Travers genealogy

Vess Family DNA Project Update: TRA-VESS

/ J. V.

Well folks, the plot in Vess genealogy thickens! Dun…Dun…DUN!! Are you ready!!!

The Travers and Vess families appear to be one family!

Awaiting Nail-Biting Seat-Clinching Results

Results from Big-Y tests are remarkably fascinating and invaluable to Family DNA projects, as they have the potential to shake up the ancestral tree with the equivalent force of an 8.0-magnitude earthquake! In short, big changes can occur, rewriting family history!

We’ve been anxiously waiting test results for a Big-Y-tester whose Travers family line connects to the early Travers families in Cork, Ireland.

Although it has been highly suspected that the Travers families of Lancashire, England and the Travers families of Cork, Ireland are related, there has been no genealogical evidence (records) to prove it.

Travers families from both Lancashire, England and Cork, Ireland migrated to America during the late 1600’s; but again, there is no genealogical evidence (or DNA evidence) to prove these two Travers families are of the same lineage. Those from Lancashire, England, settled in Dorchester, Maryland and those from Cork, Ireland settled in areas around Pasquotank, North Carolina.

For the Travers family, a genetic connection between the two geographically distant Travers families (England and Ireland) would be a great new discovery!

For the Vess family, it may provide more answers to our mysterious connection with the Travers family and possibly revealing our true origins!

The TRAVERS/VESS Branch

The Big-Y test assigned the new Travers line (with Ireland connections) to R-CTS11317, which is an English/Scottish branch consisting of the Travers and Vess families.

DNA results strongly suggest (without a doubt) that the TRAVERS and VESS families are one family. Not only is our Vess family genetically related to numerous Travers families from England, but also now a Travers family line from Cork, Ireland!


These DNA results are exciting for everyone! For the Travers family, this opens the door to further explore more early Ireland – England family connections. With more Y-testers, researchers may be able to determine (approximately) when the Ireland lines split from England. For the Vess family, this opens the door to explore Travers genealogy for clues to our “Vess” origins. With more Y-testers, we may be able to identify our direct Travers-Vess line!

DNA results also strongly suggest the Travers and Vess families may have a Norman connection, which is further supported by research published by Albert E. Casey, titled: “Southern Travis, Travers, Traverse families from Lancashire and post-Elizabethan Ireland.” According to Casey, the Travers family is an old Norman family name that settled in Lancashire, England when William the Conquerer invaded England in 1066.

English / Scottish Branch: Travers-Vess branch boxed in yellow



Unfortunately, the newly added Travers line with Ireland connections did not provide any further information about the Travers-Vess lines in America; most likely, because this particular Travers line did not go to America. The ancestral split between the Vess family and this particular Travers line has not been determined yet.

When it comes to looking at the Travers and Vess families in America, DNA data does reveal that the Vess family (descendants of Peter and Willis Vess) split from the Travers of Dorchester, Maryland sometime prior to 1665 in England/Scotland. This means, the Vess families of Rutherford County, North Carolina and Franklin County, Alabama did not directly descend from the Travers families from Maryland in America; but instead, the Vess family most likely broke off from a different unknown Travers line. Whether that ancestral split occurred in America or across the Atlantic, is still yet to be known.

Y-DNA Testing For Vess Families Is Important

Even though it appears the Vess family surname is relatively “young,” in comparison to the Travers surname that appears to date back to William the Conquerer, it is still important for Vess families to do more Y-DNA testing as there is so much we do not know about our family’s early history in America.

At this time, there are only 2 Vess lineages confirmed to have a genetic connection with the Travers family, which is Peter Vess of Rutherford County, North Carolina and Willis Vess of Franklin, County Alabama.

There is no available Y-DNA data for Nathaniel and Jonathan Vess yet; however, such testing would most likely provide fascinating results! It’s been highly suspected that Nathaniel and Jonathan Vess are related, but there is no genealogical evidence (records) to prove it and because they lived over 200+ years ago, Autosomal DNA tests will eventually (sooner rather than later) no longer be able to detect shared DNA relatives.

