Who's Who in Tennessee?

Valentine Felty Vanhooser.

Valentine Vanhooser, Jr., born 1768,  departs Virginia in 1795  and settles in Carter County (then Washington County) near Fort Watauga, Tennessee. Valentine's son, Mattias Van Huss, is born the very same year Valentine arrived in Tennessee, but likely joined his father later. The son lives in Tennessee his entire life, dieing in 1856.Mathias' son Valentine Worley Van Huss, born 1818, leaves Tennessee after the Civil War and moves to Butler County Kansas along with four sons.

Family history relates that the first Valentine Felty Vanhooser was a Tory who sided with the British during the Revolutionary War. Old Man Valentine did probably serve in Dunmore's War earlier.  Again, according to family history, Old Man Valentine died in the year 1781, possibly at the battle of Yorktown.

Be that as it may, almost 15 years later, in 1795, the state of North Carolina sold to young Valentine 100 acres of land  on Cobbs Creek to the east and north of Elizabethton, near Fort Watauga.

See the deed in the Registrar of Deeds Office, Carter County.

Mathias Vanhoose/Van Huss

Mathias changes his name from Vanhooser to Van Huss. He marries Catherine Worley. They have one child Valentine Worley Van Huss, born 1818. Elizabeth dies in 1820. Mathias remarries in 1821 to Lovina Dugger with whom he has many children.

Valentine Worley Van Huss

Valentine Worley Van Huss is the older half brother to J. P. Van Huss by Mathias and his first wife Catherine Worley.

J. P. Van Huss

J. P. Van Huss is the younger half brother of Valentine Worley Van Huss. J. P. was born to the second wife of Mathias, Lovina Dugger. Goodspeed's Biographical Appendix of Carter County History of Tennessee, gives a biographical sketch of J. P.,
    


J. P. Van Huss.

He is the ninth of eleven children (five of whom yet survive) of Mathias and Lovina (Duggar) Van Huss, natives of Carter (now Johnson) County and the present Carter County respectivel y.  The former was a soldier in 1812, a Whig, a farmer and a blacksmith.  He was a son of Valentine Van Huss, of North Carolina, and of Carter County; the latter born about 1778.  He was of Dutch descent, while the mother was of Scotch-English origin.  The mother was a daughter of William Duggar, a native of North Carolina, and a pioneer of Dugger's Ferry.  He was a soldier of the Revolution, and married three times.  The Duggar family are long lived.

* Note that the mother of Valentine Worley was Catherine Worley. Lovina Duggar was the mother of Mathias.


* See Ancestry.com.http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=javan&id=I15068. There are other children, but it is Mathias that we are interested in.

* Again , Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, Carter County, addressing Mathias:

The former was a soldier in 1812, a Whig, a farmer and a blacksmith.

* See again, Ancestry.com.

The Will of Lovina Dugger Van Huss, dated 1866 (She died in 1882.)

I, Viney Vanhuss, do make and ordain this my last Will and testament, being of sound mind and memory.

1st. I give my soul to Almighty God and my body to the earth from whence it came to be buried by my Executors in the grave yard near my husband and my children.
2nd. I give and bequeath to Daniel S. Vanhuss and Joseph P. Vanhuss my sons, my lot of land whereon I now live. So that my son Daniel shall have the Dwelling in which I live.
3d. I also give and bequeath to my sons Daniel S. Vanhuss and Joseph P. Vanhuss my brass kettle.
4th. I give and bequeath to my son Daniel S. Vanhuss one bed stead and bed with bed clothing.
5th. I give and bequeath to my daughter Rhodie Elizabeth one bed stead and bed clothing. Also one cow and calf and one breeding [illegible[ Also one little bureau and bee palace.
6th. I give and bequeath to my daughter Catherine Heaton one small table.
7th. I require my sons Daniel S. Vanhuss and Joseph P. Vanhuss to pay three hundred dollars to the following named persons, to wit. Fifty dollars to Vollintine W. Vanhuss. Fifty dollars to Finly E. Vanhuss. Fifty dollars to Catherine Heaton. Fifty dollars to Abigail B. Nave and Fifty dollars to Rhoda Elizabeth Vanhuss.
8th. It is my will that at my death there should be residuary balance, it shall be sold and divided between my sons and daughters to wit: Vollintine W. Vanhuss, Thomas D. Vanhuss, Finly E. Vanhuss, Catherine Heaton, Abigail D. Nave and Rhody E. Vanhuss.
Lastly. I appoint my sons Daniel S. Vanhuss and Joseph P. Vanhuss my Executors to this my last Will and testament.
This 4th day of August 1866. Viney X Vanhuss [Seal] her mark
Signed, sealed in our presence.
J. H. Hyder
Stevenas C. Crow.

