Month: July 2021

Charles Travers: A Link To Peter, Willis, and Nathan VESS??

/ J. V. / 2 Comments

We’ve been at a frustrating genealogical brick-wall for so long, that the brain is desperately looking for any kind of connection, even if it is not supported by evidence or lacks logical sense.

For instance, as I am still rooting for a Vess-Travers split in America, I came across this article about a Charles Travis/ Travers in Anson County, NC who supposedly (not confirmed) had brothers named John and James. Immediately, my thoughts raced back to different versions of our family story that referred to the three brothers as “Charles” Peter Vess, Jonathan Vess, and “James” Nathaniel Vess.” Desperate for connections can lead to wasted time and more dead ends; however, something extremely intriguing in the online article of Charles Travis/Travers caught my immediate attention which led me to some interesting new discoveries!!

Friendly Reminder:
The opinions and thoughts in this post are based on my own personal point of view researching these families. Links to sources are provided to allow the reader / researcher to form their own opinions, thoughts, and conclusions.

Brief Summary of Charles Travis/Travers

According to the online article, Genealogy Report: Descendants of Charles Travis/Travers, Charles Travers was born between 1745-50 in North Carolina, he married Elizabeth HARRIS in Granville, North Carolina (abt 1770), and together had 7 children. Although it states he died in Illinois, research strongly suggests that Charles Travers may have stayed in Anson County, North Carolina (later to become Montgomery County, NC) and that it was his sons who moved out of state.

This source states that Charles Travers maybe a descendant of Dr. Edward Travers from Cork, Ireland; however, there hasn’t been any solid genealogical evidence to prove it, despite Dr. Edward Travers having a grandson named “Charles,” per his son’s Will. It is also noted that Charles had a brother named John and James, which I believe, if they are related to Dr. Edward Travers, John maybe the Travers family in Edgefield, South Carolina. Further researcher is needed to confirm a connection.

1790 Census Record : David Benson

Our Vess family has a couple of connections with the Gosnell and Bellew families of South Carolina. Early connections that we know of is with Nathaniel Vess who married Clarinda Bellew, a descendant of both the Bellew and Gosnell families. Another early connection, one on Peter’s line, is with David Andrew Vess, who married Magnolia Gosnell, whose 2nd great aunt is Clarinda Vess (Nathan’s wife).

Magnolia Gosnell’s family appears to be from Madison County, North Carolina with her father having been born in Greenville County, South Carolina, descendant of Charles Gosnell Jr. and Lucy Pruitt. I do not know where David Andrew Vess (from McDowell County, North Carolina) met Magnolia Gosnell (from Madison County, North Carolina), but research suggests the Vess and Gosnell families may have more history together than we originally thought, perhaps as long time friends or neighbors.

According to the online article, Genealogy Report: Descendants of Charles Travis/Travers, there is a name that caught my immediate attention: David Benson!

I’ve seen this name before countless times, but with not much of a clue as to whether it meant anything. But now, lets look back at the 1790 census record for Spartanburg County, South Carolina: Joshua Gosnell, Abraham Belue (Bellew) and there listed below them is a David Benson.

So, how does David Benson connection to Charles Travers??

Well, according to the online article about Charles Travers, the daughter of David Benson (Nancy Benson) married the son of Charles Travers (Thomas Travers). They were married in 1811, in Kentucky with Nancy being much younger than Thomas, which may suggest that Thomas had children prior to his marriage to Nancy.

With that discovery, I was able to research a little more on David Benson…
David Benson married Elizabeth Pruitt (Pruette) who was born in South Carolina (1775). I wonder if she is related to Lucy Pruitt, wife of Charles Gosnell Jr, born of the Pruitt family in Spartanburg County, SC whose family has connections with the Pool, Hembree, and Bellew families in the Tyger River community???

According to the North Carolina Land Grants and Deeds website, David Benson was issued land (1795) on the branch of Webbs Creek in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Is this the same David Benson? The Webb family on Webbs Creek consisted of John, William, Elias, and Robert Webb and there is also a Lewis Bailey family. Webbs Creek branches off the Second Broad River (eastward). Cathey’s Creek also branches off the Second Broad River (westward), and west of the Second Broad River is the Bill’s Creek community. Is there a connection? I do not know yet, but perhaps it is worth noting.

Connection to Willis Vess: Montgomery County, NC

Charles Travers appears in 1790 Montgomery County, NC census record. Interestingly, we also find a very large Suggs family, specifically, a “Harbert Suggs.” So, where have I seen the name Suggs before??

