We’ve made a new significant discovery, but we need your help!
If you have completed an Autosomal DNA test through Ancestry or 23andMe, please help us by transferring your results for free to Familytreedna.com so that we can continue our research. If you need help completing the process or have any questions, please email vessgenealogy@gmail.com for assistance.
What Is Triangulation: Genetic Genealogy
Triangulation is a method used in genetic genealogy where segments of DNA are analyzed and compared between shared DNA matches. Those who share the same segments of DNA are likely to share a common ancestor and their family trees (and family histories) provide clues to help identify those common ancestors.
Recent Findings Via Triangulation: Rose-Sparks Connection
Vincent Vess is working on using triangulation methods to identify the parents of Peter Vess and Catherine Cook. His recent finds are super intriguing!
He analyzed segments of DNA of 3 different VESS descendants whose most recent common ancestors are Peter Vess and Catherine Cook. Each, different descendant, descends from a different son of Peter and Catherine [Andrew Logan, Jasper, and Josiah Vess]. The importance of having different descending lines from Peter and Catherine not only help confirm a solid Vess connection, but also helps in identifying early maternal lines (the parents of Catherine Cook).
He then triangulated one segment of DNA on the 5th Chromosome with other shared DNA matches who have public family trees. He discovered 4 matches who share the same segment of DNA as the 3 Vess descendants, yet none of those 4 matches have VESS in their family trees; suggesting all 7 matches share an earlier common ancestor prior to Peter and Catherine Cook.
Between the 4 matches, he discovered they share common connections with Emmanuel ROSE and Reuben SPARKS families in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
The connection between Rose and Sparks maybe recent, for that those names come up frequently as shared DNA matches in Ancestry for both Vincent and I (we suspect it will for other Vess families too).
Wilkes County Is Our Mark
Ever wonder about that War of 1812 record with Peter Vest listed on it?
A good portion of names listed have no records in Surry County. In fact, only 15 of them can be found on the 1810 census record, most having earlier land records, suggesting they were older soldiers. Most of the other names listed are younger soldiers who were not head of household yet in 1810 and many of them actually have later connections with Wilkes County. This is because Wilkes County was made from parts of Surry County in 1777 and a few names on the list (confirmed by maps) had their properties split by the county border. Although no longer part of Surry County, their close proximity to the border probably had them doing much of their business in Surry County, which explains why so many were drafted under Surry County rather than Wilkes County. Is this the case for Peter Vess?
North-Western North Carolina: Migration Routes Converged
Earlier ancestors of the names listed above have original land records issued by Rowan County, for that Rowan County once covered the western parts of North Carolina. When Surry County was formed, the portion of what will become Wilkes County was the District of Washington (but it only lasted a year). In 1777, Wilkes was created in between Surry County and Washington County (formerly District of Washington).
In 1784, the short-lived STATE OF FRANKLIN was formed, mixing records like a tossed salad with the formation of Wayne County (State of Franklin) in a good portion of Wilkes County.
This affected many families in the surrounding areas, especially, those living in Wilkes County.
Why is this important to Vess Genealogy? Because what we have discovered is that many families coming down the Great Wagon Road or those coming up from South Carolina into Tennessee, all converge in this area at one time or another. This was the area in which families traveled across the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, into Tennessee, or down into the Carolinas.
Vincent Vess discovered the following names listed on a North Carolina, U.S. Census, 1784-1787 (Ancestry.com).
Samuel McQueen/Queen, John Sparks, Joshua Pennington, Richard Estes, William Sparks, Thomas Hodges, Agnis Nichols, Robert Whiteside, William Underwood, William Pennington, Jacob Nichols, Joseph Pruitt, Emmanuel Rose, John Turner, James Webb, Stephen Caudill, Roger Turner, William Hodges, James Caudill, Benjamin Rose, Timothy Buttery, John Rose Sr., Abraham Cook, Thomas Cook…
These names are extremely familiar to us as they are becoming more repetitive in our family research.
Also, included in this list of names is a William Vest, who we have not been able to identify his origins yet. Perhaps, he might have a connection with James Harvey Vest due to the presence of the Caudill family or maybe he is related to Peter Vest on the Surry County War of 1812 record?
Reuben Sparks and Emmanuel Rose
The 4 matches (as mentioned earlier) are connected to the Sparks and Rose families of Wilkes County.
Reuben Sparks and Emmanuel Rose are of the same generation as Peter and Catherine Cook, so a common ancestor would likely be someone prior to them.
These families are intriguing for a number of reasons, but one particular fact that interests us (or at least me) is that both families originated in Maryland, with the Sparks family having come from Frederick County, Maryland and the Rose family having come from Calvert County, Maryland. Note: Calvert is across from Dorchester County, Maryland (Travers family).
Following Geographical Features Rather Than Records
Fortunately, the father of Reuben Sparks, Solomon Sparks, has a lengthy recorded history. He first settled in Surry County when it was Rowan County, then his land was split between Surry and Wilkes County, making him a Wilkes County resident. We can easily track where the Sparks family have gone, for that notes are specific on the Rivers and Creeks in which the Sparks family resided on, making it much easier to locate records due to county changes.
We can use the geographical features mentioned in the genealogical notes provided by the Sparks family to reconstruct the community (like we did for the Tyger River community in SC) further identifying more families in the area that may offer more clues to Vess Genealogy.
Both Sparks and Rose families lived off the Yadkin River, something I look forward to further investigating.
Rose & Travers Family in Anson County, North Carolina
Emmanuel Rose may have a brother named Samuel Rose, who supposedly ended up in Anson County, North Carolina. He is found on the 1763 taxpayer record. Interestingly, so is John Travis (Travers).
John Travis, is supposedly the son of Dr. Edward Travers who came from Cork, Ireland. Also, we recently discovered a Charles Travers in Anson County, NC who may be the brother of John Travis (Travers). Research states John Travis ended up in Abbeville County, South Carolina; which is another place of interest in Vess Genealogy.
Is there a connection? I am interested in finding out!
Genetic Genealogy: The Door To Answers
Genetic genealogy helps us identify specific families that we share a common ancestor. By exploring these families, we can narrow down the genealogical search to specific geographical places.
We have genetic proof that our name changed, but we don’t exactly know when our name changed to VESS, making it very difficult to find early records. Identifying families we are closely related to can help us explore the areas they once lived, thus helping us look for evidience of families with names similar to Vess or Travers.
At this time, we have no genealogical proof of Catherines maiden name (is it really COOK?) nor Peter’s mother’s maiden name; so with more Autosomal DNA kits to analyze, compare, and triangulate, the more matches to family trees we can identify and further explore for answers to Vess Genealogy.
Vess Genealogy 