle the history of the Christopher Hitch branch of the Hitch family who was from Maryland-Virginia-Tennessee. I know that there are quite a few of you that descend from this line and I hope that the information presented herein will prove helpful to you. I also address, one more time, the subject of Hitches who served in the Civil War. This listing was compiled to try to gather all those Hitches that participated in the War of the Secession in one place. All told, there are 44 Civil War Hitches of which 13 served in the CSA and 31 in the Union Army.

Please continue to write to me with your thoughts, suggestions or comments about the HFN and, continue to send me information and anecdotes about your branches of the family. Thank you and happy reading,

Mike Hitch

There has been much speculation concerning Christopher Hitch of Maryland, Fauquier Co., Virginia and then Blount Co., Tennessee. He is definitely the patriarch of that part of the Hitch family that currently resides in Blount Co., Tennessee and those that descend from folks from that area. The speculation arises when we try to determine from where Christopher Hitch himself originated.

While the real answers may be lost to history, there is enough historical evidence to provide some acceptable for his origin. I will detail the evidence here and present my theory for his beginnings in this country. Please note that in Issue No. 2, I dubiously connected Christopher Hitch to Samuel, son of Adam Hitch of Maryland. As you will see later in this article, I now do NOT feel that placement was correct. Please make a note of this in the previous edition of the HFN so as not to confuse the issue later.

In my research, it seems that we can narrow down Christopher Hitch's origin to three possible areas:

1. He was a descendant of the patriarch Adam Hitch (1658/59-1730/31) of Maryland.

2. He was a descendant of the Hitch family from which Adam Hitch originated, but not in a father-son relationship.

3. He was an immigrant to America from a totally separate line of the Hitch family with ties unknown to the Adam Hitch line.

Research seems to favor the second item above where Christopher Hitch was possibly a nephew of Adam Hitch. However, I will present the evidence here and let the reader draw his/her own conclusion.

The earliest record the author can find with reference to a Christopher Hitch comes from the Calendar of Maryland State Papers, No. 1, The Black Books. In them, Christopher Hitch is present on a List of Taxables for the Upper Piscattaway (sic) Hundred for Prince Georges Co., Maryland in 1733. Christopher Hitch does not appear in the records again until he is listed as an appraiser to the estate of Joseph Barrow in the same county in late 1761/early 1762 (Records of the Prerogative Court of Maryland).

In the Parish Register of Piscataway Parish, Prince Georges Co., Maryland, a Christopher Hitch and his wife Susanna had a son named Bartholomew Hitch born July 18, 1753. In the same reference, there are two Christopher Hitches listed in the year 1768. The first, with his wife Susanna, baptized their child Barton Hitch on April 10, 1768. On the same day, Christopher Hitch, with HIS wife Rebecca, had their child Nathan Hitch baptized.

The use of Barton or Bartholomew as a given name in the history of the Hitch family is rare everywhere and non-existent in America except for the Barton and Bartholomew Hitches of Christopher Hitch I and II. This might (and that is a big might) provide a clue to the ancestry of Christopher Hitch.

A Bartholomew Hitch is listed among the inhabitants of London, England in 1638. This same Bartholomew (probably) had wife Mildred and died in 1642/43 as evidenced by his will probated on January 1, 1642/43. He lived in St. John Walbrook Parish and was a waxchandler. (While there is no knowing for sure if it was the same Mildred, there was a Mildred Hitch who died in London in 1657 and names some relatives in New England. Her will was probated by Robert Hitch and she had children John, Rebecca and Hannah.).

Another Bartholomew Hitch, perhaps the son of the first, had a will probated in Leicester, England in 1665. Still another, denoted as Bartholomew Hitch Sr. of Dunton Bassett in Leicester, had his will probated in 1680. Another Bartholomew Hitch of Dunton Bassett married Elizabeth Armston of Kilby in Leicester in 1692. And finally, another Bartholomew Hitch of Dunton Bassett had his will probated in Leicester in 1734.

Are these Bartholomew Hitches ancestors of Christopher Hitch, or further still, ancestors of Adam Hitch. Unfortunately, it will take more research to answer these questions, if indeed, the answers are not lost to history. However, it does provide for an interesting thought when considering the history of the Hitch family in America.