Going back to the Franklin County, Alabama plat map to look at the Foxtrap area where, according to Anna Popejoy, the father of Willis Vess (John Vess) settled sometime between 1818-1820, you can find “Harbert Sugg” not too far away. Further research tells us Harbert obtained land from Huntsville (likely for Franklin, AL) as early as 1831. Also, several Sugg family sources state the Suggs family in Franklin County, Alabama did come from Montgomery County, North Carolina. Harbert Sugg’s mortality record, even states he was born in North Carolina.

Connection to Nathan Vess: Abraham Belyeu / Bellew in Anson County, NC

We know there was an Abraham Bellew in Anson County, NC (1790 census) , but we do not know if he is related to the Abraham Bellew on the 1790 South Carolina census listed next to Joshua Gosnell and David Benson. Perhaps the South Carolina Bellew is Abraham Bellew “Jr.”?? Further research is needed, but if David Benson is the David Benson mentioned in the article about Charles Travers, perhaps there is a connection.

While looking up the Suggs family, I came across Abraham Belyeu. According to an article on Thomas Sugg , written by Wynona Maxey (2008), Robert Sugg and Abraham Belyeu are witnesses on a land deed on Pee Dee River. This doesn’t exactly connect to Charles Travers, but it is worth investigating, considering Charles Travers supposedly lived on or near the Pee Dee River.

Connection To Peter Vess: Harris – Ledbetter Family

Helen M. Lu’s book, Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: Two Hundred Year History, provides us great insight into the generation of Andrew Logan Vess and his brothers; however, just barely gives us a glimpse into Peter’s generation. According to Helen M. Lu, church records prior to 1827 have been lost and only one page in her book gives us an idea on who where early members of the church between 1827-1830 (Lu pg. 115).

Many of these names are well known: Whiteside, Vess, Dalton, Bagwell, Hill, Ledbetter, and Green; however, Harris is one that I do not recognize.

According to the article on Charles Travers, Charles Travers married Elizabeth Harris. The article also mentions that the Travers family were close to a “West” Harris family. A quick research reveals there was a Col. West Harris Jr. (Montgomery Co, NC) who married Edith Ledbetter, daughter of Charles and Frances Ledbetter. It will take some time to research the connection between the Ledbetter family in Anson County and the Ledbetter family in Rutherford County, but I bet they are related (even if distantly).

Going back to the complied list of early Bill’s Creek Baptist Church members [above], I see an unidentified Harris family. Looking up “Archibald Harris” only gives me information on an Archibald Harris in Anson County, NC (interesting), but I haven’t found an Archibald Harris in Rutherford County, NC, nor have I been able to find anything on the other listed Harris members.

A New Lead or Just Wishful Thinking

IF we did split directly from the TRAVERS family in America, perhaps it was with the Travers family in Montgomery County, North Carolina. AND IF, (A HUGE IF) we are related to the Travers family in Montgomery County, North Carolina, perhaps this explains Peter and Willis Vess having been born in North Carolina and Nathan Vess born in South Carolina; especially, if Nathan was a cousin rather than a brother.

Perhaps the Vess family was in Anson / Montgomery County and one of the Vess brothers (father of Nathan Vess) travelled with the Bellew family to South Carolina, which is where Nathan was supposedly born. The other Vess brother (father of Peter and Willis Vess), possibly named John, moved to Alabama with the Willis and Suggs families prior to 1830.

What about the promising Vice family? What about the VESS/VOSS/VEST families in Patrick, Rockbridge, and Augusta County in Virginia. What about the Voss family in Casewell County?

Well, maybe there is a connection with them too; families weren’t technically small back then. It is unlikely Peter, Willis and Nathan Vess are the only relatives of their generation. I mean, it wasn’t until just recently that we discovered that Peter and Willis Vess, not only are genetically related (same family line), but closely related!

Also, I just learned that the Pettit family traveled through Augusta County, Virginia on their way to South Carolina. Apparently, according to one source, the western part of Virginia was just giving away South Carolina land grants.

When it comes to Vess genealogy, there are always new leads and that is what makes Vess genealogy so frustrating.

Sources
Lu, Helen M. Bill’s Creek Baptist Church Two Hundred Year History 1782–1982. United States, United States, 1984.

“Descendants of Charles Travis/Travers.” Genealogy.Com, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/l/Judith-A-Holmes-Tempe/GENE1-0001.html. Accessed 21 July 2021.

