There is a VESS family hiding in plain sight in Wilkes County, North Carolina. They are easily missed, because they do not appear to be on any census or tax records, or so, none that have been transcribed yet. However, court-records have revealed that there was, in fact, a VESS family in Wilkes County, North Carolina between 1803-1810. Those records then opened the door to discover more records!
1787-1790: William Vest on Elk Creek
1787 Wilkes County, NC tax list, listed next to Benjamin Duncan.
1790 census record listed near to Benjamin Duncan.
1803-1807: Absalom, Jonathan, Peter, Pryor & William Vess/Vest
1803 May
Absalom Vest
Jury Duty Wilkes County, NC
1803 Nov
Jonathan Vest
Jury Duty Wilkes County, NC
1803 Nov
Absalom Vest
Jury Duty Wilkes County, NC
1805 Feb
Jonathan Vess
Witness land record between Nathan Dunkin and John Fletcher, Jr. Brushy Mountain -Smoots Line
1805 Feb
Jonathan Vess
Witness (with Mary Dunkin) between James Fletcher, Jr. and John Fletcher, Jr. Brushy Mountain
1805
Peter Vest
Wilkes county, NC Tax List Thurmonds District
1806 Mar
Absalom Vest
Jury Duty Wilkes County, NC
1806 May
Absolom Vess
Jury Duty Wilkes County, NC
1806 Nov
Absolom Vess
Absalom Vess vs James Fletcher & William Fletcher Case No. 7
1807 Nov
Priah Vest (Pryor)
State vs Priah Vest: Assault; Jury find the defendant not Guilty
1807 Nov
Priah & Wm Vest
Order by the Court: Prosecutor pay costs in both cases & jail fees, suit against the Vests
1807 Nov
Priah & Wm Vest
Order: Priah and Wm Vest be bound in the sum $200 for their good behavior for 12 months, James Gwen enters himself Security
Wilkes County, NC, Pleas & Quarter Sessions Court Minutes 1798-1805 and 1805-1810 Transcribed by John A. McGeachy and 1805 Wilkes County, NC tax list
Absalom Vess: 1808-1830
In 1808, Absalom Vess married Hannah Raymond in Wilkes County, NC.
In 1809-1810, he is listed on an Estate record for William Fletcher in Wilkes County, NC.
In 1810, Absalom is listed on the Iredell County census record.
In 1815, we see him on the Iredell Tax List.
In 1820, with extremely close examination, squeezed in at the bottom of the census, we find Absalom Verl (Vest) on the Wilkes County, NC census.
In 1815, Wilkes county gained from Iredell county, so it is not clear as to whether Absalom moved to Wilkes county from Iredell county, or he is on record for Wilkes county, due to a county change.
At this time, Pryor and William Vess were in Tennessee, with Pryor Vess having a land record dated as early as 1814 in White County, TN.
In 1830, Hannah Vess appears on the Wilkes County census record instead of Absalom Vess, suggesting he may have passed.
Last year, research was slow and eventually came to a halt due to an extremely hectic schedule.
I just now realized that my research ended with a major genealogy cliff-hanger regarding the recently discovered Vess family in Wilkes County, North Carolina! I’ve received a lot of new information that I am super excited to share!
I’ve just recently posted an exciting update in the sidebar regarding Y-DNA for the Travers family and the (R1a) Vess families of North Carolina and Alabama!
Please bare with me as I work on updating the website with new information and resources this month.
I am looking forward to a new year of amazing discoveries!
I am browsing records and I came across WILLIE VESS in Van Buren County, Tennessee dated 1846.
There are land records for a WILLIS VESS dated 1831 and 1837 in White County, Tennessee on the “south side” of Caney Fork (Mountain side). In 1840, Van Buren county was created and Caney Fork became the boundary line between White County and Van Buren County; meaning, the Willis VESS property should now be in Van Buren County.
According to Van Buren County deed records, a WILLIE VESS (maybe Willis) sold 2.78 acres at the foot of the mountain to Zachariah T. SIMMONS. Is this Willis Vess property?
