The Washington herald., 1907-10-27

have to face charges much graver than
/ those looked upon as right and proper al
/ that time
Had "inside knowledge"
/ 1t was generally known 10 an that the
/ domain claimed by Lord Fairfax covered
/ al! the land lying between the rivers Rap
/ pahannock and the Potomac. and bounded
/ perhaps by a line drawn from the head
waters Of the one 60 those OF the other.
+ At the date OF this grant 10 John Van
Meter it was also generally supposed. and
/ by Lord Fairfax himself, no doubt. that
+ the Potomac River headed on the eastern
side Of the summit OF the Blew Noun
tains.' and that a line drawn from the
/ hcadWaters OF the Rappahaun0ck % those
OF the Potomac would follow closely the
summit Of the range. John Van Meter
+ knew better than this, be knew what the
others did not then know. that the Po-
tomac broke through the mountain bar
I rier az what is now H1rpers Ferry. and
+ that the land which be coveted and pro
. posed 10 claim under HIS grant from Gov
/ 6ooch was also already covered. or. al
least. would be claimed under "a broad
\ construction Of the grant held by Lord
/ Fairfax; consequently a title 20 this land
/ would be much easier 20 defend and estab-
/ lish, IL vested in an innocent third-party
/ purchaser, hence his sale, en-bloc. TO
: JoCst Hite The Hue family was later. If
. not az this time, connected by bonds Of
relationship with the Van Meter family
/ IL is claimed that Joost Hite married
Anna Maria pu Bois a daughter of Louis
/ Du Bots. of Kingston, y. Y
Relationship Is Obscure.
! This, 81 true. would bring John Van
I Meter and JOost FIite into the relation
/ ship OF nephew and uncle. as it is fuIIy
+ established that John Van Meters mother
was sara Du B1is. daughter of Louis Du
/ Bois and Catherine Blaushan. his wife
| The viii Of Louis Du Bols does not
/ show, however. that he had daughter
Anna Maria, and. comparing the ages
/ Of the two. would suggest that the re-
/ latl1nship must have been more remote
/ BE that as il may. Joost Hite was in
/ fuenced into the purchase. and he at
! once proceeded 90 carry out the coudi-
I tions Of the grant with respect 10 actual
! settlement, and we find further that
/ John Van Meter became one Of the set
! tiers, and repurChssed from Joost Hite
such portions as he desired for himself
and his family ''of eleven children" An
/ examination OF these several tracts Will
show. even to-day. that John Van Meter
was an excellent judge of land. These
/ tracts We're soon after. perhaps as early
/ as 1870 (the year of the original grant.
occupied by him and retained until his
death. In 49, when they passed into the
possession of his children by deed of gift
and bequest
/ As the settlement Of the valley pro
| ceeded, title was vested in the contract
purchaser, by patent direct from the
Colony Of Virginia 20 the settler. and in
/ due time the true conditions respecting
/ the headwatsrs Of the Potomac. came
! TO the knowledge of Lord Fairfax
FairfaX's Great Holdings.
| He set about having a survey made. in
/ 1885,, to determine their actual extent
/ The magnitude Of the Fairfax grant or
/ as claimed by him, is shown under the
several constructions placed upon the
wording Of the original grant. and Is set
forth In the report of the Proceedings
| of the Commissioners to lay out the
bounds of the Fairfax claim" This was
made August TO- 1887. and is as follows.
IF it shall be thought just TO bound
| Lord Fairfaxs claims by a line drawn
| from the fork of the Rapp8hannOck 10
| the fork Of the Potomac. his territory
viii then contain at least 1,f76,000 acres
Of land. If the line be drawn from the
| head OF Hedgman River 10 the fork of
the Potomac. his l0rdship will then pos
sess 100000 acres. In case his boundary
shall be allowed to run from the head Of
Hedgman River to the head spring of
| Cohungorooton. then his grant viii con-
tain 5.S12O90 acres. But If his lordship
be allowed to extend his boundary from
the head of Conway River 10 the head
spring of CohungOrOotOn. including the
great and little fork Of the Rappahan-
mock. ne will then have at least $4,000
acres"
Settlers Patents Affirmed.
The shrewdness Of John Van Meters
sale to Joost IIite is made apparent by
referring to the "Spotswood Letters"
Vol /. page 153, as follows: The con.
/ fiictng rights of the Northern Neck patl
ents with those claimed by Joost Hite
and others have been the cause OF in
Vulnerable lawsuits. which crowded the
records OF the State courts to a period
advanced into the nineteenth century"
Suits were commenced in 1886 by Lord
Fairfax. who then sought TO recover the
several tracts patented under this Van
Meter grant, setting forth his priority Of
I title thereto direct from the crown. In
most cases, after years in the courts,
these titles were finally vested and con-
| frmed in those who had acquired patents
from the colony Of Virginia through
Joost Hite under his purchase from John
Van Meter Notwithstanding the fact that
Lord Fairfax's claim under It's broadest
construction was finally confirmed TO him
by the King in 1745.
These grants of land 70 John and Isaac
Van Meter, in 1880. were the first In the