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Photo by Mickey C. Hyder Jr.
This is the story of Eight Generations of the Hyder Family,
beginning fourteen generations ago and ending six generations ago. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Starting in Germany (1612) -------------------------
Vieth Hider was born on October 26,1612 ------------------------- SECOND GENERATION
Hans Peter Hider was born on April 4, 1654 ------------------------- THIRD GENERATION
Hans Hyder was born in 1676 ------------------------- FOURTH GENERATION
Hans Michael Hyder was born on June 20, 1707
Catholics even had so much trouble embarking on ships that most folks
In 1729,Hans Michael Katherine Hyder went to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Their children were Johann Adam (1731), Anna Marie (1734), of James Coultas, Catrina (1736), George, Michael T. (1740-1743), Jacob and Benjamin. ------------------------- FIFTH GENERATION Michael Hyder Sr was born circa 1743 at Hampshire Co., VA. He married Elizabeth Wood(s), daughter of John Wood(s) and Agness (Woods), on December 2, 1764. He was a Powder Mill owner & Farmer between 1760 and 1790. He left a will in 1782 at Washington Co., NC. Pow der Branch was named after the occupation of Michael and a neighbor , who made gun powder before 1790. He died on June 25, 1790 at Carter Co., TN. He was buried after June 25, 1790 at Hyder Cemetery, Powder Branch, Carter Co., TN. Through the wilderness ran an Indian trail, long unknown to white man, which made it possible for the Shawnees from Ohio, to raid the early settlements in Southwest, Virginia and escape without capture with their prisoners and loot. They followed game trails, some no more than a path, others broad where the buffalo had traveled. So a trail was not just one path but many (except in mountain gaps used solely for travel), all heading in the same direction but in many places, like the wide top of the Blue Ridge near Christianburg and Radford, spread out over such a large area, that men and animals might pass without seeing each other. All of our early roads and railroad followed these original game trails, later Indian trails, making minor changes by using tunnels and bridges. From Fort Landau to east of Roanoke, the Lee Highway and Southern Railroad follow an old buffalo and Indian trail. Some would merge again with the main trail in a short or long distance. Others would lead off to another section of the county, which to take or not take would have to be decided quickly, several times during a days travel. There were no written signs that we have today. Michael Hyder Sr. arrived via the Cherokee Trail. Four other families other than his own were with him. The Colonial government recognized the Cherokee nation as a friendly government and would not encourage, at that time, encroachment on their territory. With one exception, the Watuga Settlement. These pioneers showed respect for the rights on the Cherokees. The party turned northward along the broad top of the mountain towards Blacksburg. Micheal pushed on to Gunpowder Springs (Eggleston) on New River. This was rough country with game trails, seldom used by Indians. No Indian tribes laid claims upon the lands of New River. New River, rising in North Carolina, until ages ago flowed across the Blue Ridge into the Roanoke Valley. At Narrows, below Eggleston, it is only wide as the river, with the road dug into the steep, solid rock walls of the gorge. To dodge this and other obstacles, the main trail crossed the river and went up Wolfe Creek, into the present Bland County, Rocky Gap, through up Clear Fork and into Southwest Virginia. The Shawnee raiding parties from Ohio sometimes used this train but if closely pursued would go through the Narrows and turn west to the head of Tug Fork. Many of the pioneers into Southwest Virginia traveled the trail by Michael Hyder and up Wolfe Creek. Here gradually heading up to south side of Clayds Mountain were trails which if followed northward led into a gap which the present road goes through. Leading downward is a ridge which suddenly butts off some 200 feet above the head of a hallow, which leads down to Big Walker Creek. From this point, through an amazing succession of water gaps, the trail leads downstream through a gap, turned sharply left and west on easy grades to Kimberling Creek, turn sharply right and north through a gap, up 3 miles to Holleybrook, thence up to the Divide and through the wilderness to the South Gap, then downstream with Wolfe Creek, through a gap to Rocky Gap, then abruptly turning up Clear Fork and into Southwest Virginia. Using this route, the entire system of the Appalachian Mountains could be crossed without climbing any mountain except Clayds Mountain near Dublin. The party ended up at Sycamore Shoals. Sycamore Shoals was the location of three important events that shaped the history of this region. One - It was here, in 1772, that the first majority-rule system of American democracy, The Watauga Association, was established. The "Articles of the Watauga Association" established an independent government, based on democracy as we know it today, four years before the American Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. Four years later, many of the signers of the "Articles" would petition the state of North Carolina to be part of the state government. Two - On March 17, 1775, the Transylvania Company, led by Richard Henderson, was involved in the largest private real estate transaction in United States' history. For the price of 2,000 pounds sterling and 8,000 pounds in goods, he purchased 20 million acres of land, from the Cherokee Indians, that included the Cumberland River watershed and lands on the Kentucky River. During th ese dealings, the local settlers "purchased" the right to remain on the Cherokee land that they were living on in the Watauga settlement. One of the minor chiefs, Dragging Canoe, opposed to the selling of the Cherokee ancestral hunting grounds, warn ed the whites that they were purchasing a "dark and bloody ground". He and his band of disaffected warriors would wage war against the settlers for the next twenty years. Three - Fort Watauga was built here and used as a base to defend the frontier against the Indians and the British. In July, 1776, the settlers at the fort, withstood a two weeks siege by the Cherokees, led by Old Abrams. After the siege had been broken, the settlers, led by John Sevier, invaded the Cherokee's main towns, putting each to the torch. This invasion made safe the area immediately surrounding the settlements. In late September, 1780, the Overmountain Men mustered here for their march to Kings Mountain, SC, to give battle to Colonel Ferguson, who had threatened to march over the mountains and lay waste to their land with "fire and sword". Ferguson was killed and most of his army captured. This battle was the turning point of the Revolutionary War in the south. It saved the Patriot cause, which had suffered so many military defeats in this region and set off the events that led to the surrender of Cornwallis's Army at Yorktown the next year. In his book "Early History of Carter County 1760-1861", Frank Merritt mentions Michael Hyder, Sr. (p. 10): "During the peaceful years between 1771 and 1774, and especially after the lease of lands from the Indians by the Wataugans, settlement of the area (Carter Co., Tn.) progressed at a quickened pace. Along the bottom lands of the Watauga and Doe Rivers and the many tributary creeks, rude log cabins were constructed and larger clearings were made. The Robertsons and their group were soon joined by Valentine and John Sevier, Michael Hyder (Sr.), James Edens, Teeter Nave, Thomas and Joshua Houghton, Henry Lyle, Leonard Hart, Joshua Williams, Andrew Taylor, and John Carter. These and others who joined them became the ancestors and progenitors of many of the familes that largely people the county today." (p. 119n) - Michael Hider/Hyder (Sr.)a signer of the Watauga Petition to North Carolina for Protection, 1776, and the progenitor of the many Hyders and related families in Carter County. (p. 192) - Early members of the Buffalo Creek Christian Church included Michael Hyder, Sr. p. 15: [Petitions for Annexation] The settlers ... On May 23, 1776, they petitioned Virginia for admission to that state but were ignored. On July 5, 1776, a petition was drawn up to be sent to NC asking to be admitted to that state as a county. ... The petition was signed by: John Carter, ... David Crocket, ... Michael HIDER [Hyder Sr.] ... p. 16: [Government by North Carolina] ... The settlements elected John Sevier, John Carter ... as representatives to the North Carolina Provincial Assembly meeting at Halifax, November and December 1776. ... Some time just prior to this the people also entered another petition very similar to the earlier petition. ... Those signing the petition were: Felix Walker, ... MICHAEL HIDER [Hyder Sr.] ... p. 17: ... When the Washington County Court met 25 February 1778, tax assessors were appointed. The 1778 tax list for Washington County contained the following names: ... John Carter, ... Michael HIDER [Hyder Sr.], ... p. 15: The Wataugans open a land office on April 1, 1775 ... Deeds at the Washington Co. Courthouse registered as being part of the Watauga Purchase were to: ... Others named in Watauga Purchase deeds as being enterers or as having land adjacent to the land in the deed were : ... Michael Hyder [Sr.] ... p. 15: The settlers, not about to give up their land, began making preparations for their safety. On May 23, 1776, they petitioned Virginia for admission to that state but were ignored. On July 5, 1776, a petition was drawn up to be sent to North Carolina asking to be admitted to that state as a county. ... The petition was signed by ... David Crocket, ... Michael Hider p. 21: ... petitions of the citizens of NC ...humbly request the legislature of NC would take us under their immediate protection ... signed by: ... John Hyder ... Michael Hyder Sr., Michael Hyder, Jr. ... Isaac Lincoln, ... 