Y-DNA testing from descendants of the Nathaniel and Jonathan Vess lines will not only help us better understand their connection to each other, but also to other Vess lines in America. At this time, we aren’t even sure if they are related to Peter and Willis Vess or if they too have a genetic connection with the Travers family.

In addition to Nathaniel and Jonathan Vess, we also have other Vess lines to explore, such as the Vess family in Ohio who are descendants of Hiram Vess of Rockbridge County, Virginia. At this time, we do not know the origins of the Vess family in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Are they related to the Travers family too OR are they related to another family with a similar surname: VOSS, VASS, VICE, or VEST.

Although Peter and Willis Vess did not split from the Travers family from Maryland directly, could there be another Vess line that did who we have yet to discover?

Y-DNA testing from descendants with the Travers, Travis, Traverse, Vess, Voss, and Vass names still have so much to tell us!

Vess Origin Story Historically Accurate After All?

Interestingly, Y-DNA data is beginning to prove our Vess family origin story as somewhat historically accurate!

According to the Vess family origin story, the Vess family descends from three brothers from Ireland. One version told, specifically states it was “Cork,” Ireland. Also, as if universally accepted as family fact, the Vess name is not our original surname. Some say it was once pronounced as “Voss” whereas others say it was shortened or completely changed.

This is incredibly fascinating, especially, as there are genealogical records for the Travers family in America under the surname “TRAVESS.” TRA-VESS (or perhaps once pronounced as TRAVOSS) eventually evolved into the surname TRAVIS. We have found that the South Carolina TRAVIS families to be connected to the TRAVERS families in North Carolina who came from Cork, Ireland.

This has lead some Vess family researchers to wonder, if the VESS surname was formed in America rather than across the Atlantic? And, if more Travers families test, will we find an ancestral split between the Travers and Vess families, perhaps along the Cork, Ireland Travers line?

It’s only a matter of time, before the mysteries of our Vess family’s history are finally revealed!

This summary of recent Y-DNA updates is based on information available on familytreedna.com and information kindly provided by Michael Travers, co-admin of the Vess Family DNA Project. Thank you Mike!! 🙂



Close Genetic Relationship: Vess & Travers Families

/ J. V.

The Vess family has a close genetic relationship with the Travers family from Lancashire, England; however, at this time, we do not have enough Y-DNA testers to determine whether we are close cousins or a branch of the TRAVERS family who veered off with a different surname (VESS). Y-DNA testing and genealogical records has revealed some insightful information that greatly warrants more Y-Testers and genealogical research.

Y-DNA: Travers & Vess Families

Y-DNA analysis reveals that the Vess and Travers families are closely related. Unfortunately, our testing pool is small; Y-Testers include a couple of descendants from the Peter Vess line, one descendant from the Willis Vess line, and two descendants of the Travers line from England who are related to the Travers family in Dorchester, Maryland, USA. We do not have any Y-Testers yet from the Nathaniel Vess line (South Carolina) or the Jonathan Vess line (Texas); however, autosomal DNA suggests a distant relationship.

Vess Family DNA Project

Last year, the VESS and TRAVERS families were assigned into the same group CTS11317; then one of the Vess Y-testers (Peter’s line) completed the Big-Y Test, which broke it down further, re-assigning the VESS family their own sub-group R-FT19517. This suggests the two families may have split sometime prior to 1665 in England.

Haplogroup Tree YP4131

A Possible Connection With A Travers Family From Ireland?

What we know for certain, based on available Y-DNA information, is that the VESS family did not split from the TRAVERS line who settled in Dorchester, Maryland, USA. Our ancestral split from their particular line occurred in England before they immigrated to America. But, they were not the only Travers family to immigrate to America…

According to Southern Travis, Travers, Traverse families from Lancashire and post- Elizabethan Ireland, there is another Travers family in America, who came from County Cork, Ireland and settled in the Carolinas.

This finding is intriguing, for that their documented history is remarkably similar to the Vess family story about three brothers from Ireland. In one version of the Vess family story, it specifically mentions the three brothers having come from “Cork, Ireland.”

