Joseph Hitch

From the Daisy Hitch Davies notes of the 1930s (see below this for more details on Joseph Hitch's journey to Kentucky): "Joseph Hitch left Maryland for Kentucky about 1806 or 1807, a year or two after his brother Thomas left for the same state. He made three trips before finally settling down. One way in which he made a livelihood was by building canoes from trees and using them to convey cargos of whisky and beef. His farm on the Licking River was called Poplar Grove from the poplars growing there. I visited this farm in the summer of 1931. It is still owned by a member of the family. Here still stands the old brick house built in 1816 from brick made by Joseph right on the farm. Outside the kitchen one sees a huge bell used to call to meals. Some of the old out-buildings are gone but one may see the old graveyard where several of the family, and off in one corner also, slaves are buried. In his day Joseph was the richest man in Pendleton County. He was not opposed to slavery, differing from his brother in this respect. At his death he willed that the slaves were not to pass out of the family. They were divided among his children. He had but some two or three when leaving Maryland but they had multiplied until at his death there were several. Those slaves were not liberated until after the Civil War. At a Hitch Centennial held on his old farm in Concord near Falmouth, KY., in Jul 4 1908, one of his slaves "Uncle Kirt Hitch" age 84 and known as Kirt Ingalls, was called to the platform and made a few desultory remarks. He paid fulsome praise to his "Ole Maser" and all members of the Hitch family.

The report of this celebration in the Pendletonian Jul 8 1908 states; - "Not a single member by the name of Hitch in all these hundred years has ever done one act to arraign them under the ban for violating law and order." At this time Joseph Hitch had 220 descendants. Every year the family holds a reunion. All of his sons were farmers. His son Henry Pitts Hitch was born in Maryland. There is a weird tradition that Joseph Hitch when a young man had a sweetheart to whom he remarked that if he was ever unfaithful to her may his arm wither. Later he jilted her and married someone else. It is claimed that his first child was born without an arm and that many of his descendants have met with accidents to their arms, breaking, shot, disease, etc"

In the records of the Nov 1791 Court for Somerset County, Maryland, Joseph Hitch was listed on a payment schedule for "6 days as an Evidence for Wm. Ballard vs. Stephen Adams" (SoJ-1791/94:16, MSA C1774-57, MdHR 13,140).

In the Federal Assessment of 1798 for Manokin Hundred, Somerset County, Maryland, Joseph Hitch was listed as the occupant of property owned by Elizabeth Jackson consisting of one dwelling house, size 40' x 22', one story brick with two windows 6' x 2'9", two windows 5'11" x 2'7", and five windows 4' x 18", out of repair; one kitchen, size 24' x 16'; one milk house, size 16' x 10'; and one stable, size 18' x 14'. All contained 80 perches assessed at $350. The record also lists one barn, 30' x 20' with 9' sheds on each side; one barn, 20' square; one corn house, 24' x 8'; one quarter (?), 20' x 16'; lands "Bozman's Adventure" and "Robertsons Addition", 182 acres; other tracts of land, 328 acres and marshland, 900 acres. All were assessed $20 for buildings and $3,820 for land. (TA1798)

In the Commissioners of the Tax Received for 1798-1803, Joseph Hitch was listed in Manokin Hundred of Somerset County and assessed taxes for one male/female slave age 8-14 at £15 and one female slave age 14-36 at £30 for a total of £60, £60, £60, £60 for the years 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 respectively (he is not listed for years 1798 and 1799) (SoTA-1798/1803).

On May 30 1803, Joseph Hitch of Somerset, County received a deed for land from Benjamin Hitch of Worcester County The land consisted of 50 acres for which he paid £5. The tract was a part of "Mount Pleasant" (WoLR-V:652).

Joseph Hitch and his family moved to Pendleton County, Kentucky arriving there May 31 1807. A paper dated Apr 4 1807 and still in the family, was used to verify Joseph and his wife as faithful members of the church. The old paper states, "These are to certify to all to whom they come - that the Bearers Joseph Hitch & Sarah his wife are of fair & unblemished character in the full communion the Church. We therefore commend them to the grace afforded to the care, notice & esteem of any sister Church to which God in his gracious providence may direct them. Apr 4th 1807. Jno. B. Slemons, Minister of the United Congregations of Manokin & Wicomico" This paper puts Joseph Hitch still in Maryland on this date.

