3- great – grandparents of R A Holloman III
John Vann 1768 – 1850 | his parents
& 1806 Nancy Cross 1785 – 1846 | her parents
of Gates County NC
& ca1800 Hertford County, NC
my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!
John Vann and Nancy Cross were married 30th day of March in the year of our lord 1806.
John Vann was born 15 December 1768 son of Jesse Vann (ca 1746 – 1815) and Ann Arline, who had first married a Peterson.
John Vann moved to Hertford County about 1800.
This family originally was in the part of Chowan County, that became Gates County in 1779.
Nancy Cross was born 28 May 1785 in Gates County the daughter of Cyprian Cross and Christian Riddick.
Nancy Vann, wife of John Vann departed this life July the 28th, 1846 about 7 o’clock in the morning being 61 years two months and ten days of age.
John Vann Sr. departed this life November 11th, 1850 at 8 o’clock in the morning being 81 years 10 months and 25 days of age.
“In his last years John spent much of his time on the long porch of his home reading a large and unhandy Bible. If drowsiness overtook him in his reading the Bible became his pillow and a long narrow bench his bed.
While walking in his garden he was stricken, he was carried to the house.
. .brandy was offered him and even urged upon him but his reply was:
“I never drank in life, why should I in death.”
Two days later he was buried by Nancy in his garden.”
John Vann was chairman of the old County Court of Hertford County from 1820 until his death in November 1850.
He represented Hertford County in the House of Commons 1823, 24, 25. State Senator 1833-35.
He was a lifelong Democrat and a Baptist.
Louise Vann Boone wrote in 1930 of her great-grandfather: “Of great physical strength, a little learning and… less culture but with habits formed.
The son of a drinking man, in those days of regular drinking, he never drank, he was honest. He had a quick temper and a reputation for justice and fair play. He was active and fearless, a typical pioneer. Here on this tract of virgin timber, he felled trees of amazing size to the present generation, cypresses 8-10 ft and pines 4-6 ft. in diameter, built a home, cleared lands and began raising corn, peas, flax, and hogs. That home like many of that day was built over a cellar with a long porch running the length of the house with dining room and kitchen at the farther end.
Unfortunately, this house was torn down in the 1850s and another much less interesting house was built of the old timbers.
But here, until quite recently were preserved the tools, utensils, and devices that were used to make the farmhouse of 100 years ago an entity.
ca 1950 Vann Home near Winton, NC
“During those days of clearing his lands John, while in the woods alone, shot and he supposedly killed a fallen deer. He dropped his gun to get his knife but before he could get it the deer, a young buck was up and coming toward him.
He managed to grab the deer by the antlers and hold his head but he was powerless in warding off the kicks of the deer’s sharp hooves.
A few feet away he saw a lightwood knot.
By great strength, he worked the deer toward this knot and with tremendous effort grasped it and with repeated blows succeeded in killing the deer, but his clothes were in ribbons from the sharp hooves and he carried on his chest the scars of that battle all of his life.
“In 1806 he married Nancy Cross of Gates County.
She was very small and very pretty with curly black hair and eyes, quiet and gentle in manner and speech, with a sweet and even-tempered disposition.
This giant of a man 6 ft 2 in of strength and muscle, with his blustering ways and quick temper, could be reduced to peace and quiet by the tiny Nancy putting her hand on his arm and quietly saying, “Now John, I wouldn’t do that.”
“The 1810 census shows John Vann owning 8 slaves. He never sold a slave, was kind and just to them. At his death, his estate has 39 grown and 4 children listed as his slaves. He once refused the offer of Mt. Gallant Fishery and timberlands in exchange for a negro girl who was waiting on the table at the time the owner of the fishery was at his home.
The loyalty and devotion to their master are amusingly shown in the story of Easter, a young negro girl who acted as nurse.
She with some of the children were visiting at Riddick Cross’s, a neighbor’s.
While passing his cornfield she saw several stalks of young corn growing quite tall. Easter stopped suddenly and in an indignant voice said, “look at dat corn, what business Mis’r Riddick got having corn taller than Marster,”
and Easter immediately went over the fence and pulled up the offending corn.
“John never joined a church until somewhat late in life,
then he became an active member of Meherrin Baptist Church where Nancy had long been a faithful member.
Though not a Christian he was a staunch Baptist always.
One Sunday, John asked Nancy if she would like to go over to Union, about 5 miles away, to the Methodist Church, it had just been repaired and this was to be the first service.
