genealogy

Following The DNA Evidence: Part 1

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

When records are scarce, follow the DNA!

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been following the DNA evidence provided by Vincent Vess and have made some remarkable discoveries that are beginning to shed more light on early Vess family history!!

DNA Triangulation Match 1 (ROSE-SPARKS) 🧬

The DNA evidence begins in Wilkes County, North Carolina via the Rose and Sparks families.

According to DNA research provided by Vincent Vess, descendants of Willis and Peter Vess have DNA matches (via the DNA Triangulation Method) with the Emmanuel John Rose and Reuben Sparks families of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Emmanuel Rose and Reuben Sparks are connected through their children: Elizabeth Rose and John Sparks.

These results suggest that an ancestor of Peter and Willis Vess lie somewhere on the ROSE/SPARKS family tree.

It is believed that the connection to VESS is likely via ROSE, rather than SPARKS. So, I began to research the ROSE families, which surprisingly, led me to the WHITLOCK & GREEN families!

Early Rose Families of Wilkes County, NC

According to the Rose Family Association (DNA Project), there were 2 different earlier ROSE families in Wilkes County, North Carolina during the same time period.

The first family, identified as Y-DNA Group A-1, includes John Rose Sr. and his sons, Benjamin, John Jr., Sterling, and Hosea, all who appear to have lived north of the Yadkin River.

The second family, identified as Y-DNA Group L, is John Rose, who appears to have lived south of the Yadkin River. He is noted as being “closely related, if not, a direct descendant of John Rose and Lucy Bennett (Virginia),” via Bennett Rose and Mary Haustraete (Surry Co. NC). It is also noted that this John Rose eventually settled in White County, Tennessee from Surry/Wilkes County, North Carolina.

Emmanuel Rose: Likely Related to Group L

Emmanuel John Rose 🧬 did not have any sons; therefore, there are no direct descendants available for Y-DNA testing for his lineage. However, family websites for the Emmanuel John Rose family, strongly believe Emmanuel John Rose is also the son of Bennett Rose and Mary Haustraete. If accurate, he would be related to John Rose (Group L).

Furthermore, if accurate, there could be a VESS connection somewhere on the John Rose / Lucy Bennett line.

Looking further into this John Rose, I came across our second DNA Triangulation match: George Washington Parks (Grayson Co. VA), as well as other intriguing connections!

DNA Triangulation Match 2 (Parks) 🧬

John Rose (Group L) obtained land on “Gray’s Creek,” in 1782, in Wilkes County, NC, joining the Gray’s line.

The Gray’s line refers to the property of James Gray (obtained in 1780). James Gray married Elizabeth Parks, daughter of Capt. John Parks Sr. and Mary Jane Sharp. Her brother, James Franklin Parks I, is the grandfather of George Washington Parks🧬 of Grayson County, VA (another DNA Triangulation Match to Vess)!

Brier Creek Baptist Church

Interestingly, Brier Creek Baptist Church is located south of the Yadkin River near the properties of John Rose and James Gray.


Between 1801 – 1805, the Rose, Parks, Sparks, and West (Vest) families are mentioned as members. Brier Creek Baptist Church appears to be the center hub for families north and south of the Yadkin River.

Brier Creek Baptist Church is a branch of the Three Forks Baptist Church. The Three Forks Baptist Church was established by Richard Henry Green. *1787 tax list, Richard Green is listed under the Isabell District with William Vest, Benjamin Duncan, Lawerence Duncan, and Russell Jones (residents of Kings Creek).

Church records reveal that several members, despite being distantly apart, bounced between both churches.

1787 Tax List: Brushy Mountain Community

On the 1787 tax list for Wilkes County, NC, John Rose is listed with some notable families:
Souther, Combs, Smoot, Parks, Fletcher, and Dunkin in the Brushy Mountain community south of the Yadkin River. All these families, at some time or another, have a record connected to the Vest/Vess family.

Note: Absalom Vest and Jonathan Vess appear in the Brushy Mountain Community on record between 1803-1805.

John Rose (Group L) Relocates in 1790

John Rose (Group L) relocates to Surry County, North Carolina in 1790, prior to the arrival of the Vest/Vess family (Peter, Absalom, Jonathan, William, and Pryor 1800-1810).

However, keep in mind, there was an earlier documented “William Vest” in Wilkes County, NC between 1787-1790 on Kings Creek (parts of which is documented as part of Brushy Mt), located south of the Yadkin River, west of John Rose’s property on Gray’s Creek.

In 1790, John Rose is listed on census (Surry Co.) next to the Jarvis family, who are also related to the John Rose/Lucy Bennett family (via Abner Rose). Interestingly, on the same census page, we see Mathew Sparks and William Whitlock…

Sparks, Whitlock, Dodson, Green, & Parks Families

Mathew Sparks is distantly related to Reuben Sparks 🧬 (father of John Sparks, husband of Elizabeth Rose) via family in Maryland. Mathew Sparks died in 1813, having eventually settled on Hunting Creek (border of Wilkes/Surry Co.).

