Catherine Vess

Catherine Vess: Given Name Eleanor?

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

During the 18th and 19th century, it became increasingly popular among Southern families to use their middle name as their first name.

While it wasn’t uncommon for formal documents to address men by their middle name, rather than their given name, it didn’t usually apply to women (they often had to use their given name).

1852 Case Record: Eleana Vest vs John Vess & Others

An 1852 record was shared with me, about a case between an “Eleana Vest” (deceased) and the children of Peter and Catherine Vess, pertaining to the sale of property.

The immediate question on everyone’s mind is:
Who in the world is Eleana Vest?

Jones O Williams Administrator of Eleana Vest Deceased Vs John Vest & Others
Petition to sell real Estate

“In this case the Court appoints R. L. Gilkey Guardian [illegible] to the infant defendants to wit, Rachel, Eliz or Malinda, Zephaniah , & Jasper Vest , and orders publication to be made in the Mountain Banner for six consecutive for John, Alfred & Alney Vest to appear at the next term of this court to be held on the 6th Monday after the 4th Monday in June and next to show cause if any they can why the [illegible] of the Petition shall not be granted. Publication made 8th June 1852.  

Citation: “Rutherford, North Carolina, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99GD-FX4Z?view=fullText : Jul 14, 2025),image 57 of 633; North Carolina. County Court (Rutherford County).Image Group Number: 007640780

Peter’s Land on Cedar Creek

Another record was shared with me, dated 1856, pertaining to the same case above, acknowledging the “execution of an order to Jonathan Williams, a tract of land containing 109 acres more or less.”

Neither record provides a description of the land, but according to a deed record in 1846, Peter Vess transferred his property, “109 acres more or less” to Joseph Souther, to cover a $50 debt. The record did state that if the debt was paid, the transaction would become void.

Because the property involves the children of Peter and Catherine, including their minor children, this strongly suggests this could be Peter’s property on Cedar Creek.

Would this mean, the property was returned to the Vess family at some point? And, if so, is “Eleana,” his wife, Catherine?

Unavailable Records

The case was supposedly published in the Mountain Banner (local newspaper) in 1852, which probably would have included a description of the property. Unfortunately, Newspapers.com, the largest database of newspapers, does not have any copies of the paper published in 1852.

There also doesn’t seem to be any further deed records available regarding this sale of property. Neither under the names of Jones Williams or Eleana Vest to Jonathan Williams.

1848 Court Minutes: Tax List

There are no census records for an Eleana Vest. However, we do see an “Eleazar Vest” on the 1848 Rutherford County, NC tax list with Andy Vest (Andrew Logan Vess). Could this be Eleana (Eleanor), misspelled?

At first I thought this was Eleazar Vest, a real person from Virginia, but there are no records suggesting he ever left Virginia, had any business in North Carolina, or any kind of possible connection to VESS.

Eleanor Is Often Misspelled

In the book, “Bill’s Creek Baptist Church ⎮ Two Hundred Year History 1782-1982,” by Helen M. Lu, there does list an E. C. Vess, Elaner C. Vess, and an Eleanor C. Vess. However, she appears in member lists after 1880, and is noted as the wife of Bailey Vess, with census records (listed as B. W. Vess and Ellen C. Vess) stating she was born in 1851. Rules her out as Eleana Vest in 1852.

I do not know which Bailey Vess. Interestingly, our family lineage for Peter Vess, which is quite extensive, has several ancestors named Bailey Vess; however, neither are listed with a wife named Eleanor C. Vess. I guess we have another mystery to dig into!

Anyway, my point, is that the name Eleanor has various misspellings. I’ve also seen it spelled as Eliana too.

So…perhaps Catherine’s full name is Eleanor Catherine Crook? This might explain why we haven’t found any marriage records between Peter and Catherine.

More Research Is Needed To Confirm

While, this seems like this could be Catherine and may very well be Catherine, we need more records to confirm it!

