The Vannoy and Shepherd families share a common heritage that goes back to the late 18th century. The two families were early settlers of the Reddies River area in Wilkes, County, North Carolina. As the years passed, Vannoy men would marry Shepherd girls. Eventually, one Ethel Isabelle Walker would be descended from these unions. She would go on to marry a distant cousin, a direct descendant of the Shepherds -- Grover Cleveland Shepherd. Also see: Vannoy Direct Line Ancestry of Ethel Walker Shepherd.
Emigration to America
According to Vannoy family tradition, the Vannoys are of Hugnenot extraction, having fled from France to Holland, and later, to England during the reign of Charles I. The name in France was probably spelled Vannoise or Venois. The latter were names of distinguished families in France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Tradition says that the father of the emigrant to America fought under the banner of Oliver Cromwell and was related to him by marriage.
John Vannoy, who died in 1699, was the emigrant to America. He settled on Staten Island, New York where he was a tax collector. Also See: The Will of John Vannoy.
There is unproven speculation that John Vannoy and his wife Rachel may be the same as "John Vernoi and wife" who embarked from Leith (Ediboro) Scotland on 5 September 1685 on the ship, "Henry and Francis." Historically those on board were remnants of a band of dissenters who had been persecuted for refusing to abide by a decree of the Council passed in 1674, making it a serious offense for any group to keep conventicles. Their leader was John Scot. This vessel landed in the bay of Amboy in the New Jersey colony, just opposite Staten Island in December of 1685. After a year or two, the colony from the ship disbanded with some moving to Staten Island and others to New England.
Early Settlers in Reddies River
A grandson of John Vannoy, also named John Vannoy, was one of the early settlers in the Reddies River area of Wilkes County. He came to Wilkes County in the summer of 1771 with two of his sons, Andrew and Francis. The Vannoys settled on the Middle Fork of Reddies River, a couple of miles northwest from where brothers John Shepherd, Sr. and Robert Shepherd settled with their familes just four years later. Historian and geneaologist Paul Gregory says,
Andrew Vannoy was the captain of a company in the 10 N.C. Regiment, Revolutionary War, under the command of Col. Abraham Shepard. He is recorded as having retired from the service April 19, 1777.
After his retirement from the service, Andrew apparently decided it was time to start his own family. On October 18, 1779, the 37-year-old Andrew married Susannah Shepherd, daughter of John (Sr) and Sarah Jennings Shepherd, establishing the first marriage between the Vannoy and Shepherd families.
However, Andrew didn't get a chance to settle down quite so soon.
Vannoy family reports say that when Lord Cornwallis began his invasion of North Carolina, Capt. Andrew Vannoy recruited a band of neighbors, some of who had been in his earlier company and joined the forces of Col. Benjamin Cleveland which routed the invaders at the famous battle of King's Mountain, October 7, 1780. Andrew's brother, Nathaniel, was one of the recruits, and according to family record, was a member of Col. Cleveland's staff, serving him as sergant major. These mountain patriots were not a regularly organized band, but rather an improvised force that was recruited suddenly in an locality of threatened danger. Accustomed to Indian raids, they were always prepared to rush to the defense of their homes and neighbors when signal fires were lighted on nearby mountain tops.
James Vannoy, born June 27, 1792, was the sixth child of Andrew and Susannah Shepherd Vannoy. He was the second pastor of Reddies River Church of Christ, which was constituted on April 7, 1798. Of the 23 people who became constitutional members of Reddies River Church, 11 were from either the John Shepherd, Sr., or Robert Shepherd families.
The Connection
The James Vannoy family is the common link though which Grover Shepherd and wife Ethel Walker are both third and fourth cousins.
James Vannoy was a grandson of John Shepherd, Sr. James Vannoy's wife, Sarah (Sallie) Shepherd, was a daughter of John Shepherd, Jr., who is also a great, great, great grandfather of Grover Shepherd. James and Sarah Vannoy are also the great, great grandparents of Ethel Walker through two of their daughters, Phebe and Susannah.
The following table outlines this relationship:
"Apparently, John lived in or near the Jersey Settlement in Rowan County prior to his coming to Wilkes County. He was a staunch baptist in religious belief and sympathized with the 'Regulators' in their opposition to the unjust and oppressive policies of the British Government under Governor William Tryon. Consequently, his home was one of those pillaged and destroyed by the troops of Governor Tryon in the early summer of 1771, and Mr. Vannoy and his family were forced to flee for their lives. The remoteness of Reddies River about 75 miles up stream, beckoned unto these persecuted people, and it is here that they found their new home." [1]
| John Shepherd Sr. married Sarah Jennings | ||
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| Susannah Shepherd m. Andrew Vannoy |
John Shepherd, Jr m. Phoebe (Eseentrino?) |
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| James Vannoy married Sarah 'Sallie' Shepherd (First Cousins) |
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| Phebe Vannoy m. Wade Hampton Colvard |
Susannah Vannoy m. Alexander Whittington |
Larkin Shepherd m. Alley Irwin |
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| Charles Cicero Colvard m. Laura Whittington (First Cousins) |
James W. Shepherd m. Elizabeth Jones |
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| Sallie Anna Colvard m. Willis M. Walker |
John Calvin Shepherd m. Sarah Ballou |
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| Ethel Isabelle Walker married Grover Cleveland Shepherd (Third and Fourth Cousins) |
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