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.

Jan Fransse VanHoesen

It all begins with JAN Fransse VAN HUSUM who was the first Van Hoesen, Vanhooser, Van Huss that came to America.

He was born about 1608/9 in the city of Husum in the province of Schleswig in northern Germany, now called Schleswig-Holstein (image of Husum harbor from Wikipedia Commons).

In May of 1639 he married Volkje Jurisens and the two of them set sail for the New World. Two months later on  July 7, 1639, the couple arrived in New Amsterdam, now New York City, and settled at Fort Orange, Beverwyck, now Albany, New York.

He was not Dutch as the name supposes. Rather, he was a Schleswigan subjected to Danish rule.He spoke low German, probably with a Fisian or Danish dialect. It is after three generations of living among the Dutch settlers in New Netherlands and New York, that his descendants became Dutch by association.

A good summary of  Jan's history and some court records can be found at Welcome to the Van Hoesen/ Van Hoozer/ Van Hoose History&Court Records Page.

The New Homestead Act of 1872

Congress' passage of the New Homestead Act of 1872 spurred new settlement in Kansas. The law permitted soldiers and sailors 160 acres or a quarter section of land. The claim needed to be proved within 6 months.This includes the family of John Finley VanHuss. The warranty deed to Daniel VanHuss and later transfers can be viewed in the Butler County Courthouse in El Dorado.

I have images of the deeds that need to be uploaded.

Read the Daily Eagle of  April 12, 1872. Look to the upper right hand column for a reprint of the Act.

 The New Homestead Act was patterned after the earlier act of 1862. Learn more about this act from the National Archives. (Image from the National Archives).

This article needs editing. There is little information online about the 1872 Act.

1900 Census Butler County Kansas, Hickory Township, John F. Van Huss

1. The 1900 US Census of Butler County Kansas showing John Finley Van Huss, his wife Jessie Brewer, and their three children - Beulah, Fred, and Luva.

2. The 1910 US Census of Sedgwick County, Rockford Township recording the family of John Finley Van Huss and his wife Jessie and  five children - adding Elmer and Lois to the existing brood.

Rockford Township is southeast of Wichita and includes the present day towns of Derby and Mulvane. The geographic center of the township is 95th St. South and Greenwich.

See the US GenWeb Census Project

Valentine Worley Van Huss

Similar names, early deaths, and multiple marriages often make genealogy difficult to sort out.

Valentine Worley Van Huss

Valentine Worley Van Huss is born in 1818 in Virginia, despite the fact that his father is living near Elizabethton, Tennessee. The Virginia birth may be a result of the many family connections to Virginia. By 1845, Valentine is back in Tennessee. He marries Lucinda Campbell and together they have at least seven children, John Finley Van Huss being the last born in 1859.

All five sons and their father will settle in Kansas after the Civil War. Here is a listing of names and dates of birth.

son	date of birth
James M. Van Huss	1845
Isaac S. Van Huss	1847
Daniel Smith Van Huss	1850
Robert E. Van Huss	1857
John Finley Van Huss	1859

John Finley Van Huss, had a son Fred, who had a son Bob, who's daughter Robin is my wife..

Mathias Van Huss

Valentine was born November 1818 to Mathias Van Huss and Elizabeth Worley. The couple married in 1817 in Wythe, Virginia, but lived in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Elizabeth died shorthly thereafter and it is likely that Valentine took his middle name from his mother.

Mathias then married Lovina Dugger. Mathias and Lovina had nine children, several of whom are buried in the Van Huss Cemetery outside Elizabethton, Tenn. Included are Joseph P., Daniel, and Abigail. Family History. From Lovina's will it is evident that she raised Valentine as her own child and considered as such.

Census Records and Valentine Worley Van Huss

1850

 The  US Census of 1850 for Carter County, Tennessee, lists Valentine Worley Van Huss, age 23, as a farmer with 100 acres. He is married to Lucinda H. and father to 3 children - James, Isaac, and Daniel, ages 4, 3, and 2.

Valentines' father Mathias dies in 1856. He may be buried in Johnson, Tennessee.???

1860

The US Census of 1860 for Carter County, Tennessee again records Valentine and Lucinda Van Huss. The family now farms 300 acres near Elizabethton. Valentine's is 42 years old. Sons -  James, Isaac and Daniel are 14, 12, and 10, and are joined by four other children Susannah, Matilda, Robert, and one-year-old John Finley Van Huss. This John Finley Van Huss is great grandfather to Bob Van Huss.

