Pedigree

The VFA strives to be a reliable resource for sound genealogy as it relates to the Vance surname and a trusted authority when it comes to assessing the relationships found in any Vance lineage. In support of that effort, we are attempting to verify all Vance lineages with reliable evidence and we are starting with the lineages of our members. We request that all members submit a pedigree showing their Vance lineage along with the evidence to demonstrate the familial connections in their lineage. This information will be used to compile a comprehensive Vance Pedigree Database that may serve as a resource for our members only. We envision using the database to connect family members, provide fuel for new ideas and research, and to serve as a solid foundation for all those interested in learning more about their Vance family and how it is connected to others. Ultimately, everyone with an interest in Vance genealogy stands to benefit from this database, and members most of all. Members, please do your part and review your pedigree. Let us know any time you have new data or want to add more family members by sending updates to our Vance Pedigree Database Manager at pedigrees@vancefamilyassociation.org.

Filling Out Your Pedigree Please provide as many of the following key facts as you can about each of the ancestors in your Vance line: (any information you provide about living relatives or that you mark “confidential” will be held in the strictest confidence)

• full name, including middle initial if known;
• dates and places of birth and death;
• full name of spouse, plus names of spouse’s parents;
• dates and places of spouse’s birth and death;

We offer two choices for submitting your pedigree:

• Submit your lineage as a GEDcom file. (We are capable of accepting only .GED files up to 10MB.)
• Fill out the VFA Pedigree Form. This form is intended for only one Vance lineage. If you are fortunate enough to have more than one Vance lineage in your ancestry, please submit both lineages separately. The ancestor listed for each generation should be the one in the direct line to your earliest known Vance ancestor, whether male or female. The first page covers your ancestor and up to 6 children.  The second page includes lines for additional children.  You will need one or two pages for each ancestor, and in general you should number the pages for each generation, for example, “1” for yourself, “2” for parent, “3” for grandparent, etc.  Print the form, complete as much as you can, and mail the forms to:

VFA Pedigrees
2610 Harrison Street
Evanston, IL 60201-1326

• We hope you will also provide us with the sources upon which your lineage is based.  If you don’t know the sources for all your information, that is OK; please provide whatever information you do have. We will work  with you to arrive at the most reliable lineage based on the available evidence. We strongly encourage you to include photocopies of any sources that might be difficult for us to find or that can be used to resolve conflicting information. For example, tombstone data for an ancestor might differ from a church or government record, or the census taker may have misspelled the surname so that the family won’t turn up in an independent search of the census. For helpful hints on sources, please refer to third page of the pedigree forms. To send us source documents, you may print or photocopy and then mail them to us at the above address or submit digital images (jpg or pdf)  to us via e-mail to pedigrees@vancefamilyassociation.org. Feel free to submit as many sources as you like. For each source, please provide your name as well as a brief description of the source (e.g., clipping from Springfield Times announcing marriage of John Vance and Jane Doe).