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Virginia Families (Including Present-Day West Virginia)

Jost Hite (Hans Justus Heyd, 1685-1761) of Frederick County, Virginia

Jost Hite (baptized Hans Justus Heyd in Bonfeld in the Kraichgau region of Germany) is the most famous early American Hite ancestor.  He married Anna Maria Merckle (1687-1738) 11 November 1704 in his native village of Bonfeld (near Bad Wimpfen in modern-day Baden-Württemburg) and they had two daughters born there who died in infancy.  In 1708, they had a third daughter born in the  neighboring village of Treschklingen and then departed for England in 1709.  In 1710, they sailed across the Atlantic to the American colony of New York with hundreds of other Germans who had also make the trek to England the year before. About 1714, they relocated to Pennsylvania and then finally to the  Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1732, where Jost became a prominent landowner and assumed a leadership role.  The descendants of Jost and Anna Maria were prominent in the region for more than a century. Anna Maria died in 1738 and Jost remarried to a widow named Maria Magdalena Neiswanger in 1741. He had no children by his second wife and died in Frederick County in 1761.  

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These were the children of Jost and Anna Maria (Merckle) Hite –

  • Anna Maria Heyd, born 22 February 1706, Bonfeld, lived two days.

  • Maria Barbara Heyd, born 28 January 1707, Bonfeld, died 1 March 1707.

  • Maria Elisabetha Heyd, baptized 2 January 1708, Trescklingen (near Bonfeld), went with parents to America and died soon after arrival.

  • Elizabeth Hite, baptized 4 November, 1711, Kingston, New York, died 1783 or later, married Paul Froman.

  • Magdalena Hite, baptized 13 September 1713, Kingston, New York, died 1771, married Jacob Chrisman.

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The rest of the children were born in present-day Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

 

  • Anna Maria (Mary) Hite, (ca. 1715-after 1768), married George Bowman.

  • John Hite, (ca. 1717-1792), married Sarah Eltinge.

  • Jacob Hite, (1719-1776) married first to Catherine O’Bannon, second to Frances (Madison) Beale, widow of Taverner Beale.

  • Isaac Hite, (1723-1795) married Eleanor Eltinge.

  • Joseph Hite, (born between 1725 and 1727, died before 1758) married Elizabeth (surname possibly McKay or Van Meter).

  • Abraham Hite, (1729-1790), married Rebecca Van Meter.

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Isaac Hite, Jr. (1758-1836) son of Isaac Hite (1723-1795) and Eleanor Eltinge and grandson of Jost Hite and Anna Maria Merckle.  Lived in Frederick County, VA.

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Nelly Conway (Madison) Hite (1760-1802), first wife of Isaac Hite, Jr. (1758-1836) with her son James Madison Hite (1793-1860).  She was a sister of U.S. President James Madison.

​Ann Tunstall (Maury) Hite (1782-1851), second wife of Isaac Hite, Jr. (1758-1836).

​Springdale, home of John Hite (ca. 1717-1792) and his wife Sarah Eltinge. John was the oldest son of Jost Hite and Anna Maria Merckle.  The house, in Frederick County, Virginia, was constructed 1753.  Privately owned.

Belle Grove, home of Isaac Hite, Jr. and his first and second wives, Nellie Conway Madison and Ann Tunstall Maury, in Frederick County, Virginia.  Constructed in 1797, open to the public for tours.  https://bellegrove.org/

Harmony Hall (also known as Fort Bowman), home of Mary Hite Bowman (ca. 1715-after 1768) and her husband George Bowman.  Mary was a daughter of Jost Hite and Anna Maria Merckle.  The house, in Frederick County, Virginia, was constructed about 1753.

Abraham Hite, Jr. (1755-1832), son of Abraham Hite (1729-1790) and Rebecca Van Meter and grandson of Jost Hite and Anna Maria Merckle.  Lived in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Home of Abraham Hite, Jr. (1755-1832) and his wife, Elizabeth Earickson (1763-1822) in Jefferson County, Kentucky

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Jost Hite

​“Other” Jacob Hite (born before 1720, Germany, died 1792, Frederick County, Virginia)

Jacob Hite, a woolcomber, first appeared in land records of Frederick County, Virginia in 1763.
He is often confused with Jacob Hite (1719-1776) the son of Jost Hite, which is why he is referred to as the “Other” Jacob. He was not related to Jost as his DNA results have proven. Jacob took an Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown in 1769 along with his son Alexander Hite (1740-1813). This proves that both were born outside the British Empire so Jacob probably came to the colonies from Germany after 1740. He may be the immigrant Johann Jacob Hayd who arrived in Philadelphia 23 September 1752 on the ship Edinburgh, but that has not been proven. The name of Jacob’s wife is unknown but he had at least two children and probably at least two others. There is evidence that he may have lived in Pennsylvania for a time before moving to Virginia, which was a common pattern in that era. One of his grandsons, George Hite (born 1807) indicated in the 1880 census that his father (Jacob’s son George, born 1755) was born in Pennsylvania.


