In this particular historical home, the kitchen was not unattached as were those found in so many other homes of the age. It had a walk-in basement with a large fireplace and raised hearth where the food preparation took place.   Meals were then brought up from below by a stairway entering into the parlor. This walk-in basement is the reason the native stone foundation of the house is quite high above the ground.   The basement has two rooms, one quite large with the fireplace.  The other, a smaller room, was possibly used for food storage, a pantry of sorts.  Both rooms have casement windows, the smaller having only one, the larger room, two, although one of these was closed off during the later construction of the present-day kitchen. The sills for these windows are at least a foot deep. The flooring in these two rooms was packed dirt until it was cemented over in the 1960's.

Above what was once the basement stairway, this entry having been long since closed off, there is an enclosed winding stairway that leads to the loft or half-story floor above the parlor and hall. This half-story, whether partitioned from the beginning, or subsequently, is now two separate rooms. The first, entered from the narrow, narrow stairway, has a railing which extends across two-thirds of the room. The walls in both rooms extend up three feet from the floor, then slant gradually to a ceiling much narrower than the floor space of the rooms beneath it. In the second room, entered from the first room, there is the third-floor fireplace, flanked by a small casement window on either side.

During the twentieth century a few changes were made to this old home. Electricity and plumbing were installed, a kitchen was built at the back, off the parlor, a bath was added off the old hall, and the front porch was enclosed.

Julius Hite was not the first Hite to come to Lunenburg County, though he is the progenitor of all the Hites still living in the county today. There are records of a John Hite as early as 1760, and of his two sons, Richard and Herbert, all of whom were living in Franklin County, North Carolina by 1790, and probably had already moved there years before Julius arrived in Lunenburg County. Although Julius was listed in the 1787 Lunenburg County tax records as a property owner, the property was then unoccupied. Probably this land was that he received, according to the Register of the Land Office, Military Certificates, Vol I, 630, in a "warrant for 400 acres of land" by the state of Virginia to Julius Hite as corporal, Continental Line" on May 5, 1784. It was the latter part of the same year of this land grant that Julius married Agnes Land, on December 22nd. They were married in Sussex County, Virginia, and Agnes, daughter of Robert Land and his wife, Mary Ann Carter Webb, was a native of Sussex, just as Julius was. Julius was the son of William and Anne Hight, although the spelling of his name has come down his own line as Hite, rather than the Hight that many of his brothers' descendants have retained.

In 1785, Julius witnessed a deed of Peter Thompson conveying 158 acres to Julius' brother, Howell Hite of Brunswick County, the land being described as running along the Rocky Branch, and adjoining the property of Thomas Wright, Arthur Turner, and down Stony Creek to the river [Meherrin]. Possibly, Julius was staying with his brother in Brunswick while building a home on his own property, maybe even the subject of this article. Be that as it may, Julius and Agnes subsequently lived at Oakgrove, as early as 1832, when Julius wrote the following in a letter to the United States Treasury in reference to his application for his war pension:

    September 7, 1832
    Your letter in answer to mine directed to Oakgrove Vir'g was received in the due course of
    the mail.  You are second to promise a communication after examining my claim under the
    declaration forwarded to your office.  Having determined to visit Washington myself mainly
    upon that business you please defer writing me upon that subject unless hereafter requested
    to do so.

    Your ______________
    Julius Hite

Julius and Agnes had four children, Benjamin Watkins, Nancy S, William Land and Elizabeth W Hite. Although family tradition says William Land was the eldest, I find that difficult to believe. The Lunenburg County marriage records give the date of his brother, Benjamin's, marriage bond to Sarah Moore as October 20, 1806. To have been of an age to marry without consent (and no consent appears to have been given), Benjamin would have been born at least as early as 1785. Since Julius and Agnes were married in 1784, it seems that Benjamin would have been the eldest of their four children, rather than William Land Hite. Since all of the Lunenburg County censuses give Nancy's approximate date of birth as 1787, I further suggest that William Land Hite was probably not born until 1789 or thereabouts, and therefore was actually the third child of the couple, and second son. That he was named after Agnes' father gives rise to the question of whom the first son, Benjamin, was named after. A grandfather of one or the other of the couple, perhaps? It seems highly likely that Julius' mother, who has been traditionally assumed to be a Wilkinson, was actually a Watkins. It is a possibility that should certainly be worth looking into by his descendants. In any case, when William Land Hite married Elizabeth S Mitchell, daughter of Abraham and Rebecca (Hawthorne) Mitchell, in 1814, he was the last of the four children to marry, which would also seem to indicate he was born after Benjamin. I should be very happy to accept any proof to the contrary from any readers, however.

