Robert? Tubman Hitch ²

This is the excerpt from A Hitch Orchard by Daisy Hitch Davies, 1931: Excerpt of a letter of Robert T.P. Hitch, grandson of Robert Hitch, to Mrs. Richard P. Davies, dated Salisbury, MD, Jan 22 1930: "My grandfather came from the west. I do not know what state he came from. Think it must have been Kentucky. My grandfather married Mary Malone. She was born and lived in what was known as Upper Trappe at that time, now called Allen, just a small village in Wicomico County, MD. His father died in Jun 1833 and his mother died in 1848. I do not know the date. She never married anymore. She lived with her two brothers after the death of her husband. Her brothers were Simon and Levi Malone and that was my father's home until he was married. --- My father always said that all of his relations went west. --- His father came back and married. --- My father, you see, was only a baby when his father died."

Excerpt from a letter to Benjamin Hardy Hitch, dated Nov 22 1898, Kentucky, to Robert John Hitch:
"I see from your letter that our grandfathers were half brothers. The Thomas and Joseph Hitch half brothers to your grandfather. (Note - referring to Robert Hitch) were each my grandfather." This is the compiler's only authority for placing Robert John Hitch as grandson of Robert Hitch. From study of dates it would appear that Robert John Hitch is pretty certain to be the son of Robert Hitch and NOT from another line than that of Robert Hitch who went to Kentucky.

Excerpt from a letter of Robert T.P. Hitch, grandson of Robert Hitch, to Mrs. R.P. Davies, dated Salisbury, MD, Jan 22 1930: "I have heard my father (that is, Robert John Hitch) speak of "Cousin" William Henry Hitch, but do not remember hearing him mention his parents. To my recollection he was drafted in to the war when quite a young man and taken sick and died in camp. He was older than father but do not know how many years." ["Cousin" is often used for second or a even more distant relationship.]

Given all this background, we know that this Robert Hitch married Mary Malone. However, the marriage records indicate that Tubman Hitch married Mary Malone, so it is apparent that Robert and Tubman Hitch are one and the same person. For this reason, it is believed that Robert Hitch may have been named fully Robert Tubman Hitch or Tubman Robert Hitch. Also of note is that Tubman/Robert Hitch had a grandson named Beverly Tubman Hitch.

Finally, note the confusion of where Robert Tubman Hitch came from. Two things factor into this.The first is the fact that, among Benjamin Hitch's sons and grandsons/daughters exploring "the west" and eventually settled there - in KY and OH - the the early 1800s. So, the family lines back then no doubt had news of their kin in the west and communicating back and forth. Secondly, as for Robert Tubman Hitch, he was a young sailor and may or may not have been "west" but, we know that he died and is buried in the Allen, MD Church Cemetery. The stone on his grave is now gone but records state he was born in 1810 and died in Jun 1833, purportedly of drowning in a river, at only age 23. He had just married Mary Malone 4 months earlier, in Feb 1833. Robert Tubman and Mary (Malone) Hitch had a child, Robert John Hitch, in Nov 1833. Robert T.P. Hitch of one of the preceding letters, was a son of Robert J. Hitch and the fact that he is confused about where is father was from probably results from the fact that he died young and the memories faded and got mixed with tales from other family members "in the west" over the years.

All this circumstantial evidence is resolved with definitive proof when this compiler found the accounting/distribution of Robert Hitch's (c1778-1824/27) estate in 1828 where a portion went to his son, this Tubman Hitch.

Robert? married Mary C. Malone, daughter of George Malone and Anne Whayland, on 06 Feb 1833 in Somerset Co., MD.¹ (Mary C. Malone was born in 1812 in Upper Trappe, Somerset Co., MD,^{2 3 4} died in 1854 in Somerset Co., MD and was buried in 1854 in Allen Church Cemetery, Allen, Wicomico Co., MD.)