Known children of the “Other” Jacob –

 

  • Alexander Hite, (1740-1813, took oath in 1769 with his father). Lived in Shenandoah County,Virginia.

  • George Hite, (1755-1833), lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia and later in Greene County, Ohio where died.

 

Probable children –

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  • Mathias Hite, (ca. 1749-1823) – lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia as a young adult and spent his later years in Monongalia County, Virginia (now West Virginia). His DNA results prove that he shares a direct male line ancestor with the aforementioned Alexander and George Hite so if he is not Jacob’s son, he is certainly related to him in some way

  • Casper Hite, (born 1740s, died 1832), lived adult life in Hardy County, Virginia, now West Virginia. No DNA result can be tied directly to him but a result of a descendant of Alexander Hite (1809-1885) matches that of the descendants of Jacob and this Alexander is likely to have been a grandson of Casper.

Andrew D. Hite (1814-1906) of Greene County, Ohio, great-grandson of the “Other Jacob” via George Hite (1755-1833).

Grave of Andrew D. Hite (1814-1906) and his wife, Mary (Cantrell) Hite (1813-1890), Silvercreek Cemetery, Jamestown, Greene County, Ohio.

Other Jacob Hite

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Strasburg, Virginia, attended by Alexander Hite (1740-1813) and his family.

​Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and Shenandoah County, Virginia Hite Family

Abraham Heyd (1734-1799) married 24 April 1758 in present-day Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to Elisabeth Sieg (died 1808). By 1773, they had relocated to Cumberland County, Pennsylvania where they spent the rest of their lives. They had ten children – seven daughters and three sons. Their name was anglicized to Hyde but two of their sons who relocated to Virginia saw their surname evolve into Hite. The one who remained in Pennsylvania.

John Hyde (1766-1850) retained the Hyde spelling. Below are the two sons who relocated to
Virginia:

  • Michael Hite (Hide, Heyd), born ca. 1770, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, came to Frederick County, Virginia in 1790s, died 1821, Shenandoah County, Virginia.

  • Abraham Hite (Hide, Heyd), born after 1778, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, married 1805 in Shenandoah County, Virginia, died 1823, Licking County, Ohio.

 

Some descendants of both of these sons have a family tradition that indicates descent from Jost
Hite, but their DNA results and research into primary sources concerning their background has
shown otherwise.


Their father, Abraham Heyd, was born in Germany in 1734 and arrived in the American colonies
at age four.

Cumberland County, PA

Page County, Virginia Hite Family

This family gets its designation from five men (presumably brothers) who migrated to present- day Page County, Virginia in the 1770s and 1780s from Pennsylvania – Daniel Hite (born late 1740s, died 1827, Page County (then part of Shenandoah County), Abraham Hite (born 1750, died 1828, Fairfield County, Ohio), Andrew Hite (born 1758, died 1819, Fairfield County, Ohio), and John Hite (born early 1760s, died 1831, Sullivan County, Tennessee), and Conrad Hite (born before 1766, died 1830s, Fairfield County). Circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that they were sons of Andreas Heyd, who arrived in Philadelphia 26 September 1737 on the ship Ann. Andreas and his wife Magdalena lived in Chester County, Pennsylvania where Andreas was naturalized in 1750 and was still alive until at least 1771.


The idea that these five “Page County Hites” were brothers has not been definitely proven but Y-Chromosome DNA testing has demonstrated that at least four of them shared a male line ancestor (Conrad was childless). This testing has also shown a relationship between them and several other men who were not previously thought to be from the same family. This extended family is probably the most prolific Hite family in the United States. The names of other related
Hite men (surname spellings vary) follow:

 

  • Andrew Hite, (born late 1760s or early 1770s, probably Pennsylvania, died 1822, Guernsey County, Ohio).

  • Peter Hight/Hite, (born 1780s, lived in Montgomery County, Virginia as an adult, died before
    1850).

