Month: January 2021

Exploring Knob Creek: Interesting Finds

/ J. V. / 3 Comments

January 31, 2021 – Research Journal

The earliest record I have on Peter Vess (Vest) is his 1820 census record for Rutherford County, North Carolina.

I have determined that he was living on “Knob Creek” in 1820; however, according to a map of the Broad River Basin, there are two Knob Creeks. One closest to Bill’s Creek (Bill’s Creek Baptist Church) off the Main Broad River and one closet to Lincoln County off the First Broad River.

I have researched all the families listed on the same census page as Peter and I have yet to confirm which Knob’s Creek Peter was likely living on in 1820. However, I have compared all the names, top to bottom, on the same census page [pg. 377] to the Member list dated 1829-1836 [pg. 115] in Helen M. Lu’s book, Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: Two Hundred Year History, and discovered something remarkable: 1820 Rutherford County Census.


Esom Logan
Peter Vest
David Mooney
Henry Petit (not sure if this is Sr. or Jr.). If it reads “Esq.,” it would be Jr., because he was a Judge.
James Young
Abraham Toney
Francis Young

These men [above] are the only men on that census page (interestingly grouped around Peter) that are connected to Bill’s Creek Baptist church between 1828-1836. Are they neighbors or family?

David Mooney’s children become members in the 1830’s.
Peter Vest and Abraham Toney were members between 1829-1836.
Henry Pettit Sr. became a member in the 1830’s and Jr. was dismissed in the 1830’s (does not say when he became a member).
James Young has records as early as 1828, but does not say when he became a member as records prior to 1827 have been lost. James and Francis Young are related.
Esom Logan has family who become members of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church in the 1850’s, but he is listed as a person of interest due to his connection with James Logan, in which I will explain in a bit…

Knob Creek – Mooney Families

This is where it gets complicated! I only have bits and pieces of the puzzle and so I don’t know how it all fits yet...

David Eaker MOONEY (Mauney) is a descendant of Hans Jacob Mauney/Mani from Switzerland (Palatine Immigrants who arrived on the ship Lydia) and is related to Christian Mauney who used his home as the Tryon County courthouse and jail.

To learn more about the Mooney/Mauney Families click here.


There is a 1798 Rutherford Co. land record for David Mooney, George Mooney, and Henry Site for 150 acres on the branch of “Knobs Creek.” Again, I don’t know which Knobs Creek, but if I were to guess, I would assume it is Knob’s Creek near Christian’s property south of the Catawba River closest to Lincoln County; instead of the Knobs Creek closest to Bill’s Creek Baptist Church.

I also looked at other names on the 1820 census list (a page back and a page forward) to find other land owners to get a better idea on where their properties were in relation to both Knob Creeks on the map, in effort to determine which Knob Creek Peter was likely living on at that time.

Interestingly, the few land-owners that I found on the census record all had land records for properties closer to Lincoln County, along the First and Main Broad Rivers where other Mooney properties can be found: In short, Peter may have been living on the Knobs Creek closest to Lincoln County [green above].

Not only are there connections with Bill’s Creek Baptist Church, but there are family connections too…

David E. Mooney is not shown as a member of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church, but his son Asa Mooney becomes a member in 1834 [pg. 117, Lu] and Asa married Anna Pettit, daughter of Henry Pettit Sr. [above on census].

Henry Pettit Sr. was received by Bill’s Creek Baptist Church in 1833. His daughter Sarah Pettit is married to Abraham Toney [above on census] and their daughter Elizabeth (Betty) Toney is married to David Mooney’s son Felix Mooney. Other sources say Felix is David’s grandson, but either way, they are still related. In fact, the Mooney, Toney, Pettit tree is complicated with numerous relationships! I strongly believe all three of these families lived together on Mooney’s land.

Also, it would not surprise me, if one of Peter’s daughters married into that web of families.
Note: Peter had 3 daughters and there are no records as of yet showing if they ever married; however, for one of his daughters (Elizabeth, I believe) disappears after the 1860 census which may suggest a name change due to marriage.

