My family and I have been desperately
searching for the parents of my gr-gr-grandfather PETER HIGHT - who was first found in Montgomery County, Virginia in 1820 (over the age of 45). It is not known where he came from but he already had a large family of 9 (4 adults and 5 children) according to the 1820 Census of Montgomery County, Virginia. His name is listed as "HIGHT" although on some documents I have found in the courthouse, it was recorded as "Hite". I have several items (papers) which he signed in his own handwriting and he spelled it "HIGHT"
He worked for the Prestons of Smithfield Plantation. So did my gr-grandfather
JAMES PETER HIGHT/Hite (b. 1818, d. 1886) - who was overseer for William
Ballard Preston. JAMES PETER HIGHT was married to Elizabeth "Betsy" Linkous. Her parents were John Linkous (d. 1822 the same year Eliz. was born), and Elizabeth Trollinger.

My grandfather WILLIAM BALLARD Preston HIGHT/Hite was named for his father's
employer. He lived 1858 - 1935 in Montgomery County, Virginia.

We have spent months and months and months and months searching and
researching every HIGHT, Hiett, Hite, Hyat, (you name it) line, trying to
find Peter's parents and where he came from.

We have 2 hints: 1) James Peter HIGHT (my gr-grandfather) had a middle-age
"moment" in his 50s and left his family (all the kids and wife) and married
another woman 2 counties away (Floyd County, Virginia). The marriage
application states that his parents were "Peter & Catherine HIGHT" He married CHLOEY CARROLL, in her 30s. THey had 2 children before James P. died in 1886 - Andrew J (b. 1879) and Jane P (born 1881)

2) My father BENTLEY Hite, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 91, told me
hundreds of times throughout my life that "our Hites went to Ohio and came
back"

When James Peter HIGHT pulled his little "marriage switcheroo" in 1873, the
older sons (some of them adults) broke ties with him completely and tore his
name out of the family bible. There was also a split in the family after
that time as to how we spelled our name. Peter HIGHT and James Peter HIGHT
always spelled their name "HIGHT" (I have their signatures on courthouse
documents). My grandfather William BALLARD Preston HIGHT spelled his name
"Hight" when he married in 1882, but started using "Hite" shortly
thereafter. My father used the name "Hite" exclusively after he went to
college in the 1920's and I was born "Hite", When my 20-year marriage ended
in 1996, I used the divorce opportunity to legally change my name to MARTHA ANN HIGHT. I married again in 2001 and am now Martha HIGHT Anderson.

Peter HIGHT had many children (reading from the 1820 and 1830 census of Montgomery County, Virginia), but the only two I know about definately are JAMES PETER HIGHT and MARY HIGHT (who married Henry Kelly in 1836 in Montgomery County).

James Peter HIGHT had John T., Daniel, Abram, Gordon, Joseph, William BALLARD Preston, Floyd Crockett, Mary Elizabeth and Catherine J. Both girls died of fever in 1854 (per Montgomery County death records) at the ages of 12 and 2 respectively. John T. lived in Radford, Virginia as an adult and had 2 daughers - Deborah and Melvina . He served in the Civil War as a Confederate Soldier. Daniel married late in life at age 40 to Nancy Gusler of Giles County, Virginia. Abram joined the Civil War as a Union Soldier and never returned (presumed killed in action). Gordon married Amanda Harrell and had a large family and lived in the Pulaski area. Joseph married Victoria Strader and lived in Giles County, Virginia. Floyd married Emalilne Price and lived in the Pulaski area. My grandfather, William BALLARD Preston Hight/Hite married Martha Jane Scott in 1882 and lived in Montgomery County, Virginia.

I will be happy to share my information with anyone interested in this line, and hope that somewhere out there, there is the answer to the question "WHO WAS PETER HIGHT AND WHERE DID HE COME FROM?"

I enclosed a photo of my grandparents William BALLARD Preston Hight/Hite and his wife Martha Jane Scott, from around 1882, at the time of their marriage.

Thanks,
Martha HIGHT Anderson