William Whitlock though, is much more interesting…as he is the son of James Whitlock Jr.

James Whitlock Jr. is the son of James Whitlock Sr. and Agnes Christmas. His siblings include Charles, Mary, Thomas, and Nathaniel Whitlock. Nathaniel Whitlock is the grandfather of Talithia Whitlock, wife of Willis Vess in Franklin Co. Alabama.

James, Charles, and Thomas Whitlock settled in Surry/Stokes County, NC from Virginia.

Whitlock-Dodson & Patrick Co. VA Connection
The daughter of Charles Whitlock, Agnes Whitlock, married Reuben Dodson. Reuben Dodson, according to family websites, is believed to be the brother of William Dodson who settled in White County, TN. This would be the same William Dodson who owns property on Caney Fork next to the Pryor, Peter, William, and Willis Vest family.

Furthermore, it is strongly suggested that Reuben and William Dodson are also the sons of Lambeth Dodson from Patrick County, Virginia. Lambeth Dodson is listed next to William and Peter Vess/Vest/Voss on the Patrick County, VA tax list via Mayo River.

Thomas Whitlock, brother of James, Charles, and Nathaniel Whitlock, can be seen on the same page as Peter and Samuel Vess on the 1799 Patrick County, VA Tax List.

Also, note that Abner Hodges is also in Surry County at this time. Abner Hodges is listed on the early tax lists near Samuel Vess in Henry County, VA and then later listed next to Peter Vest on census in White County, TN.

It appears John Rose relocated to an area of families from Patrick County, VA, who are documented in records with the Vess/Vest/Voss family prior to 1800.

Green & Parks Family
There is an 1806 Surry County, NC court record for James Whitlock to oversee a road near Flat Rock, a branch of Hunting Creek. Including in the record is Thomas Whitlock, Richard Green, and James Parks (James Franklin Parks I).

The Whitlock and Green families supposedly have earlier connections, along with the Gray family; however, I do not know the specific connections at this time.

Richard Green created the Three Forks Baptist Church and is listed next to William Vest on the 1787 Wilkes County, NC tax list.

Talithia Whitlock, wife of Willis Vess in Franklin Co. Alabama, is a distant cousin of Richard Green via her mother, Elizabeth Green. They are related via family in Trenton, New Jersey.

Richard Green’s son, Amos Green, is listed on the Bill’s Creek Baptist Church member list (dated 1829-1836) with Peter and Catherine Vest (Vess) in Rutherford County, North Carolina; along with several members of the Souther family from the Brushy Mt. community in Wilkes County, NC.

Where Next…

The Jarvis family in Surry County, NC (related to the Rose family) has land records on Fisher Creek, which is interesting, because Fisher Creek is where we find the Bray family and tax notes mentioning a William “Voss,” who appears to be unrelated to the Vass family in Stokes County.

Also, War of 1812 records for Surry County, NC list a William and Peter “Vest,” who also appear to be unrelated to the VEST family in Stokes County, NC.

At this time, the border between Wilkes and Surry County, along Hunting Creek (Brushy Mt.) might be where some of the Vess family split after 1810, with the Willis Vess line going west to Tennessee (w/ Dodson, Rose, and Hodges) and the Peter Vess line venturing down south to Rutherford County, NC (w/ Green & Souther)…


































Genealogy Goals 2024

/ J. V.

Happy New Year!!

I really look forward to making new discoveries in Vess genealogy this year! I got a fresh new blank notebook, an empty desktop, and a long list of new leads to explore!

And of course, what is a brand new year without setting a few new genealogy goals…  

Y-DNA Testing

This year, I hope more families are encouraged to participate in the Vess Family DNA Project!

This project was open to us by Marilyn Barton and actively managed by Michael Travers and Vincent Vess through Familytreedna.com. A HUGE thanks to them for making this family DNA project possible! As well as their continued interests in Vess/Travers genealogy and their valuable knowledge in genetic genealogy!

Genetic genealogy has become a valuable tool in furthering our research in Vess genealogy. It has allowed us to explore the origins of the VESS surname, discover a connection with the early Travers family, identify new Vess lines, sort between the different earlier Vess/Vest families, and it continues to help us piece together Vess family history!

An accurate lineage for Willis Vess

The fact that Willis Vess has a complicated line of descendants, suggests there might have been more than one earlier Vess family in Alabama (other than Willis and John P. Vess). Super exciting!

