Thomas Luke Blitch (abt. 1743 - 1777)

Born about 1743 in England

Husband of Ann (Hodges) Blitch — married 1765 in Effingham County, Georgia

Descendants

Died 11 Sep 1777 at about age 34 in Brandywine, York, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Donna Blitch [send private message]

Biography

Thomas was born in 1745 ^[1] England to Spier Blitch and Mary (Unknown) Blitch. He lived along Turkey Creek near present-day Tusculum, Georgia. He married Ann Hodges in 1765 at Effingham County, Georgia. She was born in 1743 at Effingham County, Georgia, and died 1835. ^[2]

Children of THOMAS BLITCH and ANN HODGES are: ^[3]

5. i. SPIER BLITCH, b. 1766, Effingham County, Georgia; d. 1845, Effingham County, Georgia.

6. ii. BENJAMIN BLITCH, SR., b. 1768, Effingham County, Georgia; d. 1846, Effingham County, Georgia.

7. iii. MARY POLLY BLITCH, b. 1774, Effingham County, Georgia; d. 1867, Effingham County, Georgia.

8. iv. ANN BLITCH, b. 1775, Effingham County, Georgia.

9. v. ELIZABETH BLITCH, b. 1775, Effingham County, Georgia; d. 1857, Burke, Georgia.

10. vi. THOMAS BLITCH, b. 1777, Effingham County, Georgia; d. 1857, Effingham County, Georgia.

Thomas passed away on September 11, 1777 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania during the American Revolution as a Private in the Battle of Brandywine ^{[4] [5]}

He is buried in the Blitchton Community Cemetery in Blitchton Florida which is outside of Ocala. ^{[6] [7]}

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Research Notes

It needs to be determined if he was born in 1740 or 1745.

Blitch, Thomas, born 1745, died on September 11, 1777. Served as a private in the Georgia Line. ^[5]

Died 11 SEP 1777. Brandywine, Pennsylvania, USA. ^[8] 9 SEP 1777. Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania, USA. Source: ^{[8] [9] [8] [10] [11] [12] [9]} 11 SEP 1777. Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania, USA. 11 SEP 1777. Brandywine, Montgomery Co, PA. 11 SEP 1777. Brandywine, Montgomery Co, PA. ^[9] 11 SEP 1777. Montgomery, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States. Brandywine Battle. Rev. War soldier. 11 AUG 1777. Brandywine, Pennsylvania. ^[13]

Buried Springfield, Effingham County, Georgia, USA. ^{[8] [8] [10]} Blitchton, Marion County, Florida, USA. ^[8]

Military Rev. Soldier. ^[13]

Residence USA ^[14]

Marriage 1765 Effingham County, Georgia, USA. Map: Latitude: N32.3704. Longitude: W81.3435. ^[15] Marriage BEF 1768. Source:

Notes

[Issac Brinson.FTW] Thomas Blitch was in the Revolutionary War. Source is Mrs. L.A. Hargrave s, N.S., D.A.R. No 378455. Records compiled by Rev. W.M. Blitch of Cairo, Georgia in 1937, state that one source of his information was a boyhood neighbor and his family. Rev. Moore Blitch paternal grand-father of Rev. Henry James Blitch, maternal grand-father, both born and raised in Effingham County, Georgia. The later removed to Bryan County and Rev. Solomon E. Blitch , a long time resident of Tifton, Georgia. Also such data secured and compared, and consided authentic.

Honorable Milton D. Wilson of Bartow, Florida under date of October 2, 1936 wrote"The Probate Records of Effingham County reveal "that the Blitch and Wilson families were most intimate friends" and that a lot of information could be obtained from these records about the BLITCH, WILSON AND HURST FAMILIES."

The first generation of this family in America was that of S.Blitz (Blitch) who received a land grant near TUSCULUM IN EFFINGHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA. This record indicates the year 1743. It is said that S. (Spier) Blitch had three sons, Abram, Thomas and another whose name is now not recalled. The two known sons were, it is said in the Revolutionary War, fighting for Independence.

This first Blitch appears on the headright Grants of Georgia. They are also mentioned in the publication by Smith-"The Story of Georgia People, 1732-1860." The name Blitch should have read "Blitz." (this stands for lightning.) But the name has been Anglicized or changed slightly over the years. (Prior to his time a Blitch family resided in London, England about 1625, as evidenced by "Memorials in St. Margaret's Church, Weatminster, which reads, ELIZABETH BLITCH, DAUGHTER OF JOHN BLITCH WAS CHRISTENED DEC. 4, 1625."