Furthermore, the TRAVERS surname for this particular line in America evolved into TRAVIS, with a couple of records discovered with the surname spelling of TRAVESS. This is also an intriguing find, considering that the VESS family had always been told that the VESS name is not their original surname. It is believed that their original surname was “shortened,” and/or was pronounced as “VOSS.”

If we consider thick accents of the time, the name TRAVIS could have easily been heard as “TRAVOSS,” and it is entirely plausible that overtime the “TRA” was eventually dropped, just leaving VOSS, which could have easily evolved into VESS. As records show, the “VESS” name didn’t exactly take hold (record-wise) until the 1830’s, and prior to that, it was a mix of VEST and VOSS, perhaps even VASS, likely due to terrible handwriting where the “e,” “o,” and “a” were difficult to tell apart. This would also explain why we see a pocket of VOSS/VASS families near the TRAVERS/TRAVIS families in North Carolina.

According to The Vaulx Family of England, Virginia, and Maryland, it is believed that the VASS families of Virginia /North Carolina “maybe” related to the VAUX family of Virginia (descendants of the Norman De Vallibus family), but there is no solid evidence to confirm such a connection, since there is no record on where the VASS/VOSS families of Virginia/North Carolina originated from across the Atlantic. Perhaps, some of the VASS/VOSS families have a surname that may have evolved from the TRAVERS line??

Although this information is intriguing and very favorable towards the mysterious origins of the VESS family, we do not have any solid evidence to make any final concrete conclusions.

Investigating The Travers Family In The Carolinas

We have only just begun researching the Travers family of North and South Carolina. We know there is a Francis Travers (sometimes Travis) of Tyron County, North Carolina who had land in the modern-day Spartanburg County, SC area in the 1760’s. He descends from the Travers family from Ireland.

Just recently, we discovered a pocket of Travers who are connected to Abbeville, SC, which is intriguing, for that we have an unknown VESS family in the same area in 1850. The Travers family from Ireland have earlier connections in Pasquotank, Pitt, and Beaufort counties in North Carolina. Interestingly, near these areas, we also have the Voss/Vass families whose origins, like the Vess family, are also undetermined.

Further investigation is needed.

Y-Testers NEEDED: Participant Info

To further unravel the mysterious connection between the VESS and TRAVERS family, we need more DNA participants.

We encourage EVERYONE to join the VESS Family DNA Project via FamilyTreeDNA.com. Autosomal DNA tests (from both male and female participants) helps us identify new Vess family lines and has the potential to help us locate genealogical records to make more family connections. Y-DNA tests from male participants from various family lines can help us further understand the connection between the VESS & TRAVERS family. Are we cousins or direct descendants of the same family?

Interested in testing? Please visit the Vess Family DNA Project to contact co-admins for more information or email vessgenealogy@gmail.com

TRANSFER FOR FREE:
If you have already completed an autosomal DNA test or Y-DNA test from another company, you may have the option to transfer your data to FamilytreeDNA.com. Transfers are free with a FamilytreeDNA.com account; however, there is a $19 fee, if you wish to access more account tools. This is much cheaper than opening an account by having to order a new DNA test. Please check out this post for more information and instructions about transferring data to FamilytreeDNA.com.

Y-TESTERS NEEDED:

We need more Y-Testers from various family lines: Willis Vess line, Nathaniel Vess line, Travers/ Travis Carolina lines, and VOSS, VAULX, VASS, family lines. There are three Y-DNA tests available:

The Y-37 test helps us identify new Vess/Travers lines. The Y-111 test helps us identify families closely related to us. The Big-Y helps us further understand ancestral splits between closely related families.

Big – Y Testers Needed

We are seeking more Big-Y Testers, specifically from the Willis Vess line and Travers/Travis North & South Carolina line. Participants need to be male and have either the VESS, TRAVERS, TRAVIS surname. For more information about the Big-Y and pricing, please contact Michael Travers or Vincent Vess; contact info is available on the Vess Family DNA Project website.