There was an early Vess family in South Carolina prior to 1830, but we have yet to identify them, largely due to lack of available South Carolina records and poor literacy. We do know they were there, because we are discovering later Vess families, who claim to have been living in South Carolina prior to 1830.

● Nathaniel Vess stated in his military pension request, that he was living in Spartanburg County, when he enlisted in the War of 1812.

● Polly Vess appears in Greenville, South Carolina as a widow in 1830, living with Joel Callahan. Joel Callahan was a prior resident of Spartanburg County, SC who was listed on the 1790 census next to the Bellew and Gosnell families, and is on Glassy Mountain maps with the Bellew and Gosnell families. Polly Vess is believed to have been the daughter of Joel Callahan, but not confirmed.

● John Vess (1850), husband of Drucilla Turner in Abbeville Co. SC (Greenwood), claims to have been born in South Carolina prior to 1830.

● Another John Vess (1860), states in his Civil War record that he was born in South Carolina prior to 1820 and comes from Greenville, South Carolina.

● Descendants of Nathaniel and Jonathan Vess are adamant that Jonathan Vess was in South Carolina prior to settling in Texas.

But, where are the records for this mysterious early South Carolina Vess family?

John Bess, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Records are scarce, and we’ll likely never find solid genealogical proof of their early existence in South Carolina, but if I were to give my honest best guess, after staring at South Carolina records for nearly a decade, I’d suggest the mysterious Vess families of South Carolina are related to JOHN BESS of Thickety Creek in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

Oddly enough, I might have found some additional information to support it…

1800 Census	Listed near Samuel Dunaway
1809 Lane Record	Obtains 684 acres of land on Thickety Creek
1810 Census	Listed next to Reubin Cantrell
1811 Probate	Listed on an Estate Sale: John Herron
1815 Court	Jury Duty
1817 Probate	Witness to Samuel Dunaway (Sr.) Will

Shared DNA Matches: Descendants of Nathaniel Vess

John Bess hit my radar a few years back, when I saw him on census near the Dunaway and Cantrell families.

This intrigued me, because I have a cluster of shared DNA matches with descendants of Samuel Dunaway and Isaac Cantrell on my paternal side, that I can’t explain.

My best explanation, is that my connection to Dunaway/Cantrell is probably through one of the descendants of John Alexander Vess (son of Andrew Logan Vess and Linna Halford -my 3rd great grandparents) who settled in Spartanburg County, South Carolina from North Carolina. I imagine one his descendants, somewhere, married a descendant of Dunaway and/or Cantrell when they lived in South Carolina.

However, reviewing Ancestry-Thru Lines, I have 4 (distant) shared DNA matches with descendants of Nathaniel Vess. Extremely distant (1%), suggesting that connection is somewhere 8-12 generations back (so probably before Peter). Interestingly, we all have shared DNA matches with descendants of Isaac Cantrell (not so much Dunaway) via Reuben Cantrell of Spartanburg County, South Carolina. AND, John Bess was neighbors with Reuben Cantrell.

I don’t know if that is just coincidence or a potential discovery. But, intriguing nonetheless.

Sebastian (Boston) BEST Family

There are a couple of Ancestry trees that show John Bess of Thickety Creek, as the son of Sebastian (Boston) Best from Lincoln County, North Carolina; however, none of them have supportive genealogical records to see how they came to that conclusion.

Majority of Sebastian (Boston) Best family trees online, do not connect their family to John Bess in South Carolina at all.

The Sebastian (Boston) Best family does have records under the “Bess” name; which is frustrating when you are looking for a “Vess,” whose surname even today is often mistaken as “Best” or “Bess.” But, fortunately for us, they were a prominent early pioneer family, whose family history has already been extensively researched by their family.

So…with that said, looking at the BEST family tree (those with documentation, of course), show several potential John Bess/Best candidates. However, there doesn’t seem to be any records to suggest any of them having ever lived in South Carolina.

While the Best family from Lincoln County, North Carolina owned land in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, many of their records strongly suggest (some even clarify), that they were not residents of South Carolina.

John Bess 1800 Census (Female Widow): Observation

On the 1800 Spartanburg County, South Carolina census, John Bess appears to be between 16-25 years old, living with a female who is 45 years and older, suggesting, she is probably his mother or mother-in-law, who is probably a widow.

Interestingly, if you compare this to the Sebastian (Boston) Best family tree (those that are well documented), we see that the potential John Bess/Best candidates, were either not born yet, too young to be on census, and/or had both living parents at the time.

Nathan Bess: Excused Jury Duty 1818

There is a Nathan Bess on the 1818 Jury Duty list, who was later excused from jury duty. The courts did not indicate why people were excused, but generally, they would excuse them, if they didn’t own land, were sick, or were no longer residents of the county.

