Disruptive Early Life
Zephaniah Vess was born in 1842 on Cedar Creek in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He was the sixth son of Peter Vess and Catherine Crook, named after his uncle, Zephaniah Crook of Buncombe County. He had a fair complexion, with blue eyes, and light-colored hair.
Life with his parents was short. His father, Peter, died between 1846 and 1850 after the family lost their farm, and his mother, Catherine, passed away shortly thereafter in 1852. Following his mother’s death, his younger siblings went to live with Dempsey Sumner, a close family friend who lived between the Crook and Souther families in Fairview, Buncombe County.
It is uncertain, if Zephaniah joined them, as records have been lost; but it was also common for close family and friends to take in orphans informally without having to involve the court.
In 1860, while his siblings were in Buncombe County, 18-year-old Zephaniah was living with N.H.P. Whiteside (Noah Patterson Whiteside), a young local landowner in Rutherford County. He was likely hired to help on the farm, as later records state he was a farmer by occupation.
The 1860 Court Case: A Neighborhood Feud
In 1860, Zephaniah Vess and Isaac Bradley found themselves sued by George Nix for “trespass with force and arms” alongside a staggering $2,000 in damages.
A sheriff’s warrant was issued to round up a massive list of defendants from the Buffalo Creek area, including members of the Whiteside, Ledbetter, and Bradley families. Highlighting the tight-knit nature of the community, N.H.P. Whiteside stepped up to post a massive $4,000 appearance bond to ensure Zephaniah Vess and Isaac Bradley made it to court.
Unfortunately, court records detailing the cause and outcome of the dispute appear to be lost, but the records we do have apparently suggest a fierce local neighborhood clash.
Civil War: Changing Sides
When the Civil War erupted, Zephaniah enlisted in 1862 on the Confederate side, likely pressured by the military service of his older brothers and the strong military legacy of the Whiteside family.
However, life as a Confederate soldier was harsh, and like many men from Western North Carolina, Zephaniah soon deserted. By 1863, he made his way to Tennessee and enlisted in the Union Army (joining the Mounted Infantry). Union enlistment offered better conditions, regular pay, and vital legal protection from being executed as a Confederate deserter.
Proving himself a capable soldier, Zephaniah was promoted to Corporal in 1864. He served faithfully for three years, but tragedy struck just as the war was coming to a close. Zephaniah, age 22, died on April 4, 1865, at the Asylum Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee, from typhoid pneumonia—just weeks before the peace he had fought so hard to reach.
