USA > Virginia > Some prominent Virginia families, Volume IV > Part 28
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I. Eleanor Magruder Briscoe, b. July 30, 1820. Married. first, Tilghman Waters; second, Dr. Washington Waters. No children.
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2. Juliet Baker Briscoe, b. March 26, 1822. Married Nor- man Miller, of Martinsburg.
3. Elizabeth Caroline Briscoe, b. Oct. 8, 1824. Married Dr. William H. D. Hall, was his second wife.
4. Anne Arabella Briscoe, b. May 24, 1827. Married (Dec. 9, 1856) E. M. Asquith, of Charles Town.
5. James Hite Briscoe, b. March 5, 1829. Married Caroline Miller.
6. John Lamar Briscoe, b. Jan. 6, 1831; d. Aug. 4, 1862; and was Captain in C. S. Army.
7. Dr. Thomas Wood Briscoe, b. Sept. 4, 1833; d. July 24, 1861; was surgeon in C. S. Army.
8. Amelia Frances Briscoe, b. Jan. 30, 1845. Married (Aug. 5, 1864) William Bowen Gallaher.
2. Juliet Baker Briscoe, b. 1822, second daughter of Major Thomas Briscoe, married ( April 22, 1847) Norman Miller, Sr. Issue :
I. Norman Miller, Jr., who left three daughters :
1. Rosa Miller. Married ( Feb. 7, 1900) Henry S. Yates.
2. Eleanor Miller, b. Aug. 14, 1881. Married (Nov. 29, 1902) Alexander Hern.
3. Juliet Briscoe Miller, b. May 10, 1879. Married (Sept. 14, 1904) Arthur Harry Williams.
II. Charles Miller. Married Helen Crosson, daughter of M. Crosson and Helen Maria, née James, a descendant of Laurence Washington. Issue :
1. James Crosson Miller.
2. Charles Royal Miller.
3. Helen James Miller.
1. Francis Eric Miller.
5. Vera Cordelia Miller.
6. Thomas Briscoe Miller.
III. Frank C. Miller.
IV. J. Hite Miller. Married Nannie Offutt. Issue :
1. Anna Miller, b. July 30, 1885.
2. Julian Hite Miller, b. Oet. 6, 1887.
3. Charles F. Miller, b. Dec. 10, 1889.
4. Lillian Miller, b. Feb. 26, 1891.
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V. Elizabeth F. Miller. Married Alexander Gassaway. Issue :
1. John Hanson Gassaway.
2. Norman Gassaway.
3. William Armstrong Gassaway.
4. Julian Briscoe Gassaway.
3. Elizabeth Caroline Briscoe, b. 1824, third daughter of Maj. Thomas Briscoe. Married (March 7, 1848) Dr. W. H. D. Hall and was his second wife. Issue :
a. William George Hall, b. July 18, 1849. Married, first (Nov. 27, 1826), Avis L. Campbell, of Sacramento City, Iowa. Issue :
1. William George Hall.
b. Juliet Wood Hall, b. May 10, 1851; d. Oct. 1, 1891. Mar- ried (Sept. 23, 1874) Walter Gregory Olmstead, Sr. Issue :
1. Henry Hall Olmstead, b. Sept. 5, 1875. Married (May 30, 1902) Frances Arabella Davison, daughter of John Smith Davison, Sr., and Mary Elizabeth Bowman, of Shenandoah Co., Va.
2. Edward Frazier Olmstead, b. April 14, 1878, of Baltimore, MId. Married Pauline Wright, June 3, 1903, and has one child : Juliet Wright Olmstead, b. July 1, 1904.
