Vick Family History

A New Opportunity

2011-05-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

In April 2011, I was elected librarian for the Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County (Florida). Originally, I asked my wife to become the librarian but she did not meet the length of membership requirement to run for the position. I never thought of librarian as being an elected position, but for our society it is. Fortunately, my wife has agreed to volunteer at the library and to do the real library work while I help patrons with their research. However, since I am the librarian and I know next to nothing about being a librarian (although I have spent a lot of time in libraries), I have been thinking about taking an online course from Simons College called Genealogical Information Services. The course description says “Students will acquire a practical knowledge of genealogical users and resources and explore related topics including reference, cataloging, collection development, outreach, and professional development.” It sounds like just what I need.

Brothers at War

2011-02-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago my wife was gathering material for a presentation I would give to the Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County (Florida). All of GSPBC’s meetings in the 2010 – 2011 season are based upon Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak’s book “Who Do You Think You Are? The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History.” The book is a companion to the NBC television show “Who Do You Think You Are?” That particular presentation was based upon chapter five of the book: “Marching Orders: Did Your Ancestors Serve?”

One of the things my wife found was a photograph of my father (James Ralph Vick) and his brother (Robert Edward Vick, Sr.) at the memorial to war correspondent Ernie Pyle. The memorial is on the tiny island of Ie Shima which is off the western coast of Okinawa, Japan. The photograph was taken at the end of World War II when my father and his brother crossed paths on Okinawa and went out to Ie Shima. My father had been on Okinawa since the invasion of the island. His brother had come up from the Philippines after heroic action there that resulted in him receiving the Silver Star.

My dad and uncle were a long way from home in Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, USA. Fortunately, they would return safely in a few months.

Sharpening the Saw

2010-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

As anyone knows who follows this blog, I try to integrate the results from various types of DNA testing with traditional Vick genealogical research to trace our Vick family history. This weekend I will be attending the 6th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy for Family Tree DNA Group Administrators in Houston, Texas. The focus of the conference is on how to use autosomal DNA in tracing ancestry. FTDNA has several very interesting presentations on the agenda that should increase my knowledge of how to use autosomal DNA in my research. I cannot wait to see what I learn and how I can apply it.

Joseph Vick Family of America 2011 Reunion

2010-10-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Joseph Vick Family of America 2011 Reunion will be in Virginia from June 24 – 26. I look forward to finding out the exact location and the planned activities.

The Next Step in Using DNA in My Search for Vick Family History

2010-10-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

Those who follow this blog will know that I am incorporating DNA in my search for Vick family history. This weekend I moved much closer to having my entire genome sequenced. The Personal Genome Project notified me that I am now enrolled in their project. I applied back in April 2009, so it has been a long wait just to get to this point. Now I have to wait for testing.

I look forward to seeing what new information my genome reveals.

Vick Claims to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes

2010-09-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in an earlier blog that an upcoming issue of the Vick Family Newsletter would cover claims made by 29 descendants of Stephen5 (Jacob4, Isaac3, William2, Joseph1) to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (Dawes Commission). Pam (Strickland) Vick’s article appears in the July 2010 issue. She details both the descendants’ claim that Stephen5’s father was a full blooded Choctaw, and the history of the commission. One of the problems we know now with the descendants’ claim was that they incorrectly identified who Stephen5’s father was. While the commission did not recognize this error, it still rejected the claims. Since we have four descendants (three females and one male) of Stephen5’s father (Jacob4) who have tested as part of our Vick and Allied Families DNA Project at 23andMe, we took a look at the DNA results to see if they would have supported the claimants’ position that Stephen’s father was a full blooded Choctaw.

One of the tools 23andMe provides is the Native American Ancestry Finder. 23andMe uses “either two or three lines of evidence in assessing a person's likelihood of Native American ancestry (depending on whether a person is male or female).” Men have their Y-DNA tested to look for Native American ancestry in their patrilineal line (father’s father’s father’s…line). Since women do not have a Y-chromosome, they cannot be Y-DNA tested. Both men and women have mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which is passed from a mother to both her sons and her daughters (although only women can pass mtDNA to the next generation). 23andMe uses mtDNA to check the matrilineal line (mother’s mother’s mother’s…line). Finally, both men and women have autosomal DNA, and 23andMe checks autosomal DNA. We inherit autosomal DNA from both of our parents, who inherited it from their parents, who inherited in from their parents…. 23andMe’s assessment of the possibility of a Native American in the patrilineal line of the one male descendant of Jacob4 was that the results were “…inconsistent with Native American ancestry along the paternal (father's father's father's ...) line.” So, we can rule out patrilineal Native American ancestry.

Mary [ ] is not in the matrilineal line of any of our project members, so mtDNA results will not help us evaluate her ancestry. However, autosomal DNA is helpful in evaluating both Mary’s and Jacob’s paternal and maternal ancestry. We have one 2nd great granddaughter, one 4th great granddaughter, one 4th great grandson, and one 5th great granddaughter of Jacob and Mary in our project. The 2nd great granddaughter’s results are the most informative since she is the closest to this couple. This descendant is just four generations removed from Jacob4 and Mary. 23andMe said this descendant “did not have any genetically Native American ancestors in the past five generations.” The results from the other three descendants did not contradict the results from the 2nd great granddaughter.

So, if Stephen5’s descendants had been DNA tested, it is highly likely the DNA evidence would have supported the commission’s conclusions that these descendants did not have Choctaw blood from their VICK line.

Vicks in Sports

2010-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Who are (or were) the greatest Vicks in sports? Americans are easy to find but I have fallen short on Vick athletes from other countries. Here are a few of the more notable Vicks in sports I have found. Surely there must be great Vick cricket, rugby, and football players around the world.

• Samuel “Sammy” Bruce Vick was born April 12 1895, in Batesville, Mississippi. He was the only man to ever pinch hit (really substitute) at bat for Babe Ruth.

• Ernie Vick was born July 2, 1900, in Toledo, Ohio, U.S. He played catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals between 1922 and 1926.

• On October 6, 2007, Michael T. Vick ran the St. George Marathon in 2:22:53 finishing eighth.

• Michael Vick, at one time the highest paid professional football player in the United States, was born June 26, 1980.

• On May 17, 2008, Robert Vick became the tenth person to bench press 900 pounds. He did so at the Nationals in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, U.S. His lift was a World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead Lifters National and World Record.

• Sarah Vick of Great Britain placed 692nd in the W18 age group at the 2009 Flora London Marathon. Her time was 3:46:56.

• Don L. Vick is a National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American & Southwest Conference champion 1 & 3 meter springboards as well as a seven time world high diving champion.

• In 1988, Glynn Vick and in 2006, Cecil Vick (brothers) were inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame for their rodeo accomplishments.

Sister Mary Ruth - A Vick Catholic Nun

2010-09-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

I wrote the article below for the January 2009 Vick Family Newsletter.

Prior to reading about Sister Mary Ruth I had no idea that any of the Vicks in my father’s family were anything but Methodists. My father’s brother, Robert Edward Vick, Sr., of Greenville, KY, gave me a copy of an unpublished document titled "Mercer Family That Affects the Vick Family," written by George Del Vick. In the document George Del Vick said Mary Ruth was a Catholic nun who had lived at Mount Saint Joseph in Maple Mount, KY. Around the summer of 1994 I went to the convent and Sister Emma Cecilia Busam, Order of St. Ursula (O.S.U.), gave me copies of the following documents (that I have transcribed here) proving that we did, in fact, have a Catholic nun in our family.

SISTER MARY RUTH VICK 08-27-1882 - 08-05-1951
Parents: Sebastian and Nancy Whangar Vick
Born: Greenville, Kentucky
Baptized: Blanche October 15, 1904
Entered: April 27, 1914
Received habit: December 30, 1914 No. 109
Final Vows: July 16, 1923

About Sister Mary Ruth we have very little information in the Archives, and very little can be learned from those who remember her, except for the fact that she was a cripple. It is believed that she was not close to her relatives, or that she was a sort of orphan when she came here. She did not enter until she was 31, so much is unknown to us who would like to know why she was a "different" person from the ordinary run of us. There was a lady in Owensboro who was interested in her; she may have been a friend or a relative. Sister Patrice had shown an interest in Sister Mary Ruth, and after Sister's death this lady sent gifts to the Mount and to Sister Patrice to show her appreciation. For example, she paid for the floor tiling on Lourdes II; she sent a film projector for the sick so that they could see novies (sic); she sent a sizeable electric fan and a recliner to Sister Patrice, and she used that recliner to the last of her days, in 1983.

During her 37 years as an Ursuline Sister Mary Ruth was on a mission other than Mt. St. Joseph at St. Joseph, Owensboro, for 16 months; all the remainder of her years were spent at the Mount. She helped take care of the sick on the third floor of St. Angela's building where the tuberculosis patients were cared for. She cooked for them, and made many trips up and down those flights of steps. Later she was in charge of the 'little girls.' She did not spare the hair brush; nor did she spoil the child. She spent a lot of her time piecing quilts on the machine. She lived on the top floor of the Novitiate building (now St. Ursula) on the south side. She had a basket on a rope that she would lower with a note in it for whatever she wanted; she would then 'haul' the basket up.

Sister Amanda Rose wrote this essay “The Beads Whisper From the Sick Room” when she was a postulant in 1950 and had been assigned the job of working in the infirmary with Sister Mary Ruth and others. It seems the essay was especially about Sister Mary Ruth's beads.

I'm a pair of beads and I have a little story to tell you. I'm not just an ordinary rosary. For one thing, I have blessings galore bestowed upon me.

I know, for my owner always mentions that to everyone she meets and then what makes me different from other beads, and what I love most of all is the very comfortable and permanent home I have in a pair of soft wrinkled old hands. They are hands that belong to a Shepherdess of “sheep.” That's nothere (sic) name for a Spouse of Christ. But now she has retired from the field where she personally watched over the flock of Christ's “sheep,” and with me to help her, she's still watching and guarding over them from a distance. I must say she certainly keeps me busy. Perhaps you've guessed we live behind convent walls in a small room equipped with a bed, table or two, and chair. On the wall are several holy pictures and her prized possession, a crucifix. Sometimes she gazes on it quite a long time and almost forgets to keep me jingling.

Now my mistress rises rather early and her first joy is assisting at Mass if she is able; if not, well, the King always manages to come and see her.

After all these years they're pretty good friends by now. After Mass, she settles down and looks forward to the coming day, which is a full one. We two have quite a time together. Don't ask me how, but she can dust, mend and even write letters without making me leave my comfortable home. Yes, I repeat I'm not an ordinary pair of beads. Now in the afternoon we usually go visiting the other shepherdesses, who have tiny rooms just like my mistress. Many of them just come and stay a little while; and after the excellent and loving care of two shepherdess doctors, (who could heal the devil if they ever got hold of him) they go back to the field to continue their watch over the King's “sheep.” Oh, what fun and joy these shepherdesses have when they get together and talk about their years spent in the open field. What things they have seen and they could talk forever about their wonderful experiences. In fact, I guess the day is just about over now. But there will be another day just like this one and another and another until finally one day, my shepherdess will slip off to be forever with the King over Whose flock she watched so faithfully, and will I jingle with joy that day!

Sister Mary Ruth slipped off forever on August 5, 1951. Rev. Gilbert Henniger was chaplain at the time, and he probably said the Mass for her funeral. Sister's grave is in Row 2 No. 13"

Another sheet says the following:

SISTER MARY RUTH VICK August 27, 1882 - August 5, 1951 Sister Mary Ruth was born in Greenville, Ky., the daughter of Sebastian Vick and Nancy Whanger-Vick. She was baptized October 15, 1904, and given the name Blanche. She entered the novitiate April 27, 1914, and received the habit December 30, 1914. She pronounced vows July 16, 1917, 1918, 1920 and 1923.

Her two missions: St. Joseph, Owensboro, Ky. 16 months; Mt. St. Joseph 1921 until her death August 5, 1951. At the Mount she was in charge of the little girls in grade school. (See Sister Amanda Rose Mahoney's poetie (sic) writing on “The Beads of Whisper From the Sick Room” that gives you a small glance into the life of Sister Mary Ruth, and her devotion to the Rosary.

There is also the following information on below the above:

Name Sister Mary Ruth Vick
Entered Novitiate Year 1914 Mar 26, Age 31
Received Habit Dec 30, 1914
Profession July 16 1917
Left Novitiate for First Mission 1919 - 1921
First Mission Place St Josephs School Owensboro, Time Sixteen Months Final Vows July 16 1923
OTHER MISSIONS
Place Time
Mt St. Joseph Motherhouse 1921 1943 -51

The following appeared in The Owensboro Messenger on August 7, 1951, in the obituary section under the title “Sister Mary Ruth Vick”:

Sister Mary Ruth Vick, 68, Maple Mount, died at 12:30 a.m. Sunday after an illness of several months. She was born in Muhlenberg County on Aug. 7, 1882, and is survived by several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a. m. today at the Chapel at Maple Mount, conducted by the Msgr. Gilbert Henninger. Burial will be in Maple Mount cemetery.

Do you have an unusual Vicks in your family tree? If so, please tell me their story.

Vicks Who Served in the Armed Forces

2010-09-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

My uncle Robert Edward Vick, Sr. won the Silver Star while serving in the U.S. Army in the Philippines during World War II. I wonder who the most distinguished Vicks were who served in their countries’ armed forces. I have noted in my Vick one-name study some instances of Vicks who served.
• Men & Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608, by John Smith (Republished by Alan Sutton; 1980; ISBN/ISSN: 0904387496) lists on page 308 under Oxlinge (Oxlinch) James Bycke, mason one pike.
• John Veke is listed on page 182 of Gloucestershire Military Survey 1522, (The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society; Record Series Volume 6; R. W. Hoyle; 1993; ISBN 0 900197 36 3). He is listed under Whitstone Hundred, Standish, with a worth of £3-6s-8d. This John could provide a sword. (Source Hudson John Powell)
• Private Mathew Vick served in Captain Arthur Applewhite’s Company from September to December 1794 in the expedition against the insurgents in Pennsylvania during the Frontier Wars.
• Private Walter Vick enlists in Company K, First Regiment Kentucky Infantry, Kentucky Volunteers, Confederate States Army on June 17, 1861, in Keysburg, Kentucky.
• Wesley Vick, born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, about 1825, enlisted at Vicksburg on November 10, 1863, in the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry.
• Sir Godfrey Russell Vick KC was born December 24, 1892 served in World War I.
• Private T. Vick of the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment died of disease in the South African War (1899-1902).
• Lance Corporal Bernard Charles Vick of Chichester, England was killed in action on October 14, 1914, in World War I at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in France.
• A photograph of Lt. D.B. Vick, Royal Field Artillery, taken August 12, 1916, appears in The Sphere Magazine.
• Private James Frank Vick, U.S. Army, 138th Field Artillery Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, died October 20, 1918. He is buried in the Brookwood American Cemetery in England.
• Private Paul B. Vick, of Texas died in Japanese captivity on May 27, 1942, in the Philippines.
• Sergeant James Albert Vick, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, died on June 3, 1944, in the crash of a Halifax LL307 (NF-J), 138 Squadron, at Tholen, Holland.
• Private First Class Gordon R. Vick, of Edgecombe County, North Carolina died on August 19, 1950, in South Korea.
• Specialist Fourth Class Roscoe L. Vick, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina died on March 4, 1966, near Tuy Hoa, South Vietnam.
• Brigadier General James L. Vick, United States Air Force (no known relation), was born July 27, 1943, in Sturgis, Michigan. He flew 276 combat missions during the Vietnam War piloting F-4D’s and B-52D’s.
• On April 26, 1971, flying the SR-71 “Blackbird,” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas B. Estes and Lieutenant Colonel Dewain C. Vick set the long range aviation endurance record. The feat won them the Mackay trophy and the Harmon trophy.
• From 1976 until January 11, 1979, Commander J.C. Vick was the commander of the Blue Crew of the USS Ethan Allen (SSBN 608).
• Staff Sergeant Eric R. Vick of Spring Hope, North Carolina died on April 1, 2007, in Bagdad, Iraq.

The Vick Family Newsletter, Volumes I through XXI, Is Now Available on CD

2010-09-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Pam Strickland Vick the Vick Family Newsletter, volumes I through XXI, is now available on CD. The order form is below.

The Vick Family Newsletters, Vol. I through XXI, on CD Order Form

Please send CD to:

Name: _______________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________

City: _________________________ State __________ Zip ________________

Email (for confirmation of shipment):___________________________

_____ Vick Family Newsletter on CD @ $10 for JVFOA members $_______
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_____ Vick Family Newsletter on CD @ $20 for non-members $_______
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Total amount enclosed $________

Please make checks payable to: Joseph Vick Family of America, Inc.

Mail your order form and check to:

Laura Wikey
Treasurer, JVFOA
874 Lakeknoll Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

An Example of the Genealogical Information in a Testimony to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes

2010-09-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

In my last blog I mentioned that documents to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes contain a lot of genealogical information. Below is an example.

Department of the Interior,
Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes,
Muskogee, I. T., July 7th, 1902,

#6007

In the matter of the application of Turner Vick for the identification of himself and his three minor children, Jessie A., Josh, and Gertrude Vick, as Mississippi Choctaws.

No attorney.

Turner Vick, being first duly sworn, testified as follows:

Examination by the Commission,
Q. What is your name? A. Turner Vick.
Q. How old are you Mr. Vick? A. I was born September 8th, 1850.
Q. How much Choctaw blood have you? A. Well it’s supposed to be one-eighth.
Q. What is your post office address? A. Lynch, Texas.
Q. How long have you lived in Texas? A. Lived there ever since I was five years old, only what time I spent traveling about; I lived some in Arkansas and worked some in the Choctaw Nation three or four times for about two months at a time.
Q. Where were you born? A. Muhlenberg county, Kentucky.
Q. Is your father living? A. No sir.
Q. What was his name? A. Name was Henry Monroe; H. M. was his initials.
Q. Is your mother living? A. No sir.
Q. What was her name? Her name was Hulda Ann Young before she was married.
Q. Through which one of your parents do you get your Choctaw blood?
A. Father.
Q. How old would he be if he was living now? A. Why he died--- I can’t tell you exactly; I think he was born somewhere in 1812 or 1813; I aimed to bring the family record but forgot it. He was seventy-seven years old when he died and he died this coming October is five years ago; he was born March 16th; I remember that.
Q. Where was he born? A. I think in Hopkins county, Kentucky.
Q. Lived there in Kentucky all his life? A. Yes sir, Kentucky, and I think he made that his home until he moved when I was going on five years old; it was in ’55, the first day of January; we came to Texas the first day of January in ’55.
Q. He never lived in Mississippi? A. No sir, not that I know of.
Q. Through which of his parents did he get his Choctaw blood?
A. Through his Vick parents.

#2.

Q. What was his name? A. His name was Steven Vick; that was my grandfather.
Q. Do you know the year in which he was born? A. No sir.
Q. Did you ever see him? A. No sir; if I did I was too small; I can remember my grandmother when I was four years old.
Q. Do you know where Steven lived during his life-time?
A. My father taught me he came from Mississippi.
Q. Do you know what part? A. Not far from Vicksburg.
Q. Your father was never recognized in any manner or enrolled as a member of the Choctaw tribe of Indians in Indian Territory, was he? A. Not that I know of.
Q. Where your father and mother lawfully married? A. Yes sir.
Q. Have you any evidence of that fact with you? A. No sire; all the evidence I have they lived together for a long period of years; we have family records that shows when they was married and by who they was married.
Q. How many children were born to them? A. Seven; four boys and three girls.
Q. Well did they live together until your mother’s death? A. Yes sir.
It will be necessary that the Commission be furnished with proper evidence of the marriage of your mother. This evidence should be furnished within a period of ten days from to-day (sic) if possible.