Mooney, Best, and Gosnell Family Connection

Of course, it gets more interesting…

Without a map of the Broad River Basin, I would have never realized how close the Mooney, Best, and Gosnell families were together! It was when I started to read land surveys that I found them to be close neighbors! Like their properties backed up to one another!

When Tryon County split into Rutherford and Lincoln County in 1779, the Mooney family ended up in the Rutherford County side while the Best and Gosnell families ended up on the Lincoln County side. This is why early census records have them county’s apart; without a map their connection is greatly missed! Further research shows the Mooney family also having land in Mecklenburg Co., but I cannot remember if they are neighbors with the Best family (I have to check the land survey’s again).

Lincoln County 1790 census: Boston BEST & Charles GOSNELL


Another interesting family to come into view is the VINZANT family! The 1790 census shows Gosnell and Best next to each other in Lincoln County. David Mooney is on the 1790 Rutherford County census, next to a Vinzant family who, by the way, Henry Pettit Sr., obtains land from in 1824! I don’t know who the Vinzant/ VanSandt family is yet, but I sure do hope to find out!

The Best Family Are Palatine Immigrants Too


I know the Best family came from Pennsylvania according to a North Carolina census record on Genweb. Further research states that their original surname is “Bosch” and recent research now suggests that I should be able to find their arrival somewhere in the same book as the Mooney [Mani] family! Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808, Vol. I They may have arrived a few years after the Mooney family as I do not see the Bosch family listed on the same passenger list with the Mooney family posted on Olivetreegenealogy.com. [See: Jacob Mani and Peter Ecker]

On the passenger list with Mani and Ecker is also a John Peter Weiss (maybe that is a Vess?). Maybe it wasn’t John, Peter, and Nathan, but John Peter! Dunno! 🙂

South Carolina Pasts

The Gosnell, Mooney, and Best families were close neighbors (on map). There are no records of the Gosnell family being members of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church, which may suggest that the Vess family may have been close friends of the Gosnell family prior to the 1820’s, either through a different church, possibly as neighbors, or they migrated together.

Remember: Nathan Vess married Clarinda Bellew whose mother is supposedly Clarinda GOSNELL. Also, the Tyger River Baptist Church in SC (part of Tryon County) and Bill’s Creek Baptist Church were both members of the Bethel Association.

The Gosnell family is from Baltimore, Maryland. Charles GOSNELL settled in Greenville County, SC, more specifically, Glassy Mountain, SC. You can learn more about the Gosnell family in Baltimore County Families: 1659-1759 by Robert W. Barnes on Ancestry.com (pg. 270). It mentions how Charles GOSNELL moved to Greenville County, SC and also briefly mentions the marriage of Judith BELLEW as the wife of Joshua Gosnell. The Bellew and Gosnell families were popular in Glassy Mountain, SC and you can read about how I found them in the Dark Corners here.

Logan, Webb, Hayes, Willis, Orr, Duncan, Voss, Thompson, Vaughn, & Hodge Families


There is a list of reoccurring family names in which we don’t exactly know their connection to the Vess family (if any):

  • We assume Andrew, Alfred, and Willis may have been named after other families. Andrew Logan Vess, Alfred Webb Vess, and Willis Vess.
  • We can see the Orr, Thompson, and Hodge families near Willis Vess in Alabama, with the Thompson family having traveled to Alabama with the Whitlocks.

    There is an Elizabeth Orr who married a William Voss in Mecklenburg. Interestingly, William Voss is connected to the Voss family in Casewell, NC. There is a Voss family near Willis Vess in Alabama also connected to the Voss family in Casewell, NC.
  • Margaret Vaughn is supposedly the mother of Willis Vess.
  • Duncan family on Patrick County, Virginia tax record connected to a Samuel and Peter Vess.
  • And, the Hayes family being closely related via Y-DNA information.

Well, I have made another remarkable discovery: All these family names can be found in Tryon County, North Carolina!

I do not have enough information at this time to make any solid conclusions, but I do find it extremely interesting that these familiar family names are popping up in the same area since I started using the Broad River Basin map to identify early Tryon County families! These families may be unrelated to the same families mentioned above, but I do think it might be worth checking out.