  • George Hight,  (born ca. 1794, Pennsylvania, lived in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania as an adult, died after 1870 census). He was almost certainly a son of James Hight (1751-1848) who was living in Hunterdon County, New Jersey when he served in the American Revolution and later lived in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania and then Huntingdon County.

  • Samuel Nelson Hite, (ca. 1801-1862), born in Virginia, lived in Kentucky and later in New Orleans, Louisiana, although he died while visiting Petersburg, Virginia. He may be a son of John Hite of the alleged “Page County Hite” brothers.

 

This family’s Y-chromosome DNA also matches that of a family with the surname Haught – descendants of Peter Haught who died in 1785 in Monongalia County, West Virginia.


While the five Hites who actually did live in present-day Page County are probably sons of the 1737 immigrant Andreas Heyd, it is highly unlikely that all of these men are direct descendants of Andreas. Wherever the family came from in Germany, there was probably more than one
immigrant who made the trek to the American colonies.

Page County Hites

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Daniel Hite (1808-1876), grandson of Daniel Hite (died 1827, present-day Page County, Virginia).  Lifelong resident of Page County.

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Rebecca (Grove) Hite (1806-1897), wife of Daniel Hite

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Mauck Meetinghouse (also known as Mill Creek Church), Hamburg, Page County, Virginia, established 1772, attended by members of Hite family of Page County.  It has served Mennonites and Baptists during its history.

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Grave of Abraham Hite (1750-1828), McNamee Cemetery, Thurston, Fairfield County, Ohio.

Grave of Andrew Hite (1758-1819). Baptist Corners Cemetery, Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio.

Frederick County, Maryland and Frederick County, Virginia Hite Family

The earliest known ancestors of this family are three men born in the 1760s –

  • Jacob Hite, (1761-1839), married in Frederick County, Virginia who moved with his children to Rush County, Indiana.

  • Michael Hite, (ca. 1763-1857), born Virginia, died Wapello County, Iowa.

  • Matthias Hite, (ca. 1767-1832), died Frederick County, Virginia.

 

DNA testing has proven that these three men shared a direct male line ancestor and given their closeness in age, they may have been brothers. Jacob’s Revolutionary War pension application specifically states that he was born in 1761 in Frederick County, Maryland and came with his father’s family to Frederick County, Virginia when he was one year old. This record does not name his father.  If Michael and Matthias were his brothers, they were probably born in Frederick County, Virginia. 

 

Research in Frederick County, Maryland has identified a Matthias Hight (or Hyte) who was living there in 1761. 1761 was the last year he was recorded there so it may very well be that the relocated to Virginia after that time. He would have been a reasonable age to have been the father of any or all of the Hite men in this family group.

 

NOTE: Jacob Hite (1761-1839) has often been confused with Jacob O’Bannon Hite, a great-grandson of Jost Hite who was also born sometime in the 1760s. Jacob O’Bannon Hite, however, died childless by 1792 when his sisters were identified as his heirs. The DNA results of Jacob Hite of Rush County, Indiana do not match those of Jost Hite’s proven descendants so he was clearly not related to them.

Frederick County, MD

Halifax County, Virginia Hites

The earliest known ancestor of this family is Stanley (or Standley) Hite, born no later than 1761, who died in Halifax County, Virginia in 1827.  The earliest Halifax County records to mention him spell his surname as Hyde, but Hite eventually became the accepted spelling and is the one used by his descendants. There was also a man named Isaac Hyde mentioned in records of Halifax County in the 1780s and 1790s who was clearly related to Stanley in some manner – they were named jointly in a court summons in the 1790s.  This has fueled speculation that Stanley was a descendant of Jost Hite but even before DNA testing disproved that, research in primary sources showed no connection.

 

DNA testing has proven that Stanley Hite shared a mutual male line ancestor with Jonathan Hyde (ca. 1626-1711) who was obviously born somewhere in England and died in present-day Newton, Massachusetts. Jonathan lived in close proximity to a Samuel Hyde (ca. 1610-1689) who may have been his older brother or his uncle.  It is quite possible that Stanley is a direct descendant of one of these men, but it is also plausible that these two New Englanders had an English relative who came to Virginia. In any case, Stanley Hite was a descendant of an English Hyde family rather than a Germany Heyd family.