By the applicant:

Now I want to say I couldn’t furnish testimony in that time for I have to go back to Kentucky for it, and it will require twenty-five or thirty days.

By the Commission:

Well if You (sic) cant (sic) get it here in ten days just send it as soon as you can. It may be that your case wont (sic) be decided.

Q. You are married are you Mr. Vick? A. Yes sir.
Q. Is your wife living? A. No sir, she’s dead.
Q. What was her name? Martha Jane Brown was her maiden name.
Q. Did she have any Choctaw blood? A. No sir.
Q. Were you married more than once? A. No sir.
Q. Was she? A. No sir.
Q. Have you any children living? A. Yes sir.
Q. How many? A. Two boys and seven girls; nine children.
Q. Are any of them of age? A. Yes sir.
Q. How many are of age? A. Lutitia, Willie, Henry, Dora, Clarissa, and Cora; they are all married except Clarissa; she’s twenty-one years old.
Q. How many have you at home with you now under age? I have three, yes sir.
Q. What are their names? A. Jessie A., girl.
Q. How old? A. She’s sixteen years old.
Q. Next one? A. Josh, boy.
Q. How old is Josh? A. He’s thirteen years old.

#3.

Q. Next? A. Gertrude, girl.
Q. How old? A. Eleven.
Q. These three children are living with you at this time are they?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Now give us the married names of your children who are married – your daughters who are married? A. First is Annie Lutitia Irons.
Q. Next one? A. Willie Frances Proctor is her full name.
Q. Next one? A. Next one is Dora Ella Proctor.
Q. Next one? A. Cora Lee Petty.
Q. Next one? A. The next one is a boy—George Henry Vick.
Q. Next one? A. There’s no more married ones.
Q. Clarissa is single? A. Rest of them is single; Clarissa is twenty-one years old and single.
Q. These married children are also the children of yourself and Martha Jane Vick? A. Yes sir.
Q. Where you married to Martha Jane Vick under a license? A. No sir, married in the state of Arkansas. Should I state when?
Q. Yes? (sic) A. Married in the state of Arkansas the third day of September, 1871, in Millcreek township, by Reverend Henry Carr, Baptist minister. I wrote to the County Clerk for the marriage certificate and he wrote back to me that it would cost sixty cents. I have sent that but I haven’t heard from it yet. I can get proof however that we was married, by having time to get that.
Q. Well, we give you a period of ten days from this date in which to offer proper evidence of the marriage of yourself and Martha Jane Vick; of course your marriage certificate would be the best evidence. This application is for yourself and three minor children; is that correct? A. Yes sir.
Q. Is your name or the name of any of these children to be found on any of the tribal rolls of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory? A. We never did enroll.
Q. Did you not make application to the Choctaw tribal authorities in Indian Territory, for yourself or any one of these children, to be admitted or enrolled as members of that tribe? A. None until the present time.
Q. We are not the tribal authorities; we are the United States authorities. (sic) Well, I never did make application.
Q. Did you in the year 1896 make application to this Commission for citizenship in the Choctaw Nation under the act of Congress approved June 10, 1896? A. 1896? No sir.
Q. Then neither you nor your children for whom you make application have ever been admitted to citizenship in the Choctaw Nation by the Choctaw tribal authorities, the Commission is the Five Civilized Tribes or the United States Court for the Indian Territory, have you? A. No sir.
Q. Have you ever made any application of any description before today for yourself or these children, for the purpose of establishing your rights as Choctaw Indians? A. No sir.
Q. Do you appear before the Commission at this time for the purpose of claiming rights in the Choctaw lands in Indian Territory, for yourself and these minor children, under article fourteen of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, do you? A. Yes sir.

#4.

This treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was entered into in the state of Mississippi on September 27, 1830, between the government of the United States and the Choctaw tribe of Indians. At the time this treaty was made the Choctaw lived in Mississippi and along the western edge of the state of Alabama. The object of the treaty was to secure the removal of these Indians from the country occupied by them in Mississippi and Alabama to a new country west of the Mississippi river, part of which is now occupied by the greater portion of the Choctaw tribe of Indians and the Chickasaws and is commonly known as the Choctaw-Chickasaw country in Indian Territory. At the time this treaty was made some of these Indians were unwilling to leave the old Nation and move out west, and for the benefit of those who preferred to remain there what is known as the fourteenth article was put into the treaty. That fourteenth article provided that upon certain conditions a Choctaw who preferred to remain in Mississippi and not move out to the new Nation might receive land back there from the government. It is as follows:

“Each Choctaw head of a family being desirous to remain and become a citizen of the states shall be permitted to do so, by signifying his intentionto (sic) the Agent within six months from the ratification of this treaty, and he or she shall thereupon be entitled to a reservation of one section of six hundred and forty acres of land, to be bounded by sectional lines of survey; in like manner shall be entitled to one half that quantity for each unmarried child which is living with him over ten years of age; and a quarter section to such child as may be under ten years of age, to adjoin the location of the parent. If they reside upon said lands intending to become citizens of the states for five years after the ratification of this treaty, in that case, a grant in fee simple shall issue; said reservation shall include the present improvement of the head of the family or a portion of it. Persons who claim under this article shall not lose the privilege of a Choctaw citizen but if they ever remove are entitled to any portion of the Choctaw annuity.”

Q. You understand that fourteenth article Mr. Vick? A. Why, I believe I do Judge.
Q. Did any of your ancestors live in the old Nation in Mississippi and Alabama in the year 1830 when this treaty was made?
A. That’s what I have been taught by my father.
Q. Well now your father was born in about 1815 you think?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Well now he must have been fifteen years old when this treaty was made, according to that? A. Yes sir.
Q. Well he never lived in Mississippi that you ever hear of?
A. Not that I know of.
Q. Well he lived with his father until he was grown did he?
A. Why I suppose he did. I cant (sic) answer that question.
Q. Well now you don’t think it probable that your father or his father either were living in Mississippi in 1830 do you?
A. Don’t know that they was. His grandfather lived in Mississippi

#5

At that time; that’s what he has always taught me.
Q. Was your father’s grandfather living at the time of the birth of your father? A. I don’t know; I cant (sic) answer that question. He told me but I have forgotten it.
Q. Do you know whether any of your Choctaw ancestors within six months after this treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was ratified, let the Agent of the government in Mississippi for the Choctaws know that they wanted to stay in Mississippi and become citizens of the states and take land? A. Well sir, I have been told that they did. We propose to introduce testimony if we have time to that effect before the Commission.
Q. How did you get your information on that point? A. We got it by a man writing to us.
Q. Who was he? A. He said he would furnish testimony to connect us.
Q. Who is he Mr. Vick? A. His name is Gardner.
Q. Where does he live? A. I couldn’t tell you.
Q. How did you happen to get in communication with him? A. My cousin met him.
Q. Where? A. Somewhere in the Territory.
Q. Do you know what this man’s occupation is? A. No sir.
Q. What did he tell you? A. He told us in making our application that we could furnish testimony—written testimony; to make it on that ground and furnish written evidence to identify us with the Choctaw tribe.
Q. Did you make any agreement with him to pay him? A. If he furnishes testimony.
Q. What were the terms of that agreement? A. He agreed to furnish it for one hundred dollars.
Q. Did he tell you how he expected to get that testimony?
A. He said it was a matter of record.
Q. You never heard of this man before your cousin met him? A. No sir.
Q. Which one of your cousins do you refer to? A. Luther F. Vick. I will tell you of the thing that caused me to have some faith; my grandfather’s father died in Mississippi in 1819; it is a matter of history because I wrote to exgovernor (sic) Lowery and he informed me to that effect; and I found a man by the name of Simmons that was born in Mississippi; well I want to say he was born there but he was there in an early day, and he told me that his recollection served him that the Vicks and Laflores were related; that one of the Vicks in an early day married one of the Laflores. This man Gardner states that he can connect us with the Laflores; that’s how it comes; of course if we don’t make proof it will be our fault.
Q. Now Mr. Vick do you know whether any of your people did in fact let this Agent for the government there in Mississippi in 1831 know that they wanted to stay there and take advantage of the provisions of the fourteenth article? A. Don’t know only just what was wrote to us.
Q. What Gardner wrote to you? A. Wrote to my cousin.
Q. Did he say he could prove that? A. Yes sir.
Q. What one of your ancestors did he say he could prove did so let

#6

the Agent of the government know that he wanted to stay in Mississippi and become a citizen of the states and take land?
A. Silas Vick, a relative of ours in Mississippi.
Q. What relation? A. He didn’t say what relation.
Q. To you? A. No sir.
Q. Did you ever hear of Silas Vick before this man mentioned him?
A. Not that I recollect it.
Q. You don’t know as a matter of fact that he is any relation to you? A. No sir, I don’t know that he is. I have written back there for a statement but don’t know whether I will get it or not.
Q. Do you know whether any of your people ever claimed or received any land there in Mississippi under this article?
A. I don’t know whether they did or not. I just have this letter from Exgovernor (sic) Lowry that my great-grandfather owned land there when he died in 1819.
Q. You don’t know whether any of your people in fact complied with the provisions of the fourteenth article do you? A. Not personally I don’t. I have been told so.
Q. The only source of information on that point is this man Gardner? A. Yes sir.
Q. You don’t know what authority he has for making that statement?
A. He said he had it from the United States government record.
Q. Do you know what record he referred to? A. No sir.

In accordance with the provisions of this fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the government of the United States directed an Agent in the state of Mississippi to register the names of such Choctaws as might desire to remain there and become citizens of the states and take land. The records of the government show that this Agent failed to register and report to the government the names of many Choctaws who did in fact let him know that they wanted to stay there and become citizens of the states and take land, and on this account the government at its public land sales in Mississippi in many instances sold land upon which Choctaws lived and had improvements and which they supposed they would receive under the fourteenth article of the treaty. This caused a great deal of complaint among the Indians and the matter was finally brought to the attention of Congress and Congress passed certain acts between the years 1837 and 1842 providing for the appointment of Commissioners whose duty it should be to go down to Mississippi and hear the cases of Choctaws who claimed that they had complied in all respects with the provisions of the fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek but that their land had been sold by the government. These Commissioners were duly appointed by the President of the United States and they went down to Mississippi between the years 1837 and 1845 and heard a great many of those Choctaw cases.

Q. Did any of your ancestors appear before any of these Commissioners and attempt to establish their rights under the fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek? A. Only from what that man states is all.
Q. Did he make that statement to you? A. Yes sir.

#7

Q. What one of your ancestors did he say appeared before these Commissioners? A. He said---well, I don’t remember---he said that his Silas was one of them; told several names.
Q. Did Silas Vick have a Choctaw name? A. I don’t know sir whether he did or not.
Q. You know nothing whatever about this man? A. Not personally.

An act of Congress approved August 23, 1842, provided that in case it should be finally decided that a Choctaw had compliedin (sic) all respects with the provisions of the fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek but his land had been taken by the government and sold, he should be entitled to select in the place of the land so sold by the government, land some place else in Mississippi; or in Alabama, Louisiana or Arkansas, from vacant government land, and that a certificate should be given him to that effect. These certificates were called scrip.

Q. Did any of your ancestors ever get any of this scrip from the government under this act of Congress? A. Not that I know of personally.
Q. Do you know whether any of your people ever received any benefits whatever under his fourteenth article? A. Not that I know of personally. I have no personal knowledge of it.
Q. Do you know whether any of your people were recognized members of the tribe in 1830, do you? A. Not personally.
Q. All you know is what this man Gardner has told you about it?
A. That and what others have stated that seemed to know something about the history. I am just speaking now of what I know myself.
Q. Do you know of any written evidence of any kind which would prove or tend to prove that any of your ancestors ever did comply or attempt to comply with the provisions of the fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek or ever received any benefits thereunder (sic)? A. This man Gardner proposes to furnish it.
Q. You don’t know of your own knowledge of any such evidence?
A. He told me to make application for time in which to establish that fact and he would furnish testimony.
Q. Is he a lawyer? A. I don’t know sir.
Q. You have no written evidence to offer at this time? A. No sir.
Q. Or any witnesses? A. No sir.

You will be allowed a period of ten days in which to submit proper written evidence in this case, or in which to introduce witnesses to testify in your behalf.

By the applicant:

I would like to have as much time as you could grant me. I have a son and daughter that’s not here, but they want to come and enroll.

By the Commission

They can come as soon as they desire; they should

#8

come at the earliest date possible.

Q. Are there any further statements you want to make? A. No sir.
Q. You don’t speak or understand the Choctaw language? A. No sir.
Q. Have you any brothers living? A. Brothers living? No sir.
Q. Sisters? A. Got two sisters living.
Q. What are their names? A. One her given name is Margaret A. M. Morris.
Q. Next one? A. Susan Kelly.
Q. Have they been before the Commission? A. No sir, one of them is here to-day (sic).
Q. Which one? A. Susan.
Q. Have you any brothers dead who left children? A. Yes sir.
Q. How many? A. I have one.
Q. What was your brother’s name? A. Name was Young L. Vick.
Q. How many of his children are living? A. I don’t know whether any of them is living or not; lost trace of them.
Q. Do you know their names? A. Yes sir, I can give their names.
Q. Give them to us? A. One of them is named---the oldest one is named Nettie.
Q. Next one? A. Fannie.
Q. Next one? A. Frank, boy.
Q. That all? A. Jim, Robert, and Maud.
Q. Next? A Stella, that’s all.
Q. Have any of them been before the Commission? A. Not that I know of sir.
Q. Now have you any sisters dead who left children? A. Yes sir.
Q. How many? A. One.
Q. What was her name? A. Hulda Ann Manning.
Q. How many of her children are living now? A. She had three.
Q. What are their names? A. Col, he’s a boy.
Q. Next one? A. Mary.
Q. Next one? A. Dora.
Q. Have they been before the Commission? A. No sir.

Special reference is hereby made to M C R 5879, Luther F. Vick, the applicants in this case and the applicants in that case being the descendants of the same common Choctaw ancestor.
The records in the possession of the Commission containing the names of persons who complied or attempted to comply with the previsions of that fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, or received any benefits thereunder (sic), have been carefully examined and the names of none of the ancestors of this applicant are found thereon.
This applicant has the appearance of being a white man; shows no indications of being possessed of Indian blood; his hair is rather inclined to be dark; has brown eyes; dark complexion; he doesn’t speak or understand the Choctaw language and has no knowledge of the compliance on the part of any of his ancestors with the provisions of the fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.

#9

Albert G. McMillan, being first duly sworn, states that as stenographer to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes he reported the proceedings had in the above entitled cause on the 7th day of July, 1902, and that the above and foregoing is a full, true and correct transcription of his stenographic notes taken in said cause on said date.
Albert G. McMillan

Subscribed and sworn before me this 21st day of July, 1902.
Guy L. V. Emerson
Notary Public

Documents from the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes Reveal a Lot of Vick Family History Information

2010-06-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Documents from the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (authorized under a rider to an Indian Office appropriation bill, March 3, 1893) contain a great deal of family history information. A member of the Joseph Vick Family of America provided many copies of documents from The National Archives to JVFOA about her family’s claims of Choctaw Indian ancestry and their entitlement to land under the 1830 treaty know as the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.

Among other documents in the Commission’s file are summaries of the sworn testimony of family members. The following were some of the questions asked:

What is your name?
How old are you?
How much Choctaw blood do you claim?
What is your post office address?
How long have you lived there
Is your father living?
What was his name?
Is your mother living?
What was her name?
Through which one of your parents do you claim your Choctaw blood?

Then the questions drilled down through each generation until arriving at the ancestor believed to have been a Choctaw. The person testifying was asked where the ancestor was born and when, and if the ancestor was living in 1830. There were further questions about whether the person filing the claim was married (and if so how many times), to whom, and how many children they had from each marriage. Additional questions dealt with whether a spouse had any Choctaw blood.

In an upcoming issue of the Vick Family Newsletter we are going to cover these claims, the lineage of the William6 (Stephen5, Jacob4, Isaac3, William2, Joseph1), and what we learned from testing descendants of Jacob4 at 23andMe about the probability of Jacob4 (or his wife) having Choctaw Indian ancestry as claimed in the testimony.

Inventorying the Materials of the Late Di Ann Vick

2010-05-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

After traveling for a couple of weeks I have started preparing an inventory of the materials Di Ann Vick designated go to the Joseph Vick Family of America. It is like preparing an inventory of a giant treasure chest. The process will take weeks. As I look at the materials I want to read everything, but I also know that would turn the inventory process into one lasting many months.

The inventory will be included in parts in upcoming issues of the Vick Family Newsletter. Hopefully, the inventory will both give those who sent Di Ann material some reassurance that what they sent has not been lost and spark some interest among Vick researchers. While I have only looked at a small portion of the materials I have found items relating not only to the Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia line but also to English, Canadian, and German Vick lines.

As I work on the inventory I realize that eventually the material that is not copyrighted should be scanned and placed on the Joseph Vick Family of America website so that all researchers can have access to it. I also realize that all of the material I collect on behalf of the association should be placed in a location accessible to all researchers. I suspect many family associations have lost a lot of material when their newsletter editors have not passed on what they have collected to succeeding editors or other representatives of their associations.

After inventorying the materials I intend to create a database of the information so that it will be easy to search by name or place. That process could take a year or more. This database will include the indexes already prepared for past issues of the Vick Family Newsletter and any additional information I collect.

3rd Annual Genealogy Fair at Nova Southeastern University

2010-04-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

On April 10, 2010, I will be representing the Guild of One-Name Studies at the 3rd Annual Genealogy Fair at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I look forward to talking with people about one-name studies and the Guild. I also look forward to seeing again the people I met at the first two fairs. The Nova Fair is a very enjoyable experience. There are many knowledgeable people at the fair who represent a wide array of genealogy and family history organizations.

A Vick Genetics Project in 1827 – Vick’s 100 Cotton Seed

2010-03-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

As I was indexing volume XIII of the Vick Family Newsletter tonight I came across a story about Henry William Vick. It turns out Colonel Henry may have organized our family’s first genetics project. The newsletter article was based upon information in Nitta Yuma King Cotton. The article says the following on page 15:

‘it was in the year 1827 or 8…my brother Gray Vick and myself then planting
together at the prairie near Manchester (Yazoo City) on the Yazoo River, known
among the Choctaw Indians as Nitta Yuma…procured from Thomas Vaughn of Petit
Gulf Hills some of his ‘Little Brown’ Mexican cotton seed, which were considered
at least equal to or superior to any of that celebrated
variety.

On establishing myself, in 1831,…on [land] on which my brother Willie B. Vick
had for many years resided and planted previous to his death (1817 to 18300 I
ordered from Thomas Vaughn 100 bushels of seed for which I paid him seventy-five
dollars, and continued the order for the same quantity, at the same price, for
five years.’

(The third year, Mr. Vaughn supplied Henry William with 100 bushels of what he
considered his best yield. The seed he supplied the two following years
was not comparable, so H.W. decided to improve the seed he had.)
‘…it was not until the month of March of this present year, 1844, that I made discovery of the fact that my former method, the one usually practiced by planters in the Petit Gulf Hills of selecting from the bank of seed those of a certain color,
coat and size, would not and could not carry the improvement of any considerable
degree of perfection.