In the Edward Everett Barton Papers of Falmouth, KY, there is a deposition by Joseph Hitch that sheds light on when he moved to Kentucky: Deposition: Joseph Hitch, Oct 24 1808: "I live about 4 miles from the 737 acre tract of James Parrish or part of it which Julius C. Goodwin lives on. It is worth 30 cents per acre. I have lived in Kentucky 12 months the last day of May last (note, May 31 1807). I am not well acquainted with Daniel Coleman's 40,000 survey."

A survey done on Nov 28 1807, also puts Joseph in Kentucky by that time. This survey, shown in Figure 29, was for 30 acres of land bordering land of James Graves and witnessed by Samuel Lakewood and George Hendricks. The survey was approved by "A. Monroe, S.P.C." Further, the paper History of the Hitch Family prepared by Robert Hamilton Hitch and read by Rev. H.P. Thompson at a picnic in the Beech Grove, outside Concord, Pendleton Co., KY in 1873 (Copy provided Donovan Hitch of Covington, KY.) states that Joseph and Sallie had moved (in 1807) with their children, Henry Pitt and Jane Harrison, to a place near the town of Foster, Kentucky (then called the mouth of Holt's Creek). He moved there and lived near his brother and sister's family, Thomas and Polly Tull Hitch. Joseph had traveled to Kentucky many times since the year 1792.

He had travelled to Kentucky many times beginning in about 1792. He worked on a flat boat in WV and then in Cincinnati.

On Sep 30 1809, there was a land transaction between "Joseph Hitch of Penttletion (sic) County in the State of Kaintucky" and John Hitch of Somerset County. Joseph sold 50 acres of land, "Mount Pleasant", to John for £5. The record refers to deed from Benjamin Hitch to Joseph Hitch of May 13 1803. (WoLR-AA:338)

In the 1810 Federal Census, Joseph Hitch is listed in Pendleton County, Kentucky (page 116) and indicated in a household comprised of two males under age 10, one male age 26-45 and one female age 26-45.

On Dec 25 1812 there was an indenture made between George Hendricks and Barbara Bags/Bogs, both of Pendleton County, Kentucky deed to Thomas Rush of Pendleton County for the sum of $1000, land on the Main Licking, consisting of 210 acres, beginning at John Williams' southeast corner, bordering on Joseph Hitch. This deed is also signed by Caty Henricks. Witnesses: John V. Wellman, John (X) Rush, Phillip Henricks. (Pendleton County, Kentucky Deed Book B:402; also, Kentucky County Court Records, Vol. IV - Pendleton County Selected Deed Abstracts 1798-1823, Janet K. Pease [Grant County Historical Society, Williamstown, KY, 1987]) On May 15 1815, Press G. Kennett, Joseph Hitch, William Bryan, and Alexander Monroe are bound to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the penal sum of $10,000, conditioned upon Press G. Kennett faithfully discharging his duties as Clerk of the County Court for Pendleton County. Witness: W.C. Kennett. Recorded May 15 1815 in Pendleton County and May 22 1815 in the Kentucky Court of Appeals. (Kentucky Court of Appeals, Kentucky Records Series, Library of Congress, Book Q:109)

In the Federal Census of 1820, Joseph Hitch is indicated in Pendleton County, Kentucky (page 20) in a household comprised of two males under age 10, one male age 10-16, two males age 16-26, one male over age 45, one female under age 10 and one female age 26-45.

In the Federal Census of 1830, Joseph Hitch is indicated in Pendleton County, Kentucky (page 74) in a household comprised of one male age 10-15, one male age 15-20, two males age 20-30, one male age 60-70, one female under age 5, one female age 5-10, one female age 10-15 and one female age 40-50.

On Oct 4 1847 (written Mar 24 1836), the Will of Joseph Hitch was produced in court. Witnesses: Sam'l T. Hauser and Thos. Rush. (Kentucky County Court Records, Vol. XIV Pendleton County, Kentucky Order Books J-K 1847-1860, Janet K. Pease " [Williamstown, Kentucky; Grant County Historical Society, 1999]; actual reference came from Will Book J:2,3)

Tombstone states he was 82 years, 2 months, 4 days old.

Joseph married Sarah (Sallie) Muir, daughter of Thomas Muir and (?) (?), on 24 Sep 1799 in Somerset Co., MD. (Sarah (Sallie) Muir was born on 20 Apr 1782 in MD,^{2 5 7 8 9} died on 15 Jun 1852 in Pendleton Co., KY ^{5 9 10} and was buried about 18 Jun 1852 in Hitch Cemetery, Pendleton Co., KY ⁶.)

SoMR.