16 October 2001

This version of the ancestry of Jacob Hoots is based on the book "Descendants of Jacob Hoots," written by Carl Casper Hoots of Yadkinville, North Carolina, who spent over forty years researching the family.

It is almost certain that older ancestors in the Hoots line had the surname Huth and immigrated to America from what is now Germany. Carl cites three possible ancestors and chose, as most likely, Johan Jacob Huth who arrived in Philadelphia in 1743 on the ship "Loyal Judith." Carl concludes that Johann Jacob Huth went to Virginia on his arrival in North America, married a woman named Margaret, migrated with her to North Carolina, and died there in 1801. He also concludes that three of their nine children were born in Virginia and the rest in North Carolina.

Carl's discussion of the matter is contained in the text of "The Descendants of Jacob Hoots," as follows:

PREFACE

From the time of the arrivals of the first settlers, until some time after the American Revolution, records of ordinary people are hard to find. Men of wealth and position as well as governments did very little to help them in their pitiful plight. They were denied the common rights of citizenship and were taxed without representation. Historians have said, "These were time to try men's souls." These are the people who gave of their time, money, and lives to bring about our freedom and a new concept of government and they have a rightful place of mention in this great heritage of ours. From the beginning of our present century, we have and will contlnue to have ample records of births, marriages and deaths in our official records but for the ordinary man who lived during those early years of the formation of our country, the records will hardly mention their names. The meager information that is here now is privately owned and will be lost forever with the passing away of some of the old patriots who listened to their ancestors and handed their stories down to us. This book is intended to place some of these names in a permanent record before it is too late and they are lost forever. Genealogists for centuries to come may find them useful.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Mrs. Alfred Detert, Dunell, MN; Mrs. Ray Neideffer, Oakley, IL; Mrs. Helen Hoskins, Mattoon, IL; Mrs. Lois Short, of CA; Mrs. Ruth Hoots, of IL; Mrs. Rosemary Legal Hildman, Huron, SD; Mrs. Vanira Stufflebean, Brookfield, MO; and Silas A. Hoots, of NC have supplied much valuable information. There are scores of others who have supplied family sheets. It would have been impossible to compile this book without this information. Thanks.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

We be1ieve that JACOB (HUTS) HOOTS is our emigrant ancestor or the progenitor of the Hoots generation in America and that he came from Engelstadt, district of Bingen, Germany, about 1748, and was a soldier in the British army and later with the colonies in the Revolutionary War. After the war 1783) he settled in Surry County, NC, and reared his family and died there. Will dated 1801. Each of the nine children of Jacob and Margret Hoots, as shown in his will, are written up in this book separately. Beginning with his first born and proceeding on down to the youngest child. All the infor- mation that I have found in 40 years of searching is included here with the desire that someone will continue the search.

(Webmaster's note: The genealogical material in Carl's book is contained in the link Jacob Hoots Family Tree - except that no information is included for anyone born within the past 100 years).

1. JACOB (HUTS) HOOTS: Immigrant ancestor

JACOB HOOTS was born probably in Germany or vicinity and died in Surry County, NC (now Yadkin County) in 1801 and is buried in an unmarked grave in the old Hoots Cemetery on his farm in Yadkin County. Nothing is known about his parents, but we find the following from Pennsylvania German Pioneers by Strassburger & Hinke, Vol. I, page 337, list 97 B: Palatines imported in the ship Loyal Judith, James Cowey, Master, from Rotterdam, qualified September 2, 1743, Johan Jacob Huth, age 25. This would give him a birth date of 1718. Also from the above source: Page 453, list 163 C, Jacob Huth is listed among the passengers of the ship Shirley, Capt. James Allen, from Rotterdam and last from the Orkneys in Scotland, dated Sep. 5, 1751. Johannes Huth, imported in the ship Saint Andrew, James Abercrombie, Master, from Rotterdam, but last from Plymouth in England is listed on Sept. 9, 1749. One cannot tell from the above information which of the ships, if either, brought our Jacob to this country. From the above source we find that Fredrick Shore and family came across in the ship Sandwich from Rotterdam and last from Cowes Nov. 30, 1750. The Shore (Schorr) family was from Canton Berne, Switzerland. There was a close relationship between the Hoots and Shore families. Fredrick was the executor of Jacob Hoots' will in 1801.

