Vess families have been pondering their family origins for generations, and in 2020, the journey to find out had official begun…

In 2020, when I started this genealogy adventure, I didn’t know my Vess family even came from North Carolina, let alone had been there for so many generations (over 200 years).

For all I knew, in all seriousness, our original Vess ancestors landed on America’s rocky west coast directly from Ireland (having taken the scenic route, I guess). I also didn’t know how to do genealogy, what in the world genetic genealogy was or how that worked, nor did I know my American history (rusty since high school). Furthermore, I never in a million years, imagined, I’d develop such a passion for genealogy itself!

In the last 6 six years, I’d say a lot has been accomplished in uncovering the history, lineages, and origins of the Vess family. None of which would be possible, without the Vess Family DNA Project admins, Michael Travers and Vincent Vess, the vast amount of Vess families (and those with similar surnames) sharing their own research with us, their incredible family stories, and providing consistent support and interest, motivating us to continue our research!

We Only Had Oral Tradition’s To Work With

In the beginning, we only had oral tradition’s to work with, on top of a handful of records that have been discover thus far.

We didn’t know Willis Vess of Franklin County, Alabama even existed, or that his family was related to the Peter Vess family. In the beginning, we were told that there were just only three brothers: Jonathan, Peter, and Nathaniel Vess. How many more early Vess families are left to be discovered?

The Vess family comes from three brothers from Ireland: Jonathan, Peter, and Nathaniel Vess, with Nathaniel believed to be a half brother. Jonathan settled in Virginia, Peter in North Carolina, and Nathaniel in South Carolina. No matter what lineage you talk to, everyone is adamant that the Vess surname is not their original surname. Jonathan married Elizabeth Heron, Peter married Catherine “Katie” Cook, and Nathaniel married Clarinda Bellew.

Below is a list of what has been discovered thus far, changing everything we were once told about the Vess family…

2020: Intro to Genetic Genealogy

🔲 A descendant of Willis Vess interestingly appears as a match on the R1a2 lineage (Y-DNA) with the Travers/Hays families.

🔲 Willis Vess is an unknown Vess, requiring further investigation.

🔲 It is eventually determined, by the end of the year, that the North Carolina Vess family (Haplogroup R) is unrelated to the early Virginia Vest family (Haplogroup I). This will become a valuable tool used to help sort out the different early Vess/Vest families.

🔲 It is determined, by reviewing available genealogical records for Nathaniel Vess, that he may have earlier connections specifically to Glassy Mountain, Greenville, South Carolina.

2021: The Vess Family DNA Project

🔲 A “Vess” family was discovered in Patrick County, Virginia (Deed record dated between 1790-1800).

🔲 We discovered that Willis Vess lived in Franklin County, Alabama and that he was born in North Carolina. He was extensively researched by genealogist Anna Popejoy, whose work was published in Whitlock Gleanings and FindAGrave.com.

🔲 We discovered Peter Vess and his family in the book, “Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: Two Hundred Year History,” by Helen M. Lu.

🔲 The Vess Family DNA Project was established.

🔲 Descendant of Peter Vess completed Y-DNA testing, resulting in a match to the R1a2 lineage with Willis Vess and Travers family. The match suggests, Peter and Willis Vess are related as part of the same Vess family.

🔲 Y-DNA results, reveal that Peter and Willis Vess are English in origin, and are descendants of the early Travers family of Lancashire, England (no specific lineage identified yet).

🔲 It is suggested that the the Vess surname might be a shortened version of TRAVIS (TRAVESS), a variant of the surname Travers.

🔲 The Vest family in White County, Tennessee peeks my interest, although there is no evidence to suggest a connection to the Vess family.

🔲 A family story about how the Vess family once adored a red-headed outlaw fascinates me, and leads me to explore a popular newspaper article about a William Vess and the auburn haired Great Western Land Pirate, John Murrell.

🔲 The DNA Triangulation Method directs our attention to the SPARKS, PARKS, and ROSE families in Wilkes County, North Carolina, suggesting a potential maternal Vess ancestor, requiring traditional genealogy methods to unearth records. The matches strongly suggest a connection more likely via ROSE, than Sparks or Parks.

🔲 We discovered, through genetic genealogy, that Sarah Jane Vess, wife of Jackson Pressely, is not a descendant of Nathaniel Vess, but of Peter Vess, via son, John Vess and wife, Elizabeth Taylor.

🔲 More records for the Vess family in Patrick County, Virginia were uncovered, dating further back to 1782, with a William and Samuel Vess. In addition to marriage records for Peter Vess and Poignance Vaughn and Jonathan Vess and Elizabeth Heron. Records reveal that the Vess family lived directly on the border of Henry/Patrick County, VA, on the Mayo River, near the Abraham Penn and George Hairston plantations.

2022 Wilkes County, North Carolina & Their Connection To Tennessee

🔲 We discovered Revolutionary War records under the “Vess” surname, via Samuel, William, and Col. Peter Vess, all from Dunmore County (now Shenandoah County), Virginia.

🔲 We discovered, a “Vest/Vess” family in Wilkes County, North Carolina, while researching the Sparks, Parks, and Rose families. These families include: Peter, Pryor, William, Jonathan, and Absalom.