Nonetheless, this is very exciting! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Citations

Lu, Helen M. Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: Two Hundred Year History. 1984.

Familysearch.org (see links above)

Exploring The CROOK Family

/ J. V. / 2 Comments

Peter VESS married Catherine “Katie” CROOK, daughter of John Emmanuel CROOK and Rachel HAYNES of Rutherford County, North Carolina.

The Haynes Family: Catherine’s Maternal Side

Catherine’s maternal grandparents are William Presley HAYNES and Sarah Emma GIBBS. Together they had 10 children: John, Mary, Sarah, William Jr., Hezekiah, Rachel (Catherine’s mother), Henry, Eli, and Levi.

William Presley Haynes was the first pastor at Bill’s Creek Baptist Church, which is believed to have been established in 1785. William is believed to have died in 1788 per his probate record. His 300 acres of land on Cove Creek near Broad River was split among his wife and younger sons. Several of his older children relocated to Kentucky. The last bit of William’s land was later sold to John Ledbetter in 1805, after Sarah’s death.

The Crook Family: Catherine’s Paternal Side

Catherine’s paternal grandparents are Andrew CROOK and Sarah BABER, daughter of James BABER and Mildred ARTHUR. Only two children are named in Andrew Crook’s 1814 Rutherford County, North Carolina probate record: Mildred Arthur Creighton Crook and “illegitamate” son, John Emmanuel Crook.

The Crook family is of Irish and Scottish descent, according to a biological sketch for Ira FOSTER, second husband of Mildred Arthur Creighton Crook (Catherine’s aunt). It further states that “Andrew Crook was born in Ireland and his mother was a Creighton.”

Mildred Arthur Creighton Crook
Ancestry.com


I strongly believe that SARAH “COOK”, listed as a member of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church, between 1829-1835 with Peter and Catherine VEST is actually Sarah CROOK (Baber), Catherine’s grandmother, wife of Andrew Crook. According to Peter’s 1830 census, they had an elderly woman living with them, which I strongly believe is also Sarah.

John Emmanuel Crook married Rachel Haynes, daughter of William Haynes and Sarah Gibbs. Together they had 7 children: Zephaniah, William, Susannah, Mary Polly, David, Catherine, and Melinda. Marriage records for several children are witnessed by an Issac Creaton (which may be Creighton), a possible relative of Andrew Crook.

Crook Meets Haynes: Bill’s Creek Community

Andrew Crook, Catherine’s grandfather, obtained land in Buncombe County, North Carolina in 1804 on Gap Creek, which deed records suggest he turned around and sold it. In 1810, he is listed on the Rutherford County, North Carolina census (slave owner), but there doesn’t seem to be any (existing) land records for him in that county. However, his son, John Crook, is also listed on the 1810 census with a land record showing he obtained land in Rutherford County, North Carolina in 1804.

According to the 1804 land record, John Crook obtained land on Cove Creek joining William Haynes (Sr.) original property on Cove Creek near Broad River; not too far from Bill’s Creek Baptist Church.

Crook Family of South Carolina: Possible Connections

Although the Biological Sketch of Ira Foster states Andrew Crook, Catherine’s grandfather, was born in Ireland, many family trees on Ancestry.com believe he is the son of Andrew Crooks and Janne (believed to be Creighton) of Newberry County, South Carolina, whose children (per probate records) are Samuel, John, Nancy, Elizabeth, and Andrew (Jr.).

Andrew Crooks Sr. and his sons, owned land between the Enoree and Broad Rivers in Newberry County, South Carolina (records kept in Abbeville Co.) prior to 1800. If related, could this possible give light to the mysterious Vess family living in Greenwood (once part of Newberry County) during the 1850’s??

The Wife of Peter Vess: Maiden Name CROOK

/ J. V. / 3 Comments

Oral tradition states that Peter VESS of Rutherford County, North Carolina married Catherine “Katie” COOK, but was that her real maiden name?