Benjamin W Hite, Sr, whatever his placement of birth, married Sarah Moore, probably the aunt of the Robert Moore of Mecklenburg County whose three daughters married two of William Land Hite's sons, Edmund Mitchell Hite and James Land Hite. In Benjamin's will, dated December 22, 1827, and proved April 14, 1828, he mentions his nephew, Robert Moore, Jr, and appoints Robert Moore (no Jr designated) as executor of his estate, along with his second-born son, Julius Hite. Was the second Robert Moore, executor, Benjamin's brother-in-law, and father of his nephew, Robert Moore, Jr? It seems probable. The Robert, brother of the three Moore sisters, was not old enough at the time of this will to have been the one designated as Jr, therefore it had to have been the girls' father, and the other Robert, appointed executor, was probably their grandfather.

There has been some controversy over the identities of the two Moore wives of James Land Hite. Some say they were sisters, and some say, not. I have found in the Abner Paschal Bracey Family Bible, that both names are given as the daughters of Robert and Elizabeth James [Simmons] Moore. Of course, there is also the possibility that Robert had a brother who also named a daughter Martha Henry Moore, something that frequently occurred in those days.

Benjamin Watkins Hite and his wife, Sarah, had five children:  Robert M[oore?] Hite, Julius J Hite, II [named for his grandfather], John L Hite, Benjamin Watkins Hite, Jr, and Henrietta A Hite. Little is known about four of these children. According to his father's will, Robert M Hite, was the eldest son and appears to have suffered from intemperance. Certainly Julius, named in his father's will as the second son, was still living in 1830 as he is listed as head of household in the Lunenburg County Federal Census for that year. Along with him, two other male adults between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine were listed in the household. No doubt these were his brothers, Robert and Benjamin. John L Hite died previous to this census, as Julius was named in the Lunenburg County records as administrator of John's estate on January 9, 1829. My own ancestor, Benjamin Watkins Hite, Jr, died in 1840. The only daughter, Henrietta, married Abraham Buford, Jr in 1837, but little is known by this writer about her descendants. Any information or leads on her family would be most appreciated. The only mention by Julius Hite, the elder, in his will dated February 22, 1851, about any descendants of his son, Benjamin, were the items that mentioned only "my granddaughter Henrietta Buford's four children," and "my two great grandsons Benjamin Hite and Llewellyn Hite." Therefore, it is to be presumed there were no other descendants of Benjamin Watkins Hite, Sr., living at that time.

The two great-grandsons, Benjamin and Lewellyn, were sons of Benjamin Watkins Hite, Jr and his wife, Jane Maria Hatchett, daughter of Haynie and Frances Tanner [Jones] Hatchett, of Lunenburg County. Benjamin and Jane were married in 1836 and had two sons before Benjamin died on September 20, 1840, just before his 27th birthday. Benjamin Haynie Hite, the older of the two sons, became a much loved local doctor, and married Sarah "Sallie" Margaret Angelina Ogburn, daughter of his step-father, Charles Harrison Ogburn, by his second wife, Sarah Hill Dance.

Lewellyn Jones Hite, the younger son of Benjamin and Jane Hite was the first undoubted Hite owner of "Ash Lane." He married Sarah "Sallie" Young Haskins, daughter of Colonel Christopher Columbus Haskins and his wife, Harriet Martha Blackwell, of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. They had eight children:  Lewellyn Haskins, Sr; William Henry; Mary Eola; Benjamin Haynie; Martha Jane; Sarah Elizabeth; Annie S; and Kenneth Gray, Sr.

