A copy of the following stories, with graphics, charts and photos is available in a 100+ page paperback from the Hightower News/Dr. Paul Hightower 1701 S. 34th St.,Terre Haute, in 47803, for $30

The first court reference to Sterling Hightower is in his father, Austin Hightower's Will

It is safe to assume that Sterling resided with his parents up to and after his father's death; that he is not found in the court records of Orange County, North Carolina. In 1785, Edgefield District, South Carolina, Court: Fields Pardue vs. Sterling Hightower. Then in 1793, March 23, Elbert County, Georgia, Martha Hightower of Elbert County, Georgia deeds to one, John Hightower of Buncombe County, North Carolina, one slave. Sterling Hightower witness. (Note: It was apparent that Sterling moving around with Oldham Hightower had his mother, Martha, with him and it is believed that he was single up until this time. Some reports say that Sterling attended Oxford University and graduated prior to 1793 and that he did extensive educational work among the Indians and the uneducated white people of the Colonies, but it cannot be substantiated.

Sterling Hightower made entry of land 640 acres, Buncombe County, North Carolina on August 15, 1793 on French Broad River, two miles above the painted rock. (Grant was never made). Same date, August 15, 1793, Sterling Hightower made another entry for 640 acres adjoining his prior entry. Survey ordered March 10,1794. Grant was never made. November 16,1796. Pendleton District, South Carolina. Deed. John McCosky to James Hagood 137 acres, Georg's Creek, Soluda River. Sterling Hightower, witness. May 28, 1796. Pentleton District, South Carolina. Deed. Howell Dowdy to George Willson 100 acres Dowdyls Creek. Soluda River. Sterling Hightower, witness, 1798 Chatham County, North Carolina. Sterling Hightower of Elbert County Georgia, petitions the court for the original Will of Austin Hightower, his father. 1800 Federal Census Pentleton District, South Carolina. Sterling Hightower. 1 white male, 16-26, 1 white female 16-26, 1 white female - 10. (Note: This is the first record we have that Sterling Hightower is married and there is one child of this union_a daughter.)

In 1803, and earlier, it has been established that Sterling Hightower and his family were living in Walton County, Georgia(now Transylvania County~ North Carolina). There was a dispute between North Carolina and Georgia over the establishment of the County of Walton, Georgia in 1803 and Walton County was represented in the legislature for all of its turbulent career by only three men in the Senate from 1804

1811, and Sterling Hightower represented the County in 1808. He was seated as State Senator 7 November 1808, unseated 11 November 1808 and re-seated 9 December 1808.

Through various articles, it has been determined also that Sterling Hightower's wife was Beersheba Davis and to this union were born 10 children. A list of his children, in the order of their birth has not been determined. We only have the following information:

1....Hightower Taken from the 1800 Federal Census, Pentleton District, South Carolina, established that there was a female child under ten years of age in the household of Sterling Hightower.

2. Hugh MacHightower, taken from Bible Records, tombstone records, etc., b. 9 December 1803, d. 11 February 1879 and m. 3 February 1824. Settled in Montgomery County, Illinois. 11 children. (IYext years' newsletter will feature a story about Hugh Mac Hightower and the Illinois-Hightower connection)

3. Peppernitis llightower-probably settled in Georgia.

4, John Hightower-in Tennessee.

The first court reference found on George Hightower was in Amelia County Virginia, 21 September 1757. His father deeded him 200 acres of land on George Ford's branch and Charles Williams' Corner. The first evidence we have that George is married is found in the court records of Amelia County, 22 June 1769. George and Susannah Hightower sold 275 acres of land to Richard Walthall.

George's oldest brother, William Hightower, died in Amelia County, Virginia in August 1764 and George was named as one of the executors in his will. All nine of William Hightower's children were minors at the time of the will. In 1770, the courts placed four of the minors in George Hightower's custody: William, Daniel, Elizabeth and Stephen.

In 1771 George and Susannah Hightower were selling their land in Amelia County. George, along with his brothers, Joshua, Richard and John sold 890 acres on Tomahitton Creek_their interest in their deceased father's estate.

George and Susannah Hightower and their family moved to Lunenburg County Virginia where they bought 715 acres of land adjoining John Hightower and Thomas Cocke on the branches of Hounds creek, 9 May 1776 (Thomas Cocke was the husband of Eleanor Hightower, George Hightower, Sr's daughter. )

In the court records of Orange County, NC, 1776, there is a mention of George Hightower in the 7th Militia. On 7 February 1777, George Hightower enlisted in the Third South Carolina Regiment. He was taken prisoner, 9 January 1779; George was 46 years old.ln 1787 George and Susannah sold their land on the south side of Hounds Creek and then moved to Campbell County, Virginia.

The North Farnham Parish Church built about 1737, replaced an earlier church built near the site about 1660. The Church is in the shape of a Latin cross, the walls of which are two feet thick. The bullet holes in the exterior brick of the church confirm a skirmish in 1814 between the Virginia Militia and raiders from the British fleet. During the Civil war both Confederate and Union troops occupied the church. Although vandals and the ravages of nature have necessitated the rebuilding of the church's interior, the walls are the original brick circa 1737.

