Aaron Vanness: Bye-bye Brick Wall

I’ve posted about my 5th great grandfather, Aaron Vanness previously. But until recently I didn’t know the names of his parents. But, I am pleased to report that Aaron Vanness is no longer a brick wall!

Aaron was a shoemaker, opening the second shop in the village of Shabbona in the spring of 1873, prior to that he was a farmer. All I knew about his life prior to moving to Dekalb County, Illinois was that he married Euphemia Dey/Dye in Newark, Essex, NJ in 1832. He passed away at the home of his last living child, Lewis D. Vanness in Shabbona Grove on February 16, 1904

Recently, I’ve located the names of Aaron’s parents in addition to his birthplace and birthdate in the register of births and baptisms at Stone House Plains Dutch Reformed Church, Essex County, New Jersey. According to the record, he was born September 21, 1810 and baptized January 1, 1811 in Stone House Plains to Aaron Vanness and Abigail Mandeville. Aaron’s maternal uncle, Nicolas Mandeville also lived in Shabbona from at least the time of the 1860 census until his death in 1881.

Further evidence tying Aaron Vanness II to Abigail Mandeville was located in the 1841 will of his maternal grandfather, John Mandeville. Abigail is also mentioned in the will under the name Abigail Tucker. The surname Tucker is a familiar one, since Aaron had a man by the name of Jabez Tucker (born in NJ – 1823) living with his family on the 1860 US Census in Afton, Dekalb, Illinois. In 1870, Jabez lived next-door to Aaron and Euphemia with their son, Lewis D. Vanness and family. As mentioned before, in 1850 Jabez was living in Newark, Essex, New Jersey in the home of Abby Pierson, 58 along with Giles M. Tucker, 23 and William Tucker, 12. Could they all be additional sons of Abigail Mandeville? An interesting note is that the three Tucker boys share the trade of shoemaking with Aaron Vanness.

In the same birth/baptism register that I located Aaron Vanness’ birth in, there was also an entry for a Ralph Tucker born May 18, 1819 to Abigail Mandeville and John Tucker. Further research to connect the Ralph, Giles, Jabez, and William Tucker as sons of Abigail Mandeville Vanness must, and will be done.

Lewis and Mary Vanness’ Tumultuous Marriage

Recently, I located another article on Lewis Decker and Mary Smith Vanness’ marriage. This article ran March 15, 1915 in the Daily Chronicle in Dekalb, Illinois. I already knew from the couple’s 1906 divorce that Lewis was a drinker, and sometimes a violent one, but the name “Bud” threw me off…

So, I went to Ancestry and typed the name “Bud Vanness” into the search. And the second item on the page was Laura Ella Vanness’ marriage record from 1927. Her father’s name was in fact listed as Bud VanNess!

Laura Ella VanNess’ marriage certificate to George E. Werner – Allegan County, MI – November 12, 1927.

Looking at photographs I have received of Lewis, I cannot see a scar or any other kind of deformity but, perhaps it just isn’t easy to make out from a photo. I have emailed another descendant of Lewis and Mary’s to see if she knows anything about the incident.

Lewis, Mary, and their children packed up and left Dekalb County, Illinois in 1917. Perhaps it was due to all the gossip that must’ve been spread about their marriage.

Lewis and Mary ca.1940-5.

Lewis D. Vanness’ 1914 Probate Inventory

Lewis D. Vanness of Shabbona Grove, Dekalb, Illinois is my 4x great grandfather on my mother’s paternal side. He died in 1914 and left a will which asked for the following items to be sold and the funds (which totaled to almost $13,000 in today’s money) to be left to his wife of 49 years, Laura Ellen Spicer Vanness, who died in 1920. The couple had the following children: Anna Vanness, Lewis Aaron Vanness, Bartholomew Vanness, Nettie E. Vanness, and Willard Vanness.

A 1914 Magazine

Typical for a farmer at that time, Lewis kept bees, a cow, a horse, chickens, and grew corn.

Most interesting to me was that he had an automobile and a talking machine (phonograph) and records, for a farmer in a small town he must not have lived too shabbily.

I loved the fact that he had an organ. Organs were huge on my Great Grandma Grace Decker‘s side of the family, Grace would have been Lewis’ granddaughter. I was seven when Grace died, but I remember going to her home and seeing an organ on her enclosed porch. Her mother, Mary Smith Decker also had one which was given to her by her father Samuel Smith.