60) Michael Sr. 380: ... The first ancestor to arrive in the Watauga Settlement was Michael Hyder, Sr., who, with his wife, Elizabeth, and two infant sons, John and Michael [Jr.], came from Hampshire Co., Va. 1769. ... Another book, "History Of Washington County Tennessee 1988" by Watauga Association of Genealogists includes: 1. The Transylvania Purchase (p. 15): The Wataugians (of Washington Co. Tennessee, now partly Carter Co.) opened a land office on April 1, 1775 for selling land under a master deed of Charles Robertson, trustee. James Smith was the clerk and William Bailey Smith was one of the surveyors. Deeds at the Washington County Courthouse registered as being part of the Watauga Purchase were to: James Abbott, ..... Others named in Watauga Purchase deeds as being enterers or as having land adjacent to the land in the deed were Joshua Barton, ... Michael Hyder ... 2. Petitions for Annexation (p. 15): The settlers, not about to give up their land (as they were requested to do by the Overhill Cherokees on May 7, 1776 giving them 20 days to leave), began making preparations for their safety. On May 23, 1776, they petitioned Virginia for admission to that state but were ignored. On July 5, 1776, a petition was drawn up to be sent to North Carolina asking to be admitted to that state as a county. The petition, though undated, was drawn up by William Tatham, clerk pro tem, who gave the date in other writing of his. The settlers claimed to have though they were in Virginia when they bought their lands on the Watauga. This petition contains the material referred to earlier (p. 14) (about the birth of the Watauga Association which produced the first articles for government of a free and independent people in America and where they explained why they had formed an independent government) and was signed by: John Carter, ... David Crocket, ... Michael Hider (Hyder) ... 3. Forts in Washington County: The people strengthened and built forts for their protection. The farthest southwest was Fort Lee on Limestone Creek of the Nolichucky River. The fort on the Watauga River was larger; originally known as Fort Watauga, it was renamed Fort Caswell. 4. Indian attacks (p. 15,16): By July 1776 the Indians were ready with 700 warriors for a three-pronged attack: Dragging Canoe at Long Island, Old Abram (Abraham) at Fort Lee and Fort Caswell (Fort Watauga) and the Raven at Carter's Valley. ... The Wataugans with so few men (some sources say forty, others seventyfive) could not go after the estimated 350 Indian warriors under Old Abram and consequently stayed in the fort. On the morning of July 21st the women had gone out to milk when they spotted the Indians, ran screaming back to the fort, and roused the men. One of the young women had her way to the gate blocked by the Indians and tried to scale the wall. John Sevier reached over the wall to help her into the fort. This was Catherine Sherrill, who became Sevier's "Bonny Kate" when he married her four years later, after the death of his first wife. Another woman, Ann Robertson, sister of James, helped the cause by getting the women to pour boiling water from their wash pots over Indians who got close to the wall. The Indians were repelled. Old Abram stayed in the area conducting small raids but withdrew when he heard that Dragging Canoe had been wounded and the warriors defeated. Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina sent men to aid the settlers, but the Indians had already been routed. The troops met in September 1776 and General Griffith Rutherford of North Carolina led 2,400 men down the French Broad River where he met 1,200 men under Colonel Andrew Williamson of South Carolina. They combined forces to destroy the Cherokees' Middle and Valley Towns. The Cherokees asked for peace, the negotiations were set for mid-1777 at Long Island and the agreement was signed July 20, 1777.
5. Government by North Carolina (p. 16): The settlements elected John
Sevier, John Carter, Charles Robertson, Jacob Womack and John Hail as
representatives to the North Carolina Provincial Assembly meeting at
Halifax, Nov. & Dec. 1776. Womack did not attend. The others were seated
and signed North Carolina's first Constitution and Bill of Rights which
contained this provision: "That it shall not be so construed as to prevent
the establishment of one or more governments westward of this State by
consent of the Legislature." Some time just prior to this the people also
entered another petition very similar to the earlier petition. It mentions
that by the advice "of the honorable the Council of Safety of said
province,[we] have ventured to choose Messers John Sevier, Jacob Womack,
Charles Robertson, John Carter and John Hail, delegates to represent us in
the provincial Congress." They ended the petition by asking that "these
our delegates be recveived and admitted to vote ... and that part of the
county now called Washington District may be erected into a separate
county of North Carolina ...". Those signing the petition were: Felix
Walker, ... Michael Hider (Hyder),...
John Carter was in the North Carolina Senate and John Sevier in the House
of Commons when the April 1777 legislative session passed an act for
Washington District to become Washington County, NC.; this act went into
effect in Nov. 1777 ...
By late 1777 and early 1778, the treaty with the Cherokees, the road to
the East and the opening of a land office had induced increased migration.
