Abner Vance
Abner Vance (1770 or 1760 – July 16, 1819) was an American Revolutionary War veteran and murderer. He was also reportedly a preacher.
He reportedly killed a man in 1817 and fled to Tug Fork.[1] A few years later he was hanged for murder.
After he was hanged, a folk song was made about him, his murder and execution is considered a founding an event for the Vances settlement in Tug Fork Valley. Many of his descendants would be involved in the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. Further down the line, he is an ancestor of 50th and current US Vice President JD Vance.
Early life
He was born in North Carolina.[2] His name does not appear on census records but based on calculations from his wife's birth year he was born between 1760 and 1770.[3]
He was an Indian fighter and saved men from Indian attacks.[4] After he served in the American Revolutionary War he moved to Russell County, Virginia,[2] sometime between 1780 and 1799.[3] In 1792, he pushed Mingo people out of Guyandotte river.[5]
He married Miss Susannah Howard.[6] They produced eight children.[2]
Reportedly he fled from Russell County to the Tug Fork in 1817 to escape a murder trail.[1]
Trial and execution
In June 1818, Abner applied for a coram nobis. The application was approved and a new trial was awarded.[7]: 132–133
He was executed on July 16, 1819, for murder in Washington County, Virginia.[8]
Legacy
Abner Vance's murder of Horton is considered a founding event for the Vance family's settlement in Tug Fork.[1] Abner Vance was the grandfather to Devil Anse's mom and Jim Vance.[9] According to author Lisa Alther, stories of Vance's hanging had a big impact on Devil Anse Hatfield.[10]
A song called Vance Song has been sung about the murder.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 Council, West Virginia Humanities. "Hatfield Family". www.wvencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- 1 2 3 Swain 1927, p. 75.
- 1 2 Burgess 1978, p. 219.
- ↑ Swain 1927, pp. 21–23.
- ↑ Hatfield 1974, p. 18.
- ↑ Burgess 1978, p. 217.
- ↑ Appeals, Virginia Supreme Court of (1826). Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. Department of Purchase and Supply.
- ↑ Hearn, Daniel Allen (2015-07-13). Legal Executions in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia: A Comprehensive Registry, 1866-1962. McFarland. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-7864-9540-5.
- ↑ Waller 2012, p. 20.
- ↑ Alther 2013, pp. 19–20.
- ↑ Cohen, Norman (2008-09-30). American Folk Songs: A Regional Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 187–189. ISBN 978-0-313-08810-0.
Bibliography
- Hatfield, George Elliott (1974). The Hatfields. Big Sandy Valley Historical Society.
- Sellards, Harry Leon (1995). Hatfield Family History. H.L. Sellards, Jr.
- Sellards, Harry Leon (1993). Hatfield and Phillips Families of Eastern Kentucky and Southwestern West Virginia. H.L. Sellards, Jr.
- Rice, Otis K. (December 31, 1982). The Hatfields and the McCoys. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813114590.
- Waller, Altina L. (2012). Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and Social Change in Appalachia, 1860–1900. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9781469609713.
- King, Dean (May 14, 2013). The Feud:The Hatfields and McCoys: The True Story. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316224789.
- Alther, Lisa (February 5, 2013). Blood Feud:The Hatfields and the McCoys: The Epic Story of Murder and Vengeance. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0762779185.
- Johnston, David (1906). A History of Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory. Standard Ptg. & Publishing Company. ISBN 9781789875317.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Swain, George (1927). History of Logan County, West Virginia. G. T. Swain. ISBN 9780598483393.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Burgess, James A. (1978). Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown, and Allied Families. McClain Print. Company. ISBN 9780870123153.