Back To Esom Logan

Esom Logan on the 1820 census record with Peter Vess is a descendant of James Logan.
The Logan family had numerous tracts of land and some of his descendants in the mid-1800’s were also members of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church. I am not entirely sure if there is a connection, but it is James Logan’s earliest land grant in Tryon County that has caught my attention!

According to his 1779 land record, he obtained 50 acres of land on Vauns Creek [Vaughns Creek], which included the Vauns old cabin.

This record is interesting, because Vaughn’s Creek extends into South Carolina connecting to Lake Lanier, making it one of those properties on the border between North and South Carolina. The families that lived not the border didn’t exactly known whether they were North Carolina residents or South Carolina residents and their records were basically scattered among different counties in both states. Who was the Vaughn family and is there any relation to Margaret Vaughn who is supposedly the mother to Willis Vess?

I do not think Peter was living with Esom Logan in 1820, the Logan family didn’t join Bill’s Creek Baptist Church until the mid-1800’s, whereas Abraham Toney and Peter Vess were members of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church together in the 1820’s.

Quick Recap

  • Peter was likely living on Knob Creek closest to Lincoln County on the Mooney family’s land.
  • Peter, Mooney, Pettit, and Toney families have connections to Bill’s Creek Baptist Church between 1828-1836.
  • Mooney, Pettit, and Toney families are related.
  • Mooney, Best, and Gosnell families are close neighbors.
  • Gosnell family is not part of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church which likely suggests the Vess family knew them prior to 1820 either through a different church, as close neighbors, or traveled together.
  • Pettit, Toney, Bellew, and Gosnell families used to live in South Carolina.
  • Familiar family names such as Logan, Webb, Hayes, Willis, Orr, Duncan, Voss, Thompson, Vaughn, and Hodge are found in the same area as early families of Tryon County.
  • James Logan obtained 50 acres of the Vaughn’s family land which included the Vaughn’s old cabin. Vaughns Creek is located on the border of North and South Carolina.

Where To Next

Like I said, I have a lot of bits and pieces!
However, it may be safe to assume, we have a couple of good leads; unfortunately, these leads venture off into the complicated records of Tryon County, NC.

I am going to start with the resources complied by Brent H. Holcomb for further history and records on Tryon County, NC. I have recently bought one of his books, Tryon County, North Carolina Minutes Of The Court Of Pleas and Quarter Sessions 1769-1779. I hope it will help me map early families of Tryon County!

Well that is pretty much all my Vess research in a nutshell! Please feel free to comment! Any additional information provided regarding Vess Genealogy is always greatly appreciated!


Book Source:
Lu, Helen M. Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: Two Hundred Year History, 1782- 1982. The Author, 1984. 













Using Maps For Genealogy: Tryon County, North Carolina

/ J. V. / Leave a comment

Maps are really important in genealogy, especially, when searching for ancestors in the American Colonies prior to 1850.

The Problem With North Carolina Records

While the horrendous handwriting and awful misspellings of family surnames make record searching tedious, it also doesn’t help that many early records have been lost, destroyed, or even misplaced.

Click here for a list of courthouse fires and record losses

North Carolina has had a number of courthouse disasters in which records were tragically lost forever. But another reason early records are so scarce, is because of its history of ever-changing counties! It’s not that early records do not exist, they just aren’t archived in the correct county!

The state of North Carolina (along with other Colonial states) prior to 1850 often had “fun” with establishing counties! North Carolina, in particular, is a headache with 100 counties, many of which have had numerous changes in boundaries and an additional 5 counties that were formed and later abolished! Some earlier counties didn’t even know where their boundaries started or ended (Tryon County for an example).

Click here to see an interactive map of changing North Carolina counties


When researching ancestors prior to 1850, it is important to identify a geological landmark in which they once lived, so that we can determine how many different counties covered that particular area. Once we identify all the possible counties, then we can dig into each of those county records!

My 4th great-grandfather’s property on Cedar Creek has been covered by 5 different counties: Tryon, Rutherford, Buncombe, Burke, (back to Rutherford), McDowell, and then back to Buncombe!