Peter and Catherine VESS are genealogical brick walls. They appear out of nowhere as early as 1820 on census in Rutherford County, North Carolina. The only record with them together is an 1829-1836 church list from Bill’s Creek Baptist Church. We have yet to discover any documents of Catherine’s maiden name, making it difficult to locate her parents.

However, recent DNA evidence has revealed that her maiden name may actually be CROOK.

The Lack of Evidence For COOK

We’ve had a theory, for a long time now, that COOK may not be Catherine’s real maiden name.

Despite the numerous COOK families in North Carolina, autosomal DNA barely produces any matches. Personally, the only COOK’s I’ve ever encountered in my autosomal DNA matches are COOKS assigned to my maternal side.

I’ve explored the 3 different COOK families passing through Rutherford County, NC: The Ephriam Cook line, James Cook line, and the later Loney Cook line; none of which have records or family trees with a Catherine “Katie” Cook.

In 2021, DNA evidence suggested we may have a Sparks-Rose maternal ancestor on the Vess line; but we aren’t sure which side of the family: Peter’s or Catherine’s. Since the early Sparks-Rose family predominately lived in Wilkes County, NC, it is probably best to say the connection might be on Peter’s side; especially, after discovering a VESS/VEST family in Wilkes County, NC.

So, that leaves us back to square one, until just recently…

DNA Evidence For CROOK

Vincent Vess, who uses DNA triangulation methods to try to locate earlier ancestors, has made a fascinating new discovery!

Through extensive work, he has discovered a genetic connection to the CROOK families of Rutherford County and Buncombe County, North Carolina.

His work led him to a John and Andrew CROOK. Adding this family to Catherine Katie’s Cook’s line in Ancestry.com, updated his Thruline matches revealing a bunch of matching DNA cousins, most of which are descendants of Zephaniah Crook and his sister Mary Polly Crook; suggesting that Catherine “Katie” Cook’s parents are JOHN CROOK and RACHEL HAYNES.

Exploring the CROOK family records, Vince made an intriguing observation, noticing the names within the CROOK family are the same names seen in the PETER VESS family: ANDREW, ZEPHANIAH, RACHEL, JASPER, and JOHN.

I did not come up in Vince’s shared DNA matches he used to discover the CROOK lineage, likely because I am too distant to detect (we’re already distant cousins). At first, my Thrulines showed no DNA matches to the Crook family after adding them to my tree. However, today, my Thrulines now show 1 DNA match with a descendant of Zephaniah Crook. Interestingly, all, and I do mean all, their shared DNA matches are descendants of Andrew Logan Vess, lineages from both wives Halford and Connor, strongly suggesting a connection with an early ancestor of Andrew Logan Vess. The Willis Vess lines would not show up, because Catherine married Peter Vess.

So, these DNA results seem very promising.

According to Ancestry.com, I have discovered a couple of ancestry trees for John Crook and Rachel Haynes, listing a Catherine Katie CROOK as their daughter, born in 1804, having lived in Bill’s Creek, and died after 1850- no marriage or children are listed. I find this super intriguing, as the information is not only oddly similar to our Catherine Katie COOK but there are no records of VESS. So, I am wondering, if their Catherine Katie CROOK is our Catherine Katie COOK??

The CROOK & HAYNES Family

John Crook married Rachel Haynes, the daughter of William Haynes. According to the book, Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: Two Hundred Year History, by Helen M. Lu, William Haynes was their first pastor.

The Haynes family owned land near Bill’s Creek, specifically, on Cove Creek and Knob’s Creek. Looking at the 1820 census for Peter Vess, I concluded that he lived on Knobs Creek, just wasn’t sure which one as there are 2 located in the Broad River Basin. In 1850, without Peter, Catherine is back in the Bill’s Creek area.

In 1804, a John Crook, presumably the father of Catherine, obtained land on Cove Creek joining the Haynes line in Rutherford County, NC. William Haynes had land on Cove Creek near Broad River, issued in 1794, in between Knobs Creek and Bill’s Creek.

