Margaret Hiatt [Hiett] was born about 1728 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of John Hiatt, Jr and Margaret Stephens. When Margaret was about seven years old her parents received a land patent on the Opequon River on the west side of the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Virginia. The Opequon Creek meanders through Frederick County in Virginia and Jefferson and Berkeley Counties in West Virginia. Jefferson was formed from Berkeley which was a part of Old Frederick when Margaret was a child.

Margaret first married William Dyer. Margaret had two sons, Roger and John Dyer in the early 1750's. They settled in Augusta County now a part of Pendleton County. Because of Indian uprisings many had retreated to Fort Seybert on the South Branch of the Potomac in the spring of 1758. On the 28^th of April William Dyer had gone out hunting when he came upon by a large group of Shawnee who had captured his sister before proceeding toward the fort. William attempted to shoot but his flint lock missed fired and they killed him. During the attack of the fort many were killed and captured. There is no mention of Margaret or even if she was in the fort that day.

The following year Margaret married John Craven^. John Cravens was appointed guardian for Roger and John Dyer. John Cravens acted as administrator of William Dyers estate as well. Margaret had seven children with John, the last born when John was 53 years old.

Margaret and her husband had 750 acres in Rockingham County along with a grist mill, meadows and grain where they lived. In 1775 the Cravens brought a lawsuit against Dennis Lanahan according to the Joseph Brown Turner Collection in the Delaware Historical Society. John Cravens died 24 July 1778 in Rockingham County, Virginia. He died intestate and the judge appointed his widow Margaret and brother Robert Cravens, Jr. as administrators of his estate.

In 1781 Margaret assisted federal troops by supplying sheep and beef for the military. For her action she is an accepted Patriot with the NSDAR.

Margaret married a third time in 3 March 1782 to Dennis Lanahan. She was 54 years old. She lived out her remaining life in Rockingham County, Virginia where she died in 1826 age about 96 years old.