Maxey, Wynona. “Sugg, Thomas (1690–1753).” Genealogy.Com, 27 May 2008, http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/sugg/331.








































Noah Merlin Vess 1875-1958

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

Noah Merlin Vess is the son of Andrew Logan Vess and Sinthia Conner. He was born in McDowell County, North Carolina on June 18, 1875. Noah spent a good portion of his life without sight, but it is my understanding that it didn’t stop him from living a long fulfilling life.

Original black and white picture on Ancestry.com uploaded 2017 by Kwhitesides, colorized 2021 by J. Vess

According to extensive genealogy research, Descendants of Andrew L. Vess, by Norman J. Davis Jr., Noah Vess had been married to Ollie Brown, daughter of Allen Brown and Sallie Harrelson and then to Artie Ella Mae Dalton, daughter of Bailey Dalton and Margaret Davis. He had a total of eight children.

Children with Ollie Brown:

Eskimo Stanley Vess – b. August 7, 1894
Sarah C. Vess – b. February 17, 1895
Allen Andrew Vess – b. February 1, 1897
Mary M. Vess – b. July 15, 1899
Kate Lou Vess – b. June 10, 1905

Children with Artie Ella Mae Dalton:

Media Ella Mae Vess – b. July 26, 1914
Rans Merlin Vess – b. November 15, 1916
Jimmy Guy Vess – b. Nov. 12, 1920

On March 3, 1958, Noah Merlin Vess died at the age of 82. He is buried next to Artie Ella Mae Dalton in Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery, North Carolina.

Wikitree: Image Uploaded 2017 by Ronnie Halford

Family Memory Of Noah Vess

Below is a memory shared with us by Ron Vess about his grandfather, Noah Merlin Vess.

“My mother and father told me Grandpa was sitting on his verandah after a hard days work watching the pinks and greys painted in the evening sky by the setting sun.  As the light faded, grandpa felt a bit dizzy and noticed his wasn’t seeing very clearly so he went to bed. When he woke next morning he was completely blind, not even able to distinguish any light at all, even the sun.

Doctors and operations followed without success.

As a child, I stayed overnight from time to time with grandpa from about age 7 until his death when I was age 9.  Summertimes were hardest as it gets dark about eleven there in the height of summer and grandpa wanted me to go to bed at eight.  I could hear the neighbour hood kids, all cousins, playing and laughing.  

The opposite side of the coin was getting up at four, in the dark.  Grandpa didn’t need lights.  I did!  He would make coffee then cook his breakfast when the stove was hot.  His breakfast was always the same.  He would place a packet of prepaid split rolls in the oven, place a cast iron skillet on the stove, sprinkle ground sausage patties in the skillet while feeling for cooking progress with his hands and the spitting fat.  He would break eggs into a bowl and mix them with with a fork.  When he gauged the sausage cooking to be properly advanced, he would pour in the eggs and mix until the scrambled eggs stiffed the mix. A wonderful breakfast was had by all!

Even now, the smell of frying sausage patties puts me back in the kitchen with grandpa.  Watching him cook with burns on his hands, healing scabs on his head from knocking into objects and marvelling at how amazingly blue were his eyes.  Robin egg blue.”


Close Genetic Relationship: Vess & Travers Families

/ J. V.

The Vess family has a close genetic relationship with the Travers family from Lancashire, England; however, at this time, we do not have enough Y-DNA testers to determine whether we are close cousins or a branch of the TRAVERS family who veered off with a different surname (VESS). Y-DNA testing and genealogical records has revealed some insightful information that greatly warrants more Y-Testers and genealogical research.

Y-DNA: Travers & Vess Families

Y-DNA analysis reveals that the Vess and Travers families are closely related. Unfortunately, our testing pool is small; Y-Testers include a couple of descendants from the Peter Vess line, one descendant from the Willis Vess line, and two descendants of the Travers line from England who are related to the Travers family in Dorchester, Maryland, USA. We do not have any Y-Testers yet from the Nathaniel Vess line (South Carolina) or the Jonathan Vess line (Texas); however, autosomal DNA suggests a distant relationship.

Vess Family DNA Project

Last year, the VESS and TRAVERS families were assigned into the same group CTS11317; then one of the Vess Y-testers (Peter’s line) completed the Big-Y Test, which broke it down further, re-assigning the VESS family their own sub-group R-FT19517. This suggests the two families may have split sometime prior to 1665 in England.

Haplogroup Tree YP4131

A Possible Connection With A Travers Family From Ireland?

