Edward Washington Hitch

Edward W. Hitch is listed as a patron for the 1881 Map of Gibson County, Indiana (copy in the DAR Library) where he is noted as a farmer in Patoka, his settlement in the region as 1838 and his nativity as Caroline County, Maryland.

From "History of Gibson County, Indiana", Gil R. Stormon, 1914, published by B.J. Bowen and Co., Inc., Indianapolis, in IN:

"Edward W. Hitch secured a very meager education in the crude schools of his boyhood days, being an orphan, and at the age of twenty, he struck out toward the west to make his own way. Coming first to Cincinnati, Ohio, he purchased a boat and went further down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Natchez, Mississippi where he secured a job cutting wood. Later, obtaining a flat boat, he travelled far up and down the river selling wood and in time acquired another boat making trips as far down the Mississippi as New Orleans. After engaging in this business for sometime he sold out and as he was returning north on a steamboat, he was taken down with yellow fever but managed to survive that terrible scourge.

On his recovery, he came to Gibson County and obtained a piece of wild land one mile north of Patoka where he set about making a home, clearing the land, erecting a cabin and planting crops. Here he lived the remainder of his life devoting his time to agriculture and stock raising, becoming a man of prominence in the community. He died in his eighty-fourth year while his wife passed away at the age of eighty-six. In early life he was an old-line Whig but later became a Democrat. He and his wife were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church."

In the Federal Census of 1840, Edward Hitch is listed in Gibson County, Indiana (page 24) in a household comprised of one male age 20-30.

In the Federal Census of 1860, Edward Hitch is listed in Gibson County, Indiana (page 865, White River Township) in a household as follows: - Edward Hitch, age 44, farmer, born in MD - Mary Hitch, age 43, born in KY - Nathaniel Hitch, age 17, born in IN - William H. Hitch, age 13, born in IN - Mary E. Hitch, age 12, born in IN - Vincent Hitch, age 9, born in IN - Nicholas B. Hitch, age 8, born in IN - Edward Hitch, age 6, born in IN - Milly A. Hitch, age 6, born in IN

In the Federal Census of 1870, Edward Hitch is listed in Gibson County, Indiana (page 366, White River Township) in a household as follows: - Edward Hitch, age 52, farmer, born in DE - Mary Hitch, age 47, born in KY - William Hitch, age 24, born in IN - Mary Hitch, age 22, born in IN - Vincent Hitch, age 20, born in IN - Mielors? Hitch (m), age 18, born in IN - Edward Hitch, age 14, born in IN - Millie Hitch, age 14, born in IN. - Jemima Hitch, age 12, born in IN

In the Federal Census of 1900, Edward W. Hitch is listed in Gibson County, Indiana in a household as follows: - Edward W., born 5/1815 in MD - Mary, born 4/1817 in KY - Mille A. Gorman, born 5/1864 in IN - Nora Gorman, born 10/1891 in IN - Delora Gorman, born 10/1891 in IN - Howard Adams, born 7/1880 in IN - Robert Adams, born 7/1882 in IN - Maria Adams, born 8/1884 in IN.

Edward W. Hitch's Death certificate from Patoka, Gibson Co., Indiana indicates: Date of death: September 29, 1900 Date of burial: September 30, 1900 in Patoka Age: 85 Occupation: Farmer Birthplace: DE Father: S. Hitch, born in DE Mother: Malla Hatfield, born in DE.

Edward married Mary (Polly) McMullen, daughter of William Madison McMullen and Elizabeth Petty, on 20 Jan 1841 in Gibson Co., IN.^{1 2} (Mary (Polly) McMullen was born on 26 Apr 1817 in KY ^{1 10 11 12} and died on 14 Jan 1904 in Patoka, Gibson Co., IN ^{1 8}.)