It was more than a century before the name appears in Georgia, but there was a great period of political unrest and migrations in Europe and across the seas. )

The Blitch Homestead was situated on TURKEY CREEK near Tusculum in Effingham County, Georgia. The Homestead was owned and occupied by descendants of the grantee until about 1900, when it passed hands into the judge H. B. Strange of Statesboro, Georgia, a former Sect. of State. About 1910 he informed Rev. W.M. Blitch of the acquisiton of the "Old Blitch Homestead."

The Blitch family, the Futrell family and others of Effingham county have corroborated these facts pertaining to the the Blitch family. The three sons of S. Blitch were agreed upon as being: Spier, Benjamin, and Thomas. a daughter named Polly married a Mr. Hurst. ================================= These are some of the notes I have on Thomas Blitch and Ann Hodges.

"Thomas BLITCH is believed to have been a son of S. Blitch who received a land grant near Tusculum, Effingham County, Georgia in 1734. He was a soldier of the Revolution and died at the Battle of Brandywine Creek, Sept. 11, 1777, his age being between 30 and 40 years old at the time. He was married to Miss Ann Hodge of Effingham County. She and her children sought refuge in Beaufort County, South Carolina, during the Revolutionary War, but returned to Effingham County after peace was restored. Their children were born in Effingham County, Georgia."

The Blitch homestead was an extensive tract of land in the southwestern section of Effingham County and was known as "The Blitch Lands"; the Blitch Cemetery was on it. This piece of property is known as "The W. W. Lee P lace". Much is now owned by Judge H. B. Strange of Statesboro, GA, a former Secretary of State of Georgia and descendant of the Wilsons.

Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 From: Maureen McCarthy

Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 From: Jvmason@@aol.com just Mason Thomas Blitch did indeed marry Ann Hodges. The father of Thomas Blitch, Sr. was SPIER BLITCH. Spier Blitch and wife Judith resided at the Blitch Homestead which was obtained by a land grant in 1743, this land being near Turkey Creek near Tusculum. A great grandson of Spier was Henry James Blitch who declared that his grandfather was Thomas Blitch and that he was born in 1777. These facts also confirmed by ABRAM FUTRELL also a descendant. Judy

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Donna Blitch, Friday, November 15, 2013.
2. ↑ p. 4 Hunnicutt
3. ↑ p. 5 Hunnicutt
4. ↑ p. 3 Hunnicutt
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Georgia's List of Revolutionary Soldiers, Patriot Soldiers and Refugee Soldiers (1776-1783)
6. ↑ National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 16 November 2021), memorial page for PVT Thomas Blitch (1745–11 Sep 1777), Find A Grave: Memorial #21370267, citing Blitchton Community Cemetery, Blitchton, Marion County, Florida, USA ; Maintained by Ann Parkinson (contributor 45284853) .
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} Source: #S149
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Source: #S125
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Source: #S259
11. ↑ Source: #S174
12. ↑ Source: #S125 Volume: 303
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Source: #S55 Date of Import: Apr 17, 2000
14. ↑ Source: #S1483
15. ↑ Source: #S55 Date of Import: Apr 17, 2000

See also:

• Hunnicutt, Diana Voncelle Goolsby, FROM WIREGRASS TO SAWGRASS. The Blitch Family In The Southeast. 334 pages. Self published pdf at http://home.windstream.net/dhunnicutt/Blitch%20Book.pdf.

• Sons of the American Revolution [1899-1911], South Carolina Society, Organized March 22, 1911. Salute Honoring: The South Carolina Patriots of the American Revolution and all other Patriots of 1776, South Carolina Compatriots of the Society from April 18, 1889 to Date, contributed to South Carolina Genealogy Trails by Dena W. Relative of member #1346. http://genealogytrails.com/scar/sar1899-1911_7.htm

• BLITCH genealogy book at the Suwannee County, Florida genealogy society. https://svgsoc.org/

• DAR Patriot Index, Volume I A-F, page 260.

• Georgia Revolutionary War Soldiers Graves, volume 1, Screven County section, by H. Ross Arnold Jr., and H. Clifton Burnham

• Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, volume 3.

• Source: S110 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;

• Source: S12 Caroline P. Wilson Annals Of Georgia ; Vol. 2 by Wilson Publication: Name: Georgia Genealogical Reprints, Vidalia, Georgia; NOTESource Medium: Book

• Source: S125 Ancestry.com U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;

• Source: S133 Hunting For Bears, comp. Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;

• Source: S1483 Ancestry.com Some Speer family fragments from the working charts Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; NOTESome Speer family fragments from the working charts

• Source: S149 Ancestry.com U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;

• Source: S174 Ancestry.com Global, Find A Grave Index for Non-Burials, Burials at Sea, and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;

• Source: S259 National Cemetery Administration U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;

• Source: S55 2jv@@bellsouth.net; Judy Virginia Rountree Mason Issac Brinson.FTW NOTESource Medium: Electronic resides in Rincon, GA

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Donna Blitch for creating Blitch-70 on 15 Nov 13.