Research strongly suggests this to be true, with the mysterious find of a “Peter Vess” mentioned in the 1840 list of letters at the Russellville Post Office (newspaper.com) and a “William Vess” mentioned as “heir” in an 1854 land record for Willis Vess; both who are not known nor appear to be documented as children of Willis Vess or John P. Vess. 

I hope further research will lead to new discoveries!

The Travers Family

While we are still filling in the gaps of early Vess genealogy (post Revolutionary War), Y-DNA testing has provided us an even earlier timeline, connecting us to the early Travers family of Lancashire, England who are believed to have arrived in England with William the Conquerer in 1066 from Normandy.

I would love to research and post more about the different Travers families in America and their history prior to arriving to America. 

Genealogy in General

I enjoy genealogy and I would love to expand this blog into sharing my passion for the world of genealogy, as well as some of my favorite researching tools, tips and tricks to researching stubborn ancestors. 

Follow & Join The Vess Genealogy Adventure

New discoveries in Vess Genealogy happen all the time, so please be sure to follow & subscribe to this blog to have new posts sent directly to your inbox!

Also, please join the Vess Family -Genealogy Facebook Group and the Vess Family DNA Project! 

I absolutely welcome other researchers to join in on the adventure! If you have any information that may assist in this research, please email me at vessgenealogy@gmail.com. 

A Pre-Revolutionary War “VESS” Record

/ J. V.

Loudoun County, Virginia 1770

The earliest “Vess” record I have discovered thus far is dated 1770 from the Loudoun county, Virginia Lists of Tithables, 1758-1799, available on familysearch.org. William and James Vess are not listed on any earlier or later lists for Loudoun County, VA.

James Vess is new…I haven’t come across any early Vess records for a James. However, I have come across early Vess records for William, Samuel, and Peter; but they were associated with Dunmore County, Virginia (Now Shenandoah County) – which isn’t too far from Loudoun county, VA.




Peter Vess of Rutherford County, NC: Deed Record

/ J. V. / 2 Comments

I attended the North Carolina Genealogical Society Webinar yesterday about DEEDS hosted by David M. McCorkle who created nclandgrants.com. It was a very insightful Webinar that I wish was longer, because I learned so much!

After the Webinar, it took me less than 5 minutes to unearth a new record for Peter Vess!
Below is an 1846 Deed Record that is forcing to me re-write Peter’s timeline.

The Deed record has Peter and Josiah Vess as the Grantors and Joseph Souther as the Grantee.


Familysearch.org Deed Book 45

I will transcribe as best as I can…

“This the 21st of December 1846
State of North Carolina Rutherford County

Know all men by [illegible] presents that whereas Joseph Souther stands Peter Vests [illegible] for the prosecution of a suit in the Superior Court of our County [cut off] [illegible] Thomas Young deceased Executor or administrator William Young [cut off] [illegible] And Now Know Ye that in order to save harmless the said Souther [illegible] in said Suit and to secure said dee and for the further consideration of the [cut off] [illegible] dollars to us Peter Vess and Joseph Vess in hand paid by Joseph Souther [cut off] [illegible]and payment whereof we do hereby acknowledge have bargained sold [cut off] [illegible] conveyed and confirmed and by these presents do bargain [illegible] alien convey and [illegible] unto the said Joseph Souther his heirs and [illegible] forever the following [cut off[ [illegible] parcel of land situated lying and being in the county and state [cut off] [illegible] including the place on which the said Peter Vest now resides on the waters [cut off] [illegible] creek begining on a Red oak on the North rock of [Fills Creek] thru 18 [cut off] [illegible] a Red oak thru North 20 poles to a Black oak in a hollow thru West 154 poles to a stake on a line of a 25 acre [illegible] [illegible][illegible] it South 15 [cut off] 30 poles to [illegible] on the side of a hill corner of the 25 acres [illegible] [cut off] out to west 22 poles to a stake on the top of a ridge then South to [illegible] Whiteoak then 168 poles to a white oak on the line of the [illegible] to the beginning [illegible] one hundred and nine acres to be the [illegible] [cut off] less together with all and singular the rights members [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] and appurtenances to the said [illegible’ belonging or in any [cut off] [illegible] appertaining to have and to hold with appurtenances unto the said Joseph his heirs and [illegible] forever And we the said Peter Vest and Josiah vest [cut off] [illegible] [illegible] herby [illegible][illegible]our heirs Executor administrators to warrant [cut off] [illegible] defend the aforesaid land and tenements unto the said Joseph Souther [cut off] heirs and [illegible] forever provided always nevertheless and ur us the [cut off] [illegible] and meaning of these presents that if the said Peter Vest shall and [cut off] [illegible] and [illegible] have harmless the said Joseph Souther as his security in said [cut off] [illegible] and that [illegible] am [illegible] pay the said fifty dollars to the said Jospeh Souther in that ease this deed shall [illegible’ determine and become absolutely null and [cut off] [illegible] otherwise to remain in full [illegible] and effect. in Testimony whereof [cut off] [illegible] unto [illegible] hands [illegible] seals this the 14th day of November 1846.

