German Research Project - Help Needed!

Project Sponsored by Hite Family Association



Research for Hite (Hight, Hyde, Heyd, Heydt, Heid, Heidt, etc.) Ancestors in 18th-Century German Church Records.

The Hite Family Association is undertaking a project to locate elusive ancestors in German church records. This project, coordinated by association historian Richard Hite, will involve hiring German researchers to look for ancestors of Hite families in these records. These researchers charge $25.00 per hour for research. Contributions to this effort can be mailed to Lee Ann Turner, treasurer of the association, at this address:


Checks should be made payable to the Hite Family Association.


Suggested Contribution – One hour of research for $25.00

Results of this research will be posted on the Hite Genforum site.

The villages searched for this project will not be entirely random. Only villages known or suspected to be the homes of Heyd families in the 18th century will be searched. Preference will be given to areas known to be sources of significant migrations to the American colonies in the colonial era. Research will cover the period from the earliest records of each village until 1775. It is possible that this research will lead to information about the origins of the following families, among others:

The “Other” Jacob Hite – died in 1792 in Frederick County, Virginia – known to have had at least two sons, Alexander and George. The oldest, Alexander, is known to have been born 25 July 1740 in Europe. With this precise information, the chances of finding him in German church records are very good.

Mathias Hite of Shenandoah County, Virginia and Hampshire and Monongalia Counties, West Virginia – born about 1750, died 1823. He certainly could have been born in Germany.

Caspar (or Gaspar) Hite of Hardy County, West Virginia – born between 1740 and 1750, died 1832. He certainly could have been born in Germany.

The so-called “Page County Hites” – Abraham (1750-1828), Daniel (1752-1827), Andrew (1758-1819), and John (died 1831). Any or all of them, particularly Abraham and Daniel, could certainly have been born in Germany. Recent research has made it appear likely that they were sons of the 1737 immigrant, Andreas Heyd. It may be possible to find him in Germany with this work.

Valentine Heyd (Hyde) of Philadelphia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and York County, Pennsylvania – born about 1740, almost certainly in Germany, died in 1829. Some of his descendants spell their surname as Hite.

Nicholas Hite (or Hight) of Lancaster and Dauphin Counties, Pennsylvania. Born about 1751, quite possibly in Germany, died after 1830, probably in Dauphin County.

Philipp Heyd (Hyde) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, arrived 23 September 1752 on ship Ann. He was the father of Andrew Hite (1763-1822) who settled in Guernsey County, Ohio.

Christopher Hite (ca. 1759-1827) and Conrad Hite (1763-1835), of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Conrad was certainly born in Pennsylvania and Christopher was probably born in the colonies as well, but they were almost certainly sons of John Hite (Johannes Heytt), who was born prior to 1736, probably in Germany and lived in Bedford until 1791.