The discovery I allude to was made this way. In the month of
September and October last year, having no answer, and being perpetually with
the hands while picking, I was in the habit of looking, examining ahead for the
best stalks, bolls and cotton, and upon meeting with a very superior stalk, of
picking the cotton and keeping it to self, and upon returning to the house
putting the separate parcels in paper to themselves. In the month of
March, preparatory to planting, I picked with my own hands the various lots…and
was surprised to find…they exhibited 2 find distinct varieties of seed and
consequently of cotton…

On the 4th of April, I planted the various lots of seed picked by me by hand,
and the wagon having passed frequently unknown to the driver over my favorite
lot – which in consequence of the 10 or 12 locks having furnished precisely 100
seed – I call my strain the 100 seed variety.’

Digging Deep into My Roots

2010-03-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

23andMe’s Relative Finder predicts Yvonne STEWART is my “Distant Cousin.” That means she would be greater than a 10th cousin. Up to “Distant Cousin” Relative Finder assigns a range around its prediction. For example the prediction might be 4th cousin with a range of 3rd to 6th cousin. Yvonne and I have one matching segment of DNA on one chromosome comprising just .07 percent of our total DNA. That is the only segment we both have from our shared ancestor that is at least five centimorgan’s long (the minimum threshold for Relative Finder to call a match).

When Yvonne and I first looked to see if we could find a shared ancestor in our pedigrees, I couldn’t find one. She later pointed out to me that I was mistakenly looking in my mother’s line when our match was in my father’s line (Yvonne did not match my mother). If Yvonne and I were 11th cousins we would have to share a 10th great grandparent. If I didn’t have the same person in more than one of my lines, I would have 4,096 10th great grandparents. I know I don’t have 4,096 unique 10th great grandparents, because my parents are 4th cousins, one time removed. I expect my parents' lines merge at other places in our family tree also. Nonetheless, there are a lot of possibilities at the 10th great grandparent level, and I do not know the names of many of my 10th great grandparents. In fact, my pedigree chart has many blank boxes after my 2nd great grandparents, so I doubt I will be able to find a shared ancestor with many “Distant Cousins.” Any shared ancestor with an 11th cousin I do find may not be the ancestor from whom I have inherited the segment. However, I expect to have a lot of fun looking (and I also expect to learn a lot in the process).

A couple of weeks ago I contacted another of my Relative Finder matches. In that case Relative Finder predicted we were 5th cousins (with a range of 3rd to 10th). I sent her a link to my pedigree, and she recognized the WYATT surname as being one in her pedigree. She told me Mary Ann WYATT, born in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1839, was her ancestor. I went to Ancestry.com and found a family tree that showed her Mary Ann’s WYATT line was Noah (1805-1871), Thomas (1773-1846), John (1743-1815), John (1714-1776), John (1679-1738). This last John married Rachel CALLOWAY (1675-1719) on November 17, 1696, in Albemarle Precinct, Perquimans County, North Carolina. John and Rachel are my 7th great grandparents, so the lady I matched is my 8th cousin. If the shared segment passed down both lines it came from either John or Rachel. I chart all my matches. I will be watching for another person who shares that segment with me. Perhaps I can then figure out whether the segment came through the WYATT line or the CALLOWAY line.

I mention this WYATT/CALLOWAY line because Yvonne and I then found we share a WYATT ancestor, the Reverend Haute WYATT (1594-1638). He was the brother of Sir Francis WYATT. Francis WYATT was the first colonial governor of Virginia. Fortunately, both are well-documented. As it turns out, the Reverend WYATT is my 10th great grandfather, and he is also Yvonne’s 10th great grandfather. So, Yvonne and I are 11th cousins. She is descended from Reverend WYATT’s first wife, and I am descended from his second wife. That means if we did inherit our shared DNA from this line, it had to be from Reverend WYATT.

If nothing else, Relative Finder is causing me to get to know my WYATT line a lot better. It is also causing me to extend every line I can in my pedigree to try to find why I match the people I do at 23andMe. I am learning a lot about my family history as I extend those lines (and I am having a lot of fun while doing it). I am also meeting some very nice new cousins.

Progress in Indexing Place Names in the "Vick Family Newsletter"

2010-03-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I have been indexing the place names in the Vick Family Newsletter. All of the volumes (except one) have name indexes of the people, so a place name index would allow us to cross-reference people to places (or places to people). Eventually I hope to put all of the index references (people and places, newsletters and book) in Microsoft Access to make the cross-referencing much more efficient.

So far I have indexed the first ten volumes. Having one index of all the volumes would be ideal, but I am going to have to do it in two parts if I am also going to start publishing the index in the newsletter this year. Part I will be an index through volume XV. As it turns out the Joseph Vick Family of America sold soft copies of volumes I through XV bound in two parts. So, an index of those volumes would be particularly handy for anyone who has the bound copies. Part II will then complete the newsletter volumes. After I finish part II, I will merge the two parts into one index which can then be placed on a CD with all of the newsletters. Pam Vick and her sister have scanned all of the newsletters, and she believes they will be searchable. The index will provide another layer of search because it will contain the city, county, and state for places that can be associated with them. The index, therefore, will allow you to find all of the places in a county, for example, that are mentioned in any of the newsletters even if the county name isn’t included in the article’s text (provided the newsletter had enough detail to identify the county or that the location was in a county).

Well, I had better get to indexing. I am holding up the newsletter.

We Are All Cousins

2010-03-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

In our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project at 23andMe we are looking for people who match more than one of our project members. The hope is that some of these people will lead us to discover some of the missing names in our collective family tree. I have also noticed that my wife and I have some of the same predicted cousins at 23andMe. One lady matches two other members of our project in addition to me. I noticed she also matches my wife. Seeing that my wife and I match the same person (we actually have more than one shared match) caused me to start thinking about where my pedigree would first join my wife’s pedigree. Years ago when I was researching my father’s pedigree I found that my mother and my dad were 4th cousins, one time removed (their shared ancestors were Shadrach MERCER and his wife Rhoda PRICE).

At some point all of our pedigrees begin to merge, so it is just a question of how far back we have to go in each line to find that point. Yesterday I was researching the pedigree of the lady who matches the other two descendants of Joseph Vick, my wife, and me. Relative Finder predicted this lady was my “Distant Cousin.” Relative Finder also predicted she was my wife’s distant cousin. I found that the lady and I are 11th cousins. Our shared ancestor was Rev. Haute WYATT (born June 4, 1594, in Maidstone, Kent, England). Rev. WYATT was the brother of Francis WYATT, the first English colonial governor of Virginia. The lady I matched is a descendant of Rev. WYATT’s first wife and I am a descendant of his second wife.

After finding how the lady and I are related, I started looking for how she is related to my wife. Both had the surname MOORE in their pedigrees, so their MOORE lines seemed like a good place to start the search. As I looked at my wife’s pedigree I realized that the MOORE was a mistake. I had her as one of my wife’s 4th great grandmothers. Other trees showed that the correct name of this 4th great grandmother was Mary CLEMENS (actually CLEMMONS as it turned out). Mary’s father and mother were Samuel Thompson CLEMMONS (born March 15, 1751) and Martha COGGINS (born in 1756). When I looked back at my pedigree I realized these were my 5th great grandparents (in my father’s line), so my wife and I are 6th cousins.

My wife also matches three people that my mother matches. Maybe as I am researching all of their lines I will find a common ancestor of my wife and my mother.

We Have a Chance to Grow Our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project and Save Money

2010-03-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

We have a chance to save some money while growing our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project. 23andMe is offering the Ancestry Edition test for $199, and if you want the Full Edition you can get the $200 discount off that price also. The details on the Ancestry Edition are here. To get the $200 off the Full Edition Stewart Ellis at 23andMe said “click ‘Continue Shopping’ at the top of the store page, then add a Complete Edition to your cart. At that point, if you only want the Complete Edition, you can remove the Ancestry kit and you're left with just the Complete Edition with the discount applied. Remember, you have to click the ‘order now’ button on the Faces of America Landing page to get the discount - that is the button that applies the promotion to the store.” The offer expires on March 31, 2010.

The celebrities featured on the PBS series Faces of America, were tested by 23andMe. Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the host of the series, said “we knew we wanted to go beyond paper records. 23andMe's invaluable genetic ancestry tools allowed us to pick up where the paper trails left off, providing valuable insights into the genealogy and ancestry of each of our guests.”

We have one brother of a project member who just joined our project, and he already has a match with another project member that his brother didn’t have. I can see from my children’s match list that because they each didn’t inherit the same 50 percent of my DNA they have some different matches in my line. Having additional family members test increases the chance of finding something significant for our Vick family history.

Vick Ancestors in Scotland?

2010-02-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today a lady who 23andMe’s Relative Finder predicts is my 5th cousin (with a range of 3rd to 9th cousin) accepted my contact request. Since Relative Finder predicted we are 5th cousins, we would be expected to share 4th great grandparents. My 4th great grandparents lived in the 1700s. Finding the shared ancestors will be a challenge, but if we were able to link our pedigrees it would be very satisfying.

The lady I match was born in Glasgow, Scotland. It is highly likely that our match is through my father’s line since my mother has been tested and she doesn’t match the lady. I looked to see if I have found any links to Scotland in my father’s line. Unfortunately, I haven’t done enough research to be able to connect our pedigrees.

In the time before surnames have been used I may have had at least one patrilineal ancestor who lived in Shetland or Orkney. I base that on an analysis of my Y-DNA done by Professor Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University. He said the few markers he used in his analysis have been found in a small number of men there with ancestry to Norway.

I have asked the lady to look at the surnames in my father’s pedigree and to see if any appears to be Scottish. If she finds one, I will try to extend the pedigree for that surname. The lady doesn’t appear to have done any genealogical research, so she is an example of how finding someone who wouldn’t be likely to order a genetic genealogy test can be very useful. The 23andMe database is loaded with people like her. When a member of our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project sends me a screenshot of a match, I enter into a spreadsheet the matches’ name, the chromosome, and the start and stop positions of the shared segment. Maybe another member of our project will match this lady. Maybe we will get really lucky and we will all share the same segment. Yesterday I noticed a case where a man who matches my mother probably matches another man my mother matches. The second man’s matching segment is contained within the segment my mother shares with the first man. Already we have several cases like this in our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project. So, it isn’t impossible that we will find another match with the lady from Scotland, even though it is a very long shot. Wouldn’t another match be very interesting especially if the match has an extensive pedigree?

Another DNA Tool To Consider for Our Vick Family History Research

2010-02-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Over 50 men and women have tested or are in the process of testing at 23andMe as part of our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project. Two more Vick descendants told me they were ordering the Full Edition 23andMe test today.

Family Tree DNA has announced it is going to provide a competitive product to 23andMe’s Relative Finder. FTDNA has named its tool Family Finder. Because almost all of our VICK Y-DNA Surname Project members tested at FTDNA, and we have had a great experience with FTDNA, we definitely have to pay attention to what FTDNA is doing. To get an idea of how Family Finder compares to Relative Finder, I ordered a Family Finder test. I am looking forward to using the tools Family Finder includes for managing projects. Hopefully 23andMe will offer similar tools since we don’t have any way to share our project results today except by transferring information from e-mailed screenshots to a spreadsheet and then sharing the spreadsheet. Just getting the screenshots is difficult. Not surprisingly, many project members don’t know how to make a screenshot or don’t have the time or interest to take them.

From the discounts 23andMe gave genetic genealogists last September 23andMe has a great head start on building an ancestry database, but with FTDNA’s very large surname project structure and all those unpaid project administrators extolling the virtues of FTDNA (and thereby steering project members to test at FTDNA), it may not take long for FTDNA to catch up in an important metric to genetic genealogists – a large database of customers anxious to compare pedigrees. If FTDNA was to follow deCODEme’s model of allowing 23andMe customers to transfer results for free, FTDNA might leapfrog 23andMe’s ancestry business.

While short of a full project management capability I have often wondered why 23andMe didn’t do something very simple like indicate on Relative Finder that there is more than one person in the 23andMe database who shares the same segment. 23andMe could then have a second level of contact request where each of the matching people could opt in to group sharing of results. It would seem like that little change could increase the chance that two of the people would have pedigrees they could use to solve the puzzle for the whole group. Solving the puzzle for the whole group might generate more enthusiasm about Relative Finder. It would be a far cry from a project management tool, but it would be at least a start.

I suspect the outcome of the Relative Finder versus Family Finder competition will make a good Harvard Business School case study. Hopefully, the outcome of the competition between the two companies will lead to the best product for genetic genealogists.

Gatewaying the Vick Rootsweb Board to the Vick Rootsweb E-mail List

2010-02-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Di Ann Vick was the administrator of the Vick e-mail list on Rootsweb. When she passed away, I adopted the list. At one time there was quite a bit of activity on the list, but recently it has been pretty quiet. There is also a Vick board on Rootsweb. The board also seems to be pretty inactive. As I looked at the board and thought about the e-mails I have received from the e-mail list it seemed to me that the subscribers to the e-mail list didn’t use the board and vice versa. My next thought was that there might be an opportunity to generate more discussion about Vick family history by bringing the two groups and mediums together. Rootsweb has a technique called gatewaying that at least links the board to the e-mail list.

To gateway a board to an e-mail list requires the approval of both administrators. I had not noticed any mention of the administrator on the board. When I clicked on the icon to send the board administrator an e-mail suggesting gatewaying the board, there seemed to be a problem. When I checked, it turned out that the Vick Rootsweb board didn’t have an administrator. So, to gateway the board, I also adopted it.

After gatewaying the board to the e-mail list I sent an e-mail to the members of the mail list explaining what I had done and how they could recognize a gateway e-mail from the board. I also explained to them that if a person who wasn’t a member of the e-mail list posted a query on the board the poster wouldn’t see e-mail responses. Fortunately, Rootsweb makes it easy for e-mail list subscribers to reply on the board. The e-mails from the gateway have a link to the board so all the e-mail subscriber has to do is click on the link and then post the reply on the board. I hope this process won’t be too confusing. It will be interesting to see if gatewaying the board to the e-mail list does foster more communication about Vick family history. Perhaps I had better prime the pump.

Leaving a Legacy of Vick Research

2010-02-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

When Di Ann Vick passed away she left instructions to her executrix to distribute her over 1,000 books to a university library. She also instructed that her Vick research materials go to the Joseph Vick Family of America (JVFOA). Last Thursday, Gailen Vick (1st Vice President of the JVFOA) and I met with her executrix and received almost 200 pounds of paper material (mostly letters she had received, research notes, drafts of family histories, and copies of The Vick Family Newsletter). Over the coming weeks JVFOA will be cataloguing the materials and developing a plan to use them to further JVFOA’s goal of sharing research about Joseph Vick and his descendants. Unfortunately, almost all of her electronic notes were lost when her computer hard drive failed last year and the hard drive was discarded.

JVFOA is very fortunate to have had such a dedicated researcher in our association. We were especially fortunate that she made provisions to ensure the material she collected was passed on so that others could benefit from her research. Di Ann will be missed and remembered.

Corrections to Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants

2010-02-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants is the definitive work on the first five generations of the Joseph Vick family. John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick did a wonderful job researching Joseph Vick and his descendants and translating their research into a well-documented family history. Unfortunately, even with the most careful research some errors are bound to happen. When discussing Patience3 (Joseph2, Joseph1) on page 25 the book says “Patience predeceased her father. Her husband, Moses, left no probate record and no heirs are mentioned in the Guardianship bonds which suggests they died without issue.” Joseph2 died in Southampton County, VA, before 14 Jun 1770, according to page 21.

Harold Joyner, a descendant of Patience3 pointed out to me that Patience appears in several sources after her father died. Wake County, North Carolina County Court Minutes 1787 thru 1792 Book II, (Weynette Parks Haun, Durham, NC: The Author, 1979) says on page 13 “Patience Joyner administratrix (sic) of Moses Joyner decd. came into Court and exhibited account against the orphans of said Moses towit, (sic) Fereby Mary, Nancy, Amy, & Amos JOINER amounting to L24 each, which the Court allow her provided the several accounts does not exceed the profits of their respective Estates, ordered that said account be Recorded.”1 Harold sent me a transcription of the “Account of the Sales of the Estate of Moses Joiner, decd. Septr. 25th 1783.”

Harold also told me Moses and Patience had the following children: 1. Drewery (Drury), b. 1765; 2. Amy; 3. Benjamin; 4. Fereby; 5. Jeminia; 6. Mary, m. Joseph McGee 11 May 1790 in Wake Co., NC; 7. Nancy, m. Jesse Lawrence 22 Mar 1800 in Wake Co., NC.; 8. Nathaniel; 9. Amos C. 1777-1859, m. Easter Jent/Gent 1 Jan 1802 in Wake Co., NC.

Harold is also a member of our Vick and Allied Families DNA project. He shares matching DNA segments with other Joseph Vick descendants in the project.

We are publishing corrections to the book in The Vick Family Newsletter. If anyone else has a correction, please let me know.

Who Were James J. Vick’s Parents?

2010-02-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like to do each day is check queries about Vick ancestry. It is nice to help people trace their Vick line, and I usually learn something new in the process. A couple of days ago a lady contacted me and ask if I knew the names of her grandmother Selma Vick’s parents. The lady told me Selma’s husband was Zadock Cox. I was able to find in the North Carolina Death Collection, 1908-2004, that Selma was born on 29 Apr 1904, in NC, and she died on 12 Oct 1982, in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., NC.

With the death record information I was then able to find Selma and her parent’s, Augustus R. and Mollie [ ] Vick (one source said Mollie’s maiden name was Price), in census records. From there I found Selma’s Vick grandparents’ names (James J. and Mary Landing Vick). I have yet to find James J. Vick’s parents’ names.

If a person is a descendant of Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and knows his or her Vick ancestor’s name and a few details like date and place of birth or death, I can usually figure out the Vick line. Many times there is a family tree on Ancestry.com, an article in The Vick Family Newsletter, or information on a website that has enough information to get the line to the point where I can tie it into Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants. The book will then get the line all the way back to Joseph the immigrant.

Unfortunately, I am stuck for the moment with James J. Does anyone know James J. Vick’s parents’ names? James J. can be found on the 1850 U.S. Census of Edgecombe Co., NC, living near Reddin Vick’s widow and children and near Burton C. Vick.

Reddin’s line was Reddin6, ?Robert5, Robert4, ?Isaac3, William2, Joseph1. Burton’s line was Burton7, ?Frederick6, ?Robert5, Robert4, ?Isaac3, William2, Joseph1. Perhaps James J. was the son of Reddin6 or Frederick6 given the proximity to probable descendants of Robert5 at the time of the 1850 census. A Y-DNA test of a patrilineal male Vick descendant of James J. could help sort this question out.

Who Was My Sixth Great Grandmother Vick?

2010-01-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

As I said in my blog “Is There Any Hope I Might Find the Missing Names of My Female Ancestors in My Vick Line?” I know my sixth great grandfather Vick was William, and he was the son of Joseph the immigrant. From page 26 of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, I know William’s wife was “Elizabeth.”

What I don’t know is Elizabeth’s maiden surname. The book says “Some time before 1730, William married ELIZABETH [ ]. Col. Arthur {in his book Vick} commented that the belief among her descendants that she was a Newitt was based largely on that name’s use as a given name in succeeding generations. He speculated that she may have been a sister or, more likely, a niece of the William Newitt who left a will in Isle of Wight County in 1713.”