According to Ancestry.com, Zachariah T. SIMMONS married Mary Louisa DODSON. Mary’s parents are supposedly William “Bucky” DODSON and Martha Frances PECK. William “Bucky” DODSON is supposedly William DODSON in White County, TN living next to the Peter VEST family on Caney Fork.
I discovered a death record for a Sarah Elander DODSON, wife of Thomas Bryant SPARKMAN, whose parents are listed as William DODSON and Martha VEST. On Ancestry.com, Sarah Elander DODSON is supposedly the sister of Mary Louisa DODSON (wife of Zachariah SIMMONS), both daughters of William DODSON and Martha PECK.
Is Martha PECK and VEST the same person? Where did the PECK name come from? Also, could it be VEST, since her gravestone doesn’t have a maiden name on it?
Interestingly, I do have a handful of SIMMON, SPARKMAN, JOHNSON, and DODSON as DNA relative matches, all who share close matches with VESS relatives and all connecting to the SIMMON, SPARKMAN, DODSON families in White /Van Buren County, TN.
Is the connection through WILLIS VESS?Does this further support a VESS family connection in Tennessee?
I’ve done some more digging into Absalom Vess of Wilkes County, North Carolina and here is what I’ve discovered:
Absalom “Vess” first appears on record in 1803 in the Wilkes County, North Carolina Pleas & Quarter Sessions Court Minutes 1798-1805 for a couple of jury duty sessions.
In 1806, he is part of a couple more jury duty sessions followed by a court case: Absalom Vess vs. James Fletcher & William Fletcher. I have not found any sources that specifically link this Fletcher family with the Fletcher family in Patrick County, VA. However, Fletcher and Vess seem to have a history together. The Fletcher family in Wilkes county come from Fauquier County, VA, so they may have stopped in Patrick County, but it is not confirmed.
In 1808, Absalom marries Hannah Raymond. I could not find any RAYMOND families, but I did find a REYNARD family in the area, which looks like Reymond in cursive. Hannah might be a Reynard.
In 1809-1810, Absalom Vess is mentioned in the Will documents for William Fletcher: Acct Sale of Estate (1809) and Inventory of Estate (1810).
There are only two family trees on Ancestry.com for Absalom Vest, which states his daughter is Elizabeth Vest who married Westly Dishmon (various spellings). Together they had a daughter named Maranda Fletcher Cogner.
In 1810, Absalom is listed on the Iredell County, NC census and then disappears after that, with Hannah Vess being listed as head of household in 1840.
My guess, is that Absalom Vess was born sometime during the 1780’s and died before 1840.
There is a VESS/VEST family in Rockbridge County, Virginia, who first appears on record during the early 1800’s. There doesn’t seem to be any Y-DNA data available for this family; so I do not know if they are related to the VESS R1a2 line or another family with a similar surname.
Family Origins: Still A Mystery
There appears to be numerous theories as to where the VESS/VEST family of Rockbridge County, Virginia comes from…
DESCENDANTS OF THE WEST FAMILY
I had the opportunity to speak with a few members of this family who state it is believed that they are descendants of the WEST family; specifically, the De La Warr lineage (Englishroots). Unfortunately, I have not found any documentation yet to support this connection.
There was an extensive DNA project available a few years ago which identified several different WEST families in America; some distantly related and some completely unrelated. The research also included descendants of the De La Warr lineage, revealing their Haplogroup to be R1b (different from VESS R1a2).
The WEST Family DNA Project is no longer available to review online; however, I have saved some information from the website, which may be useful with Y-DNA testing through FTDNA.com. It is my understanding that many WEST families have also tested through FTDNA.com.
GERMAN ORIGINS: THE VEST FAMILY
Some believe the VESS/VEST family of Rockbridge County, Virginia may be German in origin. I do not know if this is an oral family tradition or something that came about from all the Rockbridge VESS/VEST family trees online connecting to the John Daniel VEST family of Chesterfield County, Virginia (Haplogroup I), who is believed to be a descendant of Moses Johann Vest from Germany (1650).