Halifax County, VA

Sussex County, Virginia Hite Family

The earliest documented ancestor of this family is Julius Hite, born 1756 in Sussex County, Virginia, according to his Revolutionary War pension application. He served in the Continental Army and eventually moved to Lunenburg County, Virginia. Circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that he was a son of William Hight (ca. 1713-1781) and his wife Anne of Sussex County. William, in turn, may have been a grandson of John Hight, who had three sons baptized in St. Peter’s Parish in New Kent County, Virginia between 1686 and 1694.  Unfortunately, to this point, the only participants in the DNA study so far are direct descendants of Julius. Julius married Agnes Land in 1784 and they had four children.

Sussex County, VA

King and Queen County and Rockbridge County, Virginia Hight/Hite Family

This family may involve four men born in the 1750s and 1760s, three of whom were Revolutionary War solders.  DNA results have only been obtained on one of them, however.

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George Hight (or Hite, 1755-1837), born in King and Queen County, Virginia. During his childhood, his family moved to Albemarle County, Amherst County, and finally Botetourt County, all in Virginia.  He served in various Virginia regiments of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he married Lovia Lunsford and they had nine children.  He died in Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1837. Three of his male line descendants have taken the DNA test and they all match.  Two of them claim a distant ancestor named Walter Hoyte, born ca. 1490 in England, but this has not been proven.

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George may have had three brothers, but no descendants of theirs are known to have have taken DNA tests:

 

  • Matthew Hight/Hite

    • (ca. 1761-after 1850) of Nelson County, Virginia, served in various Virginia regiments of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The pension application of his brother Patrick mentions the fact that they were brothers.

  • Patrick Hite/Hite 

    • (ca. 1763-after 1850) of Nelson County, Virginia and Casey County, Kentucky. He served in various Virginia regiments of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His pension application mentions that he had a brother named Matthew who also served.

  • Samuel Hight/Hite 

    • (ca. 1767-after 1850), lived in Rockbridge County, Virginia and may have been a brother of the aforementioned three men.

King & Queen County, VA

Charlotte County, Virginia Hight/Hite Family

Thomas Hight/Hite (1756-after 1837), born Charlotte County, Virginia. His parents, according to an unverified family record, were John Hight (ca. 1726-1804) and his wife Mary. Thomas served in various Virginia regiments of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he married Priscilla Mays in Halifax County, Virginia. They moved to Mercer County, Kentucky after their marriage and eventually had twelve children. Late in his life, Thomas followed some of his children to Monroe County, Indiana.

Charlotte County, VA

Halifax County, Virginia and Franklin County, North Carolina Hight Family

This family descends from John Hight (ca. 1723-1795) who married Eleanor Nichols and lived in Halifax County, Virginia until 1770 when he and his wife moved to the area that is now Franklin County, North Carolina. Y-chromosome DNA tests on their descendants have revealed that John shares a male-line ancestor with John Hoyt, born in the 1610s, who died in 1688 in Amesbury, Massachusetts. John Hoyt does have descendants in New England who spell their surname as Hight. John Hight (ca. 1723-1795) may be a direct descendant of this John Hoyt, but it is also possible that he was a descendant of an English relative of John Hoyt who came directly to Virginia.

John Hoyt, MA

Berkeley County, West Virginia Hite Family

William Hite (ca. 1786-1857) was born in Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Zeckman in Berkeley County in 1818. It is possible that he was the same William Hite who married Sarah Houck in Berkeley County in 1812. It is also possible that he is the John William Heyd baptized in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania in 1789, son of John Georg Heyd and Magdalena Sahler but this is not proven. Some family trees have confused him with William W. Hite (born 1782) who was a great-grandson of Jost Hite, but his DNA readings do not match those of Jost’s proven descendants.  Aside from that, William Hite of Berkeley County signed his name in German handwriting while all of Jost’s descendants used English by that time.

William Hite

Malinda Hite and Robert McChesney of Augusta County, Virginia

Malinda Hite (1803-1893) and Robert McChesney (1790-1863) lived together as common law spouses in Augusta County, Virginia and had numerous children. What is unclear is why they never married.  In several public documents, Malinda is referred to as Robert’s common law wife. All of their children had the surname Hite. Malinda’s origin is unclear.  It is possible that prior to her relationship with Robert, she had legally married a man with the Hite surname who may have abandoned her.  That would explain why she did not marry Robert McChesney. It is also possible that Hite was the surname Malinda was born with. If that is the case, her father may have been Anthony Hite, born in the 1760s, who lived in Augusta County during her childhood.  If she married a Hite, Anthony may have been her father-in-law.

Malinda Hite

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