In Buncombe County, NC, we have an Andrew Crook who obtained land on Gap Creek in 1804. John Crook later obtained land in Buncombe County, NC, joining land with his son Zephaniah Crook. Interestingly, Buncombe County, NC is where Peter and Catherine’s youngest children went to live after their death. They are seen on census with Dempsey Sumner, who has land on Cane Creek. Gap and Cane Creek connect.

The Crook family has a history of having been in Rowan County, NC on Lick and Tom’s Creek. There appears to be 2 John Crooks in Rowan County, one that went to White County, TN with the GOOLSBY family and one who went to Rutherford County, NC and then Buncombe County, NC. Each are intriguing, because we find VESS in both locations.

Further research is needed, of course, but I am super excited we have a new lead to Vess family history!































Sparks-Rose Discovery: Peter & Catherine Vess Maternal Side

/ J. V. / 2 Comments

We’ve made a new significant discovery, but we need your help!

If you have completed an Autosomal DNA test through Ancestry or 23andMe, please help us by transferring your results for free to Familytreedna.com so that we can continue our research. If you need help completing the process or have any questions, please email vessgenealogy@gmail.com for assistance.

What Is Triangulation: Genetic Genealogy

Triangulation is a method used in genetic genealogy where segments of DNA are analyzed and compared between shared DNA matches. Those who share the same segments of DNA are likely to share a common ancestor and their family trees (and family histories) provide clues to help identify those common ancestors.

Recent Findings Via Triangulation: Rose-Sparks Connection

Vincent Vess is working on using triangulation methods to identify the parents of Peter Vess and Catherine Cook. His recent finds are super intriguing!

He analyzed segments of DNA of 3 different VESS descendants whose most recent common ancestors are Peter Vess and Catherine Cook. Each, different descendant, descends from a different son of Peter and Catherine [Andrew Logan, Jasper, and Josiah Vess]. The importance of having different descending lines from Peter and Catherine not only help confirm a solid Vess connection, but also helps in identifying early maternal lines (the parents of Catherine Cook).

He then triangulated one segment of DNA on the 5th Chromosome with other shared DNA matches who have public family trees. He discovered 4 matches who share the same segment of DNA as the 3 Vess descendants, yet none of those 4 matches have VESS in their family trees; suggesting all 7 matches share an earlier common ancestor prior to Peter and Catherine Cook.

Between the 4 matches, he discovered they share common connections with Emmanuel ROSE and Reuben SPARKS families in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

The connection between Rose and Sparks maybe recent, for that those names come up frequently as shared DNA matches in Ancestry for both Vincent and I (we suspect it will for other Vess families too).

Wilkes County Is Our Mark

Ever wonder about that War of 1812 record with Peter Vest listed on it?

A good portion of names listed have no records in Surry County. In fact, only 15 of them can be found on the 1810 census record, most having earlier land records, suggesting they were older soldiers. Most of the other names listed are younger soldiers who were not head of household yet in 1810 and many of them actually have later connections with Wilkes County. This is because Wilkes County was made from parts of Surry County in 1777 and a few names on the list (confirmed by maps) had their properties split by the county border. Although no longer part of Surry County, their close proximity to the border probably had them doing much of their business in Surry County, which explains why so many were drafted under Surry County rather than Wilkes County. Is this the case for Peter Vess?

North-Western North Carolina: Migration Routes Converged

Earlier ancestors of the names listed above have original land records issued by Rowan County, for that Rowan County once covered the western parts of North Carolina. When Surry County was formed, the portion of what will become Wilkes County was the District of Washington (but it only lasted a year). In 1777, Wilkes was created in between Surry County and Washington County (formerly District of Washington).

In 1784, the short-lived STATE OF FRANKLIN was formed, mixing records like a tossed salad with the formation of Wayne County (State of Franklin) in a good portion of Wilkes County.