From whence came Jacob? According to Isaac Gough, who knew more about the Hoots ancestors than anyone else in this vicinity, they came from Germany to England and to Quantico Bay, VA. They were there for sometime before they could bring their things ashore and were temporarily at Stanton, near the bay. There was an old Bible, a log chain, and a little brown jug in his possession that supposedly came from Germany. My great uncle, David Barnet Hoots, once told me they came from Germany. He was born in 1848. There is some confusion in the spelling. The early German spelling is Huth and the later English spelling is Hutts or Huts. The Hutts name is found quite frequently in Franklin County, Bedford County, Campbell County and Amherst County, Virginia.

The marriage records of Campbell Co., Rustburg, VA, only add to the confusion: Jacob Hutts married to Ann Gough 4-29-1786 (the Gough land was adjacent to the Hutts land in Surry Co., now Yadkin Co.); Leonard Hutts married Sallie Owens 10-26-1791; Michael Hutts married Susanna Owens 12-17-1792; William Hutts married Anna Cunningham 4-28-1794.

 Nothing is known about Margret, Jacob's wife, except what is found in his will.

(Information is from Descendants of Jacob Hoots, by Carl Hoots, except for the notes)

1757

Size Roll of Capt Henry Woodward's Company, 11 Sept. 1757. Jacob Huts, German, 31, 5'9", Hampshire, fair, planter, sandy, well made, blue eyes

From "A Size Roll of Captain Henry Woodward's Company, September 1, 1757," we find: Jacob Huts, born in Germany, age 30 years, size 5 ft. 5 in., from Hamshire County, Virginia (Note: now West Virginia)

Note: Above two entries from Virginia's Colonial Soldiers" by Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck

1777

On January 3, 1777, he enlisted in Captain James Franklin's Company of Foot, 10th Virginia Regiment (the unit was designated at various times as Captain James Franklin's Company and Captain Clough Shelton's company).

In March, he is shown as being in the 10th Regiment, under the command of Colonel Edward Stevens.

In July, his name in a military document is spelled Hutts.

On November 7, and in December, he is shown as "At hospital in New York."

1778

On January 30, he is shown as still in New York, but commanded by Major Samuel Hewes.

From February 1 to June 3, he is shown as at Valley Forge. After May 2, under the command of Colonel John Green.

From July 6 to August 3, he is shown as under the command of Colonel John Green.

From September 2 to October 5, he is shown as under the command of Colonel William Russel.

On December 19, he is shown as on furlough from Camp Middle Brook, under the command of Colonel John Green.

Note: Per a 30 August 1999 posting by Don Hagist ([email protected]) on the Rootsweb Revolutionary War site, the original village of Middlebrook, New Jersey is covered over by development. However, the Washington Campground Association maintains several acres of the original encampment along Middlebrook Road above Bound Brook, New Jersey. The encampment was centered on Middle Brook, which flows out of the Watchung Mountains through a narrow gap. The Virginia Brigade was hutted to the west of the gap.

1779

On January 14 he is shown as being on furlough from Captain Clough Shelton's Company of Foot, 5th Virginia Regiment. His term of enlistment is shown as "War."

From July 9 to April 15 (then extended?), in an entry made at "Smith's Clove," he is shown as "Supposedly with General Scott at the Southward."

On October 1, in an entry made at "Ramepough," he is again shown as being with General Scott at Southward.

Note: From "The First Regiment of Foot," by M. Lee Minnis: The Ramapaugh Valley was used by Washington's Army on many occasions. It ran from what is now Suffern, NY, to Harriman and was the best route from a favored encampment at New Windsor into New Jersey. "Smith's Clove" was a gap in the valley used by notorious highwayman named Smith to hide stolen cattle.

On November 8 he is shown at "Morris Town," with General Scott, in the 6th Virginia Regiment, Commanded by Colonel John Green.

On page 40, Volume II, Virginia Colonial Militia, by Crozier, a "land bounty certificate" shows that Jacob Huts was a soldier under the command of Colonel Byrd "in last war." The certificate was signed by Colonel Abraham Buford in Petersburg, Virginia, on October 25, 1779, and proved by James Buford in James City County, on November 8, 1779.