Nathan Bess, I imagine, is likely related to John Bess.

The courts pooled jurors from the State Poll Tax, which included all male adults (21 and older). However, those pooled, that didn’t own land, were sick, or no longer a resident of the county, were often excused.

*The Sebastian (Boston) Best family do not appear to have a Nathan Bess/Best on their family tree.

Herron Estate Record 1811

But, the most intriguing record of them all, is a probate estate account for John Herron, which appears to list financial transactions related to his estate, and it includes John Bess.

Records indicate that John Herron’s wife is named Judith, and we see her on the 1810 census as a widow, on the previous page from John Bess (John Beas).

Who is John Herron? Any relation to Andrew Heron, father of Elizabeth and James Heron of Patrick County, Virginia, who were also close neighbors to the Vess family?

Cherokee County, South Carolina (Same Geographical Area)

Thickety Creek is located in today’s Cherokee County.

The record with Samuel “Vest” dated 1800, was for a property on People’s Creek, which is also located in today’s Cherokee County.

I currently believe that Samuel “Vest” is Samuel Vess from Patrick Country, Virginia, who disappeared from record, with the other Vess families, after 1797.

But, even more interesting, is that according to the military pension request from Nathaniel Vess, he stated he enlisted under the command of a “John Gaffney” and “Col. Richard Arnold,” who couldn’t be verified; therefore, his pension was denied.

Nathaniel probably meant Captain “Michael” Gaffney, whose company included a lot of Thickety Creek and Peoples Creek residents. There is no record of a John Gaffney – believe me, I’ve searched for years!

Col. Richard Arnold was likely Richard Arendell (another name for Arnold) and he has a deed entry before Thomas Phillips, where we see Samuel “Vest.” There are no records to suggest Richard Arendell / Arnold was ever a Colonel.

Again, not sure if it’s just coincidence or if it has any significant meaning, but it is an intriguing observation, nonetheless.

Could This Be Jonathan and Nathaniel Vess?

First off, I am 100% confident that Nathan “Bess” in 1818, Spartanburg Co. SC, is our Nathaniel Vess. But, I’m not 100% confident John Bess is our Jonathan Vess.

Jonathan Vess married Elizabeth Heron in 1792 Patrick County, Virginia. We see him in Wilkes County, North Carolina in 1803, but we don’t see him again, until 22 years later in Lincoln County, Missouri, prior to settling in Texas in 1829. We’re missing 22 years of his life!

Descendants of Jonathan and Nathaniel Vess are adamant that Jonathan and Elizabeth Vess were in South Carolina prior to settling in Texas.

BUT, there is clearly an age difference between Jonathan Vess and John Bess- comparing records. SO…my best guess, if John Bess is truly a VESS, is that John and Nathan Bess could be brothers; probably sons of Samuel and Catherine Vess, who I believe is “Samuel Vest” in the 1803 Spartanburg Co. land record for Thomas Phillips.

This John Bess, if a Vess, could also be the mysterious older “John Vess,” we see on Peter’s 1830 land record in Rutherford County, North Carolina, as Peter’s son, wouldn’t have been old enough to be listed as a witness.

So, where does that put our Jonathan Vess?
Well…Jonathan Vess could be the oldest son of the oldest William Vess in Patrick County, Virginia (instead of Samuel Vess), with Pryor and William Vess, being the children of the youngest William Vess. I discovered a record showing a William Vess Sr. and a William Vess Jr. (Too many darn William’s).

While I don’t know how everyone is related (as I keep finding more and more of them), I am confident that there are multiple generations of Vess families in Patrick County, Virginia between 1780-1797.

But, again… descendants of Jonathan and Nathaniel Vess are adamant that Jonathan and Elizabeth Vess were in South Carolina. AND, I agree!

Jonathan and Elizabeth “West” of Greenville South Carolina

I am currently researching a Jonathan “West” in Greenville South Carolina, as a potential candidate for our Jonathan Vess.

We know that Peter Vess and his wife, Margaret Vaughn, were listed under the “West” surname in Wilkes County, North Carolina between 1800-1803; so, there is a possibility, that Jonathan and Elizabeth Vess, may also be temporarily hiding behind a “West” surname too, possibly in South Carolina.

More South Carolina Records Coming Available

A few years ago, South Carolina had very few available online records, but genealogical websites like Ancestry, FamilySearch, and even the South Carolina Department of Archives have recently updated their databases to include more records, searchable via index and AI.

As more records become available, we might, someday, bring some light to the mysterious early Vess families of South Carolina.