In the fall term of 1795, the will of Mary Webb (née Edmunson) was probated in Granville County, North Carolina, with surviving children listed as William Webb, John Webb, Mary Smith and Elizabeth Vass. The will of a Thomas Vass was probated in the same county in 1818. I believe this is Lucinda Vass Conner's father, and will be trying to confirm this.
- John M. Vass; b. ca 1800-1804; d. before 1840
- Thomas J. Vass, Jr., b. 1805; m. Elizabeth ?
- Uriah Vass, b. 1810-1820; d. ca Nov 1841
- Lucinda Vass, b. ca 9 Oct 1818; m. William Dewitt Clinton Conner
Thomas J. and Elizabeth were married by 1795, and probably had children older than those listed above. In the 1820 Georgia census, in addition to widow Elizabeth in Pulaski, there was an Alexander Vass in Putnam County, who may have been an adult son. There was also a John W. Vass in Jefferson County, possibly a brother-in-law to Elizabeth.
A John M. Vass, an orphan living in Pulaski County, drew Lot #221 in Henry County in the 1821 Georgia land lottery (a family of orphans aged under 21, with father deceased, was entitled to one draw).
A Thomas J. Voss (probably Vass), resident of Putnam County, Georgia, drew land in the 1832 Cherokee Land lottery. As of the 1840 census, Thomas, Jr. (as Voss), was still living in Putnam County, Georgia, with a household profile as follows: 2 males under 5; 1 male 5-10; 1 male 15-20; 1 male 30-40; 1 female 20-30; 1 female 40-50. In 1850, Thomas Vass, 45, was living in Newton County, Georgia, with his wife, Elizabeth, 40, and the following children: Malekizadee, 17; Pinkney, 13; Charles, 11; Mary, 8; Uriah, 4; Fields, 3.
1822 has been given previously as Lucinda's birth year, even though her mother, Elizabeth, was already a widow in the 1820 census. 1822 is consistent with the age reported for Lucinda in the 1850 census and at her death; 9 Oct 1822 is the birthdate recorded for Lucinda in the Conner Family Bible once owned by her son, John Wesley. But this can't be accurate if she is the daughter of Thomas J. and Elizabeth Vass. 11/30/08 1818 (as I believe he did), then Lucinda was born no later than 1819, more likely in 1818. According to North Carolina Wills:A Testator's Index, until 1868, wills were probated in the county courts, which convened every t11/30/08nths between a person's death and the probate of the will.
The only Vass in 1840 Pulaski County is Uriah Vass, and his household includes 1 male, 10-15 (probably his son, James); 1 male 15-20; 1 male 20-30 (Uriah); 1 female 15-20; 1 female 20-30; 1 female 50-60 (possibly the long-widowed Elizabeth, Uriah's mother). Uriah died in late 1841, and his minor son, James, was put under the guardianship of William D. Conner, whom Lucinda had married several months before.
The female aged 20-30 might be Uriah's wife, or it could be Lucinda if she is in fact Thomas J.'s daughter and was born in 1818. But who are the male and female aged 15-20? They are too old to be Uriah's children. And they can't be Elizabeth's unless she remarried and was re-widowed between 1820 and 1840; this isn't likely as there is reference to an Elizabeth Vass in some court documents related to Uriah's estate.
At the sale of some of Uriah's personal estate on 23 Nov 1841, a Nancy Vass (who married John McIntyre 16 Apr 1843) bought a mare, and a John Vass bought a gun. Nancy and John are probably the two 15-20 year olds shown in Uriah's home in 1840, and they may be the children of the afore-mentioned John M. Vass, now presumably deceased.
It's also possible that the Thomas J. Vass living in Putnam County is the direct descendant of Thomas Vass, while the Pulaski County Vasses are only distant relations. Thomas, Jr., did name a son Uriah, but it wasn't uncommon for the times to name one's children after cousins and aunts, and so on. If this is the case, the name of Lucinda's father is as yet unknown; however, it doesn't alter the fact that her mother was a widow in 1820 so the provisos about Lucinda's birthdate still apply.
Other trivia: Thomas Vass, Jr., named a son Pinkney in about 1837; a Pinkney J. Voss (probably Vass), then a resident of Putnam County, Georgia, drew land in the 1827 Georgia land lottery. The elder Pinkney may have been a son of the Alexander Vass listed in Putnam County in the 1820 census. Thomas, of course, was living in Putnam County as early as 1832.
I haven't yet seen the 1830 census, but in the index for 1840 Putnam County, Mary Vass, Nathaniel Vass and Thomas J. Vass were all listed as heads of household. Nathaniel is possibly Thomas's adult son, shown as age 15-20 in the 1820 census.
A John Vass married Susan Fletcher in Cherokee County, Georgia, on 27 Apr 1848.
