Month: October 2020

Intriguing New Discoveries: Willis Vess

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

I was recently asked if I knew anything about a Willis VESS and his connection to a John VESS.

Well, the short answer is: Very little.

But, I did stumbled upon new intriguing information that is probably worth brain storming…

I have a lot of research and I wouldn’t be surprised if the answers we seek about the VESS family are in plain sight somewhere in my messy genealogy files!

I say this, because I truly do not know how to start this post…
Vess Genealogy is like trying to put together a zillion-piece puzzle with all the puzzle pieces face down! And there is always that one piece we keep going back to, because we know what general area it belongs to; but it doesn’t quite have a space for it to fit into yet.

Simply, I don’t know what I got until I come across it again.

With that said, I will start with Willis Vess.

Willis Vess of Alabama

Willis VESS (born abt. 1810) married Talitha WHITLOCK.
Many researchers who I’ve spoken to have found connections to Willis VESS through the WHITLOCK family (including myself). I am related to Talitha WHITLOCK through my mother’s BENTLY side in Georgia.

Interestingly though, everyone seems to agree unanimously that Willis VESS is the son of a John VESS.

You can find a picture of his cabin on FindAGrave.com, posted by Anna Popejoy, who I’ve been told was a genealogist who has done Y-Chromosome testing.

We do not know who was tested specifically, as it had to be a male descendant, but supposedly there is a DNA connection between the Willis VESS line and the Peter VESS line. Where this connection is on the family tree is still a mystery.

According to online sources, John VESS was born abt. 1770 in North Carolina. He supposedly married Margaret VAUGHN and they had two sons: Willis VESS born abt. 1810 and John Peter VESS born abt. 1822.

According to my research, the VESS/VEST family from Virginia appears on record in North Carolina as early as 1790; obtaining land as early as 1798 (Stokes Co.). If they were in the area any earlier, it would have been Rowan County.

Many researchers (including myself) try to connect Willis VESS of Alabama to William Tunwell VEST (1735 VA-1812 NC) of Stokes County, North Carolina. But, research simply does not support any kind of connection between the two families (at least not directly).

William Tunwell VEST did have a son named John VEST. However, John VEST was born in Virginia (abt. 1765). He married Eliza RAY and you can follow him on several census records with his brothers (Charles, William, and Samuel VEST) in Stokes County, North Carolina. He died in 1833. So, he is likely not the father of Willis VESS.

Intriguing New Discoveries

Current research suggests that William Tunwell VEST may have not been the only VESS/VEST family in North Carolina!

I have been working on compiling VESS, VEST, VOSS, and VASS marriages from 1790-1820. Majority of the VEST marriages are in Stokes County, North Carolina with connections with William Tunwell VEST (his children and his grandchildren); however, there are a couple (very scarce) odd balls in neighboring counties (Surry and Wilkes) that do not seem to have any direct connection with William Tunwell VEST.

But even more intriguing…

Sources say the parents of Willis VESS are John VESS and Margret VAUGHN.

Well, while compiling marriage records, I found a PETER VEST and a “PUGNANCE VAUGHN” married on November 24, 1785 in Henry County, Virginia.



As mentioned in my last post, I have discovered a VESS family in Patrick County, Virginia who do not have any documented connections with anyone. Are they VESS or VEST?


Patrick County, VA was established in 1791 and was previously part of Henry County, VA. So, this Peter VEST (married to Pugnance VAUGHN) may be connected to the VESS family in Patrick County, VA.

Interestingly, this gives us a “Peter” VEST married in 1785 and a “Jonathan” Vess married in 1792. So, I couldn’t help but wonder... is there an older Nathaniel Vess?

There is! Well, a Nathaniel VEST, born 1791 in Virginia (died in Indiana).
It is not just the name “Nathaniel” that intrigues me, but also his spouse, whose maiden name is “DUNCAN.”

Is his spouse, Lavina DUNCAN, related to the John DUNCAN who appears on the Patrick County, VA Land Tax record with Peter and Samuel VESS??

Also, note…I found a WHITLOCK too (bottom of a 1792 Patrick CO. Land Tax record).

As usual, this intriguing find does not seem to bring us any closer to connecting the Willis VESS line to the Peter/Nathan Vess line. Nor does it bring us any closer to finding out who Peter and Nathan’s parents are…

1) Although Nathaniel VEST of Virginia is not old enough to be the father of our Peter and Nathan Vess, Jonathan and Peter VESS/VEST (of Virginia) are, BUT…

2) Our Nathan VESS was supposedly born in South Carolina and so was his parents. [Ref. 1880 Mortality Record]

3) The parents of Willis VESS were supposedly born in North Carolina. [Ref. various census records]

4) Jonathan Vess of Patrick County, Virginia who married Elizabeth Heron migrated to Republic of Texas in 1820. [Ref. Texas history]

So, who is the John Vess on Peter’s 1830 land record??



