David Vance (soldier)

(Redirected from Colonel David Vance)

Colonel David Vance was an American soldier during the Revolutionary War.

David Vance
Born1745
Winchester, Virginia
Died1813 (aged 67–68)
Place of burial
Reems Creek
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
RankColonel
Battles/warsMusgrove Mill, Kings Mountain, Brandywine, Germantown, Valley Forge

Personal life edit

Vance was born near Winchester, Virginia, circa 1745, the oldest son of Samuel Vance and descended from the DeVaux family in Normandy. The name Vance is a corruption of DeVaux.

Around 1774 he settled on the Catawba River in Rowan County, later Burke County, and married there, Priscilla Brank, daughter of Robert Brank.[1]

Military career edit

Serving in the Revolutionary War as an American soldier in the North, he was an ensign, and at the battles of Brandywine, Germantown and at Valley Forge. In the South he was at the battles of Musgrove Mill and Kings Mountain.

After the war he settled at Vanceville on Reems Creek, Burke County, which is now Buncombe County. In 1786 and 1791 he was a member from Burke County of the North Carolina House of Commons and in 1791 he and Colonel William Davidson from Rutherford County introduced in that house petitions to create the County of Buncombe.

In 1792 he became and remained the Clerk of the County Court of that new county in whose minutes his beautiful penmanship appears. He, and General Joseph McDowell and Mussendine Matthews as North Carolina commissioners superintended in 1799 the running of the line between North Carolina and Tennessee from the southern border of Virginia southwardly across Big Pigeon River. In consequence of some conversation when engaged in that work he wrote recollections of the Battle of Kings Mountain published many years after his death. He was a colonel of militia.

In 1813 he died and was buried at his farm on Reems Creek.[2][3]

Epitaph edit

The Daughters of the American Revolution purchased a stone to mark David Vance's grave, which reads: "Soldier of the Revolution, Lieut 2nd N.C. Continental Rect, Brandy Wine, Germantown, Monmouth, Valley Forge, Kings Mountain. Member of General Assembly N.C. 1785-6-9. State Boundary and Land Coms. Colonel of Militia; Clerk of Buncombe Court."[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Burke County Marriage Records. Burke County Clerk of Court, Ancestry.com. This is to Certify you That I freely give my Consent for David Vance to get Liscense for to marry my Daughter [?] my Hand this 18th day of Septr 1775 Robert Brank
  2. ^ Heritage I, article #645, p. 354
  3. ^ "Vance". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  4. ^ "Capt David Vance". Retrieved 2023-07-24.

External links edit