Two descendants of William2 who have been tested as part of our Vick and Allied Families DNA project at 23andMe match Katherine Hope Borges. A third descendant of William2 matches Katherine’s uncle. Katherine said she has no Vick’s in her pedigree but she does have four surnames that go back to Isle of Wight Co., VA. Those surnames are Avent, Fuller, Littleton, and Spivey.

Looking at the index to the Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, there are references to Avant/Avent and Spivey, but they aren’t in the right line or timeframe to have a direct connection to Elizabeth. If Elizabeth was a niece of William Newitt, perhaps I can find a connection with one of the surnames Katherine has in her pedigree.

I don’t seem to be running out of things to research. Maybe we will get lucky and find other matches in common with Katherine that might shed some more light on Elizabeth’s ancestry.

Was My Fifth Great Grandmother Mary Coleman?

2010-01-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

In my blog yesterday (“Is There Any Hope I Might Find the Missing Names of My Female Ancestors in My Vick Line?”), I said that I would discuss some of the clues I am finding using 23andMe’s Relative Finder to help identify the missing names of females in my pedigree. My fifth great grandmother in my Vick line is one of those elusive females. As I mentioned yesterday, page 90 of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, says she may have been Mary Coleman of Anson County, North Carolina. Mary [ ] Vick witnessed property records involving Colemans in the 1770’s in Anson Co.

Interestingly, my second highest match in Relative Finder is a man whose surname is Coleman. This match may be unrelated to my missing fifth great grandmother, but it may also be a significant clue. The match seems worth pursuing. He didn’t find any of my surnames in his pedigree.

My match’s Coleman ancestor came to America from Ireland in the 1880s. I don’t know when the Anson Co., NC, Colemans’ ancestor came to America, but it had to be before the 1772. I also don’t even know if the ancestor of the Anson Co. Colemans was Irish.

We would both have to extend our research to see if we have a shared Coleman ancestor in Ireland. I know nothing about Irish records, and I doubt I could even trace the Anson Co. Coleman’s back far enough to make a connection (if there is one). I do know that my match has paternal haplogroup R1b1b2a1a2f . There are Colemans in that project who have paternal haplogroup R1b1b2a1a. They may need a little more testing to see if they are R1b1b2a1a2f (my matching Coleman’s haplogroup). Since this is such a common haplogroup, it looks like my match would need the traditional Y-DNA genealogical test to learn much more from the Y-DNA project members’ results.

Maybe I will get lucky and have other matches with Coleman descendants. I will also try to find out if any of the other Vicks who have been tested at 23andMe and who share this line have matches with Coleman descendants. This reminds me of fishing. I have a lot of lines in the water, and I must wait patiently for the big tug. Maybe another researcher has a theory about who this Mary was.

Tomorrow, I will discuss another clue from Relative Finder about yet another female Vick line ancestor whose name I don’t know.

Is There Any Hope I Might Find the Missing Names of My Female Ancestors in My Vick Line?

2010-01-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

In my first blog I mentioned how through our VICK Y-DNA Surname Project I was able to figure out which Jacob4 was my ancestor. The VICK Y-DNA Surname Project focuses like a laser on the patrilineal VICK line, and the findings have been very helpful to those of us who are trying to reconstruct Vick family trees. I also mentioned in my blog “Fill in Your Family Tree” that 23andMe’s Relative Finder looks at the DNA we inherited from all of our ancestors. Unlike the laser beam focus of the traditional genetic genealogy Y-DNA test, 23andMe casts a wide net in the search for ancestors.

While I have identified all of my Vick male ancestors through the immigrant Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight Co., VA, I have not been so fortunate with the females in my line. I have identified my female ancestors in my Vick line through my third great grandmother Susannah MERCER. However, while I solved the mystery of who my fourth great grandfather, Jacob4, was, I only know my fourth great grandmother’s first name was “probably” Mary. In Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick said on page 242, “Jacob probably married MARY [ ] not long after completing his militia service.”

While I know my fourth great grandfather Jacob4’s father was Isaac3, again, I don’t know the name of my fifth great grandmother. Turning to the book on page 90 it says “Nothing is known of Isaac’s wife or wives. He may have married [?Mary Coleman] of Anson County.”

One again, I know my sixth great grandfather was William2, but I only know his wife was “Elizabeth” (see page 26 of the book). The pattern repeats itself with my seventh great grandfather Joseph1. There is much speculation and no proof as to who he married.

Fortunately, some clues are beginning to emerge on my 23andMe Relative Finder match list. Tomorrow I will discuss some of those clues.

Work on the January 2010 The Vick Family Newsletter

2010-01-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

Pam Vick (assistant editor) and I have started putting together the January 2010 The Vick Family Newsletter. Beyond the normal columns (e.g. Footnotes, In Memoriam, New Members, etc.) we will have at least four feature articles. Of course, the first one will be about the late Di Ann Vick, co-author of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, and past editor of The Vick Family Newsletter. I was surprised at how little I found about Di Ann in past issues of the newsletter. Hopefully, we can find a photo of Di Ann to put in the article.

The second feature article will be a lineage of John Stephen McArthur6 (Stephen5, Jacob4, Isaac3, William2, Joseph1). A lineage of his brother, Sebastian C. “Captain Bass” was in the April 2009 newsletter.

While we have a regular column on The Vick Y-DNA Project, the third feature article will expand that column to include information about our new Vick and Allied Families DNA project at 23andMe. Our new project allows us to include female and non-patrilineal male Vick descendants’ DNA test results in our efforts to reconstruct Vick family trees.

The final feature article will be a place name index to the first two volumes of the newsletter (1985 and 1986). Last year we published a place name index to the book, and this year we will publish a place name index for many of the early volumes of the newsletter. We hope to help researchers identify the locations where they can find information on Joseph1’s descendants.

Since it is already past mid January, we have our work cut out for us.

Recording Our Research Work in a Blog

2010-01-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I gave a presentation to the Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County (GSPBC) about one-name studies. Of course, I used my own Vick one-name study as an example. After the presentation I was talking with one of the attendees about ideas for future GSPBC presentations (I am the 1st Vice President and my primary responsibility is arranging programs for the general meetings). As we talked it occurred to me that a program on blogs might be something of interest to our GSPBC members. As we talked I also realized that many people have collected and are collecting a great deal of family history information that they would like to publish, but for many reasons they may never getting around to publishing.

The thought I came away with (which I am sure isn’t new) is that perhaps blogging might be a great way for people to record their research findings in small, manageable entries. Their research would be preserved on the internet, and anyone could access and comment on it. Their blogs might even lead to valuable contacts.

One of my other genealogical interests is The Vick Family Newsletter. I am the editor. To put more meat into this blog I am going to start including more information in my blog about the articles I am writing for the newsletter. Perhaps the blog will also encourage people with additional information to contact me about the articles I am writing. It would be good to catch any mistakes or to find additional information before an article is published. Maybe people who would like to contribute material to the newsletter, but don’t want to write an article, would want to be contributors.

I look forward to seeing how this all turns out.

“Fill In Your Family Tree”

2010-01-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

Until recently we had just two avenues to trace our ancestry using DNA. Men could use DNA to trace their patrilineal line (father’s, father’s, father’s…), or men and women could use DNA to trace their deep matrilineal line (mother’s, mother’s, mother’s).

23andMe has a new tool to “fill in your family tree.” Instead of looking at just the patrilineal and matrilineal lines, Relative Finder looks at the DNA you inherited from all of your ancestors. You and the people you match can then compare pedigrees and try to find your shared ancestor.

On Saturday, February 13, 2010, at 1:30 p.m., I will give a presentation to the Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County on how I have used Relative Finder (and other 23andMe tools) to fill in my family tree. The presentation will be at the Main Library of Palm Beach County (3650 Summit Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL)

Making Vick Family History Queries

2010-01-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

Researchers have several places to post queries about VICK family history. There are free forums such as the Vick Family History & Message Board on Rootsweb, the Vick Family Genealogy Forum at Genealogy.com, and the Surname Letter V forum of Ancestry Aid (primarily used for UK ancestry searches).

If you prefer an e-mail based search you can subscribe to the Vick Rootsweb e-mail list (it is also free). To subscribe, send an email to VICK-request@rootsweb.com with the word “subscribe” without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message.

There are at least two MyFamily sites where you can also place queries (although you will need to join them – which is free): Vick Family Web Site and Mayfield, Vick, Gooch, Wilkins & Woody Families Site.

You can even use social networking sites like Facebook and one on Genealogywise which have the Joseph Vick Family of America groups.

Finally, if you are a member of the Joseph Vick Family of America, you can place a query in “The Vick Family” newsletter by sending the query to the newsletter editor. If you are looking for cousins to share research with, you have many possible venues.

How Many VICK Lines Are There In Muhlenberg County, Kentucky?

2010-01-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

In 2000, Muhlenberg Co., KY, had a population of almost 32,000 people according to the U.S. Census. Within that population were many descendants of Robert and William VICK two of the five sons of Joseph VICK of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight Co., VA. William’s great grandsons Isaiah and Stephen VICK were the first VICKs to settle in Muhlenberg Co. They were from Dobbs Co., NC., but they had stayed for awhile in Madison Co., KY, prior to moving on to Muhlenberg Co. Stephen last shows up in the Madison Co., KY tax list for 1814, and he first shows up in the Muhlenberg Co. tax list for 1816. Isaiah didn’t leave any descendants in Muhlenberg Co. (he wasn’t there very long), but Stephen still has many descendants there.

William Robert VICK, a second great grandson of Joseph’s son Robert was in Muhlenberg Co. by the time of the 1880 U.S. census. He also still has many descendants living in Muhlenberg Co.

Until last August I assumed that all of the VICKs in Muhlenberg Co. were descendants of either Stephen or William Robert. I had done quite a bit of research on Stephen and his descendants. When I encountered a record of a VICK in Muhlenberg Co. who I knew wasn’t one of Stephen’s descendants I assumed that person was one of William Robert’s descendants. That assumption changed with the realization that the 1910 U.S. census of Muhlenberg Co. listed a Joe VICK who did not appear to be a descendant of either Stephen or William Robert.

With help from the wife of a descendant of Joe, I reached the conclusion that he was Joseph Sire Jackson VICK, born about May 1874. The question then became what was his line? The 1910 census lists his wife as Sarah (she was Sarah B. WILLIAMS). A daughter “Ether” (age 10), and two sons, Herbert (age 8) and Conway (age 6), were in the household. Joe was on the 1900 U.S. Census of Todd Co., KY, along with his wife Eliza J. (DUKES) and their daughter Eather P. (age 1). Eather is the link between the two census records. Eliza J. was Joseph Sire Jackson’s first wife, and Sarah B. was his second wife. Unfortunately, there is no surviving U.S. census record for 1890, but Joe appears to be the one listed in the household of B.B. VICK in Trigg Co., KY, in 1880.

B.B. VICK is Benjamin B. VICK, born about 1830 in TN according to the 1880 census. He married Amanda (?Amelia) GEORGE on 17 Dec 1857 in Stewart Co., TN. According to page 388 of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, Benjamin’s line was Benjamin6, William5, Robert4, Nathan3, Robert2, Joseph1. In Vick, Robert Son of the Immigrant Joseph Vick: An Account of Some of His Descendants, Dr. James A. VICK placed Benjamin as the son of Josiah S.6 (William5, Robert4, Nathan3, Robert2, Joseph1).

While Dr. VICK believed Benjamin was Josiah S. VICK’s son, John BEATTY and Di Ann VICK concluded Benjamin was Josiah S.’s brother. John and Di Ann used the fact that Benjamin was in Clarissa (PAGE) VICK’s household at the time of the 1850 U.S. census of Stewart Co., TN, to conclude she was his mother. Clarissa was the wife of William5 (who had died before the 1850 census).

Perhaps Dr. VICK believed Benjamin was Josiah S.’s brother because Benjamin was born about 1836 and Josiah S. was born in 1814. Census records seem to point to Benjamin being born around 1830 which would make it unlikely Benjamin was Josiah S.’s son. Perhaps another researcher has records which can confirm who Benjamin’s father was.

Either way, I know now that there was at least one VICK line in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, that I had not identified as being there. Given the mobility of today’s population, perhaps there is even another VICK line there that I haven’t found.

The Passing of Di Ann Vick

2009-12-29T02:14:00.000-08:00

Di Ann Vick, one of the leading researchers of Vick family history and long time member of the Board of Directors of the Joseph Vick Family of America died on December 13, 2009, at the age of 72. Di Ann was co-author of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants. Starting with the April 1993 issue of The Vick Family Newsletter she became its publisher. Then in July 1993 she became the co-editor of the newsletter. Finally, from January 1997 until May 2008, Di Ann was the editor of the newsletter. Di Ann was also the administrator of the Vick RootsWeb surname mail list since December 2002.

Her parents were Walter and Effie (Beckom) Vick. Di Ann was born on June 20, 1937, in Jefferson Co., TX, and she died in Philadelphia, PA. She was not married and has no descendants.

She will be missed greatly by those who are interested in Vick family history and the Joseph Vick Family of America.

Women Can Now Use Their DNA Test Results in Surname Projects

2009-12-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

We have about 50 people who have been tested in our 23andMe VICK and Allied Families DNA Project, and 21 of them are women. Thirty-two of our project members are descendants of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight Co., VA. Of the 32, 14 are women.

Some of these women are finding matches with other descendants of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight Co., VA. The screenshot above shows a portion of Viola Potter’s 23andMe Relative Finder match list. Relative Finder predicted Viola Potter and Faye Paolino were 5th cousins with a range of 3rd to 8th cousin. Viola and Faye compared their pedigrees, and Vick is their only shared surname. They are 7th cousins one time removed, so the prediction is in the range.

We have just begun to collect results from project members, but Faye and Viola are not alone as other female project members are also reporting matches with other project members. Once we collect all the results, these women’s matches will be very helpful in our efforts to reconstruct our Vick family trees.

The Relative Finder Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) state that the odds of two people matching who are as distantly related as Viola and Faye are less than five percent. Fortunately, we have enough project members that we are finding matches even though the average project member is not closely related to the other project members. Of course, we are also benefiting from what we learn from matches with non-project members.

Getting all the data and analyzing it will be a lot of fun. Since new people are ordering 23andMe tests every day we will continue to get new results which help us learn even more about our Vick family history.

We Are Starting to Weave Together Our 23andMe Vick and Allied Families DNA Project Results with Results from Our Vick Y-DNA Surname Project

2009-12-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

We have about 50 men and women who have tested at 23andMe through our Vick and Allied Families DNA Project. 23andMe tests single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from all 23 pairs of our chromosomes and our mitochondrial DNA. Twelve of the men in our 23andMe project are also members of our Vick Y-DNA Surname Project. The members of our Y-DNA surname project have had Y-DNA short tandem repeat (STR) tests. These Y-STR tests are the “gold standard” for those who want to explore just their patrilineal line (i.e. their father’s, father’s…line). Eleven of the men who are in both projects match the Y-DNA signature of Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight Co., VA. Joseph was born about 1640-1650. The twelfth may be descended from a Vick female.

To understand one-way we might use the 23andMe data in reconstructing our Vick family tree, a few of us have begun to share screenshots of our Relative Finder match lists and our Family Inheritance screens. Ralph Lewis Vick is one of the men who had both types of testing. Ralph’s Y-STR results matched the Y-STR signature of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight Co., VA.

Jesse Mayfield is Ralph’s second cousin. Their most recent common ancestors are Benjamin Henry Vick and his wife Mary Ann Elizabeth Turner. Jesse has also been Y-STR tested. However, since Jesse is not a patrilineal descendant of his Vick ancestor he cannot use his Y-STR results to support his VICK ancestry. His Y-DNA came from his father who is not a Vick descendant. Both Ralph and Jesse have been tested by 23andMe. Using their SNP results, 23andMe’s Relative Finder correctly predicted that Ralph and Jesse were second cousins.

Because of their match at 23andMe we have strong support that Jesse’s pedigree is correct and that he is also a descendant of Joseph Vick. Before 23andMe’s Relative Finder, Jesse could only ask his closest male VICK cousin to take a Y-STR test and then argue that his cousin’s results should also be extended to him. Now because of Relative Finder Jesse can show that his second cousin is his second cousin and that Jesse’s own DNA supports his Vick ancestry.

I love the way results from the two projects help us in our efforts to reconstruct our Vick family tree. I cannot wait to apply this technique to other non-patrilineal Vick close cousins of other men who have or will test in both projects.

23andMe's Relative Finder Helps Us Find Interesting Things About Our Shared Ancestry

2009-12-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

In our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project at 23andMe our DNA helps us learn about more than just our Vick ancestry. 23andMe offers us the opportunity to use a suite of tools to explore our connections to all our cousins that Relative Finder identifies in the 23andMe database (and that list is growing).

One of the tools is Ancestry Painting. Ancestry Painting shows us what percent of our DNA can be traced to three geographic origins: Europe, Asia, and Africa. For Americans, Asian may mean Native American, since Native Americans came to North America from Asia.

By looking at our Ancestry Paintings we learned my mother and my wife each have an African segment. My wife’s segment is on chromosome 6 while my mother’s segment is across the centromere on chromosome 12. The first screenshot above shows my wife’s African segment and the second one shows my mother’s African segment. At first I thought these segments were artifacts that perhaps only indicated the segments had not been found commonly in European populations.

Then 23andMe’s Relative Finder said my mother and my wife matched the same man. As the third screenshot shows, he had seven African stretches in his Ancestry Painting (about one percent African). Finding this match made me think my wife and my mother had a more recent common ancestor who probably had an African American ancestor. Since both my wife’s and my mother’s roots in America are deep, I thought there might be some shared ancestry from a slave. Unfortunately, I have not been able to talk to the man both my mother and wife match to find out what he knows about his ancestry.

In the early 1990’s I went with my mother to visit her mother’s cousin. My mother mentioned to him that I was collecting family history information on my father’s side, and the man said we had a very interesting family history on my mother’s side also. He could not read or write (although he ran a successful business), but from his sharp memory he told me what he knew about our ancestry. What he said about one line in particular stuck in my mind. It was his patrilineal line the GRAYs. He explained that the Grays were really Grahams and that my mother’s great grandfather, James T. Gray, changed the family surname when he relocated from Union Co., KY, to Hancock Co., KY (I have found records which verify his statement). In tracing the line he told me he had been able to learn that my mother’s second great grandfather Isaac Jasper Graham had married an Elizabeth Collins. He said she was from the Cumberland Gap, and he recalled Newman Ridge being mentioned in connection with her. That was as far back as he had been able to go with the line.

Last week, my mother, my daughter, and I all matched the same lady. This lady has about 35 African segments (about seven percent African ancestry) and about 21 “Asian” (likely American Indian) segments which is about two percent “Asian” ancestry (see the fourth screenshot).

I called our new match and she told me that her Collins line had intermarried with the Goins family, and that her grandfather said the Goins line was African American. Looking on sites with information about Melungeon ancestry, I see Collins, Graham, and Goins are all surnames found in Melungeon histories. I also learned that Newman Ridge is in Hancock Co., TN (not to be confused with Hancock Co., KY).

I do not think anyone in our families (on either side) would have believed we could have an African segment and no one would believe we could have Melungeon ancestry. I doubt anyone in our family would know what Melungeon is.