Other information that might relate to Willis VESS:

1) 1860 census record states Willis VESS was born in Indiana, but all other census records state he was born in North Carolina.

2) There is supposedly a Willis VESS in South Carolina. I will check my notes again.

3) Talitha WHITLOCK was born in Georgia (abt. 1820). Her mother is Elizabeth GREEN.

Peter’s son, Josiah VESS has a connection with a GREEN family in Rutherford County, NC through his spouse, Zilla Early. I will look to see if there are any connections.

4) Peter’s son Alfred VESS migrated to Georgia after the Civil War and I often wondered, if there was already family out there or if the war landed him there.

5) Supposedly Peter’s line eventually made it up to Indiana, but I cannot remember when or who went up there. I am not familiar with any family from Peter’s line moving to Alabama. I will double check though.

What Are Your Thoughts?

I don’t have enough evidence to make any solid conclusions about the VESS family in Patrick County, VA, but I did want to share my findings with everyone.

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section or join us on the Vess Genealogy Facebook Group.

The Vess & Vest Families of Virginia

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

Anyone who has researched Peter Vess, has likely come across a “Peter Vest” on a War of 1812-1814 military service record for Surry County, North Carolina. Unfortunately, there are no other records to support a connection with our Peter Vess.

I can honestly tell you, the Surry County, NC War of 1812 record, meant very little to me a month ago; but now, after extensively researching different families in North Carolina, a few names on this record stand out in which require further investigation…

Earlier Research: William Tunwell Vest

My earlier research on the VEST family largely focused around a William Tunwell Vest of Stokes County, North Carolina.

According to an 1812 probate record, he had a wife named Lucy (ALFORD) and they had 9 children: Samuel, Charles, William Jr., Isham, John, Elizabeth, Polly, Jenny (Jane) and Mary.

The only interesting thing I found in regards to William Tunwell Vest is a neat account regarding his son Charles Erwin Vest:

Summary:
In 1792, the Board of Commissioners came together in search of a person who would manage a building project for the “Statehouse.”

Later documents suggest it was the rebuilding of the Guilford Courthouse.

Charles Vest [whose occupation, on census records, states manufacture] “made an offer;” however, “never reported his estimate.” The project was then appointed to Rhodham Atkins.

North Carolina Digital Collection

Unfortunately, there are no records connecting the VEST and VESS families together.

I think many VESS researchers are attracted to William Tunwell VEST, because at first glance, he truly makes a great lead in Vess Genealogy:

1) VESS and VEST are similar surnames and we do find many records for our Peter under the surname VEST.

2) He lives in North Carolina. According to census records, our Peter was supposedly born in North Carolina.

3) He is from Virginia. According to our family story, our VESS family traveled from Virginia to the Carolinas.

4) His sons are old enough to be Peter’s father and one of them was named “John.”

“Charles” Peter Vess May Not Exist

Sometimes, you might see the name “Charles Peter VESS” as Peter Vess of Rutherford County, North Carolina.

In my opinion, I do not think there is a “Charles” Peter Vess and that the name originated from researchers trying to connect Peter Vess to the William Tunwell VEST line.

See, Charles Erwin VEST (son of William Tunwell VEST) had a son named Charles VEST Jr., who married a woman named Catherine. [*Correction: Catharina] I strongly believe that many quickly assumed that had to be Peter [Vess] and Catharine “Katy” [Cook] and therefore, “Charles” must be Peter’s first name.

Unfortunately, when new records began to reveal more about Charles Vest Jr. and his wife Catharina VOGLER (who married in 1809), the idea that Peter Vess is “Charles Peter Vess” was already stuck in circulation on the Internet.

But of course, I could be wrong.

The Vest Family: What I Do Know

The VEST family is just as complicated and fascinating as our VESS family.

You can find many public family trees related to the VEST family on Ancestry.com, MyHertiage.com, Familysearch.org, Wikitree.com, etc.; however, none seem to be consistent and very few offer solid records to support their findings.

I do not know where the VEST family comes from; however, some public VEST family trees date their lineage back to Germany through a MOSES VEST, born in 1650 Basel, Warendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. I have not come across any trees with attached documentation though; so I cannot confirm this is true.

VEST Family Tree: DRAFT (not entirely accurate)


I DO KNOW the VEST family originated in Powhatan and Chesterfield County, Virginia (1700’s) and migrated down to Bedford and Franklin County, before migrating west out of Virginia into Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana; with the exception of William Tunwell Vest who migrated down into Stokes County, North Carolina.

