Jacob Vann

Jacob Vann was born on January 16, 1790, to Edward and Martha Vann in North Carolina. In 1798, Jacob’s father, Edward, died in Eldgecombe County, North Carolina. Two years later, his mother, Martha, executed a division of property to her five sons and remarried three days later to Micajah Exum.

It is not known which family raised Jacob Vann after 1800. From the early 1820s to 1855, he lived in the same areas of Tennessee and Missouri as the Pitt and Woodard families. Later events indicated that Jacob Vann was strongly influenced by his associations with these families.

Jacob served in the War of 1812. He enlisted as a private in Captain John Moor’s Company Infantry, First Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, commanded by Colonel William Hall, from Sumner County, Tennessee. His muster roll is dated December 21, 1812, at a camp near Nashville, and his service began on December 10, 1812. He remained on the company payroll until February 9, 1813, when he was furloughed. His pay at that time was $27.04.

Jacob married his first wife, Sarah “Sally” Woodard, on May 7, 1816. Sarah was born on December 15, 1797, in Davidson County, Tennessee, to Pit and Elizabeth Woodard. Jacob and Sarah had eight children: Pitt (1819), William (1822), Mathew (1823), Thomas (1826), Jesse (1827), Robert (1829), Martha (1830) and Azariah (1815).

Sarah’s parents, Pitt and Elizabeth Woodard, were Methodist-oriented. They had twelve grandsons who became Methodist preachers, Four of these–Pitt, William, Jesse, and Robert—were sons of Jacob and Sarah.

Sarah passed away on February 20, 1833, in Copper County, Tennessee, at the age of 36.

Jacob married his second wife, Margaret Shaw, on July 17, 1835. They had nine children: Susan (1835), Taylor (1836), Jacob (1838). Logan Douglas, (1841). Mary Jane (1842), George Washington (1844), Elijah Perkins (1846) Keziah Julia (1848), and Cynthia Ann (1850).

In 1855, Jacob and Margaret Shaw Vann were living in Green County, Missouri, when they and their children made the journey from Missouri to California in a wagon train captained by Jacob and his eldest son by his first wife, William Henry Vann. By this time, all of Jacob and Sarah’s children had reached maturity. Taylor Shaw Vann, the oldest child of Jacob and Margaret, was about 19 years old when the trip to California was made.

Upon reaching California, Jacob and Margaret first settled in the Napa Valley and later moved to Potter Valley in 1860. Living conditions in that area were still rather primitive at the time. There is little record of Jacob’s activities after moving to Potter Valley, as he had already passed his 70^th birthday. However, he continued to participate, as much as he was able, in the religious activities of the community.

Their daughter Mary Jane married Franklin Dashiell in 1861, Keziah married Thaddeus William Dashiell in 1862, and Cynthia Ann married William Eddie in 1869.

At least one of Jacob Vann’s children married earlier. His oldest son, Pitt Woodard Vann, married Spicey E. Davidson in August of 1839 in Missouri. They had six children, and their four sons became ministers.

Jacob Vann died on September 19, 1867, at the age of 77. Margaret Shaw Vann, who was 13 years younger than Jacob, outlived him by approximately 18 years. She died on February 25, 1885 and is buried beside her husband.

Many members of the family and their descendants are laid to rest at Potter Valley Cemetery, and numerous descendants still live in the valley today.