WILLIAM SPENCE HUTT (1773-1855)
 

INFO HUSBAND WIFE
PERSON.
BIRTH.
DEATH.
William Spence Hutt 
Jan. 11, 1773, Westmoreland Co., Va.
 
March 7, 1855, Chillicothe, Oh.
 
Constance U. E. Villard 
unknown
 
unknown
 
MARRIAGE June 18, 1794, Westmoreland County, Virginia 11
PARENTS Gerard Hutt, III & Caty Spence unknown

CHILDREN:
Betsey Hutt (aft. 1795 - aft. 1823)
John Hutt (1798 - 1881)
Maria Hutt (1805 -)
Child Hutt (1805- aft. 1820)
William Villard Hutt (1807-)
Felicity M. Hutt (1809 - 1891)
Child Hutt (aft. 1810-)
Constance F. Hutt (1813-)
Andre' Joseph Hutt (1815 - 1885)
Child Hutt (aft. 1830-)

BIOGRAPHY:
William Hutt first appeared in Ohio in 1799, referenced in legal documents as a juror and a plaintiff in three separate cases. One of these court cases, filed in September of 1799, was a case of assault and battery charges brought against Thomas Gregg by William Hutt: "On August 6, 1799 at Chillicothe Gregg did assault and beat Hutt."12  

William was born in Westmoreland County and lived there at the time of his marriage to Constance Villard in 1794.  Constance was the daughter of Andre Villard, a wealthy Virginia planter.

What specifically lured William to Ohio is unknown. His brother John, at the behest of family friend Edward Tiffin (who later became Ohio's first governor) did not make the move to Ohio until 1801.  William is often recorded with his brother John, and fittingly they lived next door to each other in central Chillicothe in the early 1800s.  Ohio records vary between William S., Wm. S. and W.S. Hutt, undoubtedly the same person.

William's residence was a one-story framed structure on the south side of Water St., halfway between Paint and Mulberry Streets.13 Ross County Probate Court archives do not show William S. Hutt as a property owner in the early days of Chillicothe, but early Ohio tax records contradict those records, clearly showing him as a taxpayer, and consequently, land owner in early Chillicothe.

William was selected as the first "supervisor" of Chillicothe, Ohio, on March 20, 1802.14 It is isn't immediately known what responsibilities a supervisor carried for the city. According to Patricia Medert, of the Ross County Historical Society's McCandess Library, the most likely duties of the supervisor would be to take care of the roads in Chillicothe.

One thing that Chillicothe newspapers of the time made clear is that William S. Hutt was a politician.




Chillicothe map from approx. 1814

Click for full page view of map


In a January 1st, 1803 paper, William is listed with many candidates for public office. The article begins: "James Scott, of Franklinton, is a candidate for the Senate. A list of candidates is given:" Among the list, which includes legendary Ohio founding father names such as Worthington, Tiffin and Massie, is William S. Hutt.15

The Chillicothe paper reports in 1804 that William is an officer of Chillicothe, while brother John was an associate Judge for Ross County.16 In 1806 he was a candidate for Coroner.17 By 1808 he was listed as receiving a "regimental appointment" from Colonel W.H. Puthuff.18 In 1810 he was appointed clerk of the Supreme Court vice John McDougal. It is unclear if this refers to the Ohio Supreme Court or Ross County Supreme Court, as in 1810 it appears both existed, most likely this is with Ross County.19 One position that William held for several years was that of Tax Collector for the county.  Newspaper references cite his position in 1806, 1808, 1810 and 1811.20

William most likely served Ohio during the War of 1812. Pay roll records from the office of the Adjutant General show that William S. Hutt from Ross County was a private.21 The rank is surprising, as Chillicothe newspapers reported in 1803 that William S. Hutt was named the quartermaster for the Ross County militia.22 His rank and status in Chillicothe apparently did not equal officer status in the militia.

Sometime after the War of 1812, William left Ross County. When John applied for pension status in 1833 for service in the Revolutionary War, William was listed as residing in Kanawha County, Virginia (around present day Charleston, WV). There are no newspaper references for William after 1810, but early Ohio tax records show that William S. Hutt paid taxes in 1816 and 1817.

At some point after this William apparently left for western Virginia and the Charleston area. It is an interesting mystery, for William S. Hutt was certainly a prominent figure in the first decade of Chillicothe history. Did politics force William to leave? Were there greater opportunities elsewhere? The recollections of John Hutt's granddaughter, Fannie Robinson Swayne, in letters to Chillicothe 100 years later do not shed any light. In fact, William is conspicuously absent from these letters other than a family history showing him to be the brother of John and child of Gerrard and Caty. Was there a falling out between the brothers?

In western Virginia, William was noted as a grocer and public official.  From another Hutt family researcher, Greg Newton's web site states:

In an early description of Charleston, there is mentioned a Mr. Hutt, who "had a grocery. One of his daughters [Constance] married [Silas] Cobb and another daughter [Maria] married Judge [Matthew] Dunbar." Also mentioned is Mr. Hutt's tailor shop. Whether this belonged to one of the sons, or was just a part of the general store is unknown. William Hutt was Constable of Charleston from 1838 to 1840.23  

Also according to Greg Newton, William lived out the final years of his life in Little Rock, Arkansas, near one of his children who ran a grocery store. That store was handed down in the family until the middle of the 1900s. 

William's brother, John, is the strongest link between the old Virginia Hutts and the birth of the Ohio Hutts. The eldest son of Gerrard Hutt, III and Catherine (Caty) Spence, John claimed land in Ohio for service to Virginia during the Revolutionary War. Of the three Hutt brothers in Ohio, John had the greatest prominence.

NOTES:

11 Early Virginia Marriages, Vol. IV, Crozier, p. 102

12 Gateway to the West, Ruth Bowers & Anita Short, V.2, pp. 471, 477, 483

13 Ross County Historical Society, Map of Chillicothe in 1811

14 State Centennial History of the County of Ross, p. 66; also Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, v 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 194

15 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, vol 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 202

16 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, vol 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 217

17 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, vol 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 249

18 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, vol 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 273

19 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, vol 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 311

20 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, v. 1 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 251 (1806 reference)

21 History of Ross and Highland Counties, Ohio, p. 97 (cited from Putnam's History of Ross County)

22 Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, vol 1. 1793-1810, Karen Mauer Green, p. 210

23 History of Charleston & Kanawha Co., West Virginia, W. S. Laidley, 1911, p. 90 & 166

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