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I am attempting to trace my mother’s side of my family back through her mother, whose maiden name was Vinson. My great grandfather was Joseph Marshall Vinson, born in 1871. The U.S. Census shows him living in Cherokee County, S.C. as far back as 1900 and then moving to Rock Hill, S.C. by 1920. He died there in 1935. Every census from 1900 to 1930 shows that he and his parents were born in South Carolina. His death certificate and his obituary plainly state that his parents were Ben Vinson and Sallie Willis Vinson. The obituary states that his parents were from Spartanburg County S.C.
I can not locate any records for Joseph Marshall Vinson earlier than 1900. Other than his death certificate and obituary, I can not locate any record of his parents at all. Part of the problem may be that Cherokee County was not formed until 1897 from parts of Spartanburg, York and Union counties in South Carolina. County records prior to 1900 could be in Spartanburg or Cherokee counties. However, this does not explain the apparent complete absence of an 1880 or earlier census entry for any of these people.
It has occurred to me that they may have moved to South Carolina from another state. I have used the Ancestry.com surname distribution feature to find the states with populations of Vinson’s during the 1880s and earlier and have searched for records of these people in each of them only to find nothing. I have noted the variations in the spellings of the last name of Vinson (i.e.. Vincent, Venson, Vinsen) and have searched using those as well. Again, I have found nothing. I have also searched using the name Sallie Willis (including variations in spelling for both the first and last name) and only find records that could not possibly be a match.
There were stories that my mother’s family was related in some way to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. While that may be one explanation for the lack of census records for 1880 and earlier, these stories might have originated from their having lived in Cherokee County S.C. I feel I need to state at this point that any survivors mentioned in the obituary are since deceased. Believe me when I tell you that there is virtually no one left on my mother’s side of my family that I can ask for information unless, of course, I hold a seance.
In closing let me say that I have hit the now famous “genealogical brick wall” and would appreciate any information from anyone with an interest in or ties to the Vinson family in South Carolina, or guidance from anyone who has overcome similar difficulties in tracing their family tree.
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