From talking to the woman I learned there are two possibilities for who our Elizabeth was. One of the Elizabeth’s would have been too young to be ours, so that leaves the second one. Thanks to 23andMe’s Relative Finder, with more research I should be able to document the source of my mother's African segment. We will have learned something new about our ancestry from our DNA.

Next, I have to figure out how my wife’s family ties in. Finding people who share a common ancestor with both my mother and my wife is very interesting. Knowing the common ancestry appears to be Melungeon ancestry will really generate some conversation at the next family reunion.

The 4th cousin of our match is awaiting her 23andMe results. I hope she matches at least one person in my family and the man my wife and mother match. It would be good to get another link. I suspect as the database grows at 23andMe, and especially if they provide project management tools, we will be able to answer many family history questions (and discover many new things about our shared ancestry).

Vick Family History on CNN

2009-12-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

On November 18, 2009, Bob Stubbs and I were interviewed by Deborah Feyerick of CNN for a segment on The Campbell Brown Show. The segment aired on December 2nd. While our interview dealt largely with how Bob and I used 23andMe’s Relative Finder to discover our common Young line, the interview does include a few comments I made on my Vick family history. You can see the whole segment by clicking here. The Spittoon has a link to just the interview here.

It was a real pleasure to meet Bob in person. Deborah Feyerick, Sheila Steffen (the producer) and Alfredo (the videographer) made it a very special family reunion. I we feel like our CNN friends are part of our family too. Finally, 23andMe continues to open many new windows into my family history, it is a great tool for genetic genealogy.

Ebenezer "Eben" Vick

2009-11-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

In Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick wrote on page 380 that Ebenezer “Eben” Vick might be a descendant of either John4 (Benjamin3, Robert2, Joseph1) or Benjamin3’s son Josiah4. Eben was born on 31 Mar 1792, in North Carolina, and died on 27 Feb 1860, in Logan County, Kentucky.

The authors also said on page 381 “Some have even suggested that Eben was the illegitimate son of Presley Nelms and an unknown Vick woman. That seems extremely unlikely. Not only have no bastardy bonds been found in North Carolina to support this assertion, but, more importantly, if he were illegitimate, naming his children after the Nelms would flaunt his illegitimacy before both his wife and his middle-class associates…proof of Eben’s parentage will probably never be found.”

The one thing a Y-DNA test can do is show whether two men share a recent common patrilineal ancestor. A descendant of Eben’s son Presely William VICK had his Y-DNA tested at Family Tree DNA. The results showed that this descendant did not have Joseph1’s Y-DNA signature and that he did not share a common patrilineal ancestor with the proven Joseph1 descendants for thousands of years. Recently, a descendant of Eben’s son James Council also had his Y-DNA tested. His results also show that his line does not share a common patrilineal ancestor with the proven Joseph1 descendants for thousands of years. So it is highly likely that none of Eben’s descendants are patrilineal descendants of Joseph1.

Another descendant of Eben’s son Presley William has submitted a DNA sample for testing as part of the VICK and Allied Families DNA Project at 23andMe. His results might shed some light on whether an “unknown Vick woman” was Eben’s mother.

If you are a male VICK and you are interested in joining our VICK Y-DNA Surname Project (or know one who is interested in joining), Family Tree DNA has just announced its Holiday Sale. You can take advantage of FTDNA’s reduced prices for surname project participants by ordering at this link

http://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=Vick

FTDNA says “Our Holiday Season promotion will bring back the discount that we offered this summer for the Y-DNA37, since this has been requested by many of our project administrators.

Y-DNA37 – promotion price $119 (reg. price $149)
Y-DNA67 – promotional price $209 (reg. price $239)”

Hopefully, 23andMe will also announce a holiday sale for those who would like to be tested as part of our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project at 23andMe.

More Success in Our VICK and Allied Families DNA Project

2009-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

We have a second descendant of our immigrant ancestor Joseph VICK who has 23andMe test results that match the STRICKLAND descendant mentioned my last blog. The first match is a descendant of Joseph2's daughter Patience while the second match is a descendant of Joseph2's son Matthew. Like with the first match, we will compare pedigrees and see if there is another shared line that could account for this match. Joseph2 is the son of Joseph1 (the immigrant born circa 1640-1650).

The second match was also in 23andMe’s Relative Finder’s “Distant Cousin” category, but he didn’t even rate a range for possible cousins. This second match had one shared segment and .13 percent shared DNA.

The first match was also predicted as a “Distant Cousin” but with a range of 9th to 10th cousin, one shared DNA segment, and .16 percent shared DNA.

This adds more hope that by testing more patrilineal descendants of Joseph2 in our FamilyTree DNA VICK Y-DNA Surname Project that we can find a match for the two male STRICKLANDs.

Early Potential Success at 23andMe for the Vick and Allied Families DNA Project

2009-10-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

While our VICK Y-DNA Surname Project participants almost all test at FamilyTree DNA we found a couple of matches at the old Relative Genetics (now Ancestry DNA) who didn't have the VICK surname. These two men did have the same surname and matching Y-DNA signatures. The two men didn’t match other men with their surname in their Relative Genetics project. Because our VICK ancestor’s Y-DNA signature (haplotype) is fairly rare (we are haplogroup Q1a3*) we were reasonably confident these two men's patrilineal ancestor was a VICK (their research can't extend their line in a county with many VICKs around the time of their ancestor’s birth in 1810). We ran into a problem trying to figure out which of our VICK ancestor’s sons these two men were descended from. They didn’t have enough markers to isolate a line and Relative Genetics didn’t test all of the markers that are branch informative for the VICKs. Compounding the problem was that the two men didn't want to submit new samples for testing at FTDNA. So, we seemed to be at a dead end.

When 23andMe came along we thought 23andMe was worth at try. We looked for someone to test in the two men's line so we could compare their results with the VICKs in our 23andMe project. The nice thing about 23andMe was that we could test women who were descendants of our VICK ancestor and non-patrilineal male VICK descendants. We weren't limited to male VICKs.

While we still have to go through the pedigrees and ensure we can find no other explanation, I still have to smile when I look at our 23andMe match of a non-patrilineal male VICK with a female descendant of the two men's line.

This match at least makes me see that 23andMe has promise. By the way, the match was in the “Distant Cousin” category for those who are looking at them at 23andMe and wondering about how useful they may be. The predicted range was 9th to 10th cousin, which could well be correct. We haven't had a match between two project members who are so distantly related in the VICK line.

Vick and Allied Families DNA Project Is Digging for Roots

2009-10-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

On October 3, 2009, the Vick and Allied Families DNA Project had 43 members. That was a far better start than I expected. We will have a few more project members in the next week as we confirm that others also ordered kits.

Of the 43 project members, we know the Vick lines of 25 (12 project members are spouses or do not have a Vick line). Two other project members come from lines (Ezekiel Strickland and Barry Holland) which Y-DNA testing shows are very likely descended from Joseph. An additional two members may have an unproven Vick female ancestor. Further, two project members are descended from a Strickland line that does not share a Y-DNA signature with the Joseph Vick descendants. The Stricklands and the Vicks have many family connections.

Ten of this project’s members are also members of the VICK Y-DNA Surname Project, and they share Joseph’s Y-DNA signature. Having a confirmed Y-DNA match will be beneficial in making comparisons to closely related members (male and female).

We are using a company named 23andMe for our testing in this project since the company we use for our VICK Y-DNA Surname Project does not offer this type of testing. 23andMe has a new tool called “Relative Finder” that I am beta testing. Relative Finder will be very useful.
Relative Finder has two parts. The first part finds expected relatives in the 23andMe database. The second part allows you to send a share request to a match but you won't know the person's identity unless your share request is accepted.

At the moment I can see "matches" in the 23andMe database (although I don't have access to their identity unless they are already sharing with me). For each match Relative Finder shows me the number of shared segments and % of Shared DNA, as well as the mitochondrial haplogroup and Y haplogroup (for a male).

Relative Finder predicts the degree of relationship. I was surprised at how many matches I found using Relative Finder. I really didn’t expect many since I didn’t know of any cousin (at least one in a genealogical timeframe) who had tested at 23andMe and had results. Relative Finder puts matches in one of several buckets: “Parent or Child” (my mother, my son, and my daughter were there as I expected); “Sibling (my son and daughter show in that category on each other’s lists). Relative Finder has other buckets (like “Aunt/Uncle, Nephew or Niece;” and “Grandparent, Grandchild, or Half Sibling”) and various degrees of cousins. While Relative Finder gives the expected degree of cousin, e.g. second cousin, there is a window each could fall into, e.g. third to tenth cousin. Relative Finder found I matched what appeared to be two fourth cousins, one fifth cousin, two sixth cousins, two seventh cousins, and 224 “distant cousins.”

I hadn’t noticed that one of the “distant” cousins and I had a common stretch of DNA even though we were already sharing. When you share with a lot of people, it can be hard to keep up with those that get their results after they ask to share. You can then miss the fact that they match. Relative Finder is a nice tool for checking periodically for this situation and for getting an idea of how closely related you are.

Finding these distant cousin matches could be helpful in determining the birth surname of some of the females in our pedigrees (unfortunately, we don’t know many females birth surnames, especially if they were born before the 1850 census). While Relative Finder may be helpful in tracing these female lines, it will be a lot of work for both parties to try to figure out who they inherited their common data stretch from.

Since not everyone who tested at 23andMe is interested in ancestry, some of the unexpected matches may not want to share. Some of these matches probably tested for health risk information and not to find relatives. Still, we might find a few people who are interested in sharing even if it isn’t their primary reason for testing at 23andMe.

For my mother Relative Finder found one “Parent or Child” (me); two “Grandparent, Grandchild or Half Sibling (my son and daughter); one third cousins, five fourth cousins, four fifth cousins, and 201 “Distant Cousins.”

Unlike with our Y-DNA project where it doesn't make much sense to test two closely related men, I can see from the Relative Finder beta results that testing even full siblings will be beneficial. Siblings can have some very different matches. While my son and daughter have five shared matches, my son has eight matches that my daughter doesn't have. My daughter has six matches that my son doesn't have. I haven't tried to sort out the "distant cousin" matches, but I bet I would find the same story. It is possible some of the differences might turn up in the "distant cousin" category.

In the next three weeks we should begin to have results. We will then get a better idea of how our project is progressing.

The Vick and Allied Families DNA Project

2009-09-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

After my last blog I realized we should rename our new DNA project. We are now calling it the VICK and Allied Families DNA Project. I should also say that while we would like to have members of every VICK clan in our project, so far all of the project members are descendants of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia (Joseph1), or an allied family (or both). Among the allied families in our project are the STRICKLANDs, the JOYNERs, and the HOLLANDs.

The STRICKLANDs have a deep history with the VICKs that goes back to Isle of Wight County. In Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants the authors noted several associations among the VICKs and the STRICKLANDs. For example, on pages 62 and 63 of the book when discussing Robert3 (Robert2, Joseph1) the authors say “From the probable ages of his sons, it seems likely that Robert married twice. A glance at the names associated with his many land transactions will suggest his close association with the Strickland and Taylor families, with whom there may have been some relationship…Mathew STRICKLAND had daughters Sarah, Ann, Elizabeth and Jane all of whom were unmarried at the time of his death and of whom Elizabeth and Jane remain untraced.

We have two STRICKLAND descendants in our project. One is a descendant of Ezekiel STRICKLAND who was born about 1809, probably in North Carolina. Apparently, there is a brick wall at Ezekiel in tracing this line back. Two men who are descendants of Ezekiel have been Y-DNA tested. Their Y-DNA signature (haplotype) matches the signature of the descendants of Joseph1. On the other hand, the Y-DNA signature of the Ezekiel descendants does not match the signature of other southern STRICKLAND men. The match of the Ezekiel STRICKLAND descendants with the Joseph1 descendants may indicate that this branch of the STRICKLAND family descends from Joseph1.

The other STRICKLAND in our project descends from Matthew STRICKLAND (born about 1732 in North Carolina). Because the Y-DNA signature of the two STRICKLAND clans is so different, these two clans cannot have shared a common patrilineal ancestor in a genealogical time period (they are not even in the same haplogroup). However, the two STRICKLAND clans could share “recent” ancestry through a non-patrilineal line. Perhaps we will find something in our project that ties the two branches together.

The HOLLAND member of our project is a descendant of Berry HOLLAND, born 4 Jun 1840 in North Carolina. Barry's line also has not been able to be extended. However, his descendants' Y-DNA signature also matches that of the descendants of Joseph1. So there is good reason to believe that Berry may also have been a patrilineal descendant of Joseph1. More precisely, these HOLLANDs match the Y-DNA signature of Joseph1's son Robert.

In Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, there are several references to the VICKs and the HOLLANDs . On page 24 when discussing Sarah3 (Joseph2, Joseph1) it says "SARAH, b. ca. 1718; d. after 1784 in Southampton County, Virginia. She m. JAMES GARDNER ca. 1740 in Southampton County…James and Sarah lived in the vicinity of Cypress Swamp…Children surnamed GARDNER: …5. Juda (m. Thomas Holland)….

On page 460 when discussing Robert5 (Robert 4, ?Isaac3, William2, Joseph1) the book says his probable son “REDDIN, b. ca. 1798 [probably in NC]; m. CHARLOTTE HOLLAND."

Finally, we are also very fortunate to have a JOYNER in our project. The JOYNERs also have a long relationship with the VICKs that goes back to Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Our project member is a descendant of Moses JOYNER and Patience VICK (Joseph2, Joseph1). Now have at least one descendant of each of Joseph1’s sons; however, I am not aware of any project member who is a descendant of Joseph1’s daughter Lucy.

One of things we need in our project is the shortest possible line back to Joseph1, and our JOYNER has that distinction so far. He is in the eighth generation of Joseph1’s line. While we have some sixth cousins in our project, most are seventh or eighth cousins. We need some third, fourth, and fifth cousins to increase our chances of weaving common DNA blocks (or half identical regions) into a quilt of shared ancestry. We will have to work on this weakness. Once the 23andMe beta discount period expires, it will probably be harder to attract new project members.

We Have Started Our New VICK DNA 23andMe Project

2009-09-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

We have started our new VICK DNA project at 23andMe. We probably should have called it VICK and Allied Lines DNA Project. The idea of a surname project is new to 23andMe, and we may be their first (I have not heard anyone discuss another one). That could be great because they may need a “large” group with pedigrees to help them figure out how to link people together through shared DNA.

We have people in our project who are descended from four of Joseph of Isle of Wight County, Virginia’s five sons – Richard, John, Robert, and William. So in that clan we are just missing Joseph2’s line. So far none of the other VICK clans have joined.

Eighteen or nineteen kits have been ordered (that includes five kits for spouses or mothers who do not have a known VICK line). We have seven members who are part of our Y-DNA project, so they should be very helpful. One nice thing is we have two men and five women who have VICK lines but could not test in our VICK Y-DNA project. So we are extending our reach into VICK DNA.

We are also trying to interest STRICKLANDs and HOLLANDs in joining our project. Any allied lines would be helpful.

The Great Family of Joseph Vick Before 1675 to 1987 May Be Reprinted

2009-09-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog I asked if there were any good Vick family history books or short histories about the Vick families other than those I listed in the blog. While I have not learned of any new books or short histories, I have learned that Conner Vick is interested in republishing The Great Family of Joseph Vick Before 1675 to 1987. The authors of the book were his father, Samuel B. Vick, Sr., his brother Samuel B. Vick, Jr., and his sister Lorrayne Vick Donnell. Conner is exploring ways to have the book reprinted. If you would like a copy of the book, you might write him at the address below to let him know of your interest. He is trying to determine how many books to print.

Conner Vick
7329 Pope Watervalley Road
Pope, Mississippi 38658

Conner does not have an estimated printing date or price since he has not finalized the details.

Interest in Vick Research by Country from My Blog and Web Page Statistics

2009-09-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

In my Vick One-Name study, I have found that people with the Vick surname live in the following countries (the number is in parentheses):

U.S. (21,140)
Germany (1,702)
England, Wales, and the Isle of Man (1,147)
Canada (336)
Australia (300)
New Zealand (36)
Switzerland (13)
Spain (12)
South Africa (one listing in the telephone book).

No doubt there are other Vicks scattered around the world that I just have not found. For example, I know from his father that at least one Canadian Vick is in Singapore. One of the purposes of creating this blog and the Vick one-name study page was to make contact with others researching the Vick family or the Vick surname -worldwide. Unfortunately, contacts from people outside of the U.S. have been few and far between.

To get an idea of where people live who might have common Vick research interests I looked at the internet addresses of those visiting either this blog or my Vick One-Name study over the last couple of months. I excluded hits from countries where the search term indicated the person was not looking for information on the Vick surname or Vicks (e.g. the person was searching for information about a different surname in a location mentioned on one of the sites).
By country (excluding countries with just one visit) I had the following number of hits (in parentheses):

U.S. (6240)
U.K. (244)
Australia (29)
Germany (22)
Canada (18)
Brazil (18)
Philippines (3)
South Africa (3)
Spain (2)
France (2)
Italy (2)
Netherlands (2)

To get hits per capita I divided the number of hits by the estimated number of Vicks in the country (I just did so for those countries with the largest Vick populations):

UK (0.21) – population is just for England, Wales, and Isle of Man so the rate is off slightly.
Australia (0.10)
Canada (0.05)
U.S. (0.03)
Germany (0.01)

From the hits per capita it is obvious that I am not doing a good job of reaching people in Germany. The low German penetration may be because the two websites are in English (or American English). I will have to think about ways to improve the number of hits from Germany if I am going to make any contacts there. On the other hand I am surprised that the U.S. is not the leading source on a per capita basis. My conception was that Americans were far more interested in their family history than were people in other countries. Perhaps the higher hit rates in the U.K., Australia, and Canada indicate there is material on the sites that is of interest to researchers outside of the U.S. I just hope we can help each other with our mutual research interests.

Recording Famous Vicks

2009-09-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have tried to record the more famous Vicks on my Vick One-Name Study page. The list includes Henry de Vick, clock maker; Rev. Newit Vick, for whom Vicksburg, Mississippi, is named; James Vick, founder of the Vick Seed Company; William Vick, benefactor of the Clifton Suspension Bridge outside of Bristol, England; Walker Whiting Vick, advisor to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson; Joshua W. Vick, for whom Vicks VapoRub is named; Harold Vick, jazz saxophonist; Graham Vick, CBE, founder of the Birmingham, England, opera company; and Michael Vick, professional American football player (and convicted dog abuser).

I wonder what famous Vicks I have missed. Have I missed a notable Vick in Germany, South Africa, or Canada, or any other county, who I should include in my study? Please let me know if I have missed a Vick who I should include. There are no women on the list above. Surely, I have missed more than one. If you could provide a reference it would be very helpful.

Was My Second Great Grandmother a Full Blooded Cherokee?

2009-08-29T06:26:00.001-07:00

Recently a cousin told me that her grandmother told her that our second great grandmother, Julia Ann SHERROD, was a full blooded Cherokee. One of the interesting tools that will be available in our new VICK DNA project is something called “Native American Ancestry Finder”. The tool “scans a person's Ancestry Painting for distinctive signatures that indicate a Native American ancestor up to five generations in the past. It also takes into account the maternal and, if available, paternal lines, looking for Native American ancestry at any depth along those two branches of the family tree.”

Since Julia was my great great grandmother (four generations back), she fits within the window for the test’s high confidence level. My results said “Recent Native American ancestry is unlikely.”

