On a recent episode of the TLC TV series, “Who Do You Think You Are?”, actress/singer Hilary Duff found out that her 7x great-grandfather was early colonial Virginia Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood!

Here at Germanna, we knew about this early on but were unable to say anything as we did not know what material they’d be using.

It was great to see Spotsylvania County (“Spotswood” in Latin) mentioned in the show, and, if you thought the story the TV series told of Spotswood defeating the famed pirate, Blackbeard, was fascinating, join us at our conference on Saturday, July 14 in Culpeper, VA, as Kevin Duffus will be doing a presentation on Blackbeard’s Last Battle, which took place 300 years ago this year.

• Kevin Duffus, Blackbeard’s Last Battle
The notorious pirate Blackbeard stands among the best-known figures of early colonial American history, yet no one still knows who he really was. To this day, his identity, his origins, and his motivations for committing acts of piracy remain in contention. Did he hail from England, Jamaica, or the Carolinas? Was his surname Teach, or Thatch, or something else entirely? Was he an undistinguished common sailor suddenly thrust into command of a pirate ship? Was he a former Royal Navy sailor and an aristocratic, Anglican slave-owning planter who inexplicably turned Jacobite and pirate? Or was he a mariner on a salvage mission lured to piracy by a mob of looters, and who later became a pawn in an attempted political coup in proprietary North Carolina? These conflicting interpretations have provoked hostile debate. At stake are the credibilities of monolithic institutions and museums, the reputations of researchers and authors, the financial stakes of publishers, and the future of a popular historical narrative. History carved in stone is never easily disconfirmed, especially when history’s icons have been sculpted and burnished by centuries of myth and folklore. For more than 45 years, award-winning research historian Kevin Duffus has followed the wake of the notorious pirate’s journey through history. Along the way he has discovered significant clues and pivotal waypoints in the Blackbeard records that point to a startling conclusion—one that many scholars do not want the public to know.

Watch the “Who Do You Think You Are?” episode here: https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/who-do-you-think-you-are/

According to Wikipedia, Hilary Duff is an American actress, singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and author. She began her acting career at a young age and quickly became labeled a teen idol as the title character of the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. Duff has appeared in numerous films, with leading roles. As a singer, she has received platinum and gold certifications for her albums and has sold an estimated 15 million records since her debut in 2002. Duff’s success in both acting and music has led to her becoming a household name and as such as created merchandise such as dolls, clothing, and fragrances.

Lt. Gov. Spotswood has a very close connection to the Germanna story as he was instrumental in bringing the Germanna colonists to Virginia and had the first group of colonists build Fort Germanna. These colonists now have descendants all across America.

Parker Hitt, a 3rd great-grandson of Peter Hitt and Elizabeth Otterbach, through Germanna Colonists Harmon Hitt and wife Mary Weaver, is in the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Hall of Honor for being a pioneer in cryptology. Here is the write-up about him on NSA’s website:

NSA/CSS Hall of Honor
The Hall of Honor was created in 1999 to pay special tribute to the pioneers and heroes who rendered distinguished service to American cryptology.

Colonel Parker Hitt

Then-Captain Hitt, just before World War I, authored The Manual for the Solution of Military Ciphers. Published in 1916, this was the first work of its kind in the United States in 100 years and laid the foundation for the nation’s impressive cryptologic achievements during the 20th century.

Born in 1878, Colonel Hitt attended Purdue University, but enlisted in the Army during the Spanish American War. In 1899, he received a commission as an infantry officer and was posted to the Philippines.

Recognizing the importance of new communications methods, Colonel Hitt applied for a two-year detail to the Signal Corps. While teaching at the Army Signal School, he researched and wrote his groundbreaking manual on military ciphers.

Colonel Hitt, knowing the U.S. Army field cipher was insecure, designed a more secure system as a replacement in 1914. In 1917, the Signal Corps widely adapted Colonel Hitt’s cylindrical device, and it remained in service the better part of three decades.

During the period of tension with Mexico, which culminated in Pershing’s Punitive Expedition, Colonel Hitt and his wife, Genevieve Young Hitt, “moonlighted” to solve intercepted messages. He gained a well-deserved reputation as one of the Army’s most talented codebreakers, and General Pershing selected him to be a member of his staff when the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) deployed to France in 1917.

As a Senior Signal Officer with the AEF during World War I, Colonel Hitt oversaw the compilation of a highly effective code that replaced an awkwardly translated French coding system that was being used by American forces. He also supervised units that intercepted sensitive German communications with impressive results.

In retirement during the 1940s, he was an informal liaison between the Army and members of the American Cryptogram Association but was anxious to serve in the war. Colonel Hitt returned to active duty from 1940 to 1944 as a corps area Signal Officer.

At a time when the nation had no formal cryptologic service, Parker Hitt’s innovative work documented concepts and principles that would be used to protect U.S. military communications for decades. His work also directly influenced William and Elizebeth Friedman, who referred to him as the “father of modern American cryptology.”

Colonel Parker Hitt died in January 1971 at age 93.