According to the Stephen F. Austin’s Register of Families, Jonathan Vess arrived in Texas in 1829 from Missouri.
Stories about Jonathan Vess never mention Missouri, as it has been long believed he came from South Carolina.
So, let’s do some research!
Vess/Vest Records
Early Vess records often alternate between the VESS, VOSS and VEST surnames. We see it in records for the early Vess/Vest families in Patrick County, Virginia, early Vest/Vess families in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and early records for our known ancestors like Peter and Willis Vess.
The VESS surname didn’t really stick until after 1840.
This consistent use of alternating names in early records helps us identify “potential” VESS ancestors to further research. We cannot immediately assume they are VESS, but it has become an efficient tool in looking for Vess-related records that may be under a similar surname.
Jonathan – Not As Popular As John
Fortunately for us, Jonathan Vess appears to have preferred the name “Jonathan” over “John,” which vastly narrows down the search field for potential records.
Interestingly, Jonathan, as a first name, doesn’t seem as popular as the first name, John. Indexed searches for Jonathan on Ancestry.com, in general, regardless the surname, still returns just a couple of pages of results – making it extremely easy to browse through!
Military Records
I came across two military records – one for Jonathan VESS (Rangers, United States Volunteers) and another for Jonathan VEST (Capt. Collard’s Co. Louisiana Militia).
I am very confident these records refer to the same individual, but further research is needed, because there are no stories that Jonathan Vess ever went to Missouri, let alone Louisiana!
Interesting Military History: War of 1812
It turns out that, Capt. Collard’s “Louisiana Militia” is sort of misleading on this record for Jonathan Vest. It’s not Louisiana as we know it today.
Elijah Simmons Collard started out as a private in the Upper Louisiana Militia, an area that was known as Haute-Louisiane (aka Illinois Country), which included Missouri territory. He then became Captain of the “Missouri” Militia.
Jonathan VEST is listed as a private under Captain Collard’s Company, which if Collard was “captain” at that time, this would likely include the Missouri Militia.
There is also a military record for Jonathan VESS as a Ranger.
Rangers were volunteers, and they came out of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. As you can see on the map above, those states appear to be located in Upper Louisiana.
The Capt. Collard’s Co. record for Jonathan Vest likely refers to the Battle of New Orleans (1815), which included volunteers (Rangers) and militia’s.
Jonathan Vest is listed as a Louisiana solider for the Battle of New Orleans. However, there doesn’t seem to be a record of him, on official military lists regarding that battle, suggesting he was likely a volunteer. Which is probably why there are two War of 1812 records for him – one regarding the Battle of New Orleans and the other stating he is a Ranger.
Building A TimeLine To Search For More Records
Given the history of the Rangers and Capt. Elijah Simmons Collard, I suspect Jonathan Vess was not a resident of Louisiana during the Battle of Orleans, but a resident somewhere in Upper Louisiana (Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois area).
While records for Jonathan Vess appear scarce, these military records give us a further look at where he might have been in between his marriage in 1792 in Virginia (to Elizabeth Heron) and his arrival to Texas in 1829, allowing us to narrow our search for more records.
As for his connection to South Carolina, I am still researching!
1792 Patrick County, Virginia Marriage
Jonathan Vess and Elizabeth Heron1795 Patrick County, Virginia Tax List
Jonathan Vess1803 Wilkes County, North Carolina Jury Duty
Jonathan Vess1805 Wilkes County, North Carolina Land Record
Jonathan Vess/Vest Witness to land record between Nathan Duncan & John Fletcher Jr.War of 1812 Records
Jonathan Vess (Ranger)
Jonathan Vest (Capt. Collard Louisiana Militia) Battle of New Orleans1829 Stephen F. Austin Register of Families
Jonathan Vess
Vess Genealogy 