The year 1778 saw the coming of religion to the frontier, as two very influential preachers began preaching and establishing churches. The Reverend Tidence Lane came from North Carolina and established the Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church. ... Samuel Doak, Princeton gradfuate and Presbyterian minister, challenged by frontier life, in 1780 established Salem Presbyterian Church. ...
6. The Overmountain Men and the Battle of King's Mountain (p. 18-19):
On Sept. 25, 1780 at Sycamore Shoals (near Elizabethton, Carter County; at that time, however, in Washington County), the men from Washington County under John Sevier, from Sullivan County u;nder Issac Shelby, and from southwest Virginia under William Campbell were joined by Charles McDowell and Andrew Hampton, who had brought their men over from North Carolina for refuge. So many wanted to go that a draft had to be set up. Because there was still constant threat from the Indians the young boys and older men were left to protect the frontier (editor's note - Michael Hider/Hyder was one of those detached to remain behind with orders to scout the wilderness for signs of any Indian attack etc.). Major Charles Robertson commanded the Washington County home forces. The grist mills were grinding corn for bread making; Mary Patton was making powder (editor's note - she made powder at the Hyder Powder Mill located on Powder Branch); and lead for shot was being mined in Bumpass Cove. On the morning of the 26th the men gathered in companies, accompanied by their families. The Reverend Samuel Doak gave a short speech followed by a prayer ending "Help us as good soldiers to wield the sword of the Lord and Gideon," from which they took "the swoard of the Lord and Gideon" as their battle cry as they started walking up Gap Creek in their quest for Ferguson. When they got to North Carolina, they were joined by forces from Wilkes, Burke and Surry counties and by some Georgians and South Carolinians. The estimated size of the force was 1,840. By this time many of the men were out of supplies, others were in ill health, and horses were lame; consequently Colonel Campbell selected 910 of the fittest men to participate in the assault. On Oct. 7, 1780 Ferguson, with 1,100 men, was atop King's Mountain (located just across the South Carolina line from Cleveland County, North Carolina) with pickets posted along the crest; the 910 Overmountain Men under Colonel Campbell were encircling the mountain. The British, in their scarlet coats, were highly visible targets but were skilled bayonet fighters. No breast works had been constructed by the British, Ferguson apparently feeling that these crude mountaineers could not possibly defeat him. The Overmountain Men moved up the ravines and between rocky knobs, shielded by trees, their leather clothing blending with the tree trunks and the ground. When the British charged with their bayonets, the Americans ran back for cover, rendering the bayonets rather ineffective weapons. The ring around the mountain kept getting smaller and tighter. Ferguson's second-in-command, Abraham DePeyster, tried to get him to surrender; but Ferguson refused. When Ferguson was killed - usually credited to Robert Young with his rifle, "Sweet Lips" - DePeyster surrendered. The battle lasted about an hour and although there are variations in the statistics given, they were approximately: Killed - 225 British, 30 American; wounded - 180 British, 60 American; 800 British and Tory prisoners, 1500 guns and many wagons and horses. The prisoners were sent to Virginia and nine Tories were hanged. Both British and American historians are in accord that the Battle of King's Mountain was the turning point for the American Revolution in the South. 7. Further Indian Problems (p. 19): The men returned home (from King's Mountain) just in time to foil a planned Indian attack. Instead of waiting for the Indians, Sevier went asfter them. He gathered his trusted riflemen who slaughtered the Indians without mercy at Boyd's Creek. They went on to Echota where they defeated the Indians, but spared the town because it was the home of Nancy Ward. All other towns along the Tellico, Hiwassee, Chickamauga and Little Tennessee rivers were burned. The Indians' alliance with the British was bringing them unpleasant consequences. The Wataugans' chief purpose was to send the message to the Indians that attacks on the Watauga settlement were ill advised, which purpose was served to some extent, as this ended assaults by armies of Indians in the Upper East Tennessee area. Although from time to time there were scattered forays and attacks, the frontier was moving West and with it, major battles. The Indians sued for peace and on January 4, 1781 Colonels Arthur Campbell and John Sevier ... and Major Joseph Martin dictated treaty terms. It is noted that although Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown and the Revolutionary War was officially over Oct. 9, 1781, skirmishes in Georgia, South Carolina and New Your did not end for another year. A preliminary treaty was signed Nov. 30, 1782 in Paris and the final Treaty of Paris was signed Sept. 3, 1783. 