Van Huss Cemetery, Carter County Tennessee

I visited the cemetery when I was just starting this project, so a lot of information was unavailable to me.

Van Huss Cemetery is just outside Elizabethton, Tennerssee.

Use a Garmin if you can. Otherwise, find the intersection of Wilbur Dam Road and Dairy Lane. Follow the Doe River on the south side. Take Siam Road for most of the way, less than a mile. Go past the Misty River Cafe, past Bowlers Lane, then right on Dairy Lane. Tucked back in a corner of a working farm is the cemetery. Ask for permission to park.

Earlier I had stopped at the Siam Baptist Church and asked for directions. By luck, Glenda Van Huss overheard me talking to another parishioner. Glenda told me that her father's name was Cecil. He is now deceased, but not buried in the Van Huss Cemetery. She was able to direct me to the cemetery, a short distance away.

The cemetery is not large, with less than 30 headstones. The Van Husses buried here are half brothers to Bob Van Huss' ancestor Valentine Worley Van Huss. These Van Husses are the sons and daughters of Mathias Van Huss and his second wife Lavinia Dugger.

The oldest names are brothers Joseph P. and Daniel S. Van Huss. Sadly, the marble headstones are worn by the elements and the dates of birth and death can not be read. The brothers married sisters, Rebeca Nead and Elizabeth Nead. Fortunately, Rebeca's birth and death dates can be clearly read as born "Jan 1834, died Sept 1922, at the age of 88". Other family members are buried in the cemetery. There is one headstone with the name Van Huss visible, and a civil war reference to possibly the "12th inf".

You can find Joseph P. and Daniel S.Van Huss in the 1860 Census of Tennessee. Then in Goodspeed Hisatory of Carter County is J. P. Van Huss, born March of 1833, husband of Rebeca Nead, and a short biographical history.

Kansas Indians

There were many tribes inhabiting Kansas before the advent of white settlers. The Kansas Indians for whom the state is named were first visited by Lewis and Clark on their expedition in 1802. The Kansas camped along the Kansas River where Lewis and Clark encountered them. Around 1846, they would settle near Council Groves on the Neosho River and a reservation was established. By 1873, this land was sold and the Kansas were relocated to Oklahoma.

Along the Arkansas River where present day Wichita is were the Wichita Indians for which the town is named.Coronado encountered these Indians on his futile hunt for the Seven Cities of Gold in the 1540's. James Mead described his dealings with the Wichita in his book, Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains. the Wichita lived in established communities, living on a mix of agriculture, hunting, gathering, and fishing. See Wichita Indians in Wikipedia for more.

The image to the left (Wikipedia) may not be descriptive of the Wichita Indians. Archeological excavations indicate that originally the Wichita lived in large grass huts, some as large as 30 feet in diameter. And their life styles were certainly affected by the destruction of game by the white settlers.

Soon after Missouri achieved statehood in 1821, the Osage were relocated to Indian Territory in Kansas and Oklahoma. The Osage tribe inhabited a portion of southeastern corner of Kansas including the area near present day Butler County. George Catlin (Chief Tah-le image by George Catlin from the NPS.gov) described the Osage as "the tallest race of men in North America, either red or white skins; there being few indeed of the men at their full growth, who are less than six feet in stature, and very many of them six and a half, and others seven feet." The Neosho River was named by the Osage, and the Osage River is named for them. The departure of the Osage from Kansas opened the door to large scale immigration by white settlers in and around the area of Butler County. The Osage ceded their lands to the United States Government in treaties made in 1825, 1865, and 1870.

There were many other Indian tribes living in Kansas. A good description is given in an article by aaanativearts.com.

The article gives a good description of the many eastern tribes who were relocated to portions of Kansas. The article notes the many Indian place names that exist today in the names of counties, rivers, and cities in Kansas. Traveling north along I-35 for instance one comes across the cities of Ottawa and Paola, and travels through the county of Miami.

David Rumsey has online a beautiful map by E. B. Whitman and A.D. Searl of eastern Kansas in 1854 showing several reservations of Indian tribes. There is a drawing of the destroyed Eldridge Hotel on the map that reflects the turbulence of early Kansas history. A reproduction of the image can be purchased from the David Rumsey Map Collection starting at $24.95 and going to $189.95 for a large image.