What we know for certain, based on available Y-DNA information, is that the VESS family did not split from the TRAVERS line who settled in Dorchester, Maryland, USA. Our ancestral split from their particular line occurred in England before they immigrated to America. But, they were not the only Travers family to immigrate to America…

According to Southern Travis, Travers, Traverse families from Lancashire and post- Elizabethan Ireland, there is another Travers family in America, who came from County Cork, Ireland and settled in the Carolinas.

This finding is intriguing, for that their documented history is remarkably similar to the Vess family story about three brothers from Ireland. In one version of the Vess family story, it specifically mentions the three brothers having come from “Cork, Ireland.”

Furthermore, the TRAVERS surname for this particular line in America evolved into TRAVIS, with a couple of records discovered with the surname spelling of TRAVESS. This is also an intriguing find, considering that the VESS family had always been told that the VESS name is not their original surname. It is believed that their original surname was “shortened,” and/or was pronounced as “VOSS.”

If we consider thick accents of the time, the name TRAVIS could have easily been heard as “TRAVOSS,” and it is entirely plausible that overtime the “TRA” was eventually dropped, just leaving VOSS, which could have easily evolved into VESS. As records show, the “VESS” name didn’t exactly take hold (record-wise) until the 1830’s, and prior to that, it was a mix of VEST and VOSS, perhaps even VASS, likely due to terrible handwriting where the “e,” “o,” and “a” were difficult to tell apart. This would also explain why we see a pocket of VOSS/VASS families near the TRAVERS/TRAVIS families in North Carolina.

According to The Vaulx Family of England, Virginia, and Maryland, it is believed that the VASS families of Virginia /North Carolina “maybe” related to the VAUX family of Virginia (descendants of the Norman De Vallibus family), but there is no solid evidence to confirm such a connection, since there is no record on where the VASS/VOSS families of Virginia/North Carolina originated from across the Atlantic. Perhaps, some of the VASS/VOSS families have a surname that may have evolved from the TRAVERS line??

Although this information is intriguing and very favorable towards the mysterious origins of the VESS family, we do not have any solid evidence to make any final concrete conclusions.

Investigating The Travers Family In The Carolinas

We have only just begun researching the Travers family of North and South Carolina. We know there is a Francis Travers (sometimes Travis) of Tyron County, North Carolina who had land in the modern-day Spartanburg County, SC area in the 1760’s. He descends from the Travers family from Ireland.

Just recently, we discovered a pocket of Travers who are connected to Abbeville, SC, which is intriguing, for that we have an unknown VESS family in the same area in 1850. The Travers family from Ireland have earlier connections in Pasquotank, Pitt, and Beaufort counties in North Carolina. Interestingly, near these areas, we also have the Voss/Vass families whose origins, like the Vess family, are also undetermined.

Further investigation is needed.

Y-Testers NEEDED: Participant Info

To further unravel the mysterious connection between the VESS and TRAVERS family, we need more DNA participants.

We encourage EVERYONE to join the VESS Family DNA Project via FamilyTreeDNA.com. Autosomal DNA tests (from both male and female participants) helps us identify new Vess family lines and has the potential to help us locate genealogical records to make more family connections. Y-DNA tests from male participants from various family lines can help us further understand the connection between the VESS & TRAVERS family. Are we cousins or direct descendants of the same family?

Interested in testing? Please visit the Vess Family DNA Project to contact co-admins for more information or email vessgenealogy@gmail.com

TRANSFER FOR FREE:
If you have already completed an autosomal DNA test or Y-DNA test from another company, you may have the option to transfer your data to FamilytreeDNA.com. Transfers are free with a FamilytreeDNA.com account; however, there is a $19 fee, if you wish to access more account tools. This is much cheaper than opening an account by having to order a new DNA test. Please check out this post for more information and instructions about transferring data to FamilytreeDNA.com.

Y-TESTERS NEEDED:

We need more Y-Testers from various family lines: Willis Vess line, Nathaniel Vess line, Travers/ Travis Carolina lines, and VOSS, VAULX, VASS, family lines. There are three Y-DNA tests available:

The Y-37 test helps us identify new Vess/Travers lines. The Y-111 test helps us identify families closely related to us. The Big-Y helps us further understand ancestral splits between closely related families.

Big – Y Testers Needed

We are seeking more Big-Y Testers, specifically from the Willis Vess line and Travers/Travis North & South Carolina line. Participants need to be male and have either the VESS, TRAVERS, TRAVIS surname. For more information about the Big-Y and pricing, please contact Michael Travers or Vincent Vess; contact info is available on the Vess Family DNA Project website.