Descendants of Adam Hitch (1658/59-1731) of Old Somerset Co., MD

Decendants of Adam Hitch of Old Somerset

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Click below the following for Adam Hitch's descendancy. As for the ancestry of Adam Hitch. There is little known about this but what we do know is that the Hitch family was involved with The Virginia Company of London in its early days of the settlement of America. 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. 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.

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 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. 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. 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. From here, the Hitch name disappears until it shows up in earnest in colonial Maryland after 1675. This compiler believes that there is a connection to the John Hitch of the Virginia Company and our Adam Hitch, perhaps as grandfather but, with most of the early Virginia records having been burned during the Civil War there is little likelihood of proving that at this point.


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Email Send E-mail to mikehitch@mikehitch.com
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Mike Hitch
Salisbury, MD 21804


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