On page 274, under Bounty Land Warrants, in Virginia's Colonial Soldiers, by Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck, Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc., Baltimore, 1988: "Warrant issued to James Rion, Jacob Hutts, Thomas Ealey, and Charles Suter, each of whom served under Col. William Byrd. Certified by Col. Abraham Buford, Petersburg. Proved on oath of James Buford. 8 Nov. 1779 James City County."

1781-1783

From September 1, 1781 until May 1, 1783, Company Muster Rolls show that he served with Captain Clough Shelton's 1st Company, 8th Virginia Regiment.

His military records are very precise but do not give any indication of his birth or parents. It is very unfortunate that he died before the issuance of pensions in 1818 and 1828; thus we are deprived of valuable information which would have been on his pension application. The writer believes that he was a professional soldier as well as a planter, and this would explain why no permanent place of residence was found until after the Revolutionary War when he settled on the 750 acres of land granted to him by the State of North Carolina, in Surry County, and reared a family of nine children and died there.

Land grants from the State of North Carolina to Jacob Hutts. North Carolina Land Grant Office, Raleigh, NC: April 3, 1780, 200 acres on Harmon Creek; Aug. 9, 1787, 100 acres on Harmon Creek joining his own land (chain bearers were Jacob Hutts Jr. and John Hutts); Dec. 24, 1792, 250 acres on the south side of Harmon Creek, joining George Bates; April 11, 1792 surveyed, Jacob Hutts Jr. and George Bates chain bearers; August 9. 1787. 200 acres on the waters of Harmon Creek joining his own land. Deeds for these lands can be found in the Surry County Registry. This land was given in and tax paid in the name of Jacob Hutts until 1794. After 1794, the spelling was changed to Jacob Hoots until his death in 1801. He willed this same land to his heirs and signed the will Jacob Hoots.

Surry County tax lists for 1771 and 1772 do not list a Hutts or Hoots (Surry County was formed from Rowan in 1771). Hutts or Hoots is not mentioned in Rowan Co. records.

The first census of the United States, Salisbury District, Surry Co., North Carolina, 1790:

Census of Surry County NC, 1800:

Hoots, Jacob

Hoots, Anthony

There were only Jacob Sr. and Anthony listed in the 1800 census. Jacob Jr. and Philip were deceased; John was listed in Wilkes Co., and Peter, Jacob III, and Henry were with Jacob Sr. Anthony married Aug. 1, 1799.

We find an interesting article in the "New World Immigrants," P. 23. It is an advertisement for missing heirs, published in OPZ (Oberpostants Zeitung): JACOB and ELIZABETH HUTH, of Engelstadt, district of Bingen, left there about 30 years ago and, according to common report, went to Pennsylvania. Advertisement of government 13 March 1778; published in OPZ 12 May, 30 May and 9 June 1778. (In Germany.)

We now come to that most important document, The Will of Jacob Hoots, written Feb. 19, 1801, and proven in August term of court 1801. It gives us the names of his wife and nine children. We have divided this book into nine parts and attempted to trace each child's descendants separately. We have found several hundred families and believe there are at least 2000. All that we have been able to trace come back to this one Jacob Hoots. The State grants of land afford us the means to pin point the exact place of abode of Jacob and family. The writer's father lived on some of this land and purchased and sold some of it without knowing it had been granted to his ancestors by the state of NC. The writer was reared on this Harmon Creek land and knows the boundaries of each tract. It is interesting to reflect on the change that has taken place in the last 200 years, 1783-1983. Skins of deer and buffalo were taken to Charleston, SC, and Philadelphia by pack horses. This was the wealth of the country then as cotton and tobacco later became. There were no carriages or stage coaches previous to the Revolutionary War. The only roads were buffalo trails to follow from the plains to the mountains or rolling country of the Piedmont. Alas, one can now step across Harmon Creek with one long step, and it would hardly support the Indian Canoe tied up in the creek that Jacob mentions in his will.

 Webmaster's note: Go to the link Jacob Hoots Will

Webmaster's note: This is the end of Carl's discussion. From this point on, the book lists individual genealogical descriptions.

Dad Hoots, Webmaster

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