The [illegible] after signing
John Vess

his X mark
Josiah Vests
Peter Vests

State of North Carolina
Rutherford County

Fall Court 1846
No 11 Josiah Vess and Peter Vess acknowledge in open court the Execution of the above deed it is therefore records and ordered to be registered.

G. E. Logan“

Familysearch.org Deed Book 45
Minutes, Pleas, and Quarter Sessions
Familysearch.org

This changes my timeline for Peter Vess. Previously, he was nowhere to be found after 1840 with Catherine Vess rejoining Bill’s Creek Baptist Church in 1844 without him, as if he had passed away. But, here he is on a deed record that states this is land in which Peter Vess “now resides,” which I am assuming means he is still alive in 1846.

It appears that he owed a debt that he could not pay and gave his land to Joseph Souther to clear his debt. It is interesting to note that his sons, John, Josiah, Andrew, and Alfred joined Bill’s Creek Baptist Church at this time. But, if Peter is still alive, what happened to him? Why did he not return to Bill’s Creek Baptist Church with Catherine and his sons?

Also, I do not know who Joseph Souther is, except that him and his family were dismissed from Bill’s Creek Baptist Church prior to 1830. I wonder if there is any relation to Joshua Souther who later married the wife of John Vess (Elizabeth Taylor)?

Very interesting!







Hodges and Samuel Vest: Tennesse and Virginia

/ J. V. / Leave a comment

Updated Sept. 8, 2024

I wonder if there is a connection between the Abner Hodge family and Vest/Vess family in White County, TN? I have traced Abner’s line to Robert Hodge of Franklin County, Virginia living near Chestnut Mountain.

On the 1820 census for White County, Tennessee, we see Peter VEST next to Abner Hodge and Ephraim Hodge (brothers) living on Caney Fork.

I decided to review the family tree for Abner and Ephriam Hodge, which states their father is Josiah Hodges (son of Robert Hodge). According to online sources, Josiah Hodges was born in 1740 in Henry County, Virginia. The problem is, Henry County was not established until 1777.

He was likely born in Pittsylvania County, which parts later became Henry County. With that said, it wasn’t until 1785 that parts of Henry County (and a portion of Bedford Co) later became Franklin County, VA.

The Chestnut Mountain area was once part of Henry County. Chestnut Mountain is also less than 30 miles away from where we find Samuel, William, and Peter Vess in Patrick County, VA (formed in 1791) on Koger Creek and North Mayo River (border of Patrick Co and Henry Co).

Samuel Vess has tax records as early as 1782 in Henry County, VA, so I decided to check to see if there are any Hodges nearby AND there is!

Josiah Hodges is listed on the page prior, and Samuel Vest and Abemingo (Josiah’s brother) are listed on the same page (or same slide).

I do not know if families listed on tax lists are neighbors of a specific community; however, this does show that the Hodges and Vest families were in the same county at the same time.

If the families listed above are neighbors, then Samuel Vest at the time had not obtained land yet from Abraham Penn, for that the names of families in the Koger/North Mayo River (1791 deed list), including Abraham Penn, are listed a couple-several pages back on this 1782 tax list.

The Hodges family, including Robert Hodges (likely Robert Hodges Jr., brother of Abner Hodge) is listed on the 1783 tax list; however, the 1783 tax list and moving forward are in alphabetical order.

If they knew each other in Henry County, VA; perhaps it was through a local church or they lived close to each other, but were later separated by the formation of a county line (Franklin Co.); as Chestnut Mountain is very close to the Henry County border.

Also, I discovered a Richard Vest in Franklin County, Virginia on the 1788 tax list. He is the only VEST family listed. However, there is also a VEST family in Bedford County, VA, but from what I can tell, none of the VEST family trees seem to have this particular Richard Vest.

Richard Vest and the Hodges family (Abner Hodge) appear on the Franklin Co. VA tax lists until 1794. The 1793 tax list is the last time Richard Vest appears and the 1794 tax list is the last time Abner Hodge appears. In 1795, there are no Hodges or Vest families listed.

In fact, they disappear around the same time as Peter and William Vest!

Is there a connection? Who is Richard Vest? And could Samuel, Peter, and William Vest actually be part of our VESS family – Haplogroup R1a1??

Also, it is interesting to note that Robert Hodges is supposedly from the Isle of Wight, VA (1704). Not too far from there is the Travers family of Jamestown Island who have connections with both England and Ireland (post about later).

But of course, that is probably stretching it a bit too thin…










More Pieces To The Mysterious John VESS of South Carolina

/ J. V.

