Jonathan and Elizabeth Vess of Jackson County, Texas.

We’ve all been told that Jonathan and Elizabeth Vess arrived in Texas from South Carolina, but according to Stephen F. Austin’s Register of Families, it was Missouri.

In 1829, at the age of 50, according to the Stephen F. Austin’s Register of Families, Jonathan and his wife, with 2 children and 4 dependents arrived in Texas from Missouri. Unfortunately, if they came from Missouri, there are no census records for Missouri prior to 1830.

There are other earlier Missouri records available, but who knows where to start! Texas genealogical records doesn’t give us any clues, as to which area in Missouri to even start looking for Vess families. In fact, it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.

But, wouldn’t you believe, that Jonathan Vess has a record in Missouri, under the VESS surname! It wasn’t easy to locate though, because the record is indexed under the surname WEST, even though it clearly reads VESS.

Using AI to Track Down Jonathan Vess In Missouri

Jonathan Vess has a land record in Lincoln County, Missouri, dated 1825.

I used AI to search indexed records under the name “Jonathan West” in Missouri, as “West” seems to be another variant of Vess, as seen in Peter Vess records in Wilkes Co. NC between 1800-1803.

Remarkably, it pulled a deed record that read Jonathan “Vess.”

Jonathan Vess acquired land from Alfred Gordon in 1825. The description box for the property states “see record,” which suggests there might be another record available for this transaction.

Using AI again, nothing came up under the name Jonathan “West,” or under any of the usual variants of Vess. There weren’t any results under the name Alfred Gordon either.

However, the first record did provide us with a Book and page number for the record detailing the description of the property. Generally, not all books are available online though. If they are, they are sometimes locked, requiring a trip to the library to unlock it. And even then, it doesn’t mean it’s on the correct page.

Luckily for us, the Book was available online and the record was exactly where it should be: Book C pg. 387 (continued on pg. 388). A land record between Alfred Gordon and Jonathan Vess, with the Vess surname written in Old English (Vefs).

The description of the property doesn’t identify a river or township, just marked by coordinates, trees, and joining neighbors, Alfred Gordon and John Ezells, neither who sound familiar to me.

Now, the next question is….
How are we sure this is the same Jonathan Vess in Jackson County, Texas?

Jonathan, William, and Lofton Vess In Missouri Together

Luckily for us, the record specifically states William and Lofton Vess are the “2 sons” of Jonathan Vess. Good thing “Lofton” isn’t a common name.

In Jackson County, Texas, we have records of a William and Lofton Vess. William married Minerva Millican in 1835, and Lofton married Mary Ann Ryan in 1837.

Interestingly, Jonathan Vess arrived in Texas with 2 children and 4 dependents, which I assumed his 2 children were William and Mary Lorena; but perhaps those 2 children were in fact, William and Lofton Vess.

Which if true, would mean, the “4 dependents,” would be the girls: Mary Lorena, Malinda, Sarah Ann, and Louisa Elizabeth. In my opinion, I still strongly believe the “4 dependents” could be grandchildren of Johnathan Vess, from a deceased child, as Jonathan arrived in Texas at the age of 50. It will be interesting to find out their lineage, if possible.

South Carolina

This Missouri record tells us that Jonathan Vess and his family were in Missouri between 1825 and 1829, prior to settling in Texas. So, where was he prior to 1825?

I am still looking for early Vess records in South Carolina. Not only is the Vess family adamant Jonathan Vess was there (at some point), we’ve found later genealogical records of at least 2 “Vess” families, claiming to have been born in South Carolina prior to 1820.

There are no VESS records prior to 1830 in South Carolina. So who are these later Vess families related to, that was in South Carolina prior to 1830!

I am curious to find out!

Citation:

“Lincoln, Missouri, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://

http://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSH9-H9Z5-C?view=fullText : Feb 7,

2026), image 209 of 605; Lincoln County (Missouri). Recorder of Deeds.

Image Group Number: 007903817