3. Walter Gregory Olmstead, b. Oct. 28, 1881, attorney-at- law, Baltimore, Md. Married (Dec. 1, 1904) Elsie Macatee, daughter of Charles A. Macatee and Mary, née Cook, of Front Royal, Warren Co., Va.
c. Dr. Thomas B. Hall, b. Feb. 3, 1853. Married (May 4, 188) Sarah Lyttleton Asquith, daughter of Edward Asquith, of Jefferson Co., W. Va. Issue, twins :
1. Elizabeth B. Hall.
2. Thomas B. Hall.
d. Susan Caroline Hall, b. May 2, 1855. Married (March 28, 1877) Isaac Sydnor Bowman, Jr., son of Isaac Sydnor Bowman, Sr., of "Mount Pleasant," Shenan- doah Co., Va., and Eleanor Briscoe, née Hite, daughter of Col. James Hite, of Jefferson Co., W. Va., and his second wife. Issue :
1. Elizabeth Briscoe Bowman, b. Dec. 8, 1878. Married (Oct. 30, 1901) George Wilmer Gettier.
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VIRGINIA FAMILIES
2. Eleanor Harrison Bowman, b. March 5, 1881.
3. Cary Francis Bowman, b. Dec. 12, 1885.
4. Thomas Hall Bowman, b. July 3, 1888; d. Oct. 21, 1902.
e. Edward Jaquelin Hall, b. March 26, 1857; d. May 27, 1889.
f.
Cary Hall, b. Nov. 3, 1859; d. Jan. 10, 1902.
g. Sumter Hall, b. Sept. 23, 1861; d. June 21, 1887.
h. Ellen Ann Hall, b. April 10, 1864; d. Nov. 13, 1819. Married (March 28, 1888) Edward R. Darby. No issue.
i. Elizabeth Virginia Hall, b. Dec. 8, 1866. Married (Sept. 9, 1891) Vincent E. Harrison. Issue, Cary C. Harri- son, b. May 28, 1894.
4. Ann Arabella Briscoe, b. 1822, daughter of Maj. Thomas Briscoe. Married (December 9, 1856) E. M. Asquith, of Charles Town. Issue, a son and a daughter.
5. James Hite Briscoe, b. 1829, son of Maj. Thomas Briscoe, Captain in C. S. Army. Married Caroline Miller. Issue :
a. James Francis Briscoe, b. March 25, 1858. Married Minnie Gardner Buller, Jan. 17, 1884. Issue :
1. Norman Buller Briscoe, b. 1885.
2. James Francis Briscoe, b. Oct. 23, 1886.
3. Minnie Lamar Briscoe, b. Nov. 4, 1889.
8. Amelia Frances Briscoe, b. January 30, 1845, youngest child of Maj. Thomas Briscoe and Juliet Wood, née Hite. Mar- ried (at "Woodbury," Jefferson Co., by the Rev. Dr. Andrews, rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in Shepherdstown, W. Va.) William Bowen Gallaher, b. February 10, 1840, eldest son of Hugh Lafferty Gallaher, of "Rose Hall," Waynesboro, Va .. and his wife Elizabeth Catherine Bowen. William Bowen Gallaher is descended from the noble house of O'Gallaher, of Donegal, Ireland, and is grandson of Hugh Gallaher, who emigrated from that place to America in 1798 and settled in Lebanon, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Gallaher resided first at an estate called "Springdale," near Waynesboro, where their children were born. They now live in the town. Issue :
a. Thomas Briscoe Gallaher, b. Nov. 27, 1865.
b. Charles James Gallaher, b. Aug. 17, 1868. Married Miss Martin, of Albemarle Co., Va., and has two children, Elizabeth Gallaher and Briscoe Gallaher.
c. Juliet Hite Gallaher. b. June 16, 1871.
d. Eleanor Magruder Briscoe Gallaher. b. Sept. 20. 1814.
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SOME PROMINENT
e. Frances Amelia Briscoe Gallaher, b. Ang. 5, 1871.
f. William Bowen Gallaher, b. Sept. 21, 1880.
6. Mary Ann Hite, b. 1806, daughter of Col. James Hite and his first wife, Juliet Wood, née Baker. Married Jacob H. Grove. Issue :
1. Hon. James Hite Grove. Married Sarah Berry, of Hagers- town. Issue:
a. James Hite Grove, Jr.
b. Hite Washington Grove. Married (Oct., 1905) Elizabeth Pascoe Thomson. Dr. Grove is surgeon in U. S. Navy. He first served on board the Concord, but is now sta- tioned at the Naval Hospital in Boston. Mrs. Grove is a daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Pembroke Thomson, of Summit Point. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Andrew Willis, rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit.
c. Thomas Grove.
d. Mary Grove.