Families trees with the VEST family connection seem to be inconsistent. Some connect the VESS/VEST family of Rockbridge County, VA to Samuel Vest, son of John Daniel Vest I of Chesterfield Co., VA; however, John Daniel Vest I did not have a son named Samuel (at least not named in his Will & Testamentdated 1765).
Another connection is via Samuel Vest, son of William Tunwell Vest; however, the dates and census records do not seem to add up. Unfortunately, the name “Samuel” was just as common as “John.” In that case, the Rockbridge County, Virginia VESS/VEST could (in theory) be connected to Samuel Vest of Patrick County, Virginia.
Unfortunately, I have not found any documentation yet to support a connection with the VEST family either.
Y-DNA Testing
There doesn’t seem to be any available Y-DNA data yet for this particular VESS/VEST family. It would be very beneficial for direct male descendants of this VESS/VEST line from Rockbridge County, Virginia to complete a Y-DNA test via Familytreedna.com.
A basic Y-DNA test will provide us with a Haplogroup, which would be a great start to researching this family’s mysterious origins; especially, since we know the VEST family is Haplogroup-I, WEST family is Haplogroup R1b, and our VESS line is Haplogroup R1a.
If you are interested in Y-DNA testing through FTDNA.com, have any information related to the Vess/Vest family of Rockbridge County, Virginia you would like shared on this website or information that will further assist with this research, please feel free to email me at vessgenealogy@gmail.com. 🙂
The Vess family may have not left an obvious trail of bread-crumbs, but upon further investigation of numerous documents, we do find a trail of DODSON’s.
Below, DODSON is pointed out in numerous VESS/VEST records from Patrick County, VA all the way to Franklin County, Alabama.
Patrick County, Virginia The DODSON name first appears on the 1793 land record for Peter Vess in Patrick County, Virginia. Peter appears to have transferred land to John Spencer; land located on the waters of the Mays (MAYO) River, connected to the Dodson line. Witnesses are George Dodson Sr & Jr, and Thomas Dodson.
*Notice Benjamin FLETCHER is also noted as a witness. Is this the same Fletcher family associated with Absalom Vess in Wilkes County, NC?
Wilkes County, North Carolina Although I haven’t found any specific DODSON-VESS records in Wilkes County, North Carolina, I have discovered a DODSON family in Wilkes County with land records for Brushy Mountain dated 1800. This is interesting, because research on Absalom Vess (1803-1809), suggests he was also living near Brushy Mountain.
White County, Tennessee The DODSON family are neighbors to Peter Vess on the 1820 White County, TN census. The DODSON family are also mentioned in land records for Willis and William Vess.
Franklin County, Alabama We then later have a couple of DODSON families listed on a plat map next to Willis Vess in Franklin County, Alabama.
Are These DODSON Families Related
It would be a crazy coincident if these DODSON families were not related. I mean what are the odds, this particular VESS family keeps finding themselves next to a DODSON family?
Interestingly, I discovered a DODSON family website, that reveals a similar migration pattern as the VESS family.
We are looking at the descendants of LAMBETH DODSON and SARAH HARRIS of Halifax Co. Virginia (1689-1780). According to this website, Lambeth DODSON had land on the MAYO RIVER in 1765. [Samuel, Peter, and William Vess also had land along the Mayo River 1780-1793]
His brother THOMAS DODSON, married ELIZABETH ROSE. [DNA Triangulation suggests the VESS family may have a ROSE ancestor]. Thomas Dodson had a son named George Dodson, but I am not sure if they are same Thomas and George Dodson’s on the 1793 land record with Peter VESS.
According to the website, Thomas DODSON may be connected to Rev. William Dodson of Iredell County, NC. Unfortunately, this is not 100% confirmed. [Absalom Vess is in Iredell County, NC]
Interesting notes on the children of Lambeth DODSON and Sarah HARRIS:
● RUBEN DODSON married AGNES WHITLOCK in 1780 in Surry County, North Carolina. Agnes Whitlock does appear to be part of the same WHITLOCK family as Talithia Whitlock (wife of Willis Vess) via CHRISTMAS family connections; further research is needed.