Lewellyn Haskins Hite, Sr married first, Sarah Ann Elder, daughter of William T Elder and his wife, Harriet A P Hardy, of Lunenburg. They had no children. He married next, Linda Blanton, and had by her five children: Mary, Martha, Helen, Herbert and Lewellyn Haskins, Jr.

William Henry Hite, better known by his middle name, Henry, married Pattie Will McDaniel, daughter of John Bedford McDaniel and his wife, Jane Goode Jennings, of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They had three children, only one of whom survived, William Bedford Hite. William was born both mentally and physically incapacitated, and spent his entire lifetime of forty-four years in a wheelchair at Ash Lane.

Mary Eola Hite, who went by the name, Mamie, married Cornelius Hardy Barnes, son of Asa George Barnes and his wife, Missouri Clarkson Bridgforth, of Lunenburg County. They lived in Lunenburg County and had eight children:  Claude Littleton, Edgar Haskins, Sarah Bridgforth, Mary Eola, Lewellyn Hite, Martha Jane, Cornelius Hardy, Jr, and Haynie Eugene.

Benjamin Haynie Hite, named for his uncle, never married.

Martha Jane Hite, better known as Mattie, married Rev William Poindexter Irby, son of William Irby and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Poindexter, of Nottoway County, Virginia. They lived in Nottoway and had six children:  Mary Ellen; William Poindexter, Jr; Sarah Haskins; Lewellyn Hite; Russell Brame; and Robert Cannon.

Sarah Elizabeth Hite, known as Sallie, married Gustavus Edwin McDaniel, Sr, brother of Henry's wife, Pattie. They lived in Pittsylvania County and had eleven children, seven of whom survivied:  Annie S; Gustavus "Edwin", Jr; Sarah Haskins; Pattie Lloyd; Charlie Jennings; Claude H; and Mary Elizabeth.

Annie S Hite married Solomon J Orgain, known as Solon. They lived in Kenbridge, Lunenburg County, Virginia and had no issue.

Kenneth Gray Hite, Sr., married first, Hattie Sue Taylor by whom he had two children, Kenneth Gray, Jr., and Sue Bryant. He then married Eunice Clifton, by whom no issue.

Of the eight children of Lewellyn Jones Hite, and his wife, Sallie Haskins, Henry lived his entire life at Ash Lane. It was his wife, Pattie, who gave the farm its name. Henry's siblings all deeded over to him their interests in the property, after the death of their parents. Henry died in the spring of 1948, leaving his wife and only surviving son, William, to live alone on the estate. When Pattie was stricken with cancer four years later, she turned to her nephew, Charlie Jennings McDaniel, and his wife, Dorothy Vaughan McDaniel for help. At the time living in Pittsylvania County, they removed their family to Ash Lane in Lunenburg in 1952, and in July of that year, Pattie deeded her entire estate, both land and personal, equally to the three: her son, William; her nephew, Charlie; and his wife, Dorothy. Pattie died in the fall of 1953, and her son, William, three years later.

Charlie and Dorothy, both now deceased, had three children:  Peggy Ileene, Charles Edwin, and Kenneth Gale. At Dorothy's death, the Ash Lane estate was divided among the three.

Peggy McDaniel Walker, only daughter of Charlie and Dorothy, presently resides on her part of the "Ash Lane" estate. She married Grove Kent Walker, deceased, son of Willie Kent Walker and Natley Wilson Anderson, of Pittsylvania County, and had five daughters:  Gloria, Bonnie, Diana, Linda and Tammy.

Gloria Ilene Walker married Thomas Woodrow "Woody" Evans, son of Homer "Woodrow" Evans and his wife, Mena Mae Smelley, of La Crosse, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. They reside in Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia, and have two daughters, Amy Michelle and Stephanie Marie, both of whom are married respectively to Justin Dwayne Hatfield and Andrew Dalton Young, and live in Mechanicsville, as well. Justin and Amy have two sons, Brendan Thomas and Ryan Matthew. Andy and Stephanie have two daughters, Casey Elizabeth and Sarah Grace.