2. Alice Baker Grove, was second wife to Dr. Joshua Gregg Gibson. Issue :
a. Robert Gibson. Married Mrs. Butler.
b. Hopkins Gibson, a physician in Shepherdstown, Md.
3. Juliet Baker Grove.
4. Thomas Grove.
5. Robert Grove.
8. Caroline Margaret Hite, b. 1809, daughter of Col. James Hite and his first wife, Juliet Wood, nee Baker. Married Daniel Buckey, of Baltimore. Issue :
1. Thomas Buckey. Married Louisa Packett, of Charlestown, W. Va., a great-granddaughter of Capt. Packett, U. S. Navy. Issue, one son :
a. Mervyn Buckey, Captain in the U. S. Navy.
2. Maria Buckey. Married Rev. James Thomas.
3. Juliet Buckey. Married Mr. Holdaman.
9. Eleanor Briscoe Hite, b. 1813, daughter of Col. James Hite and Elizabeth Harrison Briscoe, his second wife. Married Isaac Sydnor Bowman, son of Lieut. Isaac Bowman of Gen'l George Rogers Clark's exploring expedition, and grandson of
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VIRGINIA FAMILIES
George Bowman and Mary, nee Hite, daughter of Hans Yost Hite and Anna Maria, née du Bois. Issue :
1. Mary Elizabeth Bowman, b. Dec. 13, 1839. Married ( Dec. 12, 18:1) John Smith Davison, son of J. S. B. Davi- son and Mary Eltinge, nee Hite, of Warren Co., Va. Issue :
1. John Smith Davison, Jr., b. Dee. 12, 1872.
2. Frances Arabella Davison, twin, b. Nov. 5, 1877. Married (May, 1902) Henry Hall Olmstead, of Maryland.
3. Mary Jaquelin Davison, twin. b. Nov. 5. 1877.
4. Maury William Davison, b. April 21, 1880.
5. Raleigh Bellfield Davison. b. Oet. 12, 1887.
II. Frances Ann Bowman.
III. Isaac Sydnor Bowman, Jr. Married Susan Caroline Hall. daughter of Dr. Wm. H. D. Hall and his second wife, Elizabeth Caroline, née Briscoe.
11. Susan Elizabeth Hite, b. 1817, daughter of Col. James Hite and his second wife, Elizabeth Harrison, nee Briscoe. Mar- ried Dr. W. H. D. Hall, February 18, 1840. Issue one son :
I. John Hite Hall, b. Jan. 18, 1841; d. Nov. 12. 1900. Married Louisa Tapscott Tabb, 1818. Issue :
1. Elizabeth Hite Hall, b. Nov. 18, 1819.
2. Louisa Hall, b. Jan., 1882.
3. John Hite Hall, b. March, 1884.
4. Virginia Hall, b. Sept., 1886.
5. William Baker Hall. b. May, 1889.
6. Catherine C. Hall, b. Oet., 1890.
16. Peter Yost Hite. b. 1832. youngest son of Col. James Hite and his third wife, Lydia Peters. Married Susan R. Richardson, daughter of Marcus Richardson, Esq., and Elizabeth, née Chrisman. of Warren Co., Va. Issue :
I. James Briscoe Hite, b. 1857.
II. Samuel Richardson Hite, b. 1858.
III. Harriet L. Hite, b. 1860.
IV. Marcus C. Hite, b. 1863.
V. Rolfe Millar Hite, b. 1865.
VI. Lizzie J. Hite, b. 1867. VII. Ann Virginia Hite, b. 1869.
VIII. John Yost Hite, b. 1873.
IX. Susan Hall Hite, b. 1886.
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SOME PROMINENT
3. Jacob O'Bannon Hite, son of Jacob Hite, Sr., and his first wife. Catherine O'Bannon, went with his father and stepmother to South Carolina and shared their tragic fate in 1778.
