I started looking at the Vance family lines that emigrated to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries, using the Public Family Trees on Ancestry.com. While this is a completely non-scientific poll, a lot of current research tracks back to the same fifteen original immigrants. I'm sure these are not the only Vance immigrants into Australia, but they show up on the most number of well-researched and well-sourced public family trees. So if you are researching a Vance family line in Australia, you may well find that the trail leads back to one of these immigrants - and know that you have a good shot at connecting with other genealogists who have followed these families before.
One interesting common link between these fifteen immigrants is that they ALL came to Australia from Ireland or England, meaning the origin of these Vance families is very likely to be the same origin as the US Vances of Irish descent. Have any Vances in Australia done Y-DNA testing?
(Tip: if you're going blind trying to read the table below, click on it to see a bigger version. If that still isn't big enough, right-click on it and save it as a JPEG on your computer, then open it with your favorite picture viewer!).
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteI can only agree with your conclusions while offering one comment on your data:
My understanding is that William Vance and Elizabeth Taylor emigrated to Lambton Co., Canada as far as I know - and had 13 children. I don't know of a Lambton in Australia.
I can add details to nearly all these families if any descendants would like to get in touch.
Best,
Jamie.
Jamie, thanks for the catch. There is a suburb of Newcastle in NSW, Australia called Lambton but I think you are correct - a few public trees on Ancestry show NSW but the better-sourced ones refer to Lambton in Canada which seems much more likely. Serves me right for implying that Ancestry public trees are a reliable source! Appreciate the correction.
DeleteDave
My names Rachel Vance, I live in Sydney with my family, I am from the Thomas Vance was my great Grandfather, I am trying to piece together our family tree now but we have spread throughout aus, I know my great aunties are spread through regional NSW, Sydney and far North QLD as well, I'm pretty sure Thomas and Merle ended up having 7 children
ReplyDeleteHi Dave,
ReplyDeleteThis is Michael Vance Opie in Australia. Thanks for posting the image "Aussie Vances". Rev George Oakley Vance (5th entry from the bottom) is the grandfather of my grandmother Beatrice Lorn Vance 1901.
Here is the family history of Joh William Vance who migrated to Australia from Ireland. https://www.pictureipswich.com.au/nodes/view/25329
ReplyDeleteJ W Vance is my two times Great Grandfather.
Darryl Heiner
Thanks for posting this information. My 2nd great-grandfather is John Vance (abt 1820 - 1871) and married to Jane Emmerson. The Australian death index lists his parents as James Vance and Ann Steen and I found other records (census, will, birth, death) that show that another John Vance (abt 1827 - 1908) is the son of James Vance and Mary Chittick. This James married Mary Johnston, did not emigrate to Australia and was a farmer remaining in Oghill, Drumkeeran. It is not likely that a remarried James would call two sons John within seven years of each other. I think there are two James Vance each with a son John.
ReplyDeleteSue Laws