Bonnie Kay Walker married first, William "Bill" Milton Carter, son of Jason Daniel Carter and his wife, Myrtle May Biggers, of Keysville, Prince Edward County, Virginia. They lived in Chesterfield County and have two sons, Kevin Dale and Anthony "Tony" Scott Carter. She married next, William "Billy" Henry Chumney, Jr, now deceased, son of William Henry Chumney, Sr and his wife, Bert Sue Lenhart, of Chase City, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. They had no issue. Bonnie presently resides with her mother on Ash Lane soil, and her two sons, both single, live in Victoria, Lunenburg County, Virginia.

Diana Gail Walker married first, Michael "Mike" Tredway Lundy, deceased, son of Moses Tredway Lundy and his wife, Shirley Tanner, of Brodnax, Brunswick County, Virginia. They lived in Brodnax and have a daughter, Angela "Angie" Gail Lundy, who married Mark Russell "Russ" Wells, Jr, son of Mark Russell Wells, Sr and his wife, Kathy Pearce Drumwright, of South Hill, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. They reside in South Hill and have a daughter, Skyler Nicole Wells. Diana married secondly, Robert Edward Clement, son of John Robert Clement and his wife, Jacqueline Antionette Breedlove, of Victoria, Lunenburg County, Virginia. They live in Victoria and have a son, Luke Edward Clement. Robert also has a son, by a previous marriage, Justin Robert Clement.

Linda Marie Walker married Timothy "Timmy" Lee Clark, son of David Eugene Clark and Wilma Bennett Bayne, of Victoria, Lunenburg County, Virginia, and has three children: David Kent, who married Faith Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Steve and Debbie (Tucker) Moore of South Hill; Misty Nichole, a student at Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia; and Steven Ray, a Junior at Kenston Forrest Academy, Blackstone, Nottoway County, Virginia.

Tammy Lynn Walker married first, John "Johnny" Thomas Crenshaw, son of Terry and Nancy Crenshaw, of Victoria. They lived in Victoria and have two children, Laura Kathryn and Jeffery Kent. Tammy married secondly, Ronald "Ronnie" Earl Williams, son of Robert L "Hank" Williams and Rosa "Elizabeth" Reed, of Lunenburg County, Virginia. They live in Lunenburg, Virginia, and have a son, Garrett Walker Williams.

Charles "Chuck" Edwin McDaniel, Phd., first son of Charlie and Dorothy McDaniel, is the present owner of the historical home, "Ash Lane," and married Illa "Faye" Hildebrand Eastlake, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Hildebrand of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and the widow of David Eastlake. They live in Cobbs Creek, Virginia, and have two children, Michael David and Michelle Diedra.

Michael "Mike" David McDaniel married Julie Elizabeth O'Keefe, daughter of James Manly O'Keefe and his wife, Alexandra Lydia Beate Von Rutzen Kozitskau. They live in McMinnville, Oregon, and have three sons: Joshua David, Jordan Charles, and Jacob "Jake" Ryan.

Michelle "Miki" Deidre McDaniel married James "Jimmy" Richard Farley, of Rice, Prince Edward County, Virginia, and they have a son, Jamie.

Kenneth Gale McDaniel, second son and youngest offspring of Charlie and Dorothy McDaniel, married Joyce Lee Hite, daughter of Haynie Maben Hite, Sr (a descendant of Lewellyn Jones Hite's brother, Benjamin Haynie Hite, Sr) and his wife, Gertrude Lavenia Turner (a descendant of William Land Hite, Sr), of Lunenburg County, and has three children: Tracy Leigh, John Kenneth, and Justin Hughes.

Tracy Leigh McDaniel married Eric John Mahr, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry John Mahr, Jr, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They live in Brussels, Belgium and has two children, a son, John "Jack" Maben Mahr and a daughter, Catherine Elizabeth.

John Kenneth McDaniel married Lori Renae Gill, daughter of the late Lloyd R Gill, and his wife, Carol, of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. They live in Lunenburg County, Virginia.