In August of 2020, I discovered two John Vess families in South Carolina whose origins are a mystery.

The first is an 1850 census record for John and William E. Vess of Saluda Regiment, Abbeville, South Carolina. Both of them are in their 20’s, they are listed as carpenters, and they claim to be born in North Carolina.

The second is an 1850 census record for John Vess and Drucilla Vess of Saluda, Abbeville, South Carolina. John is 25 and he is listed as a farmer. 1860 census, suggests John Vess died, for that it is just Drucilla Turner and James Vest (assuming their son).

Today, I came across Civil War records for John Vess and William VESTZ (pretty sure it’s William Vess). The first record, John Vess states he enlisted in Greenville, South Carolina and his occupation is a carpenter. These two records, might be referring to John and William Vess from the 1850 census.
According to these records, John Vess was hospitalized and William was captured. I am not sure if they survived the war though.

In between John Vess and William Vestz, is a Civil War record for JOHN VEST. He too was enlisted in Greenville, South Carolina. What makes his record so interesting, is that he was forced to write a letter asking to be discharged from the military due to his age. The discharge was granted, which means this John Vest was born sometime before 1815.

Fold3: Civil War Record and Letter Certifying His Age

I found an 1880 census record for a John Vest in Greenville, South Carolina with a birth year that would put him at the approx. same age as John Vest in the Civil War record above. This John Vest (1880 census) was born about 1815 in South Carolina and states both his parents were born in South Carolina.

This is very intriguing, because there are no early records of a VEST or VESS family in South Carolina. All we know is that we have records that strongly suggest that Nathaniel Vess was born in South Carolina in 1794 with a connection to Greenville, South Carolina via Clarinda Bellew who also states both his parents were born in South Carolina (below). Could Nathan Vess and John Vest be related???







John BESS: A Crazy Goose Chase Or A Great New Lead!

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

I don’t like wild goose chases, but this one is pretty interesting and has really caught my attention.

Interesting Notes On Peter’s 1840 Census

Looking at Peter’s 1840 census record, he appears to be near the Pettit, Mooney, and Toney families again. What happened to Cedar Creek?

The most fascinating thing about Peter’s 1840 census is that everyone listed (below) has, at one time or another, been associated with Bill’s Creek Baptist Church. This blew my mind, but I don’t know if it means anything.

The Hambrick Family

In a previous post, Vince sent me a link about the Sparks family living in Rutherford County, North Carolina via Lewis Morgan Sparks. Lewis Morgan Sparks married Sarah Bridges, daughter of Samuel Bridges and Mary Hamrick.

Peter is also shown on the 1820 census with the Hambrick and Bridges family (below). According to The Hambricks Generations, the Blantons, Greens, Bridges, Champions, Washburns, Bowens, and McSwains came to America with the Hamrick / Hambrick family (pg.13). This publication also states the Bridges and Logan families were close. This is very interesting, because we find Peter Vess smack dab in the middle of all those inter-related families. For example, James Young is married to a Blanton. McSwine (McSwain) is listed on the 1820 census, with Logan on the next page with more Bridges. Even more interesting, is that these families also have connections with Bill’s Creek Baptist Church.

Henry Pettit 1810 Census: John BEAS

Since Peter is on census records listed closely with the Pettit family and we know Henry Pettit is from Spartanburg County, South Carolina, I decided to take another look at his 1810 census record.

On the list with Henry Pettit is John BEAS.
Now, at first, I thought maybe this name was suppose to be “BIAS” and BIAS is often associated with BYERS (because of the sounds of I and E). However, there is a BYERS listed here, so the census taker clearly knew how to spell BYERS, so BEAS is likely not a mistake and is probably spelled to sound like “BESS.” Interesting.

John Bess of Thicketty Creek

I can’t find anything on John “BEAS,” however, I did find a South Carolina land record for John BESS with a Cantrell neighbor. On the 1810 census record (above), John BEAS is listed next to Reubin Cantrell.

1800 Census Record: John BESS

I found John Bess on an 1800 census record for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. This is an interesting record, because the page prior, we have Henry Pettit’s father listed (Joshua Pettit). We also have him listed near Samuel Dunaway. John Bess land record for 1810, also mentions DUNWAY.

Thicketty Creek: Broad River Basin – Tryon County

The Thicketty Creek area is very interesting, because it used to be part of Tryon County, North Carolina. It is directly beneath Sandy Run and Shoal Creek where we later find Peter Vess with the Hambrick and Bridges families. It is also near the Pacelot River where we find the Pool, Pettit, Willis, and many other interesting families.

SPARKS Family Near Enoree River

Listed on the 1810 census with John BEAS and Henry PETTIT are a few PENNINGTON families. According to Anna Popejoy, the Pennington and Whitlock family traveled to Franklin County, Alabama together and we know that the Pennington family had a lot of land near FoxTrap. In short, Pennington is a family of interest.