Christopher Hitch (b. c.1710) m. Susanna _____ With children:

- Christopher Hitch (b. 1730/48)

- Bartholomew Hitch (b. 7/18/1753)

- Barton Hitch (b. bef. 4/10/1768)

And Christopher Hitch, the son, married Rebecca _____ and had a son Nathan (b. bef. 4/10/1768).

The next record that can be found referencing Christopher Hitch is on March 23, 1779 when he and his wife Rebeccah were witness to the will of Benjamin Neale in Fauquier Co., Virginia. He is listed again later, this time on the Fauquier Co. Personal Property Tax List for 1787 as age "over 21" with Nathan Hitch "age 16-21." From here on, many other Hitches start appearing in the Fauquier Co., Virginia records in addition to Christopher.

To give the reader some perspective of geography, Prince Georges Co., Maryland borders present-day Washington, DC to the east and used to actually include the area where the city is now located until its founding in 1790 (e.g., Georgetown, which is part of Washington, DC today was Georgetown, Prince Georges Co., Maryland prior to 1790). Fauquier Co., Virginia is a far-west suburban area surrounding Washington today, about 30 miles from downtown. Christopher Hitch and his family must have migrated the 40 miles or so from south/central Prince Georges Co., Maryland to central Fauquier Co., Virginia sometime in the 11-year span between 1768 and 1779, probably around the year 1770.

Christopher Hitch fathered as many as 16 children as the early records of Virginia show. The previously-mentioned Nathan was probably his first and maybe his only child born in Maryland. A son John Hitch was shown to be 78 years old and born in Virginia in the Blount Co., Tennessee Census for 1850. That would put his birth year at 1772, further narrowing Christopher's move from Maryland to Virginia to 1768 (when Nathan was born) to 1772 (when John was born).

In A Hitch Orchard by Daisy Hitch Davies (compiled in about 1930), she states, "The ancestry and removals of this branch of the family is (sic) absolutely fascinating. They are as elusive as the will-of-the-wisps. One almost catches a clue, only to lose it again." As you can see, even Daisy Hitch Davies had much trouble attempting to sort out the Christopher Hitch branch of the family. Form her initial research and the research I have been able to glean from extant records and those of the line that have written to me, the probable children of Christopher Hitch are listed as follows:

1. Nathan b. 4/10/1768 in MD m. 1/14/1791 in VA (Anna Burgess) d. 1817 in VA

2. Elizabeth b. c.1769 in MD or VA m. 4/15/1787 in VA (Joshua Athley)

3. Susanna b. c.1770 in MD or VA m. 6/11/1788 in VA (Edward Smoot)

4. Peggy b. c.1771 in MD or VA m. 12/16/1789 John Smoot in VA

5. John b. 1772 in VA m. (1) 2/27/1787 in VA (Cassandra Elgin); m. (2) 1/19/1801 in VA (Milly Greenwood) d. 1851/59 in KY

6. Wiseman b. c.1773 in VA m. 9/18/1797 in VA (Nancy Williams) d. 1841/49 in KY

7. Archibald b. c.177x in VA m. 1/20/1801 in VA (Polly Harris) d. 12/5/1848 in TN

8. Sally b. c.1778 in VA m. 4/19/1798 in VA (Humphrey Arnold)

9. Rebecca b. c. 1779 in VA m. 9/1/1798 in VA (Samuel Arnold)

10. Lucy b. ?? in VA m. ?? (James Harris)

11. Eleven b. 1781 in VA m. 12/16/1802 in VA (Lucinda Harris) d. 1837 in TN

12. Elias b. 11/24/1783 in VA m. 4/10/1812 in VA (Nancy Kerrick) d. 3/16/1845 in TN

13. Darcus b. c.1788 in VA m. 9/21/1809 in VA (Joseph Harris)

14. Casey b. ?? in VA m. ?? (Mary ??)

15. Lloyd b. ?? in VA

16. Airy b. ?? in VA m. ?? (Henry H. Downing)

The exact order of birth of this family is obviously not definite. Also, a couple of the children (e.g., Lloyd and Casey), while definitely related to Christopher Hitch may not be his offspring. Further research will hopefully allow better insight into these connections. Any ideas from the readership out there about this elusive line would be greatly appreciated.

