John Heth
Encyclopedia
John Heth of Black Heath
in Chesterfield County, Virginia
, was the son of Colonel Henry "Harry" Heth
, who had emigrated from England in 1759, and established himself in the coal
business in the Virginia Colony.
John Heth served in the volunteer forces of Virginia as an officer in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812
. On January 15, 1815, he was captured with Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr.
, the commander of the U.S. gunboat United States, and taken to Bermuda
with Decatur and his crew as a prisoner of war. With two others, Captain Heth escaped from Bermuda in an open boat. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/VAGuide/tour08.html
Captain Heth married Margaret L. Pickett (1801-1850) of Richmond, Virginia
on May 15, 1822. They became the parents of future Confederate
Major General Henry Heth
, who was born at Black Heath in 1825.
Near his home, John Heth operated the Black Heath coal
pit near present-day Midlothian
, a business inherited from his father, who died in 1822. Ten years later, in 1832, he petitioned the Virginia General Assembly
to form the first coal mining corporation, and succeeded despite protests, the following year. After two serious fatal accidents from explosions in 1839 and 1844, the Black Heath pits were closed until 1938. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/VAGuide/tour08.html
John Heth died in Powhatan County, Virginia
in 1842.
Black Heath (Chesterfield County)
Black Heath was a home and coal mine located along the Old Buckingham Road in the present Midlothian area of Chesterfield County, Virginia. The Black Heath coal mining enterprises were operated by the Heth family between 1785 and 1844, when the mine closed following a fatal explosion.-Home, Heth...
in Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
, was the son of Colonel Henry "Harry" Heth
Henry Heth (Colonel)
Colonel Henry "Harry" Heth was an English-born businessman who emigrated to the Virginia Colony about 1759. He served in the Continental Army and was active in the coal business.-American Revolutionary War:...
, who had emigrated from England in 1759, and established himself in the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
business in the Virginia Colony.
John Heth served in the volunteer forces of Virginia as an officer in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. On January 15, 1815, he was captured with Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr.
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
, the commander of the U.S. gunboat United States, and taken to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
with Decatur and his crew as a prisoner of war. With two others, Captain Heth escaped from Bermuda in an open boat. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/VAGuide/tour08.html
Captain Heth married Margaret L. Pickett (1801-1850) of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
on May 15, 1822. They became the parents of future Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
Major General Henry Heth
Henry Heth
Henry "Harry" Heth was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He is best remembered for inadvertently precipitating the Battle of Gettysburg, when he sent some of his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia to the small Pennsylvania village,...
, who was born at Black Heath in 1825.
Near his home, John Heth operated the Black Heath coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
pit near present-day Midlothian
Midlothian, Virginia
Midlothian is an unincorporated community in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. Founded over 300 years ago as a coal mining village, it is now a suburban community located in the Southside of Richmond well beyond the city limits of Richmond in the Richmond–Petersburg region.It was named...
, a business inherited from his father, who died in 1822. Ten years later, in 1832, he petitioned the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
to form the first coal mining corporation, and succeeded despite protests, the following year. After two serious fatal accidents from explosions in 1839 and 1844, the Black Heath pits were closed until 1938. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/VAGuide/tour08.html
John Heth died in Powhatan County, Virginia
Powhatan County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,377 people, 7,258 households, and 5,900 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 7,509 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
in 1842.