 See also MySouthernRoots.http://www.mysouthernroots.com/getperson.php?personID=P180921049&tree=Collins

Tennessee Census - 1830, 1840, and 1850

The 1830, 1840, and 1850 Tennessee Censuses cover the period of time that Valentine Felty Vanhooser, Jr., son, Mathias Van Huss and his son Valentine Worley Van Huss lived in Carter County Tennessee. Old man Valentine died in 1857. Mathias died in 1856, before the outbreak of the Civil War.  Grandson Valentine Worley Van Huss emigrated to Kansas after the Civil War with his sons James, Daniel, Isaac, and John Finley.

The earlier censuses for the years 1800 through 1830 have been destroyed. They would have covered the period from when Valentine arrived in 1795 and settled near Watauga, Tennessee. I am not aware of the whereabouts for the 1860 census. I have not found Valentine Felty Vanhooser, Jr. in any Tennessee census.



1830 Census

VANHOOSE
   Mathias         33   3 -  less than  5    1 -  5 through  9
                        3 -  5 through  9    1 - 30 through 39
                        1 - 30 through 39

   Valentine       18   1 - 15 through 19    1 - 20 through 29
                        1 - 20 through 29    1 - 60 through 69
                        1 - 30 through 39
                        1 - 60 through 69

1840 Census

VANHUSS
   Benjamine       182  20   5   1 -  less than  5    1 -  less than  5
                                 2 - 20 through 29    1 - 20 through 29

   Mathias         195  12   9   1 -  less than  5    1 -  less than  5
                                 1 -  5 through  9    1 -  5 through  9
                                 1 - 10 through 14    1 - 15 through 19
                                 1 - 15 through 19    1 - 40 through 49
                                 1 - 40 through 49

1850  Census

     VANHUSS
          Benjamin 38          182B
          Mathias 54           219
          Valentine 28         172

1850 Census

172A  29  Vanhuss        Daniel S.        2     Tenn              pg0167b.txt
172A  28  Vanhuss        Isaac S. K.      3     Tenn              pg0167b.txt
172A  27  Vanhuss        James M.         4     Tenn              pg0167b.txt
172A  26  Vanhuss        Lucinda H.       29    Tenn              pg0167b.txt
172A  25  Vanhuss        Valentine        23    VA                pg0167b.txt

 25  30   30  Vanhuss        Valentine      23    M    W    farming        100       VA                .     .     .    .    Married Nov.18, 1845
 26  30   30  Vanhuss        Lucinda H.     29    F    W    .              .         Tenn              .     .     .    .    .
 27  30   30  Vanhuss        James M.       4     M    W    .              .         Tenn              .     .     .    .    .
 28  30   30  Vanhuss        Isaac S. K.    3     M    W    .              .         Tenn              .     .     .    .    .
 29  30   30  Vanhuss        Daniel S.      2     M    W    .              .         Tenn              .     .     .    .    .

Check these against my images from the Carter County public library.

Tennessee

Trying to make sense of family records is a daunting task.

Errors are recorded in family genealogies, accounts conflict, misspellings are made or multiple spellings are used, duplicate names are confusing, and a host of other issues make genealogies often unreliable. But the most reliable records are court records which record the transfer of land. These records are available in the Register of Deeds office in the county in which the individual lived.

The Van Huss family in Tennessee  is an example of all these problems.  So, to unravel the mysteries of who is who, I traveled to Elizabethton, Tennessee and visited the County Courthouse of Carter County.

The family Van Huss settled eastern Tennessee in the late 18th century.  There are many recorded deeds, but the ones relating to Robert Van Huss settled in and around Elizabethton, Tennessee, near the Watauga River. The site is within a few miles of the Appalachian trail. It is also along the route traveled by Daniel Boone. It is hill country, the kind that has twists and turns, and in the fall when I visited, the leaves were beautiful.

The earliest recorded deed is made by the state of North Carolina to Valentine Vanhooser and recorded August 23rd, 1979. The deed records the transfer, for the sum of 50 shillings an acre, 100 acres "being in the County of Washington* on a branch of Cobbs Creek, beginning at a Linwood at the head of a Spring running north thirteen degrees west one hundred & twelve poles to a white oak, thence north thirty-five degrees west ..."

*As a side note, Washington County, North Carolina would become Carter County, Tennessee at a later unknown, to me, date.

Keep in mind that the Registrar of Deeds records transactions a little later in the names of Mathias and James P. Van Huss.

Now, how do I get from here to Valentine W. Van Huss, who married Lucinda Campbell in 1845 and had a bunch of kids, including James M. (1845), Isaac S. (1847), and Daniel (1848)? This group, I know, from land records in Butler County, Kansas, traveled west and settled  in Kansas in the 1870's.

The key to the puzzle is found at genforum. Here we find " Valentine VAN HUSS was born 14 FEB 1768 in Rowan Co., North Carolina, and died 1 MAR 1858 in Johnson Co., Tennessee. He was the son of 24. Valentine VAN HOOSER and 25. Maria Barbara ZERWE". Note that the spelling Van Hooser  matches the North Carolina deed, as well as the state.