Unfortunately, there are no records (as of yet) connecting the VEST and VESS families together, but there are still a few early VEST and VESS records lingering around without a connection to either family.

A “VESS” Family In Virginia

I cannot tell you how exciting it is to see the VESS name on early Virginia records!

Revolutionary War Records
If you dig deep enough, you can find the “VESS” name on documents dating back as early as the Revolutionary War!

So far, I’ve uncovered a Peter and Samuel “VESS” on Revolutionary War records. I remember I found 3 of them, but I cannot remember the 3rd name (sorry).

Samuel Vess 1779 Revolutionary War record – Ancestry.com
Corporal Peter Vess 1777 Revolutionary War record – Ancestry.com

Before dismissing them as VEST family though, I have found a pocket of VESS’s hanging out in Patrick County, Virginia in which I have yet to figure out whose tree they belong on (VESS or VEST).

Patrick County, Virginia
Perhaps, Peter and Samuel Vess on the Revolutionary War records (above) are the same Peter and Samuel Vess listed on the 1790’s Patrick County Land Tax record.

The Samuel listed on the 1790 tax record could be Samuel Harvey VEST (b. 1757 VA), son of William Tunwell Vest. He would have been old enough to serve during the Revolutionary War and Patrick County, VA is just above Stokes County, North Carolina; however, there is no documentation to support it. I DO KNOW, the Peter listed above is too old to be our Peter Vess.

Interestingly, that’s not even the only VESS record for Patrick County, NC!
There is also a marriage record for Jonathan VESS and Elizabeth HERON dated 1792.

This is supposedly, Jonathan Vess who traveled to the Republic of Texas in 1825 and helped establish Morales, Texas. I have no idea who his parents are and whether or not he is a VEST or a VESS.

And lastly, I have discovered a William VESS of (Koger Creek) Patrick County, Virginia on a Deed record located on RootsWeb.com.

Interestingly, other names listed beside him include JOHN DUNCAN (like John Duncan shown above with Peter and Samuel Vess) and a JAMES HERON, as in Elizabeth HERON who married Jonathan VESS. I am not sure if this William VESS is Jonathan “William” VESS, which is a name that is often associated with Jonathan VESS of Texas (married to Elizabeth Heron).

So, just a quick recap:
There is a Peter, Samuel, Jonathan, and William (Jonathan and William might be the same) VESS in Patrick County, VA in the 1790’s that do not have any records connecting them to either the VEST or VESS family.

Unfortunately, early census records for Patrick County, VA have been lost. 😦
BUT, Patrick County, VA was created from Henry County in 1790, which was created from Pittslyvania County in 1776; in which, leads me back to the Peter VEST on the War of 1812-1814 military service record…

Many surnames on that record are connected to families who originated from Pittsylvania County, Virginia and some have connections to the VEST family (William Tunwell VEST) as well as the BELLEW family (Nathan’s wife’s family)!

Next Stop In Research: Virginia

I feel as if I am getting closer!!

I have not explored Virginia yet and I don’t think I would have been very successful at researching records in Virginia (in the beginning) without knowing what I know now.

Virginia is a tough state to research, for that early records are super scarce. If your family didn’t do anything significant, their record is likely not available yet, especially, digitally.

Digital records for Virginia are broadly Indexed and requires hours upon hours of scrolling through digitalized slides of records. Simply, you can’t just type in a specific name and it will take you directly to the record pertaining to that name…you have to know a time, place, and event and then search from there, deciphering scribbles from deteriorated records. Super fun!

But, I am motivated, excited, and ready for a new challenge!

I will be sure to post an update on my research soon!







Vess and West Families are NOT Related

/ J. V. / 3 Comments

Hi Everyone!

Quick post…

My plans to update Vess Genealogy last weekend did not go as planned; however, EXCITING information did pop up in my email from two researchers who have been working on tracing family lines through Y-Chromosome testing!!

Y-Chromosome testing is a very valuable tool for genealogy, for that it can accurately trace parental lineages, but…only if there are enough male participants (only males have Y-Chromosomes) from different descending lines willing to test and share their results.

I have been told that there are no large scale Vess DNA projects out there (like the impressive West Family DNA Project); however, both researchers have introduced me to FamilyTreeDNA.com.

To me, all these haplogroup numbers look like gibberish, but I look forward to learning more about them! Genetics was one of my favorite subjects in college (Biology major), so this should be fun!

If you are a male descendant of the VESS or VEST family, I strongly encourage you to look into doing testing through FamilyTreeDNA.com. If you or someone you know has done Y-Chromosome testing through a different site (or in general), please share with us in the comments below!