My Ancestry Painting (above) shows why my autosomal DNA rules out Native American ancestry in my preceding five generations along all of my lines. I have no traces of anything but recent European ancestry. Additionally, my maternal haplogroup (from my mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA) of H2a2b1” is inconsistent with Native American ancestry along the maternal (mother's mother's mother's ...) line.” Since my mtDNA came from my mother and not from Julia my mtDNA haplogroup could be different than Julia’s. Since sometimes family stories, while not completely accurate, contain an element of true. Could Julia’s mother have been a descendant of a Native American woman and a European man (meaning Julia was not full-bloodied American Indian)? A female cousin who is a matrilineal descendant of Julia had her mtDNA tested. She also is haplogroup H, so Julia’s mother’s line was not American Indian.

Since I am a male, the tool could also check my patrilineal line. Again, my Y-DNA haplogroup of Q1a3* “is inconsistent with Native American ancestry along the paternal (father's father's father's ...) line.” Maybe I will be able to find a patrilineal descendant of Julia’s father who will test his Y-DNA just to see what his Y-DNA haplogroup is. By weaving the results of DNA testing of cousins in different lines together, I can learn a lot about my family’s history.

I have also been told by another cousin that my ancestor Stephen5 (Jacob4, Isaac3, William2, Joseph1) had American Indian ancestry. The extent of the ancestry was uncertain, but since the Native American Ancestry Finder found no evidence of an American Indian in my genetic make-up, I have to assume that if the story was true (and I have no evidence that it is), it would have had to have been a more distant ancestor than Stephen5.

Our new VICK DNA project will have many other features that our current VICK Y-DNA Surname Project does not have. I can’t wait to see what we will learn with these new tools.

A New VICK DNA Project

2009-08-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

Until now we have limited our common VICK DNA research to a VICK Y-DNA project. Y-DNA is only one type of DNA, but it is the most effective for genealogical research. Only men have Y-DNA, so only men have been able to participate directly (women can recruit a male VICK close relative to test for them). Because men inherit Y-DNA from their fathers, only men who have an unbroken male VICK line can test their Y-DNA for VICK ancestry.

We now have the opportunity to expand our project beyond Y-DNA. The expansion will allow us to include women and those men who have a female VICK in their line to their last male VICK ancestor.

Like with computers, the power of DNA testing has increased dramatically while the price has fallen dramatically. We are now able to expand our project because testing that looks at all of the chromosomes has become cheap enough that a large enough portion of our DNA can be tested to find what are called Half Identical Regions (HIRs). While these HIRs (shown in light blue in the graphic on the left) are not as useful for genealogy as the results from Y-DNA testing, they offer at least the possibility of finding matches with people who share a recent common ancestor (that is within a few generations). These HIRs can help us find our VICK (and other) cousins.

We are each about half identical to our parents. So if we look at our chromosomes, we will see that our chromosomes are about half identical to each parent. The screenshot on the left above is a comparison of my 23 pairs of chromosomes to my mother’s.

To make this comparison my mother and I both had to be tested. I am fortunate that my mother is still living and was willing to be tested. Unfortunately, my father isn’t living, so that opportunity is lost. When you look at the screen shot you can see that all of my chromosomes are colored a light blue (with the exception of the Y chromosome and those areas shaded in grey because they weren’t tested). Since my mother is a woman she doesn’t have a Y chromosome for comparison.

The screen shot on the right above is a comparison of my son’s 23 pairs of chromosomes to my mother’s. As you can see he is about a quarter identical to her (which makes sense since he got about half of his DNA from me, and about half of my DNA came from my mother). Since my son got his X chromosome from his mother, his X chromosome won’t be half identical to my mother’s.

My son’s comparison to my mother illustrates that as DNA is passed down it isn’t shuffled like a deck of cards. There are whole blocks of DNA that stay together to form these HIRs. In fact, HIRs can stay together for several generations. Looking at the members of our VICK Y-DNA project, I would expect that Austin Lafayette VICK and John Edward VICK would have some HIRs because they are third cousins. I haven’t studied their pedigrees, but I suspect their most recent common ancestors in any of their lines are Richard5 (Giles4, William3, Richard2, Joseph1) and his wife Mary [ ]. If I am correct about their most recent common ancestors, then any shared HIRs would most likely have been passed to John Edward and Austin Lafayette from Richard5 and Mary [ ].

By comparing Austin Lafayette and John Edward with another closely related VICK who doesn’t share Richard5 and Mary as ancestors, we could then see if the three compared had HIRs. If they did, then their most recent common ancestor would be the most likely source.

Finding these HIRs could be helpful in identifying female and non-surnamed VICK male cousins. For those who don’t have Joseph1’s Y-DNA (or the most distant known VICK ancestor for the other clans) finding HIRs could help to show the likelihood of VICK ancestry and where to focus further research. In our expanded project, we would start building a web of HIRs. These HIRs could also be used in other projects that are based upon other non-VICK lines.

For those interested in deep ancestry, 23andMe provides men with their Y-DNA haplogroup, and both men and women get their mitochondrial (mtDNA) haplogroup. Beyond the ancestry features of 23andMe, there is also information on health and traits. You can see what 23andMe has to offer by going to 23andMe and setting up a free demo account. There is even sample data for the fictional Mendel family that you can use to see how 23andMe works.

I am looking forward to seeing where our expanded project takes us and to seeing what we can learn.

Making VICK Research Faster

2009-08-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog I mentioned that I was preparing a place name index for Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants by John D. BEATTY and Di Ann VICK. Part I of the index (which is almost all of it) is in the July 2009 The Vick Family Newsletter. Part II (the rest) will be in the October 2009 issue.

While I was working on the place name index for the book, Pam VICK, John Edward VICK and John’s wife Alta were assembling a single index of all the people’s names in all of the volumes of The Vick Family Newsletter. What a time saver that index will be. No more looking through every one of the 20 finished volumes to find whether someone is mentioned in any issue of the newsletter. Because an index was never published for volume XVII, John and Alta took that task on also and created one.

Now that I have some free time, I have turned my attention to creating a place name index for all the newsletters. When we are all finished we will be able to cross-reference people to locations in both the book and the newsletter. Soon finding the names of VICKs mentioned in Nash County, North Carolina (or any other location) in either the book or newsletter will be a lot easier.

I wonder what other tools VICK researchers are working on for any VICK clan anywhere in the world. Surely others are also hard at work figuring out how to find information about VICKs more easily.

Solving Puzzles and Meeting Fellow Researchers

2009-08-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Back in 1991 when I first became interested in my VICK family’s history, John BEATTY was working on a book that would cover the first five generations of the Joseph VICK family. Since my ancestor Stephen5 was in the generation where John (and Di Ann VICK who later joined John as co-author) planned to end volume, I thought if John ever published a second volume it might be helpful if I documented all of Stephen’s descendants. So I set about to do that starting with those in Muhlenberg Co. It was when I poured through the census records that I discovered there were VICKs in the county censuses that I could not place in a tree of Stephen’s descendants.

My ancestor Stephen5 (Jacob4, Isaac3, William2, Joseph1) is on the 1816 tax list of Muhlenberg Co. (although he and his probable brother Isaiah5 may have been there earlier since Stephen last appears on the Madison Co., KY tax list for 1814). As I moved through the Muhlenberg Co. census records from 1820 to 1880, I was able to place all of the VICKs I found in a tree of Stephen’s descendants (Isaiah left Muhlenberg Co. for greener pastures without leaving any descendants in the county although he did leave his wife behind). Then on the 1880 census I found a William Robert VICK that I could not place. I learned he was William Robert6 (Josiah5, ?Robert4, Nathan3, Robert2, Joseph1). He is on the 1870 U.S. Census of Logan Co., KY, so he arrived sometime after he was counted in Logan Co. on 19 Jul 1870.

As I continued through the census records I found other VICKs that did not fit in Stephen’s tree, and I entered them in my notes as likely descendants of William Robert. In 1880 all of William Robert’s surviving children lived with him, so it was easy to account for everyone. As I recorded the VICKs in the 1900 census the task got a little more complex (especially since there is no surviving census for 1890). A lot of things happen in 20 years. Nonetheless, I knew I could easily identify Stephen’s descendants, so I figured the other VICKs were descendants of William Robert.

Simply recording names and dates with the little information in census records does not make for an interesting family history. To learn more about my VICKs in Muhlenberg Co., I subscribed to The Leader-News, the local newspaper. As I found stories or pictures of Stephen’s descendants I recorded them in my notes. Sometimes it was hard to figure out from the names in the articles, though, if the person discussed was a descendant of Stephen5 or William Robert6. The task seemed to get even harder over time. So, I started building a tree for the William Robert6 line to keep things straight.

A few weeks ago there was an obituary in The Leader-News that mentioned a Joe VICK. I knew this Joe was not a descendant of Stephen5, so I looked at my notes for William Robert6’s descendants. I discovered I could not place the Joe mentioned in the William Robert6 line. I was puzzled. I wondered if I could have made an incorrect assumption so many years ago that all the VICKs in Muhlenberg Co., who were not descendants of Stephen5 were descendants of William Robert6.

As I searched the records I came to realize that there was, in fact, another line of VICKs in Muhlenberg Co. that I had not noticed. It seemed so unlikely that there could be two lines of VICKs in a small county. How could there be three? VICK is not an unheard of surname (my Google search finds lots of stories on THE Michael VICK everyday), but VICKs (counting all the other VICK clans besides Joseph1’s family) only account for about .007 percent of the U.S. population. As I poured through the records, what it appears happened was that Joseph Sire Jackson7 VICK, probably the son of a first cousin of William Robert6 (there are so many unproven lines from Robert2), moved to Muhlenberg Co. around 1897. Since Joseph Sire Jackson7 lived near the descendants of William Robert6, I missed this new arrival.

In the process of trying to trace Joseph Sire Jackson7’s ancestry and his descendants, I have already made new contacts, and traded e-mails with other researchers and a family member of this line. Beyond finding all of the puzzle pieces and putting them together, meeting new people is one of the things that makes family history so interesting. If you are researching VICK family history, I hope you will contact me. If you are researching the Joseph Sire Jackson7 VICK line, I would especially like to compare notes.

A Civil War Letter from Col. Sebastian C. Vick

2009-08-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love to read old documents (although I have trouble understanding some of the older writing styles). My uncle Robert E. Vick, Sr., sent me copies of some old Civil War letters written by my second great grand uncle, Sebastian C. Vick. The copies are a little hard to read, but my sister-in-law, Gayle Moore Vick, transcribed them for me. The letter below (with an enclosed statement) shows that being a colonel in the Kentucky Union militia was not without its frustrations. The letter was to Major General Daniel Weisiger Lindsey. According to the online biography of General Lindsey at the National Guard History Museum he “served as a key leader of Union forces in Kentucky in the Civil War and was named Adjutant General in the summer of 1864 by Governor Thomas E. Bramlette, serving in that position until the fall of 1867.”

Headquarters, 71st Regt. Em.
Greenville, Ky. Decem 5 1864
Major Gen.
D.W. Lindsey
Frankfort Ky

Sir
I Have the Honor to
forward a communication
To your address
General with High Regard to
Your Honor, I aske you
To do me & your country
The favour to Revoke my
commission as col of the
71st Regt of EM. and
appoint Some other man
whoo will Be more able
to do Justice to the caus of
our common country than
I am able to do as my
meanes ar So Exhausted that
I cant no Longer ? ?
This country
? company of State
Guards comanded By capt
James S. Lewis
I with Regret Say to you
that It is mortifying to
me to know that you Have
to Be continualy anoyed
By the Rebells of this
country whoo are continualy
Sending unfounded and
unjust Reportes to you
against me, and am Left
defenceless By your Refusing
to give me the names of
thoes foul conspirators against me and
their countrys Honor
Had I the Rigt to defend myself
I would proove to you and the
world at Large that I am
unjustly and dishonorably
assaild By the Rebells and
guirillar Sympathisers of
this country
whoos Sole object Is to
wield an Influence with
you to disband, or, disorganize
the men that I have
organized By your order
When we ar disbanded
this country Is Left to the
Ravages of those deamons
that Have So long
devastated our country
With High Respect
I am your most
obedt Servt
Sebastian C. Vick, Col. ?

State Militia
Greenville, Muhlenberg Co. Ky
December 1st 1864
Eaves Charles ?
Says Col Vick has 21 of the
best horses in Greenville
and has killed eleven
peaceable citizens. He also
Killed three woman last
week, one of whom he
saw buried. He
has also issued a proclama-
tion requiring citizens to
bring him a horse or he
will compel them to
leave the State, he has
tried too to hinder the
navigation of Green River
has taken four Steamboats
and tore up a dam on
the river
See Special ?
No 86 Extract
? ? ?

The Joseph Vick Family of America Association Is Vibrant Again

2009-08-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

Not long ago the Joseph Vick Family of America association seemed to be near collapse. Paid membership had dropped to a handful. It was apparent the association needed to do a better job of communicating with its members.

Today, the future is much brighter. Information is flowing again to the JVFOA membership. The association held a very successful reunion in Vicksburg, MS, in July (thanks to Lori Vick Millsap and Gailen Vick), and decisions made at the general meeting and at the board meeting the next morning put the association on a very positive track.

Since the reunion Shad Vick has relaunched the association’s website. His great work (done gratis for JVFOA) has made it possible to do an even better job of communicating with JVFOA’s members. Shad’s dad, Gailen Vick, has been loading a lot of material to the site under the following topics:

Become a Member
Genealogy/History
Family Newsletter
Vick Reunions
Annual Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors
Documents
Contacts

Shad and Gailen have plans to make even more improvements. Eventually JVFOA members will be able to access newsletters on the site as well as review their membership and pay their dues.

I am glad to see JVFOA turned things around before it was too late.

Joseph Vick Family of America Reunion – VICKSBURG, Mississippi July 17-19, 2009

2009-07-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Joseph Vick Family of America Reunion committee issued the following:

JOSEPH VICK FAMILY OF AMERICA REUNION – VICKSBURG, Mississippi July 17-19, 2009

Come and compare your family tree with your cousins’

We hope you are as excited as we are about our reunion in Vicksburg. Imagine the opportunity to visit the gravesite of the Rev. Newit Vick and his family or to see the mural honoring him on the levee…... along the banks of the Mississippi River.

The Martha Vick House, built ca. 1830 or visit the Vicksburg National Military Park.

The cost of the 2009 Reunion is $59 for each individual attending. Any questions you have please contact;

Gailen Vick at the following address:

2678 S. Wildflower Dr., Saratoga Springs, UT
84045, Phone: 510-364-7631,
gailen@rltinc.com

Or Lori Vick Millsap, Phone: 251-450-5043
millsapetal@comcast.net

Reunion Schedule

Friday July 17th, 2009
Holiday Inn Express Hotel
4330 S. Frontage Road, Vicksburg

Holiday Inn (Meeting Room)

4 PM Mix & Mingle

4:15 JVFOA Membership Welcome

4:30 PM -Dinner catered by Toney’s (catfish, slaw, hushpuppies, tea & soft drinks)

5:30 PM – JVFOA Annual Business Meeting & Elections

6:30 Depart for River Cruise (Travel by car to Historic Downtown
Waterfront)

7 PM Mississippi River cruise - dessert on board and historic lecture (Sweet Olive, Mississippi River Tours Co.)

8:30 PM Depart River Boat and return to Hotel

Saturday July 18th, 2009
Holiday Inn Express Hotel

5:30 – 9:30 AM - continental breakfast in the Lobby

8 AM JVFOA Board meeting

9 to 11:30 AM -Genealogical Workshop, Instructed by Gailen Vick
Introduction to the “New Family Search” system.

11:30 to 1 PM - Lunch (Sandwiches in our hospitality room)

1 to 3:30 PM – DNA Project Workshop, Instructed by James Larry Vick

For family members that won’t be participating in the workshops, afternoon trips to the Vicksburg Waterfront Maritime Museum, Civil War Raised Vessel, Newit Vick memorial and trip to the City Library

3:30 to 5 PM – Joseph Vick Lineage Workshop - Share your research with your cousins. Lead by Lori Vick Millsap

6 PM Leave for dinner - Martha Vick House

6:30 PM – Dinner of Heavy hors d'oeuvres at the Martha Vick House - Bill Longfellow our host will talk about Martha & Newitt Vick History and the Vick presence in Vicksburg.

8:30 PM (Optional) Vicksburg historical nighttime walking tour

Sunday July 19th, 2009
Holiday Inn Express Hotel

5:30 – 9 AM -continental breakfast in the lobby

9 to 11 AM – Joseph Vick family history; share your research with your cousins.

Sunday "sunrise" service in the Vicksburg Battlefield with lecture by historian

There are various denominations’ services available in town, if you plan to go to church.

We will adjourn and cousins will start moseying home until we meet again next year in Salt Lake City, July 16-18, 2010, at our next JVFOA Reunion!

African American Descendants of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia

2009-06-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

Many of the descendants of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, have carefully documented their line back to Joseph. One group of descendants may not find it so easy to document their descent from Joseph or even be aware that they are descendants of Joseph. This group is the African American descendants of Joseph.

Appendix I “Enslaved Africans [and] Free Persons of Color Surnamed Vick” in “Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants” by John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick lists some of the slaves owned by Joseph’s descendants. What cannot be gleaned from the appendix is if any of these slaves are also Joseph’s descendants or are the mothers of descendants of Joseph.

Two African American men who have been Y-DNA tested have Y-DNA signatures that match Joseph’s Y-DNA signature. One of these men matches the proven descendants of Richard3, Richard2, Joseph1. The other man has not tested enough of his Y-DNA to place him in one of Joseph1’s son’s lines. Because the second man’s Y-DNA signature does not have a change shared by all of the tested descendants of Joseph’s son Richard, it is more likely that he is a descendant of one of Joseph’s other four sons.

While Y-DNA can help in identifying whether an African American man is a descendant of Joseph, finding records to prove descent may be impossible. Harder still will be identifying African American female descendants of Joseph and African American men who are descendants of Joseph but who are not patrilineal descendants of Joseph. Since Y-DNA is only passed from father to son, females and men who are not patrilineal descendants of Joseph will not have the advantage of being able to use Y-DNA to discover their Vick ancestry.

Piecing Together the Deepest Patrilineal Roots of Those with the Vick Surname

2009-05-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

In my November 18, 2008, blog I discussed the deep roots of the clan of Vicks who are descendants of Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. In the blog I said

'Looking at even deeper roots we have found that Joseph1’s Y-DNA signature matches those found in a couple of men with ancestry from Norway. These men lived in Shetland and Orkney off of mainland Scotland. Professor Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University examined James Larry Vick’s Y-DNA signature and compared it to the small number of research samples that had the same Y-DNA signature. In an e-mail on February 18, 2007, Professor Oppenheimer said, 'While, with these very small numbers, it is impossible to date the movement to from Norway to Shetland/Orkney, the information is nonetheless very specific and places your male ancestor most likely as an invader from northern Norway and ultimately from Asia.'”

Professor Oppenheimer also looked at the Y-DNA signature of a descendant of Elihu (christened in 1759 in Standish, Gloucestershire, England). Professor Oppenheimer said the Elihu clan’s patrilineal ancestor “arrived in the British Isles from the Basque Ice Age refuge between 15,000-13,000 years ago with the first hunter-gatherers.” He also said that Elihu’s Y-DNA matched that found in men whose patrilineal ancestors expanded from North Wales and Ireland some 5,000 years ago.

The Joseph1 clan and the Elihu clan are just two of the nine major Vick clans we have identified so far. Each of the clans traveled a different route (and none shared a common patrilineal ancestor in the time surnames have been used) but they all ended up with the Vick surname.