Records were supposed to transfer to the newly formed county, but that wasn’t always successful. Records pertaining to someone who lived in an area bordering another county (whose boundary lines were not well-defined) often caused confusion on where records were suppose to transfer to; especially, if the records had to be physically moved to a new courthouse. There is always that one box that gets left behind!

It is also important to remember that not every existing record is available to the public. There is a lot of records online, but much of it hasn’t been indexed yet for a quick search. It often requires a lot of browsing, scrolling and reading.

Whatever the reason records aren’t where we expect them to be, we can certainly take advantage of maps to help us try to locate them.

Rivers and Creeks were vital to every day life for our early ancestors. They traveled along them, they lived on them, they worked on them, and they built communities around them. Rivers and Creeks are the best types of landmarks to help us, not only to locate early records (with better defined keywords) in different counties but also learn more about their community to find families they likely traveled with to the new world.

While imaginary boundary lines were always changing, the landscape always remained the same.

Tryon County: Messy Boundaries

Tryon County, North Carolina no longer exists.
It was a county that covered a vast area of land which included parts of Indian territory (to the west) and parts of South Carolina.


Click here to see a list of modern day BOUNDARIES in which Tryon County covered

Many residents living near the border between North and South Carolina were a bit confused on which state they actually resided in, which likely complicated records (and probably taxes).

According to The Old Tryon County Genealogical Society website, The Southern Boundary of Tryon County, residents of Tryon County living on the border who considered themselves South Carolina residents may have records in Camden District, 96 District, or Craven County (SC).

To make matters even more complicated, Tryon County did not have a courthouse! According to Wikipedia (not my favorite source) and Journal of The American Revolution (a better source), states Christian Mauney (Mooney) conducted courthouse business on his land and “used his residence as a jail!”

Tryon was formed in 1768 and abolished in 1779 and then split into Rutherford and Lincoln County.
Here’s an idea of how many county changes occurred within the Old Tryon County territory:

In 1783, Rutherford County further defined their boundaries, giving much of Tryon County’s western territory back to the Indians. In 1791, Rutherford lost more of it’s western boundary to newly formed Buncombe County, but the boundary lines slightly changed back and forth between 1791-1793 (apparently nobody could make up their mind). In fact, a sliver portion of Rutherford County was briefly part of Burke County!

In 1812, what is now known as Transylvania County (formed from Henderson County) lies the historical and mostly forgotten Walton County of Georgia, a disputed strip of land that resulted in the WALTON WAR between Georgia, North and South Carolina. Basically, long story short, North Carolina took it back. Interestingly, the strip of land was known as the ORPHAN STRIP and it was considered to be a hideout for deserters and outlaws.


After that, the western portion of Old Tryon County expanded westward and formed counties like Hays, Macon, and Henderson, and Transylvania.

However, Rutherford and Lincoln County was the most complicated of county changes, for that in 1841, Cleveland County established itself smack dab in the middle between Rutherford and Lincoln County. Then, in 1844, Rutherford lost its north-western corner to McDowell County. In 1845, Lincoln County lost its southern half to Gaston County. Polk County formed in the northern-western corner of Rutherford County, just below Lake Lure, and in 1921, Buncombe county took over the north-western corner of Rutherford County from McDowell County. This kind of mess would make anyone’s brain spin!
mapofus.com


Finding A Map That Works!

My biggest challenge by far in Vess Genealogy has been trying to locate a map with North Carolina’s rivers and creeks! You would think it would be easy.

Of course, Google-maps is somewhat helpful, but it doesn’t show a lot of the creeks, especially, those mentioned on early land grants where most earlier settlers called home. Probably, because many of the creeks have dried up and disappeared along with history. 

I need a map of Old Tryon County, but many maps of Tryon County are difficult to come by and those that are available are not detailed at all. The next best thing is to look at individual county maps, but again they are not as detailed and it makes it extremely difficult to see the full spectrum of an entire community of early settlers, especially, a community that has been broken up by different counties. Very frustrating! 

