Abner Vance
American veteran (died 1819)
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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]