I am super excited about this and I absolutely look forward to working with anyone who is willing to share their DNA (Y-Chromosome) results to help make family connections in our family tree!

Together, through DNA and records, I truly believe we can solve many family mysteries!


According to both researchers who emailed me about their Y-Chromosome findings, “the VESS and WEST families are not related!”

For me, this is awesome news that couldn’t have come at a more perfect time!

I had just finished up my research on the WEST family prior to moving and did not have time to update my conclusions on Vess Genealogy, which is that I do not think the two families are related. So, I cannot begin to tell you how exciting it was to get confirmation from two different sources who were able to validate through DNA testing!

The search field for VESS ancestors has shrunk significantly after eliminating the WEST family as possible relatives. As you can see below, the WEST family pretty much dominates the Carolina’s in the early 1800’s. Removing them, leaves us with a smaller search area with the VEST, BEST, and VOSS families.

However, I have not completely shelved the WEST file yet! This is because there are a few (2-3) curious “WEST” names lingering around our family who do not seem to be connected to the well-documented WEST family; suggesting that these few WEST names might be a misspelled surname (perhaps for a VEST, BEST, or VESS ancestor). So, I plan to keep them in mind as I continue my research.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Believe it or not, but I do have a new lead!

Okay, actually, it’s an old lead that has become a new lead since gaining more information from other leads. Still with me?

It’s complicated, but I will explain further in my next post! 🙂

Now that I have a desk again (finished with moving), I hope to be posting way more often!

Are you a descendant of Peter, Nathan, or John Vess – check us out on Facebook:

Vess Genealogy Facebook Group









Vess Genealogy: Let’s Get Going!

/ J. V.

Happy October!!

I plan to really get Vess Genealogy going this month!
When I started this site in August, I was in the midst of figuring out homeschooling with a 6 year-old and planning a huge family move! Now, things are beginning to settle down and I can start to focus on posting more often!

About VESS Genealogy: Short Recap

Oh my gosh, where to start?

I am the 4th great-granddaughter of Peter VESS/VEST (1791-1843) and Catherine “Katie” Cook (1804- bef. 1860) of Rutherford County, North Carolina (McDowell County, NC today). I am a descendant of Andrew Logan VESS (Peter’s 3rd son) and Malinda Lucy “Linnia” HALFORD.

I am the last leaf on a small branch of an ever expanding VESS family tree.

Andrew Logan Vess
1825-1905


Research shows that the VESS family tree in the United States is old and thick with many different family branches expanding coast to coast; all of which seem deeply rooted in early Colonial America.

According to my family line, “we descend from 3-brothers: Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan, who supposedly came to America from Ireland.”

However, documents discovered thus far, reveal a slightly different story:
According to records, Peter was born in North Carolina and Nathan was born in South Carolina. Jonathan is still a mystery.

DNA (Ancestry DNA) does show a DNA relationship between Peter and Nathan’s families; however, there are no records connecting them as actual “brothers.” Yet, upon further investigation, we do find several interesting connections between their families (all of which I will share in future posts).

Again, the VESS family tree is extensive and the 3-brothers in my family’s story, are just a tip of the iceberg!

There are many VESS descending lines and not all of them connect to Peter, Nathan, or Jonathan. Interestingly, not all descending lines took the VESS name and it is widely agreed that VESS wasn’t even our original surname!

Search For Genealogy Gold: Vess Origins

Although there is much to discover and post about the VESS family in between 1820-present, I am more interested in discovering our family’s origins; the VESS family prior to 1820.

Researching any family prior to 1850 is challenging, thus why, I am having to investigate every VESS family line I can find, including other families (neighbors, spouses, community members, etc.) who may also have connections with the VESS family.

Vess genealogy is challenging, not only because of lack of records prior to 1850, but also the strong likelihood of a name change. The VESS name comes with many different name variants (VEST, VOSS, VOST, BOSS, BOST, BEST, WEST, VIST, VISS, VESTAL, VESTIL, VAUS, etc). Unfortunately, all these different name variants can be found together on early census records and some research shows, many of them being part of other families (misspelled names) and/or marrying one another with similar surnames. The goal is to sort, group, and investigate!

Updates, Information, and More


Please be sure to subscribed via email [to the right] for updates on new posts and discoveries!

As research continues, I will also be updating the bio’s of the three brothers, Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan Vess.

I also hope to upload family trees, pictures, family histories, and more!

Kind and genealogy-related comments are always welcome and if you have any information to provide regarding VESS genealogy, please feel free to contact me.

I absolutely look forward to discovering more about the VESS family with you!