Nancy somewhat puzzled, but pleased, said “Yes,” so they went.
On reaching the church John strode boldly to the front seat and enjoyed the service. At the close of the service the usual visiting was engaged in until Nancy and John got in the gig and started for home.
On the way home, John confessed, “Nancy, I heard old man _____ said, while working on the church, the first Baptist that puts his foot in that church he was going to lick, I thought I would like to be the first!
“Once in Raleigh, perhaps at a session of the legislature and after he was more than 50 years old, he was seated at the table eating, when the man across the table called him a liar! John thought hard and fast, no man had ever called him that and gotten by with it, and he could not allow it this late in life, but how to get to the man, he couldn’t reach across the table–but before the others present realized what had happened John jumped over the table and the gentleman was repenting of the name he had just given the gentleman from Hertford.
“John Vann was practical, and his advise was much sought and usually followed on any subject he gave it on. He once broke up a horse race because after seeing the two participating horses he advised one man not to put money on the local horse.
Children of John Vann:
1. Tilman D Vann 24 Feb 1807 – 2 Sept 1870 of Maney’s Neck
married Sarah “Sallie” E Shepherd dau of Solomon Shepherd
a. Antionette Vann ca 1839 –
married 1852 Prof. Julian H Picot 20 May 1832 –
b. Eurethra B Vann dsp
c. Rowena Vann ca 1841 –
married Rev. Robert R Savage ca 1833 –
i. Dr. William V Savage ca 1864 – bef 1938
married Mattie Williams
ii. Carrie F Savage ca 1865 –
married James L Camp
iii. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Savage ca 1869 – dsp
iv. Richard Savage
v. Mary Savage
married Rev Herbert Williams
vi. Toy D Savage
married Hildreth Gatewood
d. Margaret Wilkinson “Willie” Vann ca 1843 –
married Capt Thomas Deans Boone ca 1841 –
son of William Boone of NH Co and wife Judith Deans,
the dau of Sheriff Thomas Deans of Hertford Co
| Looking for male Boon descendant for DNA testing . . I am a descendant of Hertford Boons and have talked my dear brother into doing the Boon DNA Test. We have three matches so far, but none have solved my Boon questions. Any info is going to be great. Best wishes, Leta e-mail Leta |
I. John Vann Boone ca 1866 –
ii. Willie Hutchens Boone ca 1869 – dsp
iii. Sallie Sheperd Boone
married Charles Fisher Mitchell of Winton
iv. Lucy Antionette Boone
married Bingham Copeland
1. Harry Shepherd Copeland
married Alphie Marie Newsome
2. Margaret Vann Copeland 13 June 1905 – 17 Dec 1977
married John A Britton
e. Homerselle S Vann ca 1849 –
married George Little of Warren County
2. Adolphus Vann 26 May 1809 – 8 Nov 1828 age 19 yrs 5 mo 12 days
died at eleven o’clock in the morning
3. Cordwell B Vann 16 May 1811 – 7 Dec 1848 half after 8 o’clock in the morning being 37 years one month and 21 days old
4. Albert G Vann 24 July 1813 – 26 Oct 1877 at California, Hert. Co, NC
married Harriett Boyette of Gates County
a. William A Vann 1839 – 29 Apr 1864 ordained Baptist preacher 1863
Chaplain of the 13th NC Reg. died of disease [Delke]
b. John Vann died in the war
c. Thaddeus Edward Vann ca 1846 – of Maney’s Neck
married Auquiela D Brett ca 1838 – dau of Henry
i. George Vann di
ii. Helen A Vann ca 1874 –
married Hersey Baylies Parker
iii. Mary Etta Vann ca 1877 –
married Ruben J Majette
iv. Josephene H Vann ca 1879 – sp
v. Geulia E Vann
married H McDonald Spiers
vi. Martha S Vann di
vii. Heber J. Vann
vii. Harriet Lois Vann
married Thomas B Wynn
