Today, I found John Joseph Vance (1753-1838) while researching my family tree. I have him marked as provisional as I build out the facts necessary to confirm the connection. Fortunately, his life is well documented, so it’s just a matter of time before I finalize the entry. What caught my attention is that he is a Revolutionary War veteran who served in the army as a private in Virginia. He survived and went on to fight in the War of 1812, where he participated in the Battle of Frenchtown.
The historical phrase “Remember the Raisin” originates from this battle, as the Battle of River Raisin was part of the larger Battle of Frenchtown. If interested, you can read about it here: “Remember the Raisin” | American Battlefield Trust.
John Joseph Vance is my 6th great-grandfather on my maternal line. I am confident he is completely forgotten by anyone I may have known. It’s a convoluted path to get to him. We start with my mother’s family name, Gray, then move to my grandfather Harry and his father, also named Harry. Then we jump over to my 2nd great-grandmother Sarah Conrad, then to her mother Maria Canterbury, then her mother Sarah Vance, and finally John Joseph Vance.
Genealogy eats my time. I used to love getting started on a task on a Sunday morning. Armed with a notebook and my computer, I would spend hours trying to identify people in my tree. Now that I’m retired, I can do it any time I feel like it. Like today, a lazy Saturday morning while our TV is set to the most boring Olympic Opening Ceremony I can remember and my grandkids are busy playing Roblox.
I’ve put off the next step in my genealogy journey, actually engaging with others in person at conferences, but I can see it coming. I’m eager to share my Obsidian-based note-taking approach with others and learn from the masters of the craft. I also plan on doing a lot of genealogy-focused blogging. For example, I will post a follow up to this post with more detail.
Are you into genealogy? If so, drop me a note below. I’ve love to hear about your experiences.
Peanuts In My Pocket 
Leave a comment