Place Name Index for Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants

2009-04-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants by John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick is an indispensable reference I use for tracing Joseph's descendants. One thing I wish the book had, though, is a place name index. When Americans contact me with a question about their Vick line they usually include at least one reference to a location where their Vick ancestors lived. If their Vick ancestors lived in the southern U.S. the chances are excellent that they were descendants of Joseph.

Not being able to find easily the pages in the book where a location is mentioned slows down my search for how the person fits in the Vick family tree. To solve this problem, I have started putting together an index of place names in the book. The index should be ready in time for the July 2009 Vick Family Newsletter. If there is enough space in the newsletter I will include it in that issue. If there is not enough space in the July issue (because of the news from the reunion) I will put it in the October 2009 issue. So if you would like a copy of the index, it will be available soon.

Now, if I could just find some good reference books for the other Vick families.

Learning to Preserve and Share Vick Family History

2009-04-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

On April 27, 2009, I will begin a five week course titled "Introduction to One-Name Studies." The course is offered by the Guild of One-Name Studies. The Guild says the "five week course will cover the history and study of surnames, what a one-name study consists of, how to get started, how to collect and analyse data from the core records and about the practical aspects of running a One-Name Study such as how to publicise your study, data protection, publishing findings and conclusions, and making sure your study is preserved for others in the future." I cannot wait to see how much I learn from the course and to put this new knowledge to work. I have been a member of the Guild for a couple of years, but I have a lot to learn (especially about British records).

I am also taking an online course in Microsoft Access (a relational database program). Access should give me another tool I need to help organize the mountain of data I am collecting. While I use a family tree program (Personal Ancestral File or PAF), I am missing a way to tie the data together on people that I cannot seem to place in a tree (or to spot that the data is on someone already in one of my trees).

By integrating the Guild course with Access I hope to do a much better job of helping to preserve and share our Vick family history.

Vick Family History Books

2009-04-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Are there any good Vick family history books or short histories about the Vick families other than those I have listed below? While I am interested in books about the Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia clan I am especially interested in books or short histories of other clans both in the U.S. and in other countries. The list below was largely gleaned from the book by Beatty and Vick.

· Robert Arthur, Vick of Vicksburg [New Orleans, LA: Typescript]
· John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick, Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants [Los Angeles, CA: Genus Publishing, 2004]
· Dorothy Phelps Cole, Nitta Yuma king cotton [Nitta Yuma, MS: The Author, 1974]
· O. Vick Hines, Vick Families Descendants of Joseph, VA, 1675 [Sulphur Springs, TX: Unpublished]
· Ruth Vick O’Brien, A Genealogy of the Families and Descendants of William P. Vick I: 1791-1840; Agnes Bottoms Vick, 1833-1907; William P. Vick II: 1837-1902; Jesse Parker and Lucy Joyner Vick Parker: Married 1845 – 1792-1970 [Washington, D.C.: The Author, 1970]
· James Morris Perrin, Reverend Newitt Vick, Founder of Vicksburg, Mississippi, His Ancestry, Relatives and Descendants [Hammond, LA: The Author, 1990]
· James A. Vick, Robert, Son of the Virginia Immigrant Joseph Vick: An Account of Some of His Descendants [Waco, TX: The Author, 1990]
· John Leonides Vick, A Short History of the Vick Family [Typescript, 1967]
· Samuel B. Vick, Sr., Samuel B. Vick, Jr., and Lorrayne Vick Donnell, The Great Family of Joseph Vick Before 1675 to 1987 [Jackson, MS: Privately Published, 1987]
· Melba Wood, My Maternal Ancestry II [Chesterfield, IL: The Author, 1987]

Vick Family Newsletters

2009-03-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Earlier I wondered how many Vick Family reunions there will be this year. I received one reply, from Katie. She told me about a reunion I was not familiar with. She said the descendants of Joseph S. Vick will hold their biannual reunion in Shamrock, TX the third weekend in June.

In some cases families use newsletters to record and report what happened at a family reunion. Newsletter can be very helpful to those who could not attend a reunion and also to future generations who want to know their family’s history. That leads me to wonder how many newsletters there are (or have been) about Vick families. As the editor of the Vick Family Newsletter published by the Joseph Vick Family of America, I am very familiar with that one newsletter. Past issues contain many articles about JVFOA reunions.

It would be nice to learn about other Vick family newsletters, especially ones about Vick families in other countries. Even if a newsletter is no longer published, it would be valuable to know when another family did publish a newsletter and where copies of the newsletter can be found. Perhaps we can use these different newsletters to aid in discovering how all of our Vick families are related. It would be unfortunate for any newsletters to be lost.

In 1985 James M. Perrin edited and published the first newsletter for the Joseph Vick Family of America. In that first newsletter he wrote about a reunion being planned for the 8th and 9th of June 1985 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA. He also referenced a past reunion held in 1975. Surely there must have been at least one Vick family that had a newsletter before 1985 and surely there is at least one other Vick family somewhere in the world that publishes a newsletter today.

One thing that is common between the first issue of the Vick Family Newsletter and the most recent issue is that paying the cost of printing and distributing a newsletter is a challenge. James M. Perrin said on page one of the first Vick Family Newsletter “I am advancing the money necessary to publish and distribute this Newsletter pending receipt of additional dues.” Since blogs can reach a worldwide audience with no printing and distribution costs perhaps they will replace printed newsletters. Fortunately, we also have vehicles like Facebook and MyFamily to advertise reunions. These same vehicles also allow us to share and preserve photographs and descriptions of what happened at the reunions. Maybe these new ways of communicating will also help us preserve our Vick family history wherever we are in the world.

Y-DNA Can Help When a Misattributed Paternity Is Suspected in Our Patrilineal Pedigree

2009-03-08T09:05:00.001-07:00

In my last blog entry I illustrated how Y-DNA was useful in evaluating whether census information was reliable. In the case of William Alfred Vick (Alfred6, Samuel5, ?Josiah4, Benjamin3, Robert2, Joseph1) census information seemed to rule out that he was the son of Alfred6. However, Y-DNA testing of a descendant of Alfred6 found that the descendant’s Y-DNA signature was consistent with William Alfred7 being the son of Alfred6. While Y-DNA cannot prove that one man is the son of another man it can show two men do share a recent common patrilineal ancestor. This information can be very valuable when combined with other genealogical information in our analysis of pedigrees.

On the other hand, Y-DNA can prove that one man is not the son of another man if the two men do not share what genetics call a haplogroup. Haplogroups are defined by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNs) – changes to a single letter in our DNA code. This ability to prove that two men do not share a recent common patrilineal ancestor makes Y-DNA very useful for evaluating stories that an ancestor’s paternity was misattributed. One such case where Y-DNA was helpful was for the descendants of Abner Vick, b. about 1816-1820. In “Some Descendants of Abner6 Vick” (Vick Family Newsletter, Vol. XVIII, No. 1, pages 17-19), Abner Milton and Joseph Thomas were listed as sons of Abner. Y-DNA testing proved that Abner Milton and Joseph Thomas were not patrilineal descendants of Joseph1.

The determination that Abner Milton and Joseph Thomas were not patrilineal descendants of Joseph1 was made based upon the Y-DNA test results of a descendant of Abner Milton and those of a descendant of Joseph Thomas. The two results matched each other, but they did not match the results of proven Joseph1 descendants. The fact that the results from the descendant of Abner Milton matched the results from the descendant of Joseph Thomas means that Abner Milton and Joseph Thomas do share a recent common patrilineal ancestor. That ancestor appears to have been the elder Abner, their father. In this case it does not appear that any other man was their father.

The elder Abner married Martha Susan Pack on 15 December 1837.1 Abner Milton was born on 27 May 1841, and Joseph Thomas was born about 1847. So the two sons were born after their parents’ marriage. This seems to eliminate the possibility of a misattributed paternity. If there was not a misattributed paternity, the elder Abner was not a descendant of Joseph1.
Whether the elder Abner was a patrilineal descendant of Joseph1 may never be known because there are no known living male descendants of Abner’s brother Joseph to test. If there was a living male patrilineal descendant of the elder Abner’s brother Joseph, he could be Y-DNA tested. If his results matched those of the descendants of Abner Milton and Joseph Thomas, then Abner could not have been a descendant of Joseph1. This becomes important because in the article it says the parentage of Joab (the elder Abner’s father) is “uncertain.”

Unfortunately, we run into the same problem in investigating the pedigree of Joab. While his only brother, Jacob, is speculative, John Beatty and Di Ann Vick in Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants could not find any record showing Jacob had a son who produced a son.2 It would be very helpful if there was a patrilineal descendant of Jacob that could be tested. If this descendant matched the Y-DNA of the descendant of Abner Milton and the descendant of Joseph Thomas we would know that Joab also was not a descendant of Joseph1. Through testing descendants from each line we might be able to isolate where the patrilineal bloodline stops from Joseph1.

Notes:
1 Ancestry.com. Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm.

2Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, pp. 364-365

When Paper Records Are Not Conclusive Y-DNA Testing Can Help

2009-03-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

Family history research relies heavily on primary records (e.g. birth, death, and marriage certificates). Sometimes even primary records have mistakes. My wife had an aunt that was born in a small town in Arkansas. The aunt lived there her whole life. Apparently, the aunt never looked at her birth certificate closely until she applied for Social Security. Not having earned much working outside the home, the aunt applied for a spouse’s benefit (based upon her husband’s Social Security earnings).

After reviewing the aunt’s application and birth certificate, the clerk politely pointed out that my wife’s aunt could not collect Social Security benefits against a husband’s account. She said it was because the aunt’s birth certificate said she was a male. While it took some time, the birth certificate was corrected. Even if it had not been, it would not have been hard for a researcher to realize there was a mistake. There were other primary documents that correctly showed her sex, and her children’s birth certificates were a good reference for the fact that she was a female. Sometimes mistakes on primary records cannot be so easily identified. For example, while it is very unusual not to know the identity of a baby’s mother at the time of birth, the identity of the baby’s father may not be correct on the child’s birth certificate.

Even with their faults, where possible it is best to review primary sources in genealogical research. However, sometimes we can’t find a primary source. Birth certificates, for example, came into use relatively recently. If there is no birth certificate, finding a person’s parents’ names might mean having to rely upon secondary sources like census records. While these secondary sources are even less reliable than primary sources, we often have no choice but to use them. If you have ever spent any time looking for someone in census records you know that census records are littered with mistakes. It is not unusual to find conflicting information for the same person in different census years. In one census a person’s age may be given as ten years old and then in the next census (ten years later) the person’s age may be given as 17 years old. Likewise, one census may say the person was born in Kentucky and the next census may say the person was born in Tennessee. By looking at multiple census records you can sometimes figure out what information is likely correct and what is likely incorrect. The degree of proof can be rather subjective. In the final analysis census information depends upon the knowledge of the person who provided the information to the census taker and upon the care the census taker took in recording the information.

When someone joins the VICK Y-DNA Surname Project, we ask for as much paternal pedigree information as he can provide. If he cannot prove his pedigree back to Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, we try to help him prove his paternal line. This usually involves finding names in the pedigree in various sources and linking the information to the excellent research in Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants by John D. Beatty and Di Ann Vick.

Several months ago a new member of our VICK Y-DNA project was trying to trace his roots. When he joined our project he said he had proven his pedigree to his third great grandfather William Alfred. However, at that point he had run into a dead end. While he had found William Alfred in the 1880 U.S. Census of Pope Co., AR, he was not sure who William Alfred’s father was. William Alfred was a one year old child who was not living with his parents at the time of the 1880 census. Interestingly, it appears that William Alfred is listed twice on the same page of 1880 census.1 First he is shown in the household of Erasmus FORD where William Alfred is listed as a one year old “ward.” Then, he is shown in the household of Andrew J. (Jackson) TATE and his wife Lucindia where he is described as a one year old “nephew.” Perhaps William Alfred spent time in each household.

Since William Alfred was only one year old in 1880, we cannot go to the 1870 census and find him with his parents. However, there were other Vick children in the TATE household. A Louisy Jane, age 11, was listed as a niece; a Sidney P., age 8, was described as a nephew; and a Benjamin F., age 22, was said to be a boarder. Since Louisy Jane and Benjamin F. were over ten years old, they should be able to be found in the 1870 census. In fact, they appear in the household of an Alfred Vick and his wife Caroline in Pope Co., AR.2 Alfred’s line is (Samuel5, ?Josiah4, Benjamin3, Robert2, Joseph1).3

Alfred6 married Caroline Timmons on 12 Mar 1848 in Pope Co., AR.4 Louisy Jane and Benjamin F. may have been their children given that the two were living in Alfred6’s household in 1870. Andrew Jackson Tate married Rebecca Jane Timmons in Pope Co., AR on 23 Sep 1852.5 So, Andrew Jackson’s wife Jane would appear to be the aunt of Louisy Jane and Benjamin F. thus explaining why Louisy Jane was listed as a niece in the 1880 census.

Everything appeared to be lining up to conclude that William Alfred, age one in 1880, was also the son of Alfred6. Another piece of information in the census is the birth state of each person and the birth state of the person’s father and mother. In the 1870 census, Alfred6 is shown as having been born in TN, and his wife Caroline is shown as having being born in KY.

The 1880 census states that the father of Louisa Jane, Sidney P., and Benjamin F. was born in TN and their mother was born in KY. This fits with the information in the 1870 census for Alfred6 and Caroline. Interestingly, in both the households in which William Alfred appears in 1880, his father was reported to have been born in AR. This would seem to rule out Alfred6 as being his father since Alfred6 was shown as being born in TN in the 1870 census, and in the 1880 census the father of Louisy Jane, Sidney P., and Benjamin F. was shown as bring born in TN. We do not know who the census enumerator talked to or whether the same person provided the information for both households, but the birth state information throws serious doubt as to Alfred6 being William Alfred’s father.

Alfred6 was married twice. His second marriage was to Mrs. Louisa C. Johnson. They were married in Pope Co., AR, on 30 Dec 1876.6 According to William Alfred’s World War I draft registration card, he was born on 3 Sep 1877.7 So, if William Alfred’s draft registration was correct, he was born eight months and four days after the marriage of Alfred6 and Louisa. Could William Alfred have been the son of Louisa’s first husband, her second husband (Alfred6), or someone else?

William Alfred’s birth date of 3 Sep 1877 also conflicts with his age being one in the 1880 census. If he was born on 3 Sep 1877, he would have been two years old in the 1880 census (his last birthday prior to the census date – 1 June for the 1880 census).8 The difference in age is rather small, and it could just be an oversight.

It does not appear that the secondary sources I have cited will be helpful in identifying William Alfred’s father. Perhaps there are guardianship documents in Pope Co., AR that might be more helpful. However, any paper documents could contain errors for several reasons.

What other information could we use to help solve this mystery? Since all men carry many copies of their paternal family history in each cell of their body, DNA could be used to point us in the right direction. If William Alfred is a descendant of Alfred6 his straight line male descendants should match the Y-DNA signature of Joseph1.

When the project member’s Y-DNA test results came in, he found that his Y-DNA signature did match the Y-DNA signature of Joseph1 (and of the Robert2 line). Of the 591 men with the Johnson surname or a variant of it that have been Y-DNA tested at Family Tree DNA by March 1, 2009, none has a Y-DNA signature that resembles the one the Joseph1 descendants have (including the descendant of William Alfred).9 Likewise, none of the 452 men with the surname Johnson who had been tested by the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF) as of March 1, 2009 had a Y-DNA signature that resembled the one Joseph1’s descendants have.10 Further, of the about 150,000 men that have been Y-DNA tested at Family Tree DNA, only men with the surname Vick, Holland, Strickland, and Shaw have a Y-DNA signature matching Joseph1’s. The same holds true for the about 32,000 men that have been Y-DNA tested at SMGF. Based on discussions with the Hollands, the Stricklands and the one Shaw who match the Joseph1 Y-DNA signature, they are very likely descendants of Joseph1.

While Y-DNA cannot prove that William Alfred was the son of Alfred6, it does show there is good reason to believe he was the son of Alfred6. This reasoning is based upon the fact that William Alfred was in the same household in 1880 with Alfred6’s other probable children, and William Alfred’s descendants’ Y-DNA signature matched the Y-DNA signature of other Robert2 (Joseph1) descendants. This conclusion is in spite of the fact that the 1880 census says William Alfred’s father was born in AR and the other children’s father was born in TN.

Sometimes we must look beyond paper records for answers in tracing our roots. Using Y-DNA to trace your roots is a powerful addition to your family history tool box. You can read more about DNA and its usefulness in tracing ancestry in the book Tracing Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner.

Notes

1 Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. 1880; Census Place: Illinois, Pope, Arkansas; Roll: T9_54; Family History Film: 1254054; Page: 90.2000; Enumeration District: 137; Image: 0299.
2 Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2003. Original data: 1870. Year: 1870; Census Place: Gally Rock, Pope, Arkansas; Roll: M593_61; Page: 353; Image: 159.
3 Vick Family Newsletter, Vol. XIX, No. 3 and 4, p. 53.
4 Hunting For Bears, comp.. Arkansas Marriages, 1779-1992 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001.
5 Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp.. Arkansas Marriages, 1851-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001.
6 Ibid
7 Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.
8 Val D. Greenwood, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy [Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1990], 185.
9 Family Tree DNA (www.ftdna.com) has the largest database of Y-DNA signatures in the world.
10 The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (www.smgf.org) has the largest collection of Y-DNA samples with correlated pedigrees in the world.

2009 Vick Family Reunions

2009-02-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many Vick Family reunions there will be this year. The Joseph Vick Family of America (the largest clan of Vicks in the U.S.) will hold its 2009 reunion July 17-19, 2009, in Vicksburg, MS, at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Vicksburg.

The JVFOA reunion committee has reserved a block of rooms for the three nights. The number of rooms is limited, so if you plan to attend you should make your reservations as soon as possible to ensure you get a reservation at the JVFOA discounted rate of $89 per night.

Just call 601-634-8777 to make your reservation. Be sure to tell the reservations clerk you are with the Joseph Vick Family of America. Continental breakfast is included.

The hotel is located at 4330 S. Frontage Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180. More details about reunion activities will be announced soon. You can also watch the Joseph Vick Family of America Facebook group (if you use Facebook group) for more details. If you do use Facebook and you are not a member of the Joseph Vick Family of America Facebook group, you might want to join the group. It is a great way to meet other Vicks and to keep in touch.

The Vick Family of Texas (Joseph Vick clan members in Texas) has announced the following details of its June 26-27, 2009 reunion which will be held in Salado, TX:Friday, June 26, 6:30-8:30pm, Schoeff’s BBQ Dinner, The Rose Mansion, Sun Room & PatioSaturday, June 27, 11:00am-3:00pm, Vick Reunion, The Stagecoach Inn, Longhorn Room-Fajita Buffet, 12:00pm-Bingo, Silent & Live Auction, Kid’s GamesSaturday, June 27, 4:00-8:00pm, Vick Ranch-Bonfire Dinner, 6:00pm-Homemade Ice Cream, Live Entertainment, Kid’s ActivitiesThe following accommodations have been arranged:
The Rose Mansion B&B www.therosemansion.com 254-947-8200 (13 rooms, must reserve by May 26th, $100-160/night, includes breakfast for 2, featured in Southern Living Magazine)The Stagecoach Inn www.staystagecoach.com 254-947-5111 (12 rooms, must reserve by May 26th, $70/night)Let them know that you are with the Vick Reunion.There is also a Facebook group for this reunion. It is called appropriately enough Vick Reunion.