viii. Eddie Mae Vann sp
d. Albert Claude Vann ca 1848 – home place
married Annie G Newsome ca 1852 – 1891
i. Claude Vann ca 1877 – sp
ii. Blanche Halsey Vann ca 1879 – bef 1938
iii. Foy Vann
iv. Joe Newsome Vann
v. Annie Belle Vann
vi. Harriet Vann
married 2nd ? Newsome half sister of 1st wife
e. Harriat Susan Vann ca 1850 –
married Joseph P Harrell
f. Richard Tilghman Vann ca 1851 – Baptist preacher
[had both hands crushed when a boy in a cane-mill on his father’s farm]
married Ella Rogers McVeigh
i. Harvey Vann
g. Marietta Vann ca 1853 –
married Pleasant Holloman
i. only child died in infancy
h. Martha Ann Vann ca 1854 –
married 1875 Robert Holloman ca 1852 –
i. Maud Vann Holloman ca 1876 – dsp
ii. Albert W Holloman ca 1878 – dsp
iii. Susie Holloman
married William J Floyd
iv. Mina Holloman dsp
v. Nettie Holloman dy
vi. Shelley Holloman
married Marie Caddy
vii. Peyton Holloman
married Elsie Kelly
viii. Paul Holloman died bef 1938
ix. Ross Holloman single in 1938
5. Susan Elizabeth Vann 1 June 1817 – 24 Sept 1845 early in the morning
married Lawrence Eley
a. Missouri Eley
married George T Darden
b. Nancy Eley
married 8 Dec 1870 Thomas Parker
c. Eugene Sue Eley
married 1st a Darden
married 2nd Marnie Parker
6. Rensellaer Vann 4 March 1820 – 30 Apr 1887 moved to Arkansas
married Emily Maget
a. John Maget Vann
married Ida Hare
b. Sam Vann sp
c. Martha Ann Vann sp
d. Mary Vann sp
e. Calhoon Vann
married Emma Hare
7. John Arline Vann 12 Feb 1822 – 18 May 1902 Hertford Co, NC
married 18 Dec 1849 Martha Ann Newsome 8 July 1831 – 4 Jan 1920
dau of Michael E Newsome and sister of Dr. J. E. Newsome
a. Edgar Vann 4 Nov 1851 – 1 Sept 1853 one year 9 months 27 days
the poor little fellow breathed his last one-half after 5 pm
b. Henry Bascom Vann 1 March 1854 –
married 20 Jan 1881 Sallie S Wright died 18 July 1915
c. Charles H Spurgeon Vann 7 Jan 1857 – of Edenton
married 14 Dec 1885 Rowena Pendleton died 27 April 1898
married 19 April 1905 Jennie Pendleton
d. Nancy Cross Vann 13 Sept 1859 – dsp
e. John Eley Vann 13 March 1861 – 7 Nov 1931 of Winton
married 6 Sept 1893 Leonie Theresa Graves of Selma, NC
i. Louise Cook Vann
married William Dare Boone
ii. John Graves Vann
married Mary Law Norwood
iii. David A Vann dy
f. Sallie Riddick Vann 5 June 1863 –
married 25 Nov 1880 William Judson Mitchell
i. Myra Vann Mitchell unmarried 1938
ii. William Arline Mitchell
married Maggie Sue Woolfley
iii. Horace Carlton Mitchell
married Bessie Pruden
iv. Lillian Clyde Mitchell
married 1st William Wallace Ecklin
married 2nd W L Daniel
v. Martha Winifred Mitchell dec bef 1938
vi. Kleber Watson Mitchell dec. bef 1938
vii. Robert Bruce Mitchell
viii. Julian Jarvis Mitchell
g. Susan Caroline Vann 19 June 1866 – 7 Oct 1870 4yrs 3 mo 18 days
h. Robert Lee Vann 7 Nov 1868 – 7 Nov 1890 at 8 pm on 22nd birthday
dsp
i. Mary Emily Vann 29 Aug 1872 – 1 Jan 1970 dsp
8. Jesse W Vann 9 July 1825 – 3 Sept 1852 10 minutes after 7 in the morning,
being 27 years one month and 25 days old
married Nancy McGloghon ca 1830 –
a. Thomas J. Vann ca 1850 –
married Bettie Mitchell
b. Jesse John [Jack] Vann ca 1852 –
married Alice MacRae
Ref: Transcription of John Vann’s Bible 1813 date in the second vol. of old Bible Records of Gates Co, NC — Also record from the Bible of Miss Virgie Cross.
B B Winborne’s History of Hertford County, NC
Powell’s transcripts of 1880 and 1870 census
Louise Vann Boone’s “The Vann Family”
1850 Hertford County US census
John Vann 82 m farmer 2500
Jese 25 m none
Nancy 20 f
Thomas J 3/12 m
John A 27 m Ast. Marshall [of the census]
Martha A 19 f
Penelopy Curle 50 f