4. Mary Hite, daughter of Jacob Hite. Sr., and his first wife, Catherine O'Bannon, married, first, the Rev. Nathaniel Manning; second, Dr. Busby.
5. Elizabeth Hite, daughter of Jacob Hite, Sr., and his first wife, Catherine O'Bannon, married Tavener Beale, Jr .. son of her stepmother, by her first marriage. Issne :
I. John Beale. Married, first, Margaret Skillern; second, Rhoda Trigg.
II. Charles Beale. Married. first, Eliza Skillern; second, Anna Kyle.
III. Thomas Beale. Married Celeste Grandpierre, of New Orleans.
IV. James Madison Hite Beale. Married (Oct. 2, 1808) Mary Steenbergen. James M. H. Beale was a member of Congress, 1833-1837.
V. Catherine Beale. Married ( April 21, 1789) Captain John Jordan.
VI. Elizabeth Beale. Married William Steenbergen, of Mt. Airy, Shenandoah Co., Va.
VII. Mary Beale. Married. first, Maj. Peter Higgins: second, Dr. Jacob Williamson, of New Market, Shenandoah Co., Va.
VI. Elizabeth Beale, daughter of Tavener Beale, Jr., and Elizabeth, née Hite, married William Steenbergen, of Mount Airy, Shenandoah Co., Va., and among other children had :
1. John Beale Steenbergen. Married Mary Beirne, daughter of Col. Beirne of W. Va .; member of Congress for several terms. They had four handsome daughters: Mrs. Mercer, of Virginia; Mrs. Padelford, of Wash- ington, D. C .; Mrs. Louis Blackford, of Georgetown, D. C., and Mrs. William H. Blackford, of Baltimore. Md.
2. Mary Catherine Steenbergen. Married Rev. Dr. Samuel D. Schmucker, President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa. Among other children they had :
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VIRGINIA FAMILIES
1. Samuel S. Schmucker, Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. The Pennsylvania College and St. Johns College at Annapolis have both conferred upon him the degree of LI .. D.
2. Catherine W. Schmucker. Married the Hon. William A. Duncan, member of Congress from Pennsylvania for several terms.
3. Alice Steenbergen Schmucker. Married J. C. Neely, a leading member of the Pennsylvania bar.
4. Caroline Schmucker. Married Rev. Dr. Benj. Sadtler. Issne :
a. Prof. Samuel Sadtler, of Philadelphia.
h. Dr. Charles Sadtler, of Baltimore, Md.
c. Katherine Sadtler, Missionary to China.
d. Rev. John Sadtler, rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter in Baltimore. Married Miss Hill, of Baltimore, Md.
e. Edward Sadtler, Civil Engineer.
f. Clara Sadtler.
Jacob Hite, Sr., married, second. Frances, née Madison, widow of Col. Tavener Beale, Sr. Issue, three children (as above).
6. George Hite.
7. Eleanor Hite, saved by a squaw at the massacre, 1778.
S. Susan Hite, killed by the Indians, 1778.
6. George Hite entered William and Mary College at Williams- burg, Va., when his father, Jacob Hite, Sr., removed to South Carolina, 1776. He accompanied his half-brother, Tavener Beale, Jr., in the first almost fruitless investigation of his family's massacre and its cause, and all hope of finding the missing sister had been abandoned by all but hin. For years he watched eagerly for some clue to her fate and his devoted persistency was happily rewarded.
In the latter part of the Revolution George Hite was in the service of the patriots, supposedly as captain, as he was always referred to as Capt. Hite. When Jefferson Co. was formed from Berkeley Co., he was elected the first county clerk and, at his death. was succeeded by his son, Maj. Robert Hite.
Capt. George Hite, son of Jacob Hite, Sr., married Deborah Rutherford, of Jefferson Co. Issue :
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SOME PROMINENT
1. Margaret Hite, entered the Convent at Georgetown. as sister Theonella and died there at an advanced age.
2. Robert G. Hite, was First Lieutenant, 12th Regiment of U. S. Infantry, in 1812. The next year he was made Major. In 1816 he resigned. and shortly after he succeeded his father as second clerk of Jefferson Co., W. Va. Issue :
I. Maj. Robert G. Hite married Courtenay Ann Briscoe, sister of Maj. Thomas Briscoe, who married Juliet Wood Hite, daughter of Col. James Hite. No children.
