One of these enterprising Germans was Hans Joist Hite (Hans Justus Heyd) who's birth was recorded in 1685 in the village church of Bonfeld in the Neckar Valley of Germany, where he was later listed as a "linen weaver." He married Anna Maria Merckle 11 Nov 1704. In 1709, he, his father and their families joined over 13,000 other Germans in making their way to Rotterdam and to London - the largest single group of immigrants in colonial times. His father was then dead but Jost, his wife, infant daughter and stepmother were among those who reached New York in 1710. After several years in camp along the Hudson, Hite came to the Philadelphia area where he purchased land in 1714 along the Skippack Creek. He sold this shortly after he purchased a larger tract a few miles farther west on the Perkiomen. There he built his home and a grist mill. He sold this property in 1730, prior to obtaining rights to 140,000 acres of land in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Of Hite's grant, 100,000 acres was a grant from the Council of Virginia, the other 40,000 acres had been granted to the Van Meters, whose rights Hite purchased. Much earlier, King Charles II had made a large grant to Lord Colepepper which by 1732 had been inherited by Thomas, Lord Fairfax; this included the land granted to Hite. Later, this led to litigation which was decided in favor of Hite long after both he and Fairfax were dead. John Marshall, later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was the lawyer for Fairfax; George Washington was among those who contributed to the payment of Marshall's fee. At age 16, Washington had been engaged by Lord Fairfax to conduct surveys in the Shenandoah Valley. Washington admired the accomplishments of the Hites, writing to Capt. John Posey in June, 1767,..."look to Frederick (County) and see what fortunes were made by the Hites and the first takers of this land." Hite's grandson, Major Isaac Hite, Jr., was the builder of Belle Grove. He married Nelly Conway Madison, a sister of James Madison. He studied at William and Mary where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa 27 Mar 1777, the first man elected by the charter members. Later he served on the staff of General Muhlenberg. Mrs. Francis Madison Beale, the 2nd wife of Jost Hite's son, Jacob, was an aunt of James Madison. Sarah Hite, daughter of Isaac Hite, Sr., married Jonathan Clark, brother of George Rogers Clark. Lee Henry Z. Jones Jr., the highly respected genealogist who did an extensive study of the Palatine migration in 1709-1710 and later, is firmly convinced that Germans "traveled together and stayed together." These people were primarily from the Palatinate (Rhine River) region, although the group included some Swiss and others. My own family history reflects this. Of the 300+ families that arrived in the Hudson Valley of New York State in 300+ 1710, I descend from more than 50, many of whom now proven by DNA. A great many of their descendants remain in Columbia, Dutchess, Green and Ulster Counties even today. In fact, in an effort to study the genetic patterns of this group, I started a Palatine DNA Project at FTDNA many years ago. I'm no longer associated with it, but it still survives and, hopefully, will one day prove a useful database for someone. Jones also conducted studies of other settlements of Germans in America, especially later in Pennsylvania. The 1710 migration was the first large group to arrive in America. Doris