8. The Cession Act (p. 20): On April 1784, the Assembly of North Carolina voted to cede all lands west of the Appalachian mountain watershed to the federal government. ... The overmountain people learned of the cession when their representatives returned from Hillsborough, the capital of North Carolina. This left them without any form of government and with land offices closed. ... It was rumored that it might be two years before the federal government would accept the cession, leaving the area without protection and support from any government, and Indians still a threat. Their instinct for self-preservation told them something must be done. 9. The State of Franklin (p. 20): On Aug. 23, 1784 a meeting was held at the courthouse in Jonesborough. ... According to the papers of the Reverend Samuel Houston ... "On motion of Mr. Cocke, whether for or against forming ourselves into a separate and distinct state, independent of the State of North Carolina, at this time, it was carried in the affirmative ... Following the vote in the courthouse, a member was chosen to inform the crowd in the street, who seemed to approve unanimously. A petition of the citizens to the legislature of North Carolina states: "... humbly request the legislature of North Carolina would take us under their immediate protection ... Our earnest desire is that we will not be separated on any pretense." This was signed by Joseph Tipton, Andrew Taylor Sr., Andrew Taylor Jr., Robert Taylor, John Hyder, ... Michael Hyder, Michael Hyder Jr., ...Isaac Lincoln, ... On May 15, 1785 William Cocke presented Franklin's petition for statehood to the Continental Congress which appointed a committee to study the issue. ... when the votes were counted, Franklin missed being the fourteenth state by one vote. ... a fight between two Presbyterian ministers, Samuel Houston and Hezekiah Balch. Houston prepared a new constitution in 1785 and Balch objected to it. 10. From Territory to Statehood (p. 24): ... After final agreement between the Senate and House on May 31st, the President signed the petition on June 1, 1796. Tennessee was now a part of the United States; it was the first territory to become a state. (editor's note - this was 6 years after the death of Michael Hyder Sr. who died in 1790) 11. Slavery, Secession & War (p. 30): During the Civil War waged between 1861 and 1865 Tennessee furnished "approximately 115,000 volunteers to the army of the Confederate States of America and about 38,000 to the army of the United States; including the 7,000 who left Tennessee to enlist in Kentucky. ... It is extimated that in Washington County about half the families were Unionists and about half Confederates. Washington County citizens, reflecting the sturdy independence of their ancestors, chose sides as individuals on the basis of their personal convictions." The first ancestor to arrive in the Watauga Settlement was Michael Hyder Sr. who, with his wife , Elizabeth, and two infant sons, John and Michael, came from Hampshire County, Virginia 1769. They settled in the Powder Branch area, farmed, and started a power mill. This was of tremendous importance during the Revolutionary War. When the Wataugans petitioned North Carolina for annexation, Michael Hyder Sr. was a signer. When delegates were sent to Halifax, North Carolina, concerning the deteriorating situation with Great Britain, Michael Hyder signed the Halifax Petition. Michael Hyder took part in all early Indian wars in the area. He fought in the battles of Thickety Fort, Cedar Springs, and Musgrove's Mills. He was, during the Battle of King's Mountain, one of two men detailed to watch for Indian attacks against the Watauga Settlement. --------------------------------- SIXTH GENERATION Jacob Hyder Sr was born on Feburary 16, 1776 at Wautaga Dist., NC. He married Hannah Elizabeth Rockwell (Rockhold) on January 4, 1798 at Elizabethton, Carter Co., TN. He was a farmer and operator of a grist mill in 1854. He died on May 18, 1854 at Cookeville, Putnam Co., TN, at age 78. He was buried at Hyder Cemetery, Cookeville, Putnam Co., TN. ---------------------------- SEVENTH GENERATION Jonathan Hyder was born on March 17, 1808 at White Co., TN. He married Mary (Maria) Polly Stogden, daughter of John Stoglin and Nancy Hyder, before 1826 at White Co., TN. He was Farmer. He appeared on the census of 1850 at Ray Co., MO. He died on JULY 4, 1875 at Jackson Twp., Dallas Co., MO, at age 67. ---------------------------- EIGHTH GENERATION Cyntha Adam Hyder was born on Feburary 18, 1833 in TN. She married John Henry Wiggins, son of James Wiggins and Elizabeth Swearingen, on March 25, 1852 at Greene Co., MO. She died on January 4, 1924 at Plainview, Lea Co., NM, at age 90. She was buried after January 4, 1924 at Old Plainview Cemetery, Plainview, Lea Co., NM.
---------------------------- SIX MORE GENERATIONS FOLLOW Cynthia Adam Hyder Wiggins was my Gr-Gr-Gr-Grandmother. |