The Church is in the shape of a Latin cross_the walls of which are almost two feet thick. The bullet holes in the exterior brick of the church confirm an 1814 skirmish between the Virginia Militia and raiders from the British fleet. During the Civil War both Confederate and Union troops occupied the church. Although vandals and the ravages of nature have necessitated the rebuilding of the church's interior; the walls are the original brick circa 1737. Only one tombstone has survived the two century old vigil, it bears the name of Katharine Nicholas, died Jan. 1767. There are many other unmarked graves in the cemetery.

Almost as illusive is the evidence of what happened at the parish for all those years. The original parish register_with all births, marriages_was either lost or destroyed. The 1 1 x 17 inch parish register which Walter A. Walker located was actually a copy which was made from the original, sometime during the eighteenth century. The first Hightower entry is, Bom . Thomas, son of Joshua and Eleanor Hightower, Mar. 20 1712 (see inscription above) Notice that instead of comas, periods are used in the separation of text. That is in keeping with the writing style of the era, a hold over from early Latin punctuation. A photocopy of the register is in the State Archives at Richmond. The actual document is in the courthouse at Warsaw, VA.

Almost every Hightower family researcher you talk with, eventually gets around to the same age-old question, where did the family originate_Was it England, Scotland, Germany, Holland, or where? Now through the use of computers and a lot of old fashioned footwork, at least two old world locations have emerged as a possibility, the Fife area of Scotland and Western Yorkshire, England.More about them later, but first a few words about surnames, how and when they came about. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 surnames of British origin, but the idea of having a surname has not been around forever. Look at some of the oldest written history we have, in the Old Testament, there was Adam, Moses, Noah. In early Roman Britain, people had only one name. That was true also as the Anglo-Saxons (Germanic tribesmen) invaded Celtic England about 500 A.D., and created one of the great civilizations of the Dark Ages. In 5 centuries the Anglo-Saxons and native Celticspeaking Brits created a unified culture in low-land Britain which they called England (Angle-land). But across the channel the Normands who were Viking adventurers, settled in the French Seine valley in 91 1 A.D. A little more than 150 years later they were knocking at the gates of the Anglo- Saxon civilization. A Normand named William the Conqueror defeated the Brits at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and became ruler of all England. About twenty years later, he wanted to know the extent of English wealth primarily for future taxation. The result was: the Domesday Book_sort of a general directory for 1086 England. Every Shire in England and many of its people are found in the Domesday Book The book illustrates to us that the resident's Old English names had already been modified by 1086, into simpler and more manageable forms. Instead of the long-winded Aethelbeorht and Sigeweard, men were calling each other Albert and Siward.

As they were taking the census for the Domesday Book, Norman clerks wrote down what they heard in their own way. In doing so they made clear to us that the pronunciation of such names had been much modified from the early Anglo-Saxon period. The clerk put it into Latin, but he himself would have uttered his favorite toast in Norman French. The Normans invaded, but they were conquerored by the culture and language of the Brits as we see almost an amalgamation of the French and AngloSaxon tongues. In Domesday, almost all Normans had surnames or second designations of some kind. '

In Hertfordshire in 1289 there was a Richard, son of Alice, at the Lane but by 1317 the next generation is called at the Lane and a generation later, AtteLane ("atte" is the contraction of "at the"). And finally we arrive at the surname LANE by about 1400. The prepositions and articles have virtually disappeared and lists of names have a more modern look. This simplification is yet another sign of surnames being fixed. They have ceased to be descriptive phrases and have become proper names. English surnames were completely settled in by 1 hoo.2 The only new names formed in England afterthat date were those of immigrants from Wales, Scotland and Europe.

1. Our cousin, Ruth Hightower Smith of Murray, KY, located one source in the Tennessee State Archives which points to Scotland, as our ancestral home. In the late nineteenth century the state of Tennessee sent surveys to all their surviving Civil War veterans. These surveys have been published in six volumes. One such veteran was Thomas Hodge High tower. One of his answers regarding ancestry was: Mygrand father, William High tower, came from Scotland, went into business in the city of Philadelphia; from there they moved to eastern IY. C. near the Virginia line. My father told me they raised tobacco.

Of course that was written from his recollection of what had been told him by his family and that might not be accurate. I have checked the International Genealogical Index3 in Scotland and have found one llightower living there in the Seventeenth Century (see map page 9).

2. Our cousin, John Hightower of Berryville, VA, hired a researcher in Knoxville, TN, specializing in English and Scottish family research. Two entries in the surname of fIightower were found. They were both in the lluddlesfield area (see map page 9) of Yorkshire, England. John reports that there are no Hightowers in the cross index of BoyUs, the surnames of England or Scotland, or in the early wills, deeds or court records.

3. Michael Wood, a London genealogical researcher, reports in England, Denmark and Germany, there is the name Heytor. It appears as early as 1 296 A. D. and some modern versions use the current Heytower. From Old English:

-Haegtor- fenced hilltop

So as we continue the search for our Old World heritage, it is looking more and more like the Island of Britain_There are five High towers in the London phonebook. The next step is to check into parish registers in both the areas of Fife, Scotland and western Yorkshire, England. It is exciting to think that we Ilightowers may be descendants of those early Brittons who lived across the Atlantic more than 1500 years ago. If you are interested in learning more about early Britain, Surnames and The Domesday Book, see the following references:

A. A. Hightower, Pvt, Company C, 3rd Georgia Reserves