Genforum continues with Valentine's marriage to Catherine Worley,

13. Catherine WORLEY was born ABT 1767 in Rowan Co., North Carolina, and died ABT 1798 in Wythe Co., Virginia. She was the daughter of 26. Michael WORLEY and 27. Anna REIGHERT.

Children of Catherine WORLEY and Valentine VAN HUSS are:
6. i. Michael VAN HUSS was born 6 JAN 1789 in Wythe Co., Virginia, and died 21 FEB 1875 in Lee Co., Virginia. He married Elizabeth ROSENBAUM 11 JUL 1809 in Wythe Co., Virginia, daughter of Anthonius Conradus ROSENBAUM and Elizabeth WORLEY. She was born ABT 1791 in Wythe Co., Virginia, and died 30 MAY 1874 in Lee Co., Virginia.
ii. Valentine VAN HUSS , Jr. was born ABT 1790. He married Elizabeth RAINBOLT. She was born ABT 1791 in Carter Co., Tennessee, and died 19 OCT 1826.
iii. Jacob VAN HUSS was born 21 OCT 1791 in Wythe Co., Virginia.
iv. Elizabeth VAN HUSS was born 17 SEP 1793 in Wythe Co., Virginia, and died 29 OCT 1826. She married John B. RAINBOLT JAN 1812 in Carter Co., Tennessee, son of Adam R. RAINBOLT and Hannah Jane POTTER. He was born 11 NOV 1788 in Washington Co. Tennessee (Now Carter Co.), and died 11 APR 1873 in Orange, Lawrence Co., Indiana.
v. Matthias VAN HUSS was born 27 OCT 1795 in Wythe Co., Virginia, and died 21 SEP 1856 in Carter Co., Tennessee. He married Elizabeth WORLEY 4 DEC 1817 in Wythe Co., Virginia, daughter of Valentine WORLEY and Maria Barbara SPRECHER. She was born 1798 in Wythe Co., Virginia, and died 1818 in Wythe Co., Virginia. He married Lavinia DUGGER 14 APR 1821 in Carter Co., Tennessee, daughter of William DUGGER and Nancy MILLARD. She was born 22 JUN 1795 in Carter Co., Tennessee, and died 28 MAR 1882 in Carter Co., Tennessee.
vi. Christopher VAN HUSS was born 1796.

It seems that the second child, Valentine Jr. is the Valentine who marries Lucinda Campbell in 1845, but there is some confusion...

But wait, the 1830 census of eastern Tennessee shows:

VANHOOSE
   Mathias         33   3 -  less than  5    1 -  5 through  9
                        3 -  5 through  9    1 - 30 through 39
                        1 - 30 through 39

   Valentine       18   1 - 15 through 19    1 - 20 through 29
                        1 - 20 through 29    1 - 60 through 69
                        1 - 30 through 39
                        1 - 60 through 69

Our Family History has Valentine Worley Van Huss going from Carter County, Tennessee to Butler County, Kansas. But, his father is listed as Mathias Van Huss; so the reference seems suspect. This Matthias was allegedly born in Tennessee in 1795, again suspect.

 Ancestry.com shows Valentine Worley Van Huss marrying Lucinda Campbell in 1845, and it shows they had several children, all of which is confirmed by the Tennessee census records of 1830, 1850, and 1860. But this Valentine was allegedly born in 1818 in Virginia, and his father is not indicated.

Again, going back to the land transfer deeds in Carter County, I can find a final transfer of land by Valentine and Lucinda VanHuss in 1866, a transaction which ends this family's tenure in Tennessee. Of course, other VanHusses  remained in Tennessee, and distant cousins can be found there today.

Leaving New York

I need to revise this post.These are just quick thoughts.

Leaving New York.

Father and son left New York for Tulpehocken, Lancaster (now Berks) Co Pennsylvania, settling in an area of mostly Germans.

Father and younger brothers and sisters then migrated to Anson Co., North Carolina in 1753/4. The son made his will in 1763, signing it John Vanhosen. On deeds there his name appears as John Vanhouser and John Vanhooser.

"[Later]descendants of John Vanhooser retained the spelling, Vanhooser
and settled in Eastern and Central Tennessee. Those from Jackson
Co., Tenn. still spell the name with the small "h".

One branch of the family kept the spelling, VanHuss. They settled in southwest
Virginia and in Carter (later Johnson) Co., Tenn."



In 1845 Valentine W. VanHuss married Lucinda Campbell and raised seven children in Carter county, Tennessee. The children were:

1. VanHuss, James M - 1845
2. VanHuss, Isaac S - 1847
3. VanHuss, Daniel S - 1848
4. VanHuss, Susannah - 1852
5. VanHuss, Matilda - 1853
6. VanHuss, Robert - 1855
7. VanHuss, John - 1859


Later, in the 1880's four brothers, James, Daniel, Robert, and John, homesteaded in and around Beaumont, Kansas.