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Willis W. Vaughn (abt. 1794 - 1875)

Willis W. Vaughn
Born about in Virginia, United Statesmap [uncertain]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married [date unknown] in Montgomery, Tennessee, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 81 in Trigg, Kentucky, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: James Hudler private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 3 Sep 2021
This page has been accessed 163 times.

Contents

Biography

As a warning against confusion, note the suspiciously similar profile for Willis William Vaughan (1788-1861). Note that each have a presumed wife whose name could be interpreted very similarly.

Willis W. Vaughn was born about 1794 in Virginia, according to a single census report. An 1850 census cited below shows a presumptive spouse for him as Visa, Vina or Vira S. Any claim to his parentage is problematic, as is an attribution to his spouse's parents as Slaydens based on DNA. The number of marriages for him is unclear.

Issue of Willis W. Vaughn aged 56 born Virginia and Visa/Vira S. Vaughn (evidence of 1850 census only) appear to be: Cintha 23, b NC, Lewis R. 20 b NC, Malinda 19 b NC; all younger issue b Tenn: Elizabeth 16, Martha J. 14, James H 12., Martin V. 10, Virginia A 6., Mary A 3., and Syrmira or Syrmisa (?) Vaughn, 2. [1] This is possibly incomplete for a man born abt 1794. On the same page is Thos R. Vaughn, aged 49, born Virginia, with his family.

Note that the three oldest children are reportedly born in North Carolina, and note that Cintha Vaughn was aged 23 in 1850 census, suggesting that if Visa/Vira was her mother, the mother was aged about 16 or 17 at the time of Cintha's birth. [1]. The remaining six are reported born in Tennessee. If accurate, this family (or at least Visa) was in North Carolina before moving to Tennessee and then Kentucky. Note that none are reported with Kentucky birth, and residence (of the mother) in Tennessee is implied as late as 1848. Note that the Kentucky census locations that seem to apply to this man are on the border with Tennessee.

The significant loss of Graves County Kentucky records is felt here, as that was an 1870 census location for a Willis Vaughn, 78, with son James, of the likely ages to possibly represent the man at this profile and a son.[2],

Confusingly, on a page printed as "Deaths -- colored," Aug 17, 1875, is W.W. Vaughn, but marked as White, aged 83; widowed male farmer; cause pneumonia; born, resided and died Trigg County, Kentucky; parents John Wilson and Augusta Ford. Obviously the pages printed for the colored deaths were available for use as all names on page are marked as White. [3] Note that the informant gave Willis's father as John Wilson, which is implied by some as being John Wilson Vaughn. It is not at all likely that Willis was born in Trigg, but somewhere in Virginia, as reported in census.

Research Notes

1820 Montgomery County Tennessee census, Willis Vaughn is enumerated with code: 1001-001 [4] for one young male under ten, one male from 16 to under 26, and a female aged from 16 to under 26, and one person engaged in agriculture and no enslaved people. Such a profile suggests, but does not prove, a man and wife with child, nor can it be proven that he is the man at this profile.

1840 Montgomery Montgomery County Tennessee census, W.W. Vaughn is enumerated with code m2011001-f12111, and is probably the man at this profile [5]

Significant similarity: William Vaughn, born about 1800 in Virginia, married Mary Frances Baker in Montgomery County Tennessee, 1844 [6] and is in continuing census evidence in that county, and therefore almost certainly not the same as the man at this profile.

Edited Note by James Hudler:
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"] with his son, James, in Graves Co., KY [without Vira]. [2]
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.

Marriage date - This date is clearly estimated from the single census ages of children reported in 1850, but it is not known if Willis had been previously married or if Visa is the mother of all of them.

DNA - See the DNA Notes below and at the profile for his spouse, Visa. Mr. Hudler and his mother might be descended from the woman at this profile, the couple implied, or from another Slayden, but the "DNA Connections" shown here are not always based on supporting genealogy. What the DNA Connections shows is that Mr. Hudler is undoubtedly descended from a son of Willis Vaughn, named James, with whom Willis is found in 1870.[2]

Claimed location in 1860 census - The inference that this man is found in Montgomery County Tennessee anytime after 1840 is flawed: 1850 and 1860 census in Montgomery County, Tennessee, show a William Vaughn b about 1800 in Virginia married to a Mary, mentioned above and obviously not the Willis W. Vaughn at this profile. [7] [8] Unless it can be found and cited, there is no confirmation of Willis Vaughn in the 1860 Montgomery census.

DNA Notes

William Everett Slayden (abt.1789-abt.1861) fathered at least eight children and had 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 in the realm of neither provable nor disprovable. What is needed is more genealogical evidence to support a place on the tree of Arthur and Rachel Slayden for his spouse.

Research Needs

1820, 1830 census, although a name recorded as "W.W. Vaughn" cannot be provably attributed to the man at this profile.

An 1860 census. This is complicated by the ages of the presumed issue reported in 1850: all but three of the youngest issue would being projected as over 20 years old by 1860, and thus most might be married or otherwise no longer living with a parent.

for follow-up

Possible marriage of son, Lewis R Vaughn? [9] Note the presence of Vaughn surname in Sumner County, Tennessee that could account for this man; this is here to promote further investigation.

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 "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. Entry for WIllis and Visa Vaughn, District 2, stamped leaf 339, Trigg, Kentucky
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch citing (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, page 4, Mayfield, Graves, Kentucky.
  3. Kentucky Birth, Death and Marriage Records, 1852-1910, Film 994056: Todd, Trigg, Trimble, Union, Kentucky Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky, also available at Ancestry.com)
  4. "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGC-F37 : accessed 12 January 2023), Willis Vaughan, Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 236 NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .
  5. "United States Census, 1840", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRY-TLQ : Thu Oct 05 23:01:16 UTC 2023), Entry for W W Vaughn, 1840.
  6. "Tennessee Marriages, 1796-1950", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8B3-56T : 17 March 2020), William Vaughn, 1844.
  7. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDT-Q39 : 23 December 2020), William Vaughn, Montgomery, Tennessee, United States; citing family 1502 , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
  8. "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
  9. "Tennessee State Marriage Index, 1780-2002," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VN68-2MQ : 4 December 2014), Louis R Vaughn and Cardelia Ann Evans, 29 Jan 1860; from "Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing p. 92, Montgomery, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Willis by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Willis:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 2

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1850 census of Trigg Co., KY age 56.

1860 census of Montgomery Co., TN. 1870 census Graves Co., KY, age 78. Residing with son James Vaughn.

posted by James Hudler
1860 Montgomery is a continuation of 1850 for a William Vaughn, not the same man. I can find no evidence for Willis or Visa in Montgomery Co TN.
posted by Clinton Slayton Jr.

V  >  Vaughn  >  Willis W. Vaughn