Liona Vance - B: 1819 Virginia, D: 24 Mar 1902
Seeking information on Liona Vance - B: 15 Apr 1819, D: 24 Mar 1902 - My 3rd Great-Grandfather.
Birthplace listed as New York State on 1850 United States Federal Census - Carroll, Chautauqua, New York
other family members on same: spouse Nancy - b. 1821 (maiden name unknown), daughter Catherine - b. 1842, daughter Matilda - b. 1845, daughter Jane - b. 1847, son Henery - b. 1850
Birthplace listed as Virginia on 1870 United States Federal Census - Kinzua, Warren, Pennsylvania
(name misspelled as Trina due to poor penmanship of census taker and the transcribers attempt to read it)
other family members on same: spouse Nancy (misspelled Lancy), son Charles - b. 1850, d-in-law Millie(maiden name unknown), son Seymour - b. 1852, daughter Emma - b. 1856, son Melvin - b. 1860
Birthplace listed as Virginia on 1880 United States Federal Census - Village of Ludlow, Hamilton Township, McKean, Pennsylvania
(name misspelled as Lionia due to poor penmanship or transcription) other family members on same: spouse Nancy J, son Melvin (misspelled Melben)
Even with the inconsistencies on the 3 Census reports, we are 95% certain that this is the same family. The only one that may be a bit "iffy" is the 1850 one, but since the counties are adjacent to one another and the distances from Carroll to Kinzua to Ludlow are very short, and Nancy's Birthplace on all 3 is New York, it makes it more likely than not.
A few months ago, all we knew for certain was that our Grandfather Lamont C. Vance and Great-Grandfather Harry C. Vance had lived in Ludlow, PA and that Harry's father was probably named Charles. I found the 3 census reports above on Ancestry.com, which filled in some details. Then I came across a forum board post on Ancestry.com that described a small (12 stones) unnamed cemetery in Ludlow and the last name Vance was listed as being on one of the stones.
Since my brother was in that general area in PA, he went to Ludlow and found this small cemetery plot and took pictures of the 2 Vance headstones he found there. The inscriptions were still very readable. One stone had 3 names together - "Liona Vance Apr 15, 1819-Mar 24, 1902; Nancy J. his wife Oct 19, 1823-Feb 6, 1897; and Melvin July 28, 1860-Nov 13, 1909". The other stone had a single name and the inscription "Gone Home C. S. Vance Died June 20, 1880 Aged 30 Yrs, 1 Mo & 6 Days".
So now we are at an impasse in discovering who Liona's parents may have been other than on the 1880 census which gives his Birthplace and both his Father's and Mother's Birthplace as Virginia. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Rich