James M. Hiteshew (1839-1902)

James M. Hiteshew (JM) was born 29.Jan.1839, likely in Frederick, Frederick County MD, where census records indicate his family was living in 1840 and where his parents married in 1828. His parents were Daniel Hiteshew and Virginia Louise Grey.

There is both mystery and confusion regarding JM's middle name and initial. When written in longhand, the letter “M” can be mistaken for “W” or “H” and this is probably the source of confusion. The combined evidence of all available records indicates that “M” was in fact his middle initial, but no known records spell out the middle name. Some family trees show “James Mills” as the name of both JM and his oldest son. Others show JM as “James Michael,” which is also the name given to one of JM's great-grandsons. ¹⁾

JM's father had been born in Maryland rather than in the Pennsylvania area where his immigrant ancestors had first settled. German immigrants and their descendants in Pennsylvania had been attracted to Frederick County, Maryland by the opportunity to purchase good farmland on reasonable terms. A history of Frederick County notes that JM's father had been “a farmer in early manhood.” So JM and his family may have been living on a farm when the 1840 Federal Census shows them in Frederick, Frederick County, MD. That may have changed when the family moved to Middletown, Frederick County, MD, where census records show them residing in 1850. At any rate, neither JM nor any of his siblings were in an agricultural occupation as adults.

On 10.Apr.1859, James M. Hiteshew married Virgina Louise Grey. The marriage took place in Cumberland, Allegany, MD at the Lutheran Church with Rev. R. J. Weddell officiating. I have no information about how JM and Virginia met. It seems likely that JM had moved to Cumberland sometime after his father's death in 1853, but his acquaintance with Virginia may have begun earlier in Frederick.

In keeping with the views of their church, the descendants of Lutheran immigrants who came to the United States in the 1700s and 1800s valued education. JM probably received some kind of formal education, perhaps at a church school. This may have focused on religious instruction and vocational training, but learning to read and write would have been considered important.

At some point between 1850 and 1858, JM appears to have moved to Cumberland, MD. At the time, Cumberland provided opportunities for a young man who might be looking for work to help support a widowed mother and younger siblings. You can learn more about what was happening in Cumberland at that time from the Wikipedia article History of Cumberland, Maryland and the National Park Service article The Canal Arrives in Cumberland, but the key takeaway is that the opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal between Cumberland and tidewater Maryland in 1850 was a major event. The canal and the B&O railroad line transformed the local economy and created many new jobs.

JM may have started out in Cumberland as a boatyard laborer. Then, after serving in the Union Army for three years (as noted below), he may have worked his way up to owning and operating a canal boat. The 1860 census shows him working as a laborer owning no property of value, while the 1870 census shows him engaged in boating and owning real estate valued at $1000 (along with personal property valued at $100).

City directories provide further information about residence and employment, showing that JM worked at various jobs between 1870 and 1890. These included saloon keeper, weight-master at a rolling mill, book agent, plasterer, and police officer. He then became a constable and continued in that role.

JM enlisted in the Union Army on August 27, 1861 and joined Company E, Second Infantry Regiment, Potomac Home Brigade, Maryland Volunteers at the rank of private. This regiment engaged with the Confederate Army on multiple occasions while protecting critical transportation infrastructure (railways, bridges, rivers, canals). They also participated in the Gettysburg campaign. JM served in the Union Army for three years and was discharged on September 29, 1864. Military records show his rank as corporal at the time of his discharge. An obituary refers to him as a sergeant, but it seems to have been a common practice for communities use this kind of rank inflation to convey their esteem. ²⁾

Records indicate JM and Virginia Louise were married “by Pastor R. J. Weddell in the Lutheran Church.” There was more than one Lutheran church in Cumberland at the time, but Rev. Weddell was affiliated in what came to be referred to as St. Paul's Lutheran Church, but which may have been known at the time as “Christ's Church” or “Christ's English Lutheran Church.” ³⁾

At some point, JM and Virgina Louise appear to have changed their religious affiliation. An obituary for JM posted on Find-A-Grave notes that his funeral took place at the Kingsley Methodist-Episcopal Church, with Rev. A. H. Zimmerman officiating. ⁴⁾   JM and his wife Virginia are buried in Cumberland's Rose Hill Cemetery, which is the cemetery for Emmanuel Parish of the Episcopal Church. ⁵⁾

In 1876, it seems that JM was involved in running a saloon. Ten years later, in the 14.Sep.1886 edition of The News (Frederick, MD) we find this report:

James M. Hiteshew died at age 63 on 13.Oct.1902 in Cumberland, Allegany, MD. His grave is in Rose Hill Cemetery, Cumberland, Allegany, MD.

James M. Hiteshew + Virgina Louise Grey

Click to Open/Close