Vince is looking into triangulating with Pennington families who are supposedly descendants of an “Ephriam Pennington.” He mentioned Kentucky, but I did find an Ephraim Pennington in South Carolina via an early marriage record (not specifically dated though). I not sure if it means anything right now.

While investigating the Pennington families on the 1810 census with John BEAS, I found Isaac Pennington (1715-1760) whose son-in-law is Charles King to be very interesting. His neighbor, per land records, was Zachariah SPARKS and they lived near the Enoree River.

Quick note: Isaac Pennington had a son that went to Kentucky, so maybe there is a connection with what Vince is looking at with the descendants of Ephraim Pennington??

Zachariah Sparks 1790 Union County, SC Census: GEORGE VOST

Zachariah is not found on any records for Spartanburg County, NC, but it is important to note that boundaries of early South Carolina were a mess and early records could be listed under anything.

However, I did find him on a 1790 census record which has some very interesting names: George VOST, RAINEY BELLEW Jr., and Zachary SPARKS.

So, I don’t know if this just another wild-goose chase or a really good lead that should be further investigated. This John BEAS is in a really good location. He is listed on a Samuel Dunaway Will dated 1815, so I think I am going to look a little more into Dunaway. Maybe, there are connections to other familiar families.










Sarah Jane Vess: Connected to Peter Instead of Nathan Vess

/ J. V. / 2 Comments

When it comes to the North Carolina VESS family tree, we can all pretty much agree that our earliest known ancestor is Peter Vess; however, Peter was not the only VESS family in North Carolina during his time. According to the 1830 census, Nathaniel Vess and Clarinda Bellew (with her father John Bellew) were also in Rutherford County, North Carolina. For the most part, our family trees from these two men are pretty accurate; however, what if I told you that Sarah Jane Vess (wife of Jackson Pressley), shown as a descendant of Nathaniel Vess, might actually be a descendant of Peter Vess??

DISCLAIMER:

Please note that the information provided within this post is a personal opinion based on personal interpretation of genealogical records and DNA data. Individual researchers and readers are strongly encouraged to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.

Only 1 Connection With The Nathaniel Vess Line

It’s odd, but all my DNA connections to the Nathaniel Vess line are all through the descendants of Sarah Jane Vess and Jackson Pressley.

Now, I just assumed that maybe descendants of other Nathaniel Vess lines are just not testing or maybe DNA relatives are too distant to show up as a DNA match (perhaps Peter and Nathan Vess are half-brothers or cousins). There is also the possibility, I am related to this particular Nathaniel Vess line via my mother’s side who also has deep Carolina roots, but there are other descendants of Peter Vess reporting the same particular Nathaniel Vess connection (so, it’s clearly not on my mother’s side).

However, just recently, Vince informed me that a new tool called, Theory of Family Relativity on myHeritage.com, suggests the descendants of Sarah Jane Vess and Jackson Pressley may be related to Peter Vess via his son John Vess.

That’s a lot to take in!

So, I decided to dust off some old research notebooks and take another look at Nathaniel and Peter Vess.

Sarah Jane Vess VS Mary Jane Vess

Reviewing numerous family trees for Nathaniel Vess, his daughter is often listed as either “Sarah“ Jane Vess or “Mary” Jane Vess; both shown as the wife of Jackson Pressley.

Many researchers have noted that Sarah and Mary are probably the same person, whereas others list them as separate people. However, upon further investigation, Sarah Jane Vess and Mary Jane Vess appear to be two different people who just so happened to be born at the same time (1840) and both have connections to Haywood County, North Carolina!

So, who is who?

In my opinion, based on genealogical records, Mary Jane Vess is likely the daughter of Nathaniel Vess and Clarinda Bellew, whereas Sarah Jane Vess is likely the daughter of John Vess, son of Peter Vess. I come to this conclusion based on marriage and census records, in addition, to the history of John Vess.

What We Know About John Vess (Peter’s son)

John Vess was born about 1820 in North Carolina to Peter and Catherine Vess. He married Elizabeth Taylor and they had 4 children together: Sarah, Silus, Mary, and Sophrona.

Silus and Mary appeared to have died young, Sarah appears to have disappeared, and Sophrona married Columbus Summey.

John Vess disappeared after 1850, during the same time the rest of the Vess family kind of split up; presumably after the death of Catherine. In 1854, we have a newspaper clipping announcing a Petition for Divorce between Elizabeth and John Vess, suggesting John Vess had moved out of state. During the same year, Elizabeth reverts back to her maiden name and marries Joshua Souther. We find her and her children (Viss) living with Joshua Souther in Henderson County, North Carolina in 1860.

