Our Hess, or Hesse, family probably had its origin in the state of Hesse, or Hessen, in that part of West Germany which was once Prussia. Some sources say the name originated in Austria. The name Hess means "the hooded people". The Hess family was of German descent.
Early immigration records show many listings for the Hess surname. Hess immigrants began arriving in America primarily in the early 1700's. Among the earliest immigrants were Joseph Hess to New York in 1709; Samuel Hess to America in 1731; John Hess to Pennsylvania in 1729; Abraham Hess, who was bound to James Gerald, entered America in 1728; John Hess, a tallow chandler, to New York City, in 1762; and Edward Hess to America in 1746, at the age of 19 years. Many of the early Hess immigrants were farmers, who settled in large numbers on the rich farmlands of Virginia and Tennessee.
Michael Hess and Peter Hess served as Revolutionary Soldiers in New Jersey, as did Garret and John VanHess.
Census records indicate our Hess family may have been in Illinois about 1790 to 1795. Census records also indicate that part of the family was in Kentucky prior to 1811. The 1800 Kentucky census lists William Hess in Madison County and John Hess in Warren County. The 1810 Kentucky census lists Apollis Hess in Shelby County and John Hess in Warren County.
Pauline Mitchell Pierce, a fellow Hess researcher, has provided us with the following family folklore: "The Hess brothers, Samuel, Solomon, and William, were aboard a British vessel, coming from their native Germany in the late 1700's, when they jumped ship off the coast of North Carolina and headed west. They eventually met a party of pioneers and traveled down the Mississippi River by keel boat, until they reached Arkansas' White River." Pauline expressed her doubts about the accuracy of this story and we must agree. Census records all say our Solomon and Samuel Hess were born in Illinois. The story does make interesting reading, however.
About 1811, Samuel Hess migrated to an area called Lawrence County of the Missouri Territory. In 1812 Lawrence County became part of the Arkansas Territory. About 1814, his brother, Solomon Hess, who was our great-great-great grandfather, settled in that area. In 1819, that area of Lawrence County became Independence County in the Arkansas Territory.
Samuel and Solomon Hess became very wealthy and prominent farmers and ginners in the area. They were said to make the best moonshine liquor in that part of the country. They lived near Marcella, in what later became Stone County, Arkansas. The area where they lived was referred to as "Hess Town".
Although we descend from Solomon Hess, we will share the information that we have researched on both of the brothers, as well as information so generously contributed by Pauline Mitchell Pierce, another descendant of Solomon Hess, and Twylla Teer and Darren Altom, both descendants of Samuel Hess. Our heartfelt thanks go to these three for their help in this project.
1. Samuel Hess, b. abt 1790
2. Solomon Hess, b. abt 1793 (our line)
I am not a professional genealogist and although I have researched much of the information found at this site, some of it was given to me by other researchers and may not have been documented. Each bit of information found here should be carefully researched and proved or disproved by you, the researcher. Researchers may copy information found at this site for their own personal use and to share with other researchers or genealogical organizations. Any commercial use or distribution without the written consent of this author is prohibited.
If you would like to be listed as a Hess researcher, or if you find errors or have additional information to contribute, please contact roykat@cyberback.com
Others researching the Hess line:
Pauline
Mitchell Pierce -- descendant of Solomon's son Thomas Wright Hess
Twylla
Teer -- descendant of Samuel's daughter Tabitha Hess Allen
Darren
Altom -- descendant of Samuel's daughter Tabitha Hess Allen
Linda
Gayle -- descendant of Samuel's son Solomon Hess
Linda's
SouthernGrace website with Hess information
Rex
Hess -- descendant of Mathias Hess from Strasbourg, France
Cindy
Weyer -- descendant of George W. Hess, born 1827 in OH or PA; d.
1905 in AR