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 |
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.
Vess Genealogy 