II. Frances Hite married James L. Ranson, of Jefferson Co., W. Va. He was High Sheriff of the county for many years. Issue :
1. Georgiana Ranson, was educated at the Convent at George- town. Married her consin Frank Washington : re- moved to California and died, leaving two sons.
2. Ambrose Hite Ranson, removed to Baltimore. Married. first, Miss France : second, Miss Glenn and has several children by both wives.
3. Sarah Elizabeth Bibb Ranson, b. Aug. 21, 1829. Married (Jan. 29, 1851) Lient. Col. Lawson Botts, Va. Reg., 2d Division. He was frequently mentioned for gallantry in the official reports of his commanding officers, and was killed at the second battle of Manassas, Aug. 28, 1862. (Reference, Rebellion Records, Vol. 12, p. 661.) He was the son of Thomas Botts, lawyer, Fredericksburg, Va., and Aun Carter Willis, daughter of Col. Byrd Willis and Mary Willis, née Lewis. Issue :
a. Thomas Hutchinson Botts, b. Sept. 5, 1854.
b. Robert Hite Botts, b. Aug. 6, 1861.
III. Susan Hite married John R. Flagg. She was his first wife. Issue :
.
1. George Flagg. Married, first, Ella Brown. Issue :
a. Oscar Flagg.
b. James Ranson Flagg.
2. Sally Flagg. Married John Hammond and removed to Huntsville, Ala. They had four children :
a. Etta Hammond.
b. Otho Hammond.
c. Herbert Hammond.
d. Bertha Hammond.
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VIRGINIA FAMILIES
IV. Mary Hite married, first, a Mr. Merritt, of Baltimore, Md., who died leaving her without children and in narrow means. She was highly cultured, especially in music, so she returned to Charles- town and opened a select boarding school for young ladies, which was patronized by the élite of Virginia and Maryland. Among those entrusted to her care was Mrs. Harriett Lane Johnson, niece of President Buchanan, who was said to be one of the most ac- complished hostesses who ever presided at the White House. Mrs. Merritt married, second, her brother-in-law, John R. Flagg.
V. Sarah Hite married Richard Marmaduke Barnes Beckwith, son of an Englishman, Sir Jennings Beckwith, who settled in Westmoreland Co., Va. In 1765, Sir Jennings Beckwith gave up his title of Sir by signing the "Northern Neck Declaration." thereby declaring himself to be on the side of the democratic patriots, who ignored all titles and class distinctions. Neverthe- less, he was always addressed by his friends as "Sir Jennings," as long as he lived. He inherited from his uncle-in-law, Maj. Laurence Butler, "The Retreat," a beautiful plantation on the Shenandoah River, which fell to Richard Marmaduke B. Beck- with, and here, he and Sarah, née Hite, daughter of George Hite and Deborah, née Rutherford, made their home. Richard Beck- with belonged to the U. S. Army, what rank, not known, and in 1818 was ordered to join his father in the trans-Mississippi; en route he died at St. Louis, Mo., leaving a young widow, with two sons :
I. Laurence Butler Beckwith.
II. George Hite Jennings Beckwith.
I. Laurence Butler Beckwith, son of Richard M. B. Beckwith and Sarah. née Hite, made his home in Orangeburg. Columbia Co., S. C., where he met and married Harriett Hunt. He died there in 186S. Issue :
a. Laurence Ranson Beckwith.
b. Elizabeth Beckwith.
c. Sarah Beckwith.
d. Mary Hampton Beckwith.
e. Annie Lloyd Beckwith.
f. Harriett Hunt Beckwith.