[WHITLOCK was in Patrick County, VA the same time as the VESS family and was in Surry County, NC]
● WILLIAM DODSON died in White County, Tennessee after 1830. His son died in White County, TN during the 1820’s, during the same time Peter Vess was in White County, TN too. This may be the same DODSON family living next to Peter VESS.
Other Interesting Finds
The DODSON family has connections with the WHITT family. This is interesting, because Samuel Vess in 1782 is listed next to a WHITT family. It also brings us back to HENRY VICE (more fun stuff on him later).
The DODSON family website references having property on the MAYO RIVER in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, which may suggest a time before Henry County was formed. After discovering BETTY VESS, perhaps there is another DODSON-VESS connection to be found.
In Wilkes County, North Carolina between 1787 – 1790, there is a WILLIAM VEST. He is found residing in the Isbell District along Kings Creek. In 1789, he is appointed to oversee the road along Elk Creek. Then, in 1790, he appears to have moved to the Judd District on Reddies River.
After 1790, the VEST name disappears. However, between 1803 – 1810, we begin to see the VESS name with Absalom, Jonathan, William, and Pryor “Vess.” After 1810, these men completely disappear from Wilkes County, North Carolina.
Betty Vess 1773: Pittsylvania County, Virginia
Looking at the 1790 Wilkes County, North Carolina census for William VEST, he is listed next to Barnet OWEN (Judd District). After a little digging, Barnet OWEN is related to Henry MULLINS (also on 1790 census).
Barnet OWEN and Henry MULLINS, both purchased land in 1787 on the waters of Reddies River at the head of Tumbling Shoal Branch. Reddies River connects to the Yadkin River. These are the only two families with land records, via nclandgrants.com, referencing “Tumbling Shoal Branch,” so I assumed these families probably have close connections with each other.
I discovered a family website, “The Descendants of Henry Mullins,” by Charles Owens. According to Owens, Henry Mullins purchased land from William Owen in Pittsylvania Co., VA in 1773; listing BETTY VESS as one of the witnesses! If this record does read “VESS,” it would become the earliest known “VESS” record found to-date.
Also listed as witnesses is the ALFORD family, which we know is related to the VEST family (Bedford / Chesterfield Counties). However, the ALFORD family is quite extensive, according to their amazing website, The ALFORD American Family Association, and thus has connections with many early American families.
I am in the process of trying to find the original record between Henry Mullins and William Owen to see if there is a property description to determine exactly where in Pittsylvania County, VA this property was located; for that it may better determine if Betty Vess is a VESS, VEST, or VOSS.
Samuel, Peter, and William Vess resided in Patrick County, VA, an area that was once Henry County; but prior to the formation of Henry County (1777), it was Pittsylvania County. Betty Vess predates the formation of Henry County. So, was Betty in the southern part of Pittsylvania that will become Patrick County (making her a VESS), was she in the northern part that will later become Bedford County (making her a VEST), or was she in today’s eastern portion of Pittsylvania (making her a VOSS)???
More research is needed.
What are your thoughts? Do you think this is another potential “Vess” ancestor?
I recently received a book in the mail called, “Wilkes County, NC, Pleas & Quarter Sessions Court Minutes, 1798-1805,” by John A. McGeachy. I meant to order the book covering dates 1805-1810 with Priah (Pryor) Vess; however, the book that came in wasn’t a disappointment…
The book I accidentally ordered has a record for Absalom and Jonathan Vest. Prior to this, the earliest record I have for Jonathan is 1805 and the earliest record I have for Absalom is 1809. This book has them listed for Jury Duty as early as 1803!
Unfortunately, the book for court records between 1805-1810 is not available; however, Google Books online provides us with a preview for PRIAH (Pryor) Vess:
It reveals that Priah (Pryor) Vest was charged with Assault. The preview does not show the date of the court-minute session. However, it continues to state that the defendant was found “not guilty” and that the court ordered Priah and William Vest be “bound” in the sum of 200 pounds for 12 months good behavior (McGeachy).
The index references Absalom and Jonathan Vess/Vest, but provides no preview.