The descendants of Christopher Hitch spread widely into Tennessee and Kentucky and then on to Missouri, Oklahoma, California and Washington as well as other states in the mid- and far-west. We will report on these noteworthy families in future editions of the Hitch Family Newsletter.

In Memoriam

Since the last issue of the HFN, we have lost several members of the Hitch family. Please join me in expressing the deepest sympathy for those families affected by the loss of their loved ones.

Charles Johnston Hitch: Died on September 11, 1995 in San Leandro, California, he was age 85. Born on January 9, 1910 in Boonville, Missouri, the son of Alfred Martin and Bertha (Johnston) Hitch, Charles J. Hitch led a distinguished and illustrious career. Mr. Hitch was an Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1965 under the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Mr. Hitch served as President of the University of California from September 1967 to 1975, a time of student activism and unrest.

Charles J. Hitch graduated from Kemper Military School and College in Boonville in 1929 and received a B.A. degree from the University of Arizona in 1931. Then, after a year of graduate work at Harvard, he won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University where he earned a Master's in 1935. He then taught at Queen's College until 1948 with time out for World War II.

During the war, Mr. Hitch served as a staff economist for the War Petition Board in Washington. Mr. Hitch joined the Army and was assigned to the Office of Student Affairs. He served two years and was discharged as a first lieutenant. Mr. Hitch was the author of several nationally-renowned books on the subject of military defense.

Mr. Hitch's wife, the former Nancy Winslow Squire, whom he married on March 20, 1942, died in 1983. He is survived by one daughter, Caroline Winslow Hitch Rubio of Hayward, California. (See New York Times obituary of 9/12/1995).

Helen (Lucas) Hitch: (April 5, 1915 - November 23, 1995) Died in Maryland at age 80, she was the wife of Milton Lee Hitch (September 10, 1913 - April 1, 1966). Her children were Diane Hitch Winkler, Linda Hitch Turner, and Rose Marie Hitch DePalma.

Howard Floyd Bennett: (June 26, 1929 - 1995) Passed away in Birmingham, Alabama, he was age 66. Survived by his wife, Florence Edna Hitch Bennett. Children are Kimberly Helene Bennett Chambers, Shalon Bennett Lowry, and Peri Rebecca Bennett Davis.

Hitches in the Civil War (Again)

I have reported on members of the Hitch family who served in the Civil War in previous issues of the HFN. However, I have recently found more Hitch veterans of the "War of the Secession." In this issue, I wanted to compile as complete a list as possible of all Hitches who served in that war. Details of the service of some of these can be found in those previous issues of the HFN. For others, I will report more on them in upcoming editions. For clarity sake, I have shaded those that served in the CSA and left plain those in the Union. Note that there are a total of 44 Hitch Civil War service men of which 31 fought for the Union and 13 for the Confederate States. The complete list follows:

Alfred G. Hitch: Massachusetts; Private, Company G, 3rd Massachusetts Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Benjamin F. Hitch: Georgia; Quartermaster Sergeant, Co. F/Co. S, 35th Georgia Infantry, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

Benjamin H. Hitch: Kentucky; Private/Sergeant, Company E, 7th Kentucky Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Charles Hitch: Virginia; Private, Co. K, 5th Virginia Infantry, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

Charles J. Hitch: Illinois; Private/Sergeant, Company AG, 4th Illinois Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Clement Hitch: Ohio; Private, Company H, 149th Ohio Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Daniel Hitch: Bridgeville, Sussex Co., Delaware; Private, Co. I, 6th Regiment, Delaware Infantry Volunteers (USA), 11/11/1862 for nine months. (Civil War Service Records in the Delaware Archives).

David W. Hitch: Wilmington, New Castle Co., Delaware; Private, Co. K, 4th Regiment, Delaware Infantry Volunteers (USA), 8/18/1862 for three years. (Civil War Service Records in the Delaware Archives).