Do other Vick clans have reunions planned? It would be interesting to know about them wherever they may be – in the U.S. or anywhere in the world.

Origins of the Vick Surname

2008-12-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

There are many origins for the Vick surname. The surname appears to have arisen independently in at least France, England, Germany, and Norway. The name has both occupational and locational origins.

The Dictionary of English Surnames by Reaney & Wilson says that the Vick surname is a variant of Veck. Veck comes from the Old French name le Eveske meaning the bishop. Dr. Andrew Millard told me “Vic is found as a placename and a surname in France, with the surname concentrated in two areas: around Vic-en-Bigorre in the Pyrenees, and in the Département de l'Hérault, around Montpelier. Given the historical links between England and Aquitaine (which included Bigorre) there is the possibility of a connection with English VICKs.”

Hudson John Powell found what may indicate a locational origin of the Vick surname in England. Mr. Powell found an entry in Abstracts of feet of fines relating to Gloucestershire 1199-1299 (The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society; Gloucestershire Record Series Vol. 16; Edited by C.R. Elrington; 2003; ISBN 0 900197 58 7) that references John de Wyk (Wick) of Randwick (page 185, entry number 913 for the year 1287). Dr. Andrew Millard said “The Old English term for a settlement or a market or trading place was wic pronounced either witch (as in Ispwich) or wick (as in Hardwick).” Dr. Millard said the “de” means “He is 'of' Wyk, which could mean he lives there, or his ancestors did, or that he is lord of the place. There are a number of places with this name in Gloucestershire and neighbouring counties.” Dr. Millard also said “As most medieval legal documents in England were written in Medieval French or Medieval Latin, it is frequently used in them where in everyday speech the Middle English 'of' or 'at' might have been used, as well as a direct transcription of what was spoken in the names of the nobility who used French as their first language. So someone described as 'de molendarius', meaning 'of the mill', probably had a spoken name 'at Mill' or 'Miller'. 'de' as a prefix to surnames formed from English words rarely, if ever, became part of the name. So John De Wyk's decendants, if they inherited his name, probably did not use 'of Wyk', but just Wyk. Eventually this is reflected in Latin documents, as scribes wrote what they were told. If a man was stated to be called John of Wyk, it was written down as Johannes de Wyk, but his descendant a few generations later when surnames had become fixed, would be called John Wyk and recorded in written Latin as Johannes Wyk.”

Mr. Powell also found the following on page 81 of A History of Standish Gloucestershire: “Two other small transactions are of local interest. In 1549, William Sawle and William Bridges paid into the Court of Augmentations (a sort of clearing-house for Monastic plunder) the sum of £1,228 16s. 6d., in exchange for sundry properties, including 'the land, one acre, called Norfeld in Randwicke, within Standishe, in the tenure of Thomas Wike, given to a lamp in the Parish Church (of Standish)' and also 'the land, one acre in Alkeley Felde, in Hardewicke, in tenure of Thomas Haresfeld, given to a lamp in the Parish Church.' In the Hardwicke Return this appears as 'Certein land given to finde a lamp there. To the yerelie value of xjd., the whole (now) Distributed to the poor.' Is (sic) is probable that the name Wike became Vicke a century later.” Mr. Powell believes it is probable that this Thomas Wike is the Thomas Veke that was buried in Randwick in 1574.

A Thomas Vick had a son named James (born about 1575 in Randwick). According to Mr. Powell, James married Elizabeth Myll. Mr. Powell also found that Men & Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608, by John Smith (Republished by Alan Sutton; 1980; ISBN/ISSN: 0904387496) lists on page 308 “under Oxlinge (Oxlinch) James Bycke, mason one pike. Also listed is John Bycke his servant.” Mr. Powell also found on page 199 of A History of Standish Gloucestershire the following “…Elizabeth Vick did not surrender her interest in the place till 10th May, 1642; she was the widow of James Vycke, mason to Sir Ralph Dutton” and on page 200 “By an earlier grant, James Vicke of Oxlinche in Randwicke, masson, had handed over lands to Sir Ralph, including Conygeare, Greate Combe, and Calfestyles Grove, and on 10th May, 1642, Elizabeth Vick, his widow had surrendered a pasture called Cleve (p. 149), and a little grove in Oxlinche.”

The quotes Mr. Powell found show how the surname Wyk could have evolved to Wike, Veke, Vycke, Vicke, and Vick. However, Dr. Millard said “As to whether this could be the origin of the name, I am doubtful. To get from a place called Wick to the surname Vick requires a W to V sound transition that I think is unlikely in an English context….” Dr. Millard said further, “The letter W in an English context, from as far back as the first written Old English, is pronounced as it is today.”

The Vick surname may also have arisen independently in Sussex and Hampshire. A John Ficke was christened on June 30, 1650, in Compton, Sussex, England according to the International Genealogical Index (IGI). The IGI also says a Jhon Veick was christened on October 12, 1593, in Saint Maurice, Winchester, Hampshire, England. The 1841 Census of England shows three clusters of Vicks in England. The largest is in Gloucestershire (53 percent), followed by Hampshire (18 percent) and Sussex (14 percent). The remaining Vicks (15 percent) were scattered across ten other counties.

According to information from The Isle of Man Family History Society, Vick on the Isle of Man is derived from Ficke. All the Fickes on the Isle of Man prior to 1850 appear to be descendants of Johann Danael Ficke who was originally of Lubeck. He married Elizabeth Stone/Oliver of Peel in Germany on April 9, 1761. “Vick was used post 1820 as John Fick was given as John Vick in Malew.” A Fick family in Canada traces its origins to Johhan on the Isle of Mann.

Dr. Rita Heuser of Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz wrote “The surname of Vick definitely goes back to a person's name, namely the Old Germanic name of Friedrich. It displays the dithematic structure typical for Germanic names, combining the parts fridu- 'peace' and -rihhi 'mighty, powerful'. Those names were in Germanic times probably meant as a kind of metaphorical blessing for the child. By sound change and regional orthographic conventions, Friedrich became Vick/Fick in some areas… A broad variety of surname variants emerged from the Germanic name of Friedrich, e.g. Fick(e), Vicke, Feck(e).” Roger Kenneth Vick’s great great grandfather, Hans Christian Fredericksen, lived on the boarder of Denmark and Germany. Hans’ son, Hans Peter, took the Vick surname. Hans Peter died in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Vik is a Norwegian word meaning an inlet or cove. There are at least four cities in Norway with the name Vik – Buskerud, Nordland, Rogaland, and Sogn Og Fjordane. Jonas Jonason Vik (born January 23, 1841, in Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway, according to a descendant John S. Houselog) changed his surname to Vick after immigrating to the United States. . The 1880 U.S. Census of Lincoln County, Minnesota says that Jonas immigrated to the U.S. in 1868.

Other immigrants to the United States also changed their surname to one more familiar in America. For example, Jan Nepomuk Vich (born June 11, 1869 of the district of Vysoke Myto, of what is today the Czech Republic) had changed his name to John Vick by the time he appeared in the 1910 U.S. Census of Benton Co., Wisconsin (Source: Frank Wolniak – great grandson of Jan).

Do you know of other origins for the Vick surname? I would like to include them all in my Vick One-Name Study.

Where Was Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Born and Who Was His Father?

2008-11-18T05:15:00.000-08:00

In their book Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, John Beatty and Di Ann Vick said on page 3 ““JOSEPH1 VICK, planter of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, was probably a native of Gloucestershire in England. His exact place of birth is unknown….”

You do not have to look far on the internet to find pedigrees that say that Joseph1 was born in Gloucestershire, England, and that he was the son of Richard who was also born in Gloucestershire.

Since John and Di Ann could not find any record of Joseph1 being born in Gloucestershire (or England), one of the goals of the Vick Y-DNA Surname Project is to answer the question of Joseph1’s ancestry. This will require combining genetics with traditional research. Where was Joseph1 born and who was his father? While Y-DNA cannot directly answer those questions, it can help focus our research in a geographic area and narrow down the list of possible recent common ancestors. Perhaps if we have a better idea of where to look, we may find answers to our questions. Y-DNA can also rule out recent common ancestry with a person who does not share the Y-DNA signature of Joseph1’s descendants. While it would be best if we could find a written record of Joseph1’s birth that was supported by DNA evidence, we may have to settle ultimately for circumstantial paper evidence that is supported by Y-DNA test results.

Since Joseph1 lived in Southeastern Virginia, it is highly likely that he either came from England or was of English descent. The Tidewater area of Virginia was settled by Englishmen, and according to Albion’s Seed by David Hackett Fisher there was a “mass migration…of southern English cavaliers and their servants to the Chesapeake Bay region between 1640 and 1675.”

If Joseph1 was English or of English ancestry, we may be able to find someone in England or of proven English patrilineal descent that matches his Y-DNA signature. A look at the 1841 Census of England reveals where it is most likely that Joseph1 or his ancestor could have been born. The 1841 census shows that 85 percent of the people with the Vick surname lived in just three counties in England – Gloucestershire (53 percent), Hampshire (18 percent), and Sussex (14 percent).

Using census information, we can then focus our Y-DNA search on where it is most likely to bear fruit. The fact that Y-DNA can prove that two men do not share a recent common patrilineal ancestor (i.e. within the approximately 800 years that surnames were used in England), can be very helpful. By comparing the Y-DNA signature of men in each of these three counties we can determine if we can rule out any of the men as sharing a recent common patrilineal ancestor with the Joseph1 patrilineal descendants. While it would not be practical to test every man or every line from these counties, we could start with those that appear to have the greatest probability of success and hope that we get lucky. Throughout this blog when I use the term “ancestor” I am referring to the male line only (since Y-DNA is only passed from father to son).

We are fortunate because early on Lannes Ray Vick convinced Arthur Stanley Vick to join the Vick Y-DNA Surname Project. Stan could prove his ancestry to Gloucestershire, and he agreed to be Y-DNA tested. Stan believed that he shared a recent common ancestor with Joseph1. Stan’s line is as follows: Arthur Stanley, Valentine, Frederick, Walter, Elihu, Emanuel, John, William, William.

Stan’s Y-DNA signature showed that he did not share a recent ancestor with the descendants of Joseph1. Since it is important to check multiple lines to ensure there are no errors in pedigrees or lab results, we were again very lucky when Franklin James Vick of Saskatchewan, Canada, joined our project. Frank also had proven roots to Gloucestershire, and the most recent common patrilineal ancestor of Stan and Frank was Elihu (christened about 1759 in Standish, Gloucestershire). Frank’s line to Elihu is Franklin James, Henry William III, Henry William II, Henry William I, Miles, Elihu. Frank also did not have the Y-DNA signature of the Joseph1 descendants, but he matched Stan. The fact that the two matched told us that it was highly unlikely that Joseph1 and Elihu shared a recent common ancestor.

Next, we must see if we can find any other Vick lines in Gloucestershire that do not share a recent common patrilineal ancestor with Elihu and that have a living male descendant who is willing to test his Y-DNA. We cannot rule out the possibility that Joseph1 did come from Gloucestershire. It is possible his line is unrelated to Elihu’s. The Joseph Vick, born in 1813 in Gloucestershire, England, and who moved to Jo Daviess County, Illinois, in 1842, may share this line. Y-DNA testing of a paternal line male VICK descendant of Joseph could help resolve this question.

Hampshire is the next county of interest in England. James Vick “the Seedsman” founder of the Vick Seed Company and Vick’s Illustrated Monthly Magazine, was born on November 23, 1818, in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. He immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1833. He eventually lived in Rochester, New York. Lannes Ray Vick found Albert F.W. Vick, a descendant of James. Albert tested his Y-DNA. Albert’s line is Albert Fisher Woodruff, Albert Fisher Woodruff, Albert Fisher Woodruff, James, James “the Seedsman,” James C., James, James, Joseph, John, John. Again, the results showed that Albert and the descendants of Joseph1 did not share a recent common ancestor. Also, Albert’s Y-DNA signature did not match the one Stan and Frank share. Since Albert does not match Stan and Frank, the Vick surname appears to have multiple origins in England.

We need to recruit at least one more descendant of James (from a different son of James) to see if another descendant matches Albert. We also need to recruit other Vicks from Hampshire to test. The descendants of Charles J. Vick (born July 1826 in Sub Deanery, Chichester, Sussex, England, and who moved to Rochester, NY, about 1841) may share a recent common patrilineal ancestor with the descendants of James. Y-DNA testing of a paternal line male VICK descendant of Charles could help resolve this question.

We have yet to find a male Vick with proven roots to Sussex to test. When we do find someone who is willing to be tested, it will be interesting to see if he matches any of the English Vick clans we have found thus far (i.e. Elihu’s, James “the Seedsman’s” or Joseph1’s – assuming Joseph1 does have English ancestry). We know there are at least two English clans, and maybe three, if Joseph1’s was English.

We also have members of the Vick Y-DNA Surname Project who trace their roots to Denmark, Germany, Norway, and even Africa (no doubt the descendant of a slave). None of those Vick clans shares a recent common ancestor with the Joseph1 descendants. So, we are looking in places other than England.

Looking at even deeper roots we have found that Joseph1’s Y-DNA signature matches those found in a couple of men with ancestry from Norway. These men lived in Shetland and Orkney off of mainland Scotland. Professor Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University examined James Larry Vick’s Y-DNA signature and compared it to the small number of research samples that had the same Y-DNA signature. In an e-mail on February 18, 2007, Professor Oppenheimer said, “While, with these very small numbers, it is impossible to date the movement to from Norway to Shetland/Orkney, the information is nonetheless very specific and places your male ancestor most likely as an invader from northern Norway and ultimately from Asia.”

Our search continues for Joseph1’s oldest ancestors. Since these ancestors will predate the use of surnames and written records, Y-DNA will be our only way to recognize them.

If you are a male with the surname Vick and you are interested in joining the Vick Y-DNA Surname Project contact Ray Vick (lrayvick@cox.net) or Larry Vick (jameslvick@yahoo.com) for more information.

An Introduction

2008-11-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

Frankly, I am consumed with a desire to learn all I can about Vick family history. However, I was not always so interested in my roots. I grew up in an Air Force family. My father took us to places as far east as England and as far west as Japan (and many places in between). Unlike my father who grew up in the same county his father grew up in (and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him), I really did not have a sense of being from any particular place. Home was where the Air Force sent us. When I graduated from college I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and I served in the Air Force for over 26 years. For my wife and children, home was also where the Air Force sent us.

In 1991 my family and I were visiting my father’s grave in Greenville, KY. My father’s brother, Robert Edward Vick, Sr., who lives in Greenville, organized a small family reunion of sorts for our visit. My daughter, Kathy, was 13 and my son, James, was nine. They had never been around so many Vicks and did not really know their extended Vick family. My father had died before they were born, so they never knew him. During this visit, out of the blue, my daughter asked her great uncle Bob Ed where the Vicks came from. Uncle Bob Ed told my daughter the name of his Vick ancestors that were buried in Muhlenberg County. After we returned home, Uncle Bob Ed mailed my daughter a pedigree chart detailing her Vick line for eight generations including dates and places. The chart listed all of the Vicks in our line back through Stephen Vick (born 11 Nov 1786 and died 3 Jun 1847), the first of our line to come to Muhlenberg County. The chart also showed that Jacob and Mary were Stephen’s parents. My uncle Bob Ed had taken us to the Williams Family cemetery where he had relocated Stephen and all of our family buried in the Vick Family cemetery. Due to strip mining near the Vick Family cemetery, Uncle Bob Ed filed a civil suit in 1957 (Muhlenberg County, KY, Circuit Court Action; File No. 863; 1 Nov 1957) to relocate those buried there. On Stephen’s monument, it said he was the son of Jacob and Mary and was “of” Dobbs County, NC.

When my daughter studied the pedigree chart, she wondered why it stopped with Jacob. She wanted to know who Jacob was and who his father was. At the time, we lived in Tidewater Virginia. We spent many days together visiting libraries and the local Family History Center researching all we could find about Jacob and Mary Vick. Eventually, we found a Jacob and Mary that we thought must be our Jacob and Mary.

In the course of our research, we learned that John D. Beatty was writing a book about the descendants of Joseph Vick of Isle of Wight County, Virginia (John would publish the book, Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wight County, Virginia and His Descendants, along with Di Ann Vick in 2004). So, we decided to write him and see if he knew anything about our branch of the Vick family. John replied right back and told us he did not believe the Jacob and Mary we had found were the ones we were looking for. He also shared his research with us on what he believed was our correct line (although he could not prove his conclusion since the relevant records had been destroyed in courthouse fires).

Kathy and I had found a Jacob and Mary who John believed were too old and in the wrong place in North Carolina to be the Jacob and Mary of Dobbs County, NC. This Jacob’s line was Jacob4, Jacob3, Richard2, Joseph1. There was no evidence that they had children.

John suggested the more likely Jacob was of the line Jacob4, ?Isaac3, William2, Joseph1. No matter where we looked or how hard we searched, we could not find any proof as to who our Jacob was. We also developed a deep sense of respect for the thoroughness of John’s research. John also pointed me to Joseph and Billie Jurlina who provided a wealth of information on the Vick family.

So, we hit a brick wall with Jacob in 1991 and nothing changed until 2005. By 2005, my daughter had long lost her zeal for Vick research, but I had not. My daughter had gotten me more than interested in family history. In 2005, I heard a program about a project the National Geographic Society, IBM, and the Waitt Family Foundation had funded to trace the migration of man around the world using DNA. This effort was called the Genographic Project. The program said that by purchasing a kit and donating a sample of my DNA, I could discover my deep ancestry and trace my genetic lineage. I was not sure what all of that meant, but it seemed like a worthy project.

When my DNA test was finished and the results were in, I was a little in awe that geneticists could find out so much from my DNA (a small snippet of my Y chromosome to be exact). I was also very surprised to learn that my Y-DNA could also be used in our Vick genealogical research. There was a link at the bottom of my Genographic page that said, “Click on the link below to learn how Family Tree DNA, our testing partner, can help you apply your results from the Genographic Project to research your family genealogy.” Little did I know that I was about to enter a whole new world of possibilities useful in resolving the question of which Jacob4 was my ancestor.

When I clicked the link, I found that I was the first male Vick that had Y-DNA results in the Family Tree DNA database (or at least the first that was willing to share his results). I had wondered if I would match a Vick, or if I would match another surname. I had no idea whether my Y-DNA signature would be common or rare. As it turns out, the patrilineal descendants of Joseph share a rare Y-DNA signature. As it also turned out, I did not match anyone in the Family Tree DNA database that was willing to share his Y-DNA signature. So, I was in for a wait to see when someone would turn up as a match. Five months later, Lannes Melvin Ray Vick showed up as a match. Ray had also tested through the Genographic Project, and he too was eager to learn about his Vick family history. Ray started contacting as many Vicks as he could find to try to get them to join our project. He set up a website, and we were off and running with a goal to reconstruct the Vick family tree.

I will not drag you through all of the details, but the answer to which Jacob I am descended from became clear as more and more Vick men tested. We are very lucky that John and Di Ann wrote such a great reference book for our family. Only by combining the research of John and Di Ann along with the Y-DNA results was I able to see that John was right in his conclusion that my Jacob was the one from the William2 line.

Now I would like to find who Joseph1’s father was and where they lived. In fact, I would like to find the origin of the Vick surname and the origin of as many Vick clans as possible. That will be a subject for another blog.