Visa S. (Slayden) Vaughn (abt. 1811 - abt. 1851)

Born about 1811 in Tennessee, United States

Wife of Willis W. Vaughn — married [date unknown] in Montgomery, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died about Aug 1851 at about age 40 in Trigg, Kentucky, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: James Hudler [send private message]

Biography

Visa or Vira was reportedly born about 1811 in Tennessee, according to one census. ^[1] There is no genealogical evidence that she was born as a Slayden.

There is census evidence that a woman named Visa, Vina or Vira S. was married to Willis W Vaughn and produced a family with him. See his profile for tracing and research of locations for this presumed family unit.

The 1850 census evidence ^[1] implies that this family (or at least a mother) was in North Carolina. Issue (evidence of 1850 census only) of Willis W., 56, born Virginia and Visa/Vira S. Vaughn, 49, born Tennessee, appear to be:
Cintha 23 b NC
Lewis R. 20 b NC
Malinda 19 b NC
all younger issue born Tennessee:
Elizabeth 16
Martha J. 14
James H. 12
Martin V. 10
Virginia A. 6
Mary A. 3
Syrmira or Syrmisa (?) 2
On the same page is Thos R. Vaughn, 49, born Virginia, and family.

A death date of 1851 shown here is not cited to any evidence.

Research Needs

Any death date or location claimed for her needs citation. Her death date is unknown (so far).

Marriage record.

1860 census for this woman or possibly widowed husband.

A death record for issue where an informant names the mother with a maiden name.

Research Notes

Informant for the 1919 Graves County, Kentucky death cert of Martin V. Vaughn (b 1841), reports "don't know" for names of both parents, but that they were born in Virginia (?). ^[2]

The creator of this profile has not justified its existence genealogically as a claimed daughter of William Everett Slayden. If a "natural" daughter of this man before a marriage, there might never be any acceptable "proof." A bible record shows William E. Slayden's first marriage as 1815 and does not mention this Visa or Levisa (etc.) ^[3] Nor is there evidence that any daughter of his at an age of 39 in 1850 (b ~1811) would have been born in Tennessee, although such census reports are not reliable. William was reportedly not married, which does not preclude him from fathering a daughter. Nor is it known when his family migrated to Tennessee, other than before 1817.

Louvisa, Levisa, etc. was not uncommon and could account for the nickname of "Visa," but Louvisa is not proved, and the name in 1850 could just as easily be interpreted as "Vira" (the clerical small "r" and "s" are identical in this census). It is most likely Visa; the link should be examined. ^[1]

I have no direct sources at this time, but DNA evidence would suggest that I descend from William Everett Slayden.
Visa and Willis married abt. 1826 when she was about 15 years old and he resided in Montgomery Co., TN ^{[citation needed]} until after 1840 when they moved to Trigg Co., KY. After her death in 1851,^{[citation needed]} he remarried and resided back in Montgomery Co., TN in 1860. ^{[citation needed]} By 1870 he was living ["with relatives", presumably] his son, James, in Graves Co., KY [without Vira]. ^[4]
My mother and I have both had autosomal DNA tests which both show a higher percentage of DNA for William Everett Slayden than any of his brothers or uncles. You can check the DNA connections on their profile pages.

Comments on above: The phrase "a higher percentage of DNA for William Everett Slayden than any of his brothers or uncles" has little meaning in an autosomal context. This does not invalidate the idea that Mr.Hudler and his mother are descended from the woman (and couple) at this profile, but tracing Visa born 1811 in Tennessee (if accurate) to William Everett Slayden is problematic in that the "DNA Connections" shown here are not always based on supporting genealogy, and there are few genealogical clues that he was a father to Visa.

Although it is located over the state line from Trigg County, Kentucky, references to Montgomery County, Tennessee for this family by Mr. Hudler are not yet supported by citations. A man named William Vaughn with another family is evident there by 1850, ^[5] and appears to continue to 1860 with presumed wife Mary, and thus cannot be Willis W. Vaughn, husband of Visa/Vira. ^[6] There is no clear evidence that Visa/Vira ever lived in Montgomery County, but that the mother of some of Willis' children resided in Tennessee while bearing children is suggested by 1850 census for Trigg, and that was almost certainly Visa/Vira.

If Visa/Vira is a daughter of William E. Slayden, her reported birth (abt 1811) would predate his daughter Letsy named in his will, whose trace, as Letsy (Mrs Wm) Adkins, suggests a birth between 1814 and 1816. ^[7] In the 1820 census most likely for William E. Slayden, two younger females have been accounted for as Letsy (born abt 1814) and Durinda (born abt 1819). An approximately nine-year-old Visa/Vira would fit here only if Durinda was not yet born when this enumeration was taken.

No name similar to Visa or Vira or anyone named Vaughn appears in William Everett Slayden's will or estate, filed 1857 in Dickson County, Tennesee, about three years before his death, but this is after Visa/Vira's claimed (but not proven) 1851 death date. However, there are no Vaughn grandchildren mentioned. This is not conclusive, as his will names Letsy C. Adkins as a daughter and no other daughters, nor any grandchildren, when he was known to have grandchildren by Durinda (mar Reynolds) and daughter Letsy (mar Adkins).

Note that Cintha was aged 23 in 1850 census, suggesting that Visa/Vira was aged about 16 at the time of Cintha's birth. ^[1]. The oldest three issue, including Cintha, are reported with North Carolina birth, with the remaining six reported born in Tennessee. If accurate, this family was in North Carolina before moving to Tennessee and then Kentucky. Note that none are reported with Kentucky birth.

DNA Notes

William Everett Slayden fathered at least eight children, but there is no evidence that he or his wife were in Tennessee as early as 1811. Further , there are more than a dozen siblings attributed to his parents, Joseph and Millie Slayden. A share of the distribution of autosomal DNA from among any one of them is not "proven" by using the trees or lists shown at Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, or GEDMatch, etc. This basis for speculation is neither provable nor disprovable. What is needed is more genealogical evidence to support a place for Visa/Vira on the tree of Arthur and Rachel Slayden's son Joseph Slayden or to anywhere else on that tree.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch citing "Trigg, Kentucky, United States records, Aug 5, 2018," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QW3-6JR?view=explore : Dec 11, 2023), image 548 of 626; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. , Visa Vaughn in household of Willis W Vaughn, Trigg, Kentucky, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)
2. ↑ "Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1967", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9YL-QRS : Fri Oct 13 18:03:42 UTC 2023), Entry for Martin V. Vaughn, 1919.
3. ↑ Bible of William E Slayden. once in possession of Dr Frederick Martin, Cumberland City TN, (transcribed by John O’Hara Guerin).
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch citing "Graves, Kentucky, United States records, Aug 5, 2018," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-63BW-SKX?view=explore : Dec 11, 2023), image 428 of 512; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. James Vaughn, Mayfield, Graves, Kentucky, United States, Page 4.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDT-Q39 : Wed Oct 04 09:52:45 UTC 2023), Entry for William Vaughn and Mary Vaughn.
6. ↑ United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TV-TCR : 18 February 2021), Wm Vaughn, page 27, North and East of Cumberland River, Montgomery, Tennessee.Entry for William Vaughn and Mary Vaughn.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCD8-5ZL : 7 October 2021), Letsy Adkins in the household of Wm Adkins, Dickson, Dickson, Tennessee, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).