Henderson County, NC Makes The Difference

Sarah Jane Vess and Jackson Pressely were married in 1856 and according to the 1860 census record, Sarah and Jackson were living in Henderson County, North Carolina, same county as Elizabeth and Joshua Souther.


In 1860, Mary Jane Vess, was still living with her parents Nathaniel and Clarinda Vess (Vert) in Haywood County, North Carolina. So, clearly not the same the person.

In 1863, Mary Jane Vess married Phillip Davis in Haywood County, North Carolina.


A connection with the Davis family makes sense, considering Andrew Jackson Vess (son of Nathaniel Vess) supposedly married Mary Davis in 1862.

I think the confusion between Sarah Jane Vess and Mary Jane Vess is with their connection to Haywood County, NC, for that we know that Nathan’s family once lived in Haywood County, NC. However, Sarah Jane Vess doesn’t appear in Haywood County until 1870 with Jackson Pressely, after Nathan’s family moved to Tennessee.

I did find a few family trees showing Mary Jane Vess as a descendant of Nathaniel Vess married to Phillip Davis, instead of Jackson Pressley, and interestingly, I am not a DNA match.

Also, I noticed a lot of family trees stating Sarah / Mary Jane Vess died in Washington. However, I believe Sarah Jane Vess, wife of Jackson Pressley, was remarried to a man named Eli Glen, where she eventually moved to Georgia (below). Further research is needed though and surprisingly opens up an entirely new theory about John Vess’s whereabouts about his divorce with Elizabeth Taylor (to be shared in a later post).


Based on genealogical evidence, I am convinced that Mary Jane Vess and Phillip Davis are part of the Nathaniel Vess line whereas Sarah Jane Vess and Jackson Pressley are part of the Peter Vess line.

Connection Between Peter Vess and Nathan Vess Still A Mystery

Well, Sarah Jane Vess was my only DNA connection to Nathaniel Vess. Now, that research strongly supports her connection with Peter Vess instead of Nathan Vess, does that mean Peter and Nathan are not related?? No way!

My Autosomal DNA only goes back 6-8 generations. It barely picks up the descendants of Peter’s children, so technically, if Nathan and Peter are related, it would likely be too distant to show up on my Autosomal DNA test results.

We really need a male Vess descendant from Nathaniel Vess’s line to do a Y-DNA test to confirm a genetic connection between Nathaniel, Peter, and Willis Vess. Until then, we can only assume they are related and we must continue to search for genealogical evidence to confirm their family relationship to one another.










Peter Vess: Patrick County, VA Court Minutes

/ J. V. / 1 Comment

The good stuff is often found in unindexed microfilmed records that force us to skim through each individual record hoping to come across a familiar family name. Oddly, as a genealogist, the one thing I hate to do is read…

It’s not that I don’t know how to read or I struggle to read, I just don’t have time to read. I am a kind of person that reads the summary on the back of books and waits for the movie (except Harry Potter- I read those books).

I’ve come to a point in my research, where I think I’ve pretty much found as much as I could about the VESS family via Indexed records. You know, type in a few keywords and Whola! Desired records appears like magic! Only just recently have I started to make time, with a few cups of coffee, to scour thousands of microfilmed records.

I must admit, once the brain adjusts to deciphering Old English, local history bursts into life!

1793 Dispute

According to Court Records Patrick County, VA 1791-1831, Peter Vess, with a Fletcher family, appear to be in dispute with a Copley family.

These records appear to be “continuance” notes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the original entry about what the dispute may have been about nor an entry about it’s resolution. I also cannot make out the last entry above. Others listed above, do have recorded resolutions. Either I missed it, due to the handwriting or the dispute was dismissed entirely and not worth recording.

Land Transfer 1793

Below is the deed transfer between Peter Vess and John Dunkin (Duncan) to John Spencer in 1793.
The transcribed typed document, Patrick County deeds 1791-1801, mentions Peter’s wife, but Peter’s wife is not mentioned here.

Other Interesting Records: 1794

In 1794, we can probably safely assume that Peter Vess had left Patrick County, VA; however, there are a couple of records I think are pretty interesting.

Below, we see that Charles Vest, father of William Tunwell Vest, was in Patrick County, VA in 1794.
Is this proof that Peter Vess belongs to the Charles Vest family (Haplogroup I)?

Not necessarily, largely because Charles Vest, per other court records, tells us he traveled a lot. He was a manufacturer (builder) by occupation and he often traveled to other counties putting in building bids. An interesting account is via a record in Guilford County, NC where he put in a bid to rebuild the Guilford Court house (after it was destroyed by a battle); however, he “walked out” and never came back. Due to his absence, the bid was granted to another bidder.


Another record I found interesting, looks to be like a record for a John Gosnell. It would be interesting if the Gosnell family was also in Patrick County, VA at the same time as Peter and William Vess, as that may further support a connection between Nathaniel Vess and Peter Vess. The Whitlock family is also in Patrick County, VA.


