John Hiatt 1746-After 1808 (1100000)

The red oval indicates the location of the Opequan Creek. The Creek empties into the Potomac River to the north, which is the northern border of present day Jefferson County, West Virginia, but was then still part of Frederick County, Virginia. John's grandfather had purchased land in the northern part of this area in 1735.
This is where John Hiatt was born about 1746.

John Hiatt was born about 1746, in what was then Frederick County, Virginia, but is now in Jefferson County, West Virginia. His parents were John Hiatt (b. 1724) and Mary Thomas. The family were Quakers. They had moved to the area by 1735, when John’s grandfather (John Hiatt b. 1696) was granted 300 acres of land on Opequon Creek. The family became founding members of the Hopewell Monthly Meeting in Frederick County. Unfortunately, few records remain from early Hopewell church, revealing little more than the family’s presence. 

John Hiatt had relocated to Guilford County, North Carolina (see map below) by 1770, as part of the migration of many Quaker families. He appears in Quaker church records for the New Garden Monthly Meeting twice. In his first appearance, he is mentioned as having been disowned by the church for his marriage “out of unity”. This means that he had not waited for the long process that precedes a Quaker marriage. 

Preparation for a Quaker marriage involved more than just a reading of the banns for several weeks, to see if anyone had an objection to the marriage, as in other churches. Instead, a committee, generally of three men, was assigned to examine the lives of the couple. They would interview everyone who knew them, even going so far as to write to former congregations that they may have been part of to determine everyone's opinion of the couple's worthiness. 

This process generally took many months, and was sometimes known to take over a year. It is no surprise that some couples, including John & Phoebe, decided to forgo this grueling process and be married outside of the Quaker church either by a minister of another church, or a justice of the peace. John's second appearance in the records was six years later, when he had returned to the church and begged forgiveness for his "errant" marriage. 

New Garden MM, Guilford Co, NC:

29-9mo-1770 - John Hiett disowned for marriage out of unity.

30-11mo-1776 - John Hiett, Jr. condemned his marriage out of unity.

We know that he was married to Phoebe Thatcher, because in 1773 she had returned to the church and begged to be readmitted into fellowship. Since her membership records had been maintained by the Concord Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania, she had written to that church for their forgiveness. Her reconciliation is recorded in Concord church records. In those records, it names her as “Phebe Hiett, formerly Thatcher” which gives us both her married and maiden names. Phoebe had been attending church in Guilford County, North Carolina, and this is where she was received into fellowship at the Deep River Monthly Meeting.

Concord MM, Chester Co, PA:

4-8mo-1773 - Phebe Hiett. Formerly Thatcher, disowned some time ago, now makes acknowledgement and a recommendation received from New Garden MM [Guilford Co., NC], NC on her behalf. She removed there soon after disowned.

John and Phoebe Hiatt’s children’s births were recorded in the Deep River church records.

Deep River MM, Guilford Co, NC:

Page 19

John Hiatt

Pheby Hiatt

Ch:

John  b. 5-24-1771

Edeth  b. 10-19-1772

William  b. 11-26-1774

Pheby  b. 9-29-1776

Mary  b. 11-3-1778

Stephen  b. 9-9-1780

Martha  b. 11-22-1782 (R45)

The children of John & Phoebe (Thatcher) Hiatt are listed in the records of the
Deep River Monthly Meeting of Guilford County, North Carolina.

Shortly after their last child was born, John was again disowned. The record does not give any particulars about what his offense had been; however, from analysis of Quaker records we can get a picture of the kinds of offenses that led to disfellowship. The following is an enumeration of causes for disownment at the Hopewell MM from 1760 to 1809:

Number Offense

280 going out in marriage [“marriage out of unity”]

132 fornication

5 adultery

5 other sexual immorality

41 drinking to excess

28 a combination of offenses

22 military service

19 attending or conniving at an irregular marriage

13 quarreling or fighting

13 dancing

13 joining another denomination

9 nonattendance of meetings

4 taking the test of allegiance

3 false accusation

2 dishonesty

2 killing a mare

2 attending places of diversion

2 horse-racing

1 failing in business

1 nonpayment of debts

1 refusal to arbitrate

1 going to law

1 profanity

1 wife-beating

1 striking a man in anger

1 wounding a man

1 gaming

1 lending money for gambling

1 administering oaths

1 buying slaves

1 permitting fiddling and dancing at one's home

1 appointing meetings and preaching

[List borrowed from http://www.quaker.org/disown.html]

We can rule out the most common offenses, which were marriage out of unity, and fornication (sexual relations prior to marriage), since he was already married. If we go by the numbers, the most likely offense would be drinking in excess; however, given that the disownment took place shortly after the Revolutionary War, it is also likely that he may have been found guilty of having fortified his household, or aided the cause in some way. This was a common cause of chastisement in the day.  

Deep River MM, Guilford Co, NC:

3-5mo-1784 - John Hiatt disowned.

By 1798, both John and Phoebe had moved their membership records to Westfield Monthly Meeting in Surry County, North Carolina. 

Deep River MM, Guilford Co, NC:

2-1mo-1797 - Phebe Hiat and children granted a certificate to Westfield MM [Surry Co, NC]

Westfield MM, Surry Co, NC:

18-8mo-1798 - John Hiett received by request.

We know that they had moved to Grayson County, Virginia in 1797, because John Hiatt (called Senior, to distinguish him from his son of the same name) began to show up in tax records there. Surry County, North Carolina was just across the border from Grayson County, Virginia. Westfield Monthly Meeting, though it was across the border in another state, was undoubtedly the closest meeting to them at that time. In 1801, Mount Pleasant Monthly Meeting was organized in Grayson County, Virginia. Shortly thereafter we see that John sought reconciliation so that his membership could be moved to Mount Pleasant Monthly Meeting.

Deep River MM, Guilford Co, NC:

1-10mo-1804 - John Hiatt condemned his misconduct.

1-10mo-1804 - John Hiatt granted a certificate to Mt. Pleasant MM. [Grayson Co., VA]

Tax records in Grayson County, Virginia show us that John Hiatt continued to live there through the year 1808. At that time, many of the Mount Pleasant Monthly Meeting congregation sought for transfers to Fairfield Monthly Meeting in Highland County, Ohio. Among those who made this request, there are several members of the Hiatt family listed. John and Phoebe are not listed among them, nor is there a record extant for their being received at Fairfield Monthly Meeting. However, it is likely that they moved with the family nonetheless.

A history of Carroll County, Virginia (formed from the eastern half of Grayson County in 1842) gives the following information:

John Hiatt, Sr. sold 100 a. [acres] on Grassy Creek to Aaron Hiatt of Guilford County, North Carolina 1808

This indicates that John sold his property in Grayson County, Virginia in 1808. It seems likely that this was in order to move with his family to Ohio. He disappears from the tax list in Grayson County thereafter. No record has been found to trace him to his new home in Ohio. This is not surprising, given that there are few records surviving from those pioneer days in Ohio. The first federal census to be taken in Ohio was in 1820. John Hiatt does not appear in that census. It is probable that he had died some years before that date.

A search of tax lists, beginning in Highland County, Ohio may be necessary to narrow down the exact year of his death and to prove that he had relocated with his family.