🔲 Records suggest a potential DODSON family connection to the Vest/Vess family in Wilkes County, North Carolina. We see them as neighbors in Patrick County, VA, prior to seeing them again as neighbors in White County, TN. They are also related to the earlier Whitlock family.

2023: Irish Traditions Influenced By Crook Family

🔲 We discovered, through genetic genealogy, that the true maiden name of Peter’s wife, Catherine, is CROOK, not Cook.

🔲 We discovered, through traditional and genetic genealogy, that John Vess (son of Peter Vess) has a son named William River Vess.

🔲 We discovered, through land records, that the wife of Samuel Vess in Patrick County, Virginia is named Catherine.

🔲 We discovered, through newspaper articles, that Pryor Vest in Tennessee died a horrific death in 1831, while in jail.

🔲 We discovered even more earlier “Vess” records, via William and James Vess of Loudoun County, Virginia dated between 1760-1770.

🔲 We discovered, through traditional genealogy methods, that Peter’s wife, Catherine is of Irish descent. Her parents are John Emmanuel Crook and Rachel Haynes. The father of Rachel Haynes, William Haynes, is said to be the first pastor of Bill’s Creek Baptist Church, in the book, “Bill’s Creek Baptist Church: 200 Year History,” by Helen M. Lu. John Emmanuel Crook, is the illegitimate child of Andrew Crook(s) from Ireland. It is observed that all of Peter’s children are named after those on Catherine’s side of the family, suggesting our Irish traditions may stem from her side of the family.

2024: Exploring The Individual Vess/Vest Families

🔲 We begin to discover that the Vest family in Wilkes County, North Carolina also have records under the “Vess” surname, which are often used interchangeably.

🔲 We discovered records, revealing that Peter Vess in Patrick County, Virginia, is Peter Vest, in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

🔲 We discovered records, revealing the life of Absalom Vest (Vess) and his wife, Hannah Raymond (believed to be Reynolds).

🔲 We noticed that Peter Vess in Rutherford County, North Carolina has an unusual amount of records involving the Souther family, the same Souther family we see next to Absalom Vess in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

🔲 We discovered records in White County, Tennessee showing Peter Vess and Willis Vess together, transferring land to Zachariah Simmons. This record, among previous ones, suggests, Peter, Pryor, William, and Willis are part of the same Vest/Vess family from Wilkes County, North Carolina/ Patrick County, Virginia.

🔲 We discovered Pyror Vest has a history of causing trouble, with a growing list of court-records regarding assaults and affrays (disturbing the peace). These records often involve William and Peter Vess.

🔲 We discovered an additional “Vess” in White County, Tennessee, via James Vess, on tax lists with Willis and William Vest/Vess.

2025: Unexpected Discoveries

🔲 We discovered that Jonathan Vess in Jackson County, Texas, has a Will, but is only available in-person – not online.

🔲 A further look at the Stephen F. Austin Register of Families, for Jonathan Vess in Texas, state he came from Missouri, not South Carolina, as often told. The record also states he arrived with 2 children and 4 dependents, suggesting the children we were told he had, may not all be his biological children.

🔲 We discovered, through genealogical records, that the 3 youngest children of Jonathan Vess are actually the children of William Vess.

🔲 We discovered a court record in Buncombe County, North Carolina, that two children of John Vess (son of Peter Vess) were adopted by a Souther.

🔲 We discover court records in Henry County, Virginia, that Pryor and William Vest in White County, Tennessee are in fact, Pryor and William “Vess.” This led to discovering other Tennessee records under the “Vess” surname.

🔲 We discovered a court-record, suggesting Catherine’s full name, may be “Eleanor Catherine Crook.”

🔲 We discovered land and court-records for Nathaniel Vess in Haywood County, North Carolina.

🔲 We discovered records that tell us that Peter Vess, while a resident of Rutherford County, North Carolina, went to church and estate sales in Burke County, North Carolina.

🔲 We discovered further evidence to suggest Willis Vess of Franklin County, Alabama may likely be related to Pryor and William Vess in White County, Tennessee.

🔲 We discovered, through genetic genealogy, that the Vess family has DODSON matches, in addition to the SPARKS, PARKS, and ROSE matches. This suggests the Vess family may have a maternal ancestor related to one of these families. It is strongly suggested, that it might be specifically via a DODSON/ROSE family.

Interestingly, there just so happens to be a DODSON-ROSE family, from Richmond, Virginia, who are related to the DODSON families in Patrick County, Virginia. Furthermore, Absalom Vess is a witness to a land record, in Wilkes County, NC, for a DODSON, who is a direct descendant of the DODSON-ROSE line.

2026: Entering A New Chapter

🔲 We discovered a land record for Jonathan Vess in Lincoln County, Missouri dated 1825, mentioning his 2 sons, William and Lofton Vess.

Conclusion

Perhaps we finally have enough records to start piecing together a more comprehensive picture of the earlier Vess families, and hopefully, it may lead to new discoveries!

Please be sure to follow this blog, as we enter a new chapter in Vess Genealogy!!