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Notes
From Dan Welch February 2011
Over a year ago we discussed a mysterious Ewing connection with my Gillespy's in Blount County, TN. Apparently one of my Gillespys (I can not recall which one) agreed to care for an elderly Ewing living nearby. This with no known connection.
There appears to be a new website posting the genealogy of the Ewings of Blount County. The emigrent of this line is one Nathaniel Ewing (1693-1748) of Cecil County, MD records. This Nathaniel Ewing married Rachel Porter (1706-), a cousin, in Ulster. He settled in Octorora Hundred. Researchers report just north of Porters Bridge. There is a Gillespie living nearby. This Nathaniel had twin sons that were well educated professors. One line settled in Prince Edward County and the other line in the Valley. These two sons seem to have left there siblings on long occassions to teach at prominent colleges but seemed to have rejoined their siblings in older age.
I noticed that an Andrew Vance married Jane Ewing. Researchers connect this Jane Ewing with Nathaniel Ewing and wife Rachel Porter. What is most interesting is that this Andrew Vance settled in the Northern Neck of Virginia where he died in the 1750s. Researchers of this Andrew Vance have connected him with several Andrew Vance individuals that lived before and after him. Just as the Walker line there is much confusion about the early Vance line. DNA Results are now being used to identify the various Vance lines but as of now it appears that Andrew Vance of the Northern Neck was the son of an earlier Andrew Vance of Bread & Cheese Island of Delaware who later removed to Donegal Township, Pennsylvania. Associated with these two Andrews we find Houstons and Porters. Data is fuzzy but it appears that son of Northern Neck Andrew Vance appeared in early Washington County, Virginia. And later an Andrew Vance apparently unconnected to his family appears in Blount County, Tennessee. I do not presently know if it was Andrew Vance that settled on Ellijoy Creek just north of Indian Killer John Walker's homestead. We do know that one of John Walker's grandchildren was named Vance Walker. The most interesting aspect of the mysterious Vance line is the early settlement in the Northern Neck with allied families with surnames of high interest to use. Except for attempts to connect Patrick Porter with Benjamin Porter of the Norther Neck we have overlooked the area for data.
From Mary Richardson, 10 Feb 2011
As an aside, VANCE / VANS is an old Wigtownshire surname. Before it was VANS, it was VAUX. After a marriage to an AGNEW, the family used the name VANS AGNEW for about 200 years. The family were major land owners, their primary estate being Barnbarroch in the Wigtownshire parish of Kirkinner. (My family was associated with Barnbarroch for decades with one 4g-uncle serving as factor, i.e., estate manager, from 1834 to 1871 -- he honored his employer by naming a daughter Catherine Vans Agnew CHRISTISON.) Patrick Alexander VANS of Barnbarroch returned to the name VANS in 1965. His son Jamie is the current bearer of the title "of Barnbarroch." See http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vfarch/Introduction.html . In particular, see
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vfarch/Publications_files/Some%20notes%20on%20Vans%20History.pdf
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vfarch/Publications_files/History%20of%20Barnbarroch.pdf
I see that Jamie also offers the following for 15 pounds: 'The Origin of the Irish Vances'. May be of interest when trying to connect the American VANCEs across the pond. The link doesn't work, but you can contact Jamie -- a very helpful gent
In addition, I noticed that researchers report that Rachel Porter who married Nathaniel Ewing died of old age in Blount County, Tennessee. It would be very valuable to learn if this is the elderly Ewing that one of my Gillespys agreed to care for in her old age. If so, it would make much sense. Also, it would show that the migration pattern south for the Ewings and their allied families was not the traditional route down the Valley of Virginia but of some other pattern. Learning a different pattern might be very valuable to us.
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