a. Laurence Ranson Beckwith, only son of Laurence Butler Beekwith and Harriett, née Hunt. was captain in the "Hampton
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SOME PROMINENT
Legion," C. S. Army, in the Civil War. Issue, several daughters and two sons, viz. :
1. Laurence Henry Beckwith.
2. John G. Beckwith. All live in Columbia Co .. S. C.
II. George Hite Jennings Beckwith, son of Richard Marma- duke Barnes Beckwith and Sarah, nee Hite, married Annie Lloyd Scolley. daughter of Dr. Samuel Scolley and Harriett Lowndes, of Maryland. Dr. Scolley was originally from Boston, Mass., and graduated at Harvard University. He came South when quite a young man and settled at Smithfield, Jefferson Co., W. Va. George Hite Jennings Beckwith and Annie, née Lloyd, his wife, had seven children :
1. Samuel Scolley Beckwith, d. 1873.
2. Frank Beckwith.
3. Harriett Beckwith, d. 1848.
4. Eloise Lowndes Beckwith, d. 1878.
5. Sally Madison Beckwith.
6. Laurence Butler Beckwith, d. 1894.
7. Mary Elizabeth Beckwith.
5. Sally Madison Beckwith, daughter of George Hite Jennings Beckwith and Annie, née Scolley, married T. Garnett Baylor, who graduated as Civil Engineer at the Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington. They live in Charles Town, W. Va., and have two children :
a. Robert Matson Baylor.
b. Annie Lloyd Baylor.
". Mary Elizabeth Beckwith married Thomas Lee Shirley, educated at Bethel Military Academy. They resided for some years at their country home, "Cedar Cottage," near Charles Town, but now they make their home in the town.
2. Frank Beckwith, second son of George Hite Jennings Beck- with and Annie, née Scolley, married Annie Lacy McDonald, daughter of Maj. Angus McDonald, a lawyer of Berryville, who took his degree at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Frank Beckwith was educated at the "College of Our Lady of Angels," in Niagara Co., New York. He practiced law in Charles Town some years, served in the State Legislature in 1881-1882 and again in 1887. That same year he was appointed, by Gov. Wilson, Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit, to fill out the unex-
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VIRGINIA FAMILIES
pired term of Judge Charles James Faulkner, who was elected to the U. S. Senate. Judge Frank Beckwith and Annie Lacy, née McDonald, have four children :
1. Angus McDonald Beckwith.
2. Eloise Lloyd Beckwith.
3. Francis Jennings Beckwith.
4. Elizabeth Morton Beckwith.
Isaac Hite, third son of Yost Hite and Anna Maria, née du Bois. b. 1723; d. 1792, called Colonel, whether by courtesy of right is not known. Married (in 1745) Eleanor (Helita in Dutch) Eltinge, b. 1724; d. 1793, daughter of Cornelius Eltinge and Rebecca, née Van Meter.
In 1:40. Isaac journeyed fourteen miles south of Springdale, where his eldest brother John had settled and selected for his home a spot on the north branch of the Shenandoah River, called by the Indians. Shenando. Here he built his home at the head of a stretch of beautiful meadow land, which bordered the river for three miles. From this meadow he called his home "Long Meadows," which name it still retains (1905). The house was a large wooden structure, the rooms in the main building opening around a large square hall, with a fireplace of enormous propor- tions, rivaling the famous kitchen fireplaces of colonial times. This hall was called the "Traveler's Hall," and was open to all who came. Round its hospitable hearth many an explorer, many a benighted adventurer and many a friendly redskin, gathered from time to time. All found a hearty welcome and were given a bounti- ful supper, in return for which they gave the latest news in their possession. Generally a bed was neither expected nor wished : wrapped in a blanket with feet to the fire, even in the coldest weather, the hardy pioneer, even he of gentle birth, slept as soundly as the red Indian.