Eben V. Hitch: Massachusetts: Private, Company Readi, 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry, USA. Also, Louisiana; Company BH, 1st Louisiana Cavalry and Captain, Company L, 2nd Louisiana Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Edward C. Hitch: Ohio; Private, Company K, 89th Ohio Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Francis A. Hitch: Ohio; Private, Company S, 9th Ohio Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Frank Hitch: California; Private, Company B, 4th California Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Frederick H. Hitch: Massachusetts; Private, Company I, 3rd Massachusetts Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

George Hitch: Indiana; Private, Company E, 14th Indiana Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

J.A. Hitch: South Carolina; Private, Co. D, 5th South Carolina Troops and Private, Co. B, 9th South Carolina Reserves, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

James C. Hitch: Massachusetts; Private/Sargeant, Company G, 3rd Massachusetts Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John Hitch: Tennessee; Private, Company C, 3rd Tennessee Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John Hitch: Indiana; Private, Company BA, 1st Indiana Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John Hitch: Indiana; Private - 3rd Class Musician, Band, 42nd Indiana Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John Hitch: Iowa; Private, Company F, 34th Iowa Infantry; and Company A, 38th Iowa Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John A. Hitch: Pennsylvania; Private, Company F, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John C. Hitch: Missouri; Private/Sergeant, Co. H, 2nd Missouri Calvary, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

John O.W. Hitch: Vicksburg, Warren Co., Mississippi; Private, Co. A, 21st Mississippi Infantry, CSA. 5/15/1861 - 7/1/1862. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

John W. Hitch: Ohio; Private, Company C, 73rd Ohio Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

John W. Hitch: Kentucky; Private, Co. A, 1st (Butler's) Regiment Kentucky Calvary; and Private, Co. A, 1st Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles; andPrivate, Co. A, 3rd Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

Lorenzo Hitch: Iowa; Private, Company A, 38th Iowa Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Nathaniel Hitch: Indiana; Drummer, Company F, 91st Indiana Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Octavius G. Hitch: Ohio; Private/Commissary Sargeant, Company A, 5th Ohio Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Robert M. Hitch: Georgia; Captain, Co. B, 30th Georgia Infantry, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

S.G. Hitch: South Carolina; Private, Co. D, 1st (Charleston) Battalion South Carolina Infantry; and Private, Co. D, 27th South Carolina Infantry, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

Spencer Hitch: Frederica, Kent Co., Delaware; Commissary Sargeant, Co. C, 1st Regiment, Delaware Cavalry Volunteers (USA), 9/23/1862 for three years. (Civil War Service Records in the Delaware Archives).

Stephen K. Hitch: Tennessee; Private, Co. G, 63rd Tennessee Infantry, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

Stephen S. Hitch: Illinois; Private, Company AG, 4th Illinois Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Thomas Hitch: Indiana; Private, Company E, 14th Indiana Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Thomas J. Hitch: Somerset Co., MD; Private, Co. D, Purnell Legion, Maryland Regiment of the U.S. Volunteers (USA), 9/15/1861 to 10/24/1864 (Index to Military Service - Civil War, Union).

Thomas J. Hitch: Indiana; Corporal/Private, Company G, 11th Indiana Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

W.C. Hitch: Kentucky; Private, Co. I, 3rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

W.H. Hitch: Texas; Corporal, Co. H, 2nd Regiment Cavalry, Texas State Troops, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

William Hitch: Tennessee; Private, Capt. McClung's Co., Tennessee Light Artillery, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

William Hitch: Tennessee; Private, Company J, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

William B. Hitch: Tennessee; Private, Company A, 3rd Tennessee Cavalry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

William H.H. Hitch: Somerset Co., Maryland; Private, Co. C, Purnell Legion, Maryland Cavalry USA, 9/18/1862 and Private, Co. I, 8th Maryland Regiment USA to 11/17/1864 (Index to Military Service - Civil War, Union).

William P. Hitch: Illinois; Private, Company H, 91st Illinois Infantry, USA. (Civil War Service Index - Union, in the National Archives).

Y.H.E. Hitch: South Carolina; Private, Co. I, 16th South Carolina Infantry; and Private, Co. C, 9th South Carolina Reserves, CSA. (Civil War Service Index - Confederate, in the National Archives).

Do You Like This Newsletter?

Please send me your comments or suggestions

to the following address:

Mike Hitch

12310 Backus Drive

Bowie, MD 20720

Telephone: (301) 805-9855