However, I FINALLY stumbled upon a very useful map [below]. A map of the “Broad River Basin, which can be found on The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill library’s website: North Carolina Maps.
I have NO IDEA how I found this website!!

Although this map is dated “1968,” it is exactly what I have been looking for! Not only does it show Rivers and Creeks, but also extends a little (just a little) outside the borders of Rutherford County, North Carolina. Basically, covering a good portion of Old Tryon County! Just want I needed!

Now We Are Getting Somewhere!

The first record of my earliest ancestor, Peter Vess, is an 1820 census record in Rutherford County, NC. After some research, I have determined that he was living on “Knobs Creek.”

Now that I finally have a decent map, I can use land records to determine nearby neighbors and begin to identify families who may have connections with him.

As of right now, I have complied a list of 19 land owners on and near Knobs Creek between 1775-1820. One by one, I am reviewing their land surveys.

Land survey’s (if they have one) tells me a lot!
1) Whose land they are joining (neighbor)
2) Whose properties their land touches (additional neighbors corners)
3) Witnesses (who are possibly close family or friends, some that don’t own land)

This is great, because I am finding more families who likely obtained land issued from Tryon County whose records were either lost, misplaced, or not available online yet.

However, I have just discovered that there are two Knob Creeks! I need to go back and review my research to determine which Knob Creek Peter Vess was likely living on in 1820. What is most exciting, is that the map I just recently found shows both Knob Creeks!

While reviewing land records, I have stumbled upon new interesting information which is beginning to form a somewhat crazy (or maybe not so crazy) new theory regarding my 4th great-grandfather’s origins! It will knock you off your feet!




What We Know So Far – Vess Genealogy

/ J. V. / 3 Comments

Happy New Year!

Let’s start the New Year by reviewing what we know so far about the so-called three brothers from Ireland.

But first, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has provided me information about their family history, lineage, and research!

The Three Brothers

According to our VESS family story, we descend from three brothers from Ireland: Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan (Nathaniel) Vess. However, records seem to tell a different story…

Records tell us that Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan Vess did in fact exist and that they all existed during the same time period (1790-1880); however, we have not yet found any records confirming their exact relationship to one another. Possibly, because they may have not been brothers at all, but perhaps a mix of relatives: 2 brothers and a father, cousins and 1 uncle, or 2 brothers and a grandfather.

The term brothers was often used to refer to any close male relationship: siblings, father, uncle, cousin, close family friend, or church member.


Interestingly, records tell us that Peter and Nathan were born in America (North and South Carolina). According to Nathan’s records, his parents were born in South Carolina. His family possibly lived in Glassy Mountain, Greenville, South Carolina with the Gosnell and Bellew families (who are related to Nathan’s wife, Clarinda Bellew). We have also discovered a new VESS line closely related to Peter, through a Willis Vess, whose records also state his parents were born in North Carolina.

Links to each of their BIO’s: Peter Vess, Jonathan Vess, and Nathan Vess.

If our VESS family does come from Ireland, research greatly suggests that our family arrived in America sometime prior to the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). And perhaps our family story is true, but we are looking at the wrong generation of men whose names were Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan; as it was once common practice that each generation be named after their forefathers.

VESS family in Patrick County, Virginia

We have recently discovered a “VESS” family in Patrick County, Virginia. As to-date, we have not been able to connect them to the prominent “VEST” family of Virginia; giving us hope that this pocket of Vess family is related to our VESS line.

The earliest records with the name “Vess” can be found in Virginia for a Samuel, Peter, Jonathan, and William Vess:

  • Jonathan Vess married Elizabeth Heron in 1792, Patrick County, VA.
    In 1820, Jonathan Vess and his wife Elizabeth migrated to the Republic of Texas [before Texas was a state]. He is written in the Texas history books, not only because he was one of the first families to travel with Stephen F. Austin (state capital is named after), but also the town of Morales, TX was established on his land and his daughter, Mary Lorena Vess, married Sam McCulloch, Jr., who was a Texas war hero and a man of color.
  • We have found Revolutionary War records under the “Vess” name, for a Samuel, Peter, and William Vess. Peter being distinguished as a Corporal.
  • In addition, Patrick County, VA tax records 1790-1799 lists Samuel and Peter “Vess.”
  • Lastly, there is a War of 1812 record for a “Peter Vest” in Surry County, North Carolina. Thus far, we have not been able to connect him to any of the VESS or VEST families in the area; including the nearby VEST family of Stokes County, NC. However, it should be noted that Patrick County, VA is located directly above Surry County, North Carolina. We also cannot confirm that this Peter “Vest” is the same person as our Peter Vess of Rutherford County, North Carolina.