Feel free to comment below!

Connection, Connection, Where Is The Connection?

/ J. V.

If there is one thing in Vess Genealogy that bothers me the most, it is the close genetic connection between Peter and Willis Vess. I mean, how are they so closely related?

A number of descendants of Willis Vess show as DNA matches on my Autosomal DNA test, which means there is an early connection somewhere between 6-8 generations back. For me, my 3rd great-grandfather, Andrew Logan Vess, would be the 6th generation. Is Willis Vess the brother of Peter Vess?

Andrew Logan Vess


Before we found out that Peter and Willis Vess were part of the same Vess family (via Y-DNA), I figured I must be connected to Willis Vess through an ancestor on my mother’s side, whose family also had deep roots in Georgia and the Carolinas. But, now I know descendants of Willis Vess also show up as DNA matches for a number of other descendants of Peter Vess.

So, where does Peter and Willis Vess fall on the Vess family tree?

Consistent Geographical Places

As research continues, we have discovered that the Vess family live in communities whose residents appear to be consistently associated with the same geographical places:

1. Enroee River, Spartanburg County, South Carolina
2. Abbeville County, South Carolina
3. Wilkes County, North Carolina
4. White County, Tennessee

You would think that mountainous terrain and dangerous confrontations with Native Americans would have hindered families from traveling large distances; however, that is far from the truth. Many early families owned and maintained land in other states; in which often required the head of household to travel back and forth for business. A lot of families were also uprooted due to wars or the expansion of the new frontier.

Connections To Abbeville County, South Carolina

What also boggles my mind, is that while we find early Vess families in communities associated with common geographical places, there still appears to be no early existence of the Vess family. Generally, one would expect to find at least 1 or 2 close relatives hanging around nearby, as families often traveled together. But in our case, it is as if Peter and Willis Vess, even Jonathan and Nathaniel Vess, seemingly appear into their community out of nowhere!

What is even more curious, is that Alfred Webb Vess, son of Peter Vess, settled in Georgia (prior to the Civil War), while the rest of the Vess family pretty much stayed in North Carolina. Why did he move out of state?

Alfred Webb Vess

It is interesting to note, that he left North Carolina in the early 1850’s, which may have been after the death of his mother, Catherine. In 1860, the entire Rutherford County, N.C. Vess family is shown having had split their ways, with the youngest of Peter and Catherine’s children shown to be living with another family (largely suggesting Catherine had died).

I have yet to figure out why the youngest children of Peter and Catherine went to live with a man named Dempsey Sumner in Buncombe County, NC. I have not found any evidence suggesting any kind of family connection between them. However, I do have reason to believe, Sumner may have given Jasper an apprenticeship, for that Jasper later acquired some of him land. [Note: Indentured servant contracts were still going on prior to the Civil War.]

Alfred Webb Vess married Mary Elizabeth McFarlin, daughter of Benjamin McFarlin and Nancy Stone. They married in 1853, in Franklin County, Georgia, not too far from Mary’s roots in Abbeville County, South Carolina.

Is that a clue that the Vess family also had early roots in Abbeville County, South Carolina, as other research suggests? Was there Vess family in Abbeville County, SC that Alfred went to after Catherine’s death?

Franklin County, Georgia- Abbeville County, South Carolina

This intrigues me, because many residents in Franklin County, Alabama also have earlier connections with Abbeville County, SC. Jonathan Vess of Texas also appears to have connections with Abbeville County, SC, through the families his children married (like McBee and McCullough families). In addition, James Heron (from Patrick County, VA) also owns land in Abbeville County, South Carolina and do not even get me started on the bulk of Travis families who descend from Cork, Ireland also living in Abbeville County, SC, with one of them becoming an important part of early Texas history [William B. Travis: The Battle of the Alamo].

Exploring The TRAVESS Name

Earlier this week, I’ve started to explore the TRAVESS name. I find it interesting that this name is found in Caroline County, Maryland. Although Y-DNA tells us there is no recent connection between the Vess family and the Travers family of Dorchester, Maryland (next to Caroline County); that doesn’t mean, a different Travers family (perhaps with a similar name) wasn’t ever in Maryland. The TRAVESS name, is interestingly, a name that can also be found in both England and Ireland, particularly in Lancashire, England and Donegal (not Cork), Ireland.

Unfortunately, there is no DNA evidence (as of yet) suggesting a connection with any early TRAVESS families (not even sure if TRAVESS is even related to TRAVERS); however, it is a name variant (along with TRAVIS) that we might want to take in consideration when exploring these earlier common geographical places; as it is abundantly clear that our family’s mysterious tracks throughout early Colonial America are hidden behind a different surname.