The window panes at "Long Meadows" were all small. some of them diamond shaped. On a pane in the parlor. Mr. James Buchanan, who married Col. Hite's eldest daughter, cut his lady- love's name (Anne Hitc) and the date of their engagement, with the diamond in their engagement ring. When Mrs. J. S. B. Davi- son, née Mary Eltinge Hite. heard the old house was being torn down, she immediately sent a request to Col. Bowman for this pane, but she was too late. it had been shattered. In this house
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SOME PROMINENT
the five beautiful daughters of Isaac and Eleanor were married. Mrs. Buchanan, after her husband died and her mind became unbalanced, returned to it and made it her home in spite of her brother's entreaties that she would live with him at Belle Grove. She always said that she was expecting Mr. Buchanan and he would be disappointed if he came and she was not there to receive him. She went, however, on a visit to Belle Grove, when not very well, a few months before her death, and remained until the end came, August 9, 1816. She left no children and her husband, who resided in New York City at the time of his death, died insol- vent.
The family burying ground was in the meadow not far from the yard fence. Here, Mrs. Buchanan, Isaac and Eleanor were buried, and most of their descendants (with a few others), up to the Civil War. During the four years the war lasted, the Federal troops camped upon it every campaign ; at the close of the war, excepting three brown granite slabs that covered Isaac, Eleanor and Mrs. Buchanan, no trace of grave or grave stone could be found. These slabs, with a smaller one, which covered Maj. Hite's little son, James Madison Hite, Jr., have been put in place and the grave- yard enclosed some few years since, by Mr. J. Smith Davison. In 1844 "Long Meadows" was sold to Col. George Bowman, a descendant of Yost Hite's daughter Rebecca, but the graveyard was reserved and belongs to Maj. Isaac Hite's heirs. In 1845, Col. Bowman pulled down the old house (just one hundred and five years after it was built), and put up the brick building still standing on its site.
Of Isaac Hite, Sr., of "Long Meadows," there are but few traditions. Morris, in his "History of the Lower Shenandoah Valley," says, "August 6, 1776, the court convened under the new régime of the glorious Commonwealth of Virginia and the following were the proceedings. Present, John Hite, Isaac Hite, Charles Wynn Thruston, John McDonald, John Smith, and Ed- mond Taylor. An ordinance of the Honourable the Convention of the Commonwealth of Virginia, directing that different members named in the former commission of the Peace should continue to act in the said office, upon their taking the oath, prescribed in the said ordinance. Whereupon, Isaac Hite and Charles Wynn Thruston administered the oath to John Hite, who took and
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VIRGINIA FAMILIES
subscribed the same, and then the said John Hite administered the said oath to all the aforesaid members, who took and subscribed the same as Justices of the Peace of the said Commonwealth." Church records tell us he was vestryman in Christ Episcopal Church at Winchester and was interested in building a church further down the Valley. Family tradition says he was a good shot, a lover of home, and the pretty Eleanor Eltinge, his wife. giving heed to all her counsel, whether from choice or because he dared not do otherwise, deponent saith not, but it is most probable he was a willing slave. He taught Eleanor to use a rifle and she became a match for him in marksmanship. She was also a notable housekeeper, and a fond and careful wife and mother, reproving one of her daughters because "she stepped too high in the minuet" on her wedding day. Tradition also says she possessed rare beauty, with hazel eyes, while her husband was a blonde, six feet tall, and well proportioned. Maj. Isaac Hite, her son, often spoke of the beauty of his mother and sisters. He said Sarah (Mrs. Gen'l Clark) was least pretty; her mouth, being like his own much too large, somewhat spoiled her face, which otherwise was like her sister's. Maj. Hite was of medium height, but, when with his long-limbed uncles and father, he appeared small: he thought his mother to blame for his size, but not for his mouth. The descendants of their daughter Eleanor, who married Mr. John Williams, claim the beautiful hazel eyes in some branches of their family were inherited from Eleanor of "Long Meadows."
It was necessary for every one. men, women and boys, to know how to handle fire arms. Murders by parties of Indians, hostile to the whites, were common, and, even so late as the early part of 1800, raids were made by packs of wolves, bears and other wild animals, in search of food, especially in severe winters, which continued to make it dangerous to venture out alone and unarmed at night.
Family record of Isaac Hite, Sr., called of "Long Meadows," and Eleanor, née Eltinge, taken from the note book of his son, Maj. Isaac Hite, Jr., of Belle Grove, is as follows :
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