Who is Peter Vest listed on the War of 1812-1814 military record for Surry County, North Carolina??

Many believe this is Peter Vess of Rutherford County, North Carolina, husband of Catherine “Katie” Cook (CROOK). Others suggest he is related to William Tunwell Vest of Stokes County, North Carolina. But, I strongly believe it is Peter Vess of Patrick County, Virginia…

Peter Vest 1805

I’ve been trying to locate this Peter Vest for years! And then finally, he appeared on the 1805 Wilkes County Tax List- Capt. Thurmond District.

Looking at land records for those listed on this tax list, we find families that fall in line with DNA research by Vincent Vess (PARKS, SPARKS, & ROSE).

Capt. Thurmounds District is located near the Surry county border. They were probably close enough to the border that they probably often crossed into Surry County for business and thus, enlisted in Surry County during the War of 1812. Interestingly, several other men listed in the War of 1812 record can be found in Wilkes County too.

We can officially confirm that this is not Peter Vess of Rutherford County, North Carolina, for that Peter in Rutherford County, would have only been between 11-14 years old in 1805 (not old enough to be listed on a tax list).

Absalom Vest 1805

During the same year, listed in a tax list for a different district, we find Absalom Vest. Which I nearly missed, as it’s scribbled in Old English (below).

Absalom is listed on the same list as Reuben Parks, Joseph Souther, and Fletcher families. Which is really intriguing for several reasons…

Reuben Parks is also on the same tax list as Peter Vest. Like many residents in Wilkes County, he had many properties, which makes it difficult to pinpoint their exact homesteads. Did he live near the Surry County border or did he live in the Brushy Mountain area?

Even more intriguing is Joseph Souther. This Souther family is related to the Souther family who later attended Bill’s Creek Baptist Church in Rutherford County, NC with Peter Vess (1829), acquired land in Rutherford County, NC from Peter Vess to settle a debt (1846), married the ex-wife of John Vess (1854), and has a couple of direct descendants who appear to share autosomal DNA matches with Vess relatives.

The Souther family in Wilkes County may have connections with Absalom Vest too, as Hannah Vess is listed near them on the 1830 census records, which also includes John Smoot, who is mentioned in the 1805 land record in Brushy Mountain between the Fletcher brothers, where Jonathan Vess is listed as a witness.

We also see the Fletchers listed on the above tax list too, but they were prominent land owners in Wilkes County and largely involved in the local government, so it’s difficult to say what relationship the Vess and Fletcher families had, if any.

There Might Be More Hidden Vest Families

Vincent Vess sent me more DNA research which suggests some of the Vest’s listed on the William Tunwell Vest family tree, might actually be part of the Wilkes County Vess/Vest family. Inetrestingly, none of the Surry County Vest’s are listed on the William Tunwell Vest family tree – so who are they??

For example, this marriage record below.
Who is Anne and Issac Vest in Surry County and is Phililp Williams related to the William’s family that Absalom and Hannah Vest are always listed near on census? Could this Phillip William’s be the same Phillip Williams who died in Wilkes County in 1816?

Hopefully, further DNA and genealogical research will start to reveal more answers!

Sources

Familysearch.org, Tax records (Wilkes County, North Carolina), 1778-1908, 1805 List.

Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data:North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. War of 1812.