This home page was created for descendants of Mary Ann Hitt and Jacob Rector. Some of this information was taken from The Rector's of Wayne County, Kentucky, by Clara Rector Barnes Smart, published in 1975 by Wayside Press, Virginia; and from Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, by B.C. Holtsclaw, published in 1964 by The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Incorporated; and Germanna Record #4, published April 1963 also by the Germanna Foundation. (NOTE: These books can be order from the Germanna Foundation). In addition, I've taken some information off other web-based family trees.
Please note that the Hitt family is the most confused and confusing of all the Germanna settlers. There's a bit of controversy about Peter Hitt's origins, marriages, and over who mothered his children in Virginia (seems like he was married twice?). To complicate matters even more, there are a number of mistakes in the early Germanna Records, which B.C. Holtsclaw (who wrote the Records) corrects in later books such as the Ancestry and Descendents book referenced above. One of the mistakes concerns who Mary Hitt married.In his first books, Holtsclaw has her marrying Joel Martin or Harmon Rector. In the later book he gives his justification for correcting these, and asserts that Mary Hitt married Jacob Rector. This seems likely.He cites deeds and wills from the time period to support his later views.It's pretty convincing.You can read the source materials draw your own conclusions. The information I'm listing here is what Hotlzclaw (a fairly impressive Germanna geneologist and researcher) came to believe. However, I must admit that I'm not sure. I'm listing what follows for lack of any better information. If you can prove otherwise, feel free to email me and set me straight.
Peter Hitt
and first wife, Maria Liessbeth Freudenberg
Peter Hitt (born abt 1683 at Siegen, Germany) first married Maria Liessbeth Freudenberg (born 1674) in 1707. They seem to have come over together to the Germanna Colony in Virginia. According to B.C. Holtsclaw's book, Ancestry and Descendents of the Nassau-Siegen immigrants to Virginia, she probably died soon after arriving in Virginia. At this point, Mr. Holtsclaw has Peter using the Anglicized surname of Hitt, rather than Heite. This is also a point of contention among genealogists, some of whom aren't sure that Peter was the son of Johann Heite. There are some who wonder if he was even German. However, there definitely was a Peter Hitt among the original 1714 Germanna settlers, and he had the 6 children with a wife named Elizabeth.
and second wife, Elizabeth Otterbach
B. C. Holtsclaw thought that Peter's second wife was fellow Germanna settler, Elisabeth Otterbach (born 1689 in Trupbach, Westfalen, Germany). She was the daughter of Hermann Otterbach (1664-1748) and Elizabeth Heimbach (1662-1706). Some think his second wife was an English lady named Elizabeth James.The Germanna colonists definitely spent some time in England between the time they left Seigen, Germany, and the time they arrived in Virginia. I simply don't know who the wife referred to as "Elizabeth", and who had 6 children with Peter Hitt really was. If Holtzclaw was right, Peter Hitt and Elizabeth Otterbach had the following children, and probably a couple more. If not, let's just say this: There was once a pioneer woman named Elisabeth who gave birth to the following children. I'm proud to say she was my ancestor:
1. John Hitt (1715- 1782), in 1742 he married Sarah Pace (1722-1756). They had at least the following children, and probably more: John Hitt (1743 - 1805); Charles Hitt (1750-1795); Elias Hitt (1755-1833); Mary Ann Hitt (1756-1811). He likely married a second time in 1755 to a woman named Mary (1736-1802). They may have had the following children: James Hitt (b. 1756); Leanor Hitt (1762-1829); Martin Hitt (1764-1871); Susannah Hitt (1766-1847); Aaron Hitt (1768-1854); Abraham Hitt (1769 - ?)
2. Mary Ann Hitt, born abt 1717, married Jacob Rector in Germanna, Virginia about 1748, and died in Grayson County,Virginia on 16 Nov 1813.
3.Henry Hitt (1719-1783). Abt 1759 he married Alice Katherine Holtzclaw (abt 1720-abt 1810), daughter of Hans Jacob Holtzclaw (1683-1760) and Anna Margaret Otterbach (1686-1729). They had the following children: John Hitt (1759-1839); Peter Hitt (1763-1806); and probably also Aisley Hitt; Anna Hitt; Sarah Hitt; Susan Hitt
4. Harman Hitt (1721-1820) On 14 Dec 1745 he maried Mary Weaver (1726-1793). They had at least the following children: John Hitt (1746-1805); Elizabeth Hitt (1748-1832); Judith Hitt (b. abt 1750); and Jesse Hitt (1757-1805).
5. Peter Hitt (1726-1810) On 27 Apr 1759 he married Sarah James (1738-1822). They had at least the following children: Elizabeth Hitt (1760-1848); Nimrod Hitt (1762-1825); Dinah Hitt (1764-1842); Joel Hitt (1765-1807); Miriam Hitt (1766-1848).
NOTE There may have been a couple more children, Joseph (1717-1782), and Harman Hitt (1721-1820).
Please send corrections and/or inquiries to:[email protected]
return to the top of the page
return to main site: Rector
This page was last updated on October 23, 2023