Early White Settlement

Front: By 1768 Indian traders and land speculators Richard Pearis (d. 1794) and Jacob Hite of Virginia acquired large tracts from the Cherokees in present-day Greenville County. Though royal authorities disputed the validity of these titles, Pearis and Hite moved their families to this area between 1768 and 1775. Reverse: Jacob Hite settled nearby with his wife Frances Madison Hite and their family in 1775. He continued his trade with the Cherokees. In June 1776, Cherokees killed his son James. On July 1, 1776, Cherokees killed Jacob Hite and kidnapped his wife and two daughters. Frances Hite’s body was recovered, but the Hite daughters were never found.