This affected many families in the surrounding areas, especially, those living in Wilkes County.

Why is this important to Vess Genealogy? Because what we have discovered is that many families coming down the Great Wagon Road or those coming up from South Carolina into Tennessee, all converge in this area at one time or another. This was the area in which families traveled across the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, into Tennessee, or down into the Carolinas.

Vincent Vess discovered the following names listed on a North Carolina, U.S. Census, 1784-1787 (Ancestry.com).

Samuel McQueen/Queen, John Sparks, Joshua Pennington, Richard Estes, William Sparks, Thomas Hodges, Agnis Nichols, Robert Whiteside, William Underwood, William Pennington, Jacob Nichols, Joseph Pruitt, Emmanuel Rose, John Turner, James Webb, Stephen Caudill, Roger Turner, William Hodges, James Caudill, Benjamin Rose, Timothy Buttery, John Rose Sr., Abraham Cook, Thomas Cook…

These names are extremely familiar to us as they are becoming more repetitive in our family research.

Also, included in this list of names is a William Vest, who we have not been able to identify his origins yet. Perhaps, he might have a connection with James Harvey Vest due to the presence of the Caudill family or maybe he is related to Peter Vest on the Surry County War of 1812 record?

Reuben Sparks and Emmanuel Rose

The 4 matches (as mentioned earlier) are connected to the Sparks and Rose families of Wilkes County.

Reuben Sparks and Emmanuel Rose are of the same generation as Peter and Catherine Cook, so a common ancestor would likely be someone prior to them.

These families are intriguing for a number of reasons, but one particular fact that interests us (or at least me) is that both families originated in Maryland, with the Sparks family having come from Frederick County, Maryland and the Rose family having come from Calvert County, Maryland. Note: Calvert is across from Dorchester County, Maryland (Travers family).

Following Geographical Features Rather Than Records

Fortunately, the father of Reuben Sparks, Solomon Sparks, has a lengthy recorded history. He first settled in Surry County when it was Rowan County, then his land was split between Surry and Wilkes County, making him a Wilkes County resident. We can easily track where the Sparks family have gone, for that notes are specific on the Rivers and Creeks in which the Sparks family resided on, making it much easier to locate records due to county changes.

We can use the geographical features mentioned in the genealogical notes provided by the Sparks family to reconstruct the community (like we did for the Tyger River community in SC) further identifying more families in the area that may offer more clues to Vess Genealogy.

Both Sparks and Rose families lived off the Yadkin River, something I look forward to further investigating.

Rose & Travers Family in Anson County, North Carolina

Emmanuel Rose may have a brother named Samuel Rose, who supposedly ended up in Anson County, North Carolina. He is found on the 1763 taxpayer record. Interestingly, so is John Travis (Travers).

John Travis, is supposedly the son of Dr. Edward Travers who came from Cork, Ireland. Also, we recently discovered a Charles Travers in Anson County, NC who may be the brother of John Travis (Travers). Research states John Travis ended up in Abbeville County, South Carolina; which is another place of interest in Vess Genealogy.

Is there a connection? I am interested in finding out!

Genetic Genealogy: The Door To Answers

Genetic genealogy helps us identify specific families that we share a common ancestor. By exploring these families, we can narrow down the genealogical search to specific geographical places.

We have genetic proof that our name changed, but we don’t exactly know when our name changed to VESS, making it very difficult to find early records. Identifying families we are closely related to can help us explore the areas they once lived, thus helping us look for evidience of families with names similar to Vess or Travers.

At this time, we have no genealogical proof of Catherines maiden name (is it really COOK?) nor Peter’s mother’s maiden name; so with more Autosomal DNA kits to analyze, compare, and triangulate, the more matches to family trees we can identify and further explore for answers to Vess Genealogy.

Please help us with our research by transferring your Autosomal DNA results to Familytreedna.com for FREE today!