In addition, Vince Vess sent us a link from Genealogy.com in reference to James P. Fletcher. It appears that Jonathan Vess wasn’t the only Vess associated with the Fletcher family; so was Absalom Vess.
In 1809 and 1810, Absalom Vess is mentioned in the Sale of Estate and Inventory of Estate for William Fletcher.
So, who was this Fletcher family and do they have relation to the Fletcher family in Patrick County, VA?
I am beginning to unearth a hidden VEST/VESS family who appears in Virginia as early as 1782 and venturing off towards the west and south during the 1800’s.
Having spoken to many VESS/VEST families of Virginia, the VESS/VEST family in Patrick County is one they do not recognize nor listed on any known VEST family trees; providing us with further hope that this might very well be our VESS ancestors of the R1a2 lineage. However, it is just their mere presence that has just recently surfaced and more digging is needed to uncover records to identify their specific relationships with each other.
I have so much to share that I am unable to fit it all into one post, so here is just the tip of the iceberg of what I have dug up and I will certainly follow up with more details later…
Wilkes County, North Carolina
It has been long thought that our earlier ancestors converged sometime in Stokes County, NC; however, recent research now suggests it may have been Wilkes County, NC instead.
The discovery of William VEST in Wilkes County, North Carolina has been ground breaking; not only is he completely separate from the William Tunwell VEST family, but is residing in an area near families that Vincent Vess has identified as possible earlier ancestors of our Vess family (Sparks, Pennington, Hodge, and Rose families). Further investigation of this area, has also revealed families who are later found near Peter and Willis Vess.
William Vest first appears in the 1787 tax list for the Capt. Isabell District of Wilkes County, NC. I am not yet sure if he is the same William Vest in Patrick County, Virginia, for that the records for William in Virginia are not consistent, but more or less sporadic with records only for 1783, 1790, and 1792. In other Patrick County tax years there is a William “VIAS,” but I am not sure if this is suppose to be VESS, considering Samuel and Peter’s surnames remain consistent on the annual tax lists. BUT, I also see William VIAS in Wilkes County records when William Vest is absent from record – so perhaps they are one and the same, or perhaps a mix of Sr. & Jr.
On the 1787 tax list, William Vest is listed in the Capt. Isbell District. He is listed next to Richard Green who established a church on Buffalo Creek. In 1789, county court records state William Vest was appointed to “oversee” the road along Elk Creek. In short, we have a pretty good idea where William Vest was in between 1787-1790.
There are a lot of interesting families associated with this particular area too. One family in particular who has gained my recent attention is the previously mentioned, Richard GREEN.
I discovered that Richard GREEN is related to Amos GREEN in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Amos Green is listed as a member of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church with Peter Vess. The Green family are known to be allied with the Hambrick & Bridge families, who Peter is listed near on the 1820 census. Interestingly, my research so far, suggests that Elizabeth Green, mother of Talithia Whitlock (wife of Willis Vess), may be a distant cousin of Amos Green (further research is needed).
I have also recently discovered a HAMBRICK family in Wilkes County near William Vest who I am curious if whether or not they have any relation to the Hambrick families in Rutherford County, NC near Peter Vess. AND, also in Wilkes County I stumbled upon a Joseph SOUTHER, who I am curious if whether or not is the same Joseph Souther who bought Peter’s land in 1846. There is also Jacob NICHOLS, who I am curious if whether or not is related to the NICHOL family who married 2 of the children of Willis Vess in Franklin County, Alabama.
Recent finds also include the records for Absalom Vess/Vest and Jonathan Vess. Absalom Vest married in Wilkes County in 1809 to Hannah Raymond and settled, to the best of my knowledge, in Iredell County, NC. The record for Jonathan Vess is super interesting, because it mentions Brushy Mountain, which according to early maps is very close to Hunting Creek, where the Sparks family eventually settled, suggesting a migration South.
Wilkes County, NC has a fascinating history and many of its residents migrated to South Carolina before coming back up to Tennessee; which brings me to wonder if this may be how Nathaniel Vess fits into the puzzle.
There is still so much more to research, but it is clear that there was a good-size VESS/VEST family hiding under the radar in Wilkes County at one time; including a Pryor Vess, which is what seems to connect everything together.
