The Huitt (var. Hewitt, Huit, Huet) Family

Compiled by:
Harvey E. Huitt
8541 Carlyle Dr.
Theodore, AL 36582
December, 1994

Revised by:
William G. Huitt
November 1999

Much of the following information comes from family members in Missouri and Oregon. Much was obtained through research of family bibles, legal documents, and various U. S. Census Reports. Little personal information is available through stories passed down from generation to generation.

We believe that William Huitt (or Hewitt) was born about 1735. An interview with his son, John, states that William lived in Virginia as a child. William lived in Granville County, North Carolina (1769); Brunswick County, Virginia/North Carolina, and South Carolina (ca 1781). He married Tracey Wilkinson (or Wilkerson) in 1778 and they had four to six sons and possibly three daughters. The sons that are definitely known are William, John, James, and Jonathan. Two additional sons are believed to be Solomon and Daniel, but this information is not certain. William and John served in the Revolutionary War with a North Carolina regiment (see documents).

William took his family to Washington County (1785) and Wilkes (now Franklin) County, Georgia (1788). He then moved to Washington County, Missouri between 1802 and 1805, with his son James. [Note: This was about the time when the Creek Indians were forcibly removed from their lands in this area of Georgia by General James Wilkinson.] This was across the river from his son, John, who had moved to Illinois. He died in Amite County, Mississippi (ca 1810) where he had moved with his grandson, William.

James is the son from which we trace our lineage. Bill Holder and William D. Huitt provided additional information on John and his descendants that is available on the Rootsweb Website. Nancy Enright and Esther Carroll are also actively researching the Huitt line.

James Huitt, Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth Webb, were born in South Carolina. James and Elizabeth spent a few of their early marriage years in Wilkes County, Georgia. There, four sons were born, including Lemuel, father of Elvira S., and Elijah, father of James. About 1804 the family migrated to Missouri. Missouri Land Records show that about 1805 a land deed for about 800 arpens on the Big River, in the District of St. Genevieve, Missouri. The transcript shows that William Reede testified before the Commission, that James Hewitt actually inhabited and cultivated the land, and at the time had a wife, four children and a slave. Nothing more is known of the family, until 1814, when James, Sr. died. In August of that year, court records show that Elizabeth was appointed administratrix of his estate, after an estate inventory had been completed. Several documents relating to the administration and settlement of the estate were filed with the court between that time and 1829. Lemuel and Elijah apparently left home about 1818, as that was the last year Elizabeth had made a claim from the estate for their support. In the final settlement in 1829, Elijah was listed as an absent heir; however, Lemuel had returned to the area, as he is recorded as having received his share.

Lemuel and Elijah must have gone to Arkansas, then a Missouri County, as Lemuel's first born is recorded as having been born there in the 1850 U. S. Census. The family bible records the date as April 2, 1819. Elijah is mentioned in only one researched record after his departure from home. Elizabeth had married Thomas Brock, and in his will, dated 1861, Elijah is referred to as deceased, and his heirs were listed as Susan and James. No records have been discovered for James, who is listed in family records as having been born March 15, 1830 at Fort Smith, Arkansas, until his marriage to Elvira, 17 February 1853, in Crawford County, Missouri. Susan first appears in the 1850 U. S. Census, Marion Township, Crawford County, with the surname of Price, along with four children. The husband is not included.

James and Elvira must have started their journey to California shortly after their marriage, as William C. was born in Rough and Ready, 4 December 1853. He was fond of saying, "I was ordered in Missouri and delivered in California."

On their arrival, James and Elvira established a placer mining claim in Rough and Ready. The Rough and Ready Mining Camp had a population of about 6000 at its peak, and boomed throughout the 1850's.

By the middle of 1859, the placer mines were becoming exhausted. Additionally, a bad fire destroyed all but about six of Rough and Ready's 300 buildings. It was never completely rebuilt and only a few of its old buildings remain today.

The Nevada County, California Deed Books show that James and Elvira started selling their land in 1865, with the final sale being made in July 1878. They left California and lived in Eugene, Oregon for a short time and then moved to Portland. They bought land from a map and did not know what they had until their arrival on Marquam Hill. They first established a temporary home and then later built a permanent house. The 1900 U. S. Census shows James, Elvira, and son George W. (never married) living at Marquam Hill, Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon.

James died July 1, 1912 in a Salem, Oregon Hospital and the death certificate provided no vital information other than the date. Elvira's date of death is not know, but thought to be about 1913. They are both buried in Portland, Oregon.

William C. and some of his brothers remained in Rough and Ready. He and Elijah P. are listed in the Nevada County Voters Register for the 1878 elections.

On February 29, 1880, William C. Huitt and Leila Murphy, both residents of Rough and Ready, were married in Nevada County, Calif. Leila's parents were James Ramsey Murphy and Sally (Sallie) Hopkins Allin, natives of Huntsville, Missouri. Both James and Sally are listed in the 1850 U. S. Census, Huntsville Township, Missouri as living with their respective parents. James was then 22, and Sally 15. They were married in Huntsville, October 14, 1852. Their date of emigration to California has not been established but it was between 1852 and 1860, as Leila Harper Murphy was born in Auburn, Calif. March 10, 1860.

William C. and his brother James L. Huitt established a homestead and mining claim on the Rogue River about 1880, and called it the Huitt Brothers Mining Co. A story is told that they tired of working the claim and in 1881 turned it over to their cousin Elijah Huitt Thurston Price. A deed on file in Curry County, Oregon shows that the above three were paid the sum of $150 for the claim, and the deed transferred January 18, 1897. It is thought that James and William then returned to California. William C. and Leila returned to Oregon with three children at a later date. Grace, Edward T., and Jessie were born in California; Edith L., Frank W., and James W. were born in Oregon. They lived in several areas in Oregon over the years before finally settling in Portland. The 1900 U. S. Census lists them as living in Big Bend Township, Curry County, Oregon; a postal register shows a registered letter mailed from Marshfield, Oregon to Wedderburn Oregon by W. C. Huitt; and the 1917 Wedderburn School Census includes James W., 17 and Robert, age 4, eldest son of Frank and Lucy Huitt.

William C. Huitt died July 22, 1935 and is buried in a Milwaukee, Oregon Cemetery. Leila Murphy Huitt died July 30, 1945 and is buried in Portland, Oregon.

Frank and Lucy Huitt had three children: Robert, Harvey, and Francis. Harvey Edward Huitt married Christine Emma Begley on January 15, 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and have three children: William Gregory (b Cincinnati, Ohio, June 8, 1944; Diane Christine (b Portland, Oregon, March 4, 1946; and Michael Kline (b Portland, Oregon, June 24, 1949). William (Bill) Huitt married Marsha Kathryn Anderson (b Pensacola, FL, July 15, 1947) and have three children: Kevin Lyle and Geoffrey Alan (b Gainesville, FL, December 3, 1975) and Kathryn Elizabeth (b Valdosta, GA, November 20, 1985).