The Discovery of Willis VESS – DNA Connection

I believe the most significant find of last year, for me at least, was discovering another Vess line closely related to Peter and Nathan: Willis Vess of Franklin County, Alabama.

Familytreedna.com


DNA has confirmed Peter, Nathan, and Willis Vess to be closely related; however, we do not know exactly how they are related to one another.

Y-Chromosome DNA on FamilytreeDNA.com has connected Willis and Peter’s line together and it is AncestryDNA.com, that confirms a “close” relationship between the two lines through shared DNA-relatives.

However, I suspect the relationship to be distant, for that I share more DNA-relatives with Nathan’s line than I do with those on Willis’s line. This may suggest that Nathan is likely more closely related to Peter than Willis; with Nathan and Peter as siblings/half-siblings and Willis a possible cousin. However, this could be inaccurate, largely depending on how many descendants on each line have tested through AncestryDNA.com.

Nonetheless, Willis lived during the same time period as Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan, so we can confidently suggest the connection is either through a parent or grandparent. Which brings me to Willis’s father, John Vess, who was supposedly born in North Carolina (1770) and married Margaret Vaughn.

The Vest Family of Virginia and North Carolina

Virginia
South Carolina

Many researchers suggest John Vess (father of Willis VESS) to be the son of William Tunwell Vest of Stokes County, North Carolina; however, I do not believe this to be true. I have researched the Vest family of Virginia and North Carolina extensively and have not found any records connecting the Vess and Vest families together.

William Tunwell Vess had 5 sons, Samuel, William, Charles, Isham, and John. According to my research (which could be wrong, of course), Samuel and William married “Cannifax” sisters, Charles married a “Doty,” Isham married a “Briggs” and a “Page,” and John married a “Ray.” I have not found any DNA relationships with any of their descendants.

If the Vest and Vess lines are related, they must be related distantly.

However, it may be worth looking into a James Harvey Vest, who is said to be born in Patrick County, VA in 1838. He married Rachel Jane Harper and Mary Calhoun. The reason I mention him, is because FamilytreeDNA has a VESS-VEST DNA Project Group, which states they have found a DNA connection with 2 members related to “VESS.”

We do know for a fact that some VESS lines do descend from the VEST family; however, none of those Vess lines seem to connect with our VESS line.

The VOSS Name

I am often told that our name used to be pronounced, “VOSS.”

Interestingly, there is a VOSS family in North Carolina with Greenbury Voss in Casewell County, North Carolina. He was supposedly born in Maryland and died in Pittsylvania, Virginia, having raised his family in Casewell, North Carolina. I truly have not done much research on the Voss family; however, records for this family include the surnames: VOSS, VASS, VESS, and VAUSE.


Greenbruy Vess may be worth looking further into for several reasons:
1) Records can be found with the Vess name.
2) His sons married into the Cook family that is related to the Cook family who attended Bills Creek Baptist Church (late 1800’s).
3) They are supposedly related to the Vause family in Georgia, who were in Georgia when Peter’s son, Alfred Vess, migrated there.
4) There is a Voss related to Greenbury Voss in Alabama (or Tennessee, if I remember correctly) near Willis’s Vess family!
5) Pittsylvania, Virginia is next to Patrick and Henry County, Virginia.
6) The Gonsell family (connected to Nathan) is from Maryland.

Conclusion

In short, there is no final conclusion as there is still more to explore and discover! The information we discovered and collected last year will certainly help us with our genealogy journey.

Any information you would like to share with us to help us with our research, please feel free to post in the comment sections or join our Facebook Group! I absolutely look forward to sharing new genealogy adventures with you!