Connecting The Pieces Together
▼ Below is a picture that represents the locations of this particular VESS/VEST family from VA to AL.
As you can see, there appears to be a migration pattern from Patrick County, Virginia to possibly Franklin County, Alabama.
I forgot to add Absalom Vest (Iredell County 1810).
Records are scarce and the few records I did find, don’t really tell us too much up front; but when you lay them out across the table, there does appear to be something going on…
First, it is interesting that Willis Vess has a land record that mentions William Vess as his “heir,” yet none of his children are named William; so this could be William Vest of White County, TN. Then, there are the White County, TN records…
William and Willis Vest both have land records for White County, TN on Caney Fork next to the DOBSON family.
Peter Vest is the only Vess/Vest on census in White County, TN. We know he lives on Caney Fork, because he is listed next to the DOBSON family on census who are also listed on the Willis and William Vest land records. He is also neighbors with the HODGE family (our Vess family is related to via DNA data) from Franklin county, VA, who were listed on the 1782 Henry County tax list with Samuel Vest; suggesting this Vess/Vest family in White County, TN may be the Patrick County, VA Vess/Vest family.
There is also a PRYOR VEST, who has a land record for Caney Fork dated 1814, which predates records for Peter, William, and Willis. Pryor Vest is not on census anywhere and has stumped me for a very long time.
However, yesterday, I came across a book called, “Wilkes County, NC, P&Q Minutes, 1798-1805,” by John A. McGeachy, that not only lists Jonathan Vess, but also Absalom, William, and PRIAH (Pryor) “VESS!”
There is no e-book version, so I had to order the physical book, which I do hope will come in this weekend. I am extremely excited, for that one of the previews of the book mentions an “assault” charge involving Pryor and William Vess. Finally, a little bit of drama!
Anyway, my point is, there seems to be overlapping evidence that strongly suggests this could very likely be one Vess/Vest family.
Lastly, I also find it interesting that records for Willis and John P. Vess state their parents were born in North Carolina, which lines up pretty well with William Vest in Wilkes County, North Carolina who has records as early as 1787. This allows plenty of time to have a Vess generation in between him and Willis Vess. Also, records for John P. Vess state he was born in Tennessee in 1822, which makes a connection to the White County, TN Vess/Vest family plausible (considering their record dates).
Research Continues
If Willis Vess is in fact connected with the VESS/VEST family of Patrick County, VA, through White County, TN and Wilkes County, NC, then so is Peter Vess; for that Willis and Peter are confirmed to be related to each other by Y-DNA analysis. Unfortunately, records to identify their specific relationship to one another still remains elusive, but perhaps recent findings of more specific locations of these families will give us a better look at where we need to start digging next…
While exploring records for Wilkes County, North Carolina, I came across a record, dated 1805, for a Jonathan Vess! This was completely unexpected!!
Familysearch.org Deed Book F-1 Wilkes County, North Carolina 1778-1807
Duncan & Fletcher Families
This record for Jonathan Vess is very intriguing.
It involves a Duncan and a Fletcher family, which are family names seen associated with the Vest/Vess family in Patrick County, VA in 1793.
According to the Patrick County, VA court records, the Vess and Fletcher families were involved in some kind of dispute against another family. Also, court records show a deed transfer for Peter Vess involving John Duncan. Did these families travel to North Carolina?
I am not sure if this is the same Jonathan Vess who married Elizabeth Heron and settled in the Republic of Texas or our mysterious John Vess, father of Willis Vess. Further research is needed.
For the last couple of months, I’ve been researching extensively on Willis Vess of Franklin County, Alabama and William Vest of Wilkes County, North Carolina. What we thought was a convergence of families in Stokes County, NC, may have actually been in Wilkes County, NC.
I have discovered that a lot of families associated with Willis and Peter Vess have earlier ties in Wilkes County, NC. I have also discovered a lot of interesting things about William VEST and his neighbors in Wilkes County, NC. I am gathering my notes and I will be posting soon regarding my recent findings that might be leading us closer to some earlier Vess ancestors.
