Genealogy Chat

Hi Phoenix, our name (supposedly) was changed from Vaux to Vaus when our ancestor briefly lived in England, right before he sailed to Canada. Well, they were in England at least 100 years, so there goes the family tale, eh? (So the Vokes/Voakes spelling is probably not ours, but who knows.) I was referred to the Sussex Family History for another issue, so it is time I join! Perhaps they can help, perhaps they can't, but I can trace four lines to Sussex, so it would be interesting to join. I actually met a distant cousin through GR, and he, too, was told of the French connection, occurring at the same time as ours, so there must be some kind of a connection to France. Thank you for the Documents Online thought. Thank you very much for your help!

have a look at Documents Online. There are several French wills there. If there is a definite Hugenot connection, then there are various printed volumes with all sorts of useful info.

There are some pcc wills for Vokes/Voakes in Sussex abt 1700 and earlier. I can't find anything on the Sussex Poorlaw database or on familyhistoryonline. If you haven't done so, it would be worth contacting the Sussex Family History Group, to see if they can help. It's possible to take a tree back further, but you need extra sources, like wills, land records, poor law to prove relationships and not all of these are online. Good luck!

Hi Jennifer. My grandfather used to tell my dad that the family name was originally Vaux and they came from France. William was handed down (with the exception of one female ancestor) at least 8 generations and was also in other lines of this family. Thank you for the information. I will check it out tomorrow (it's 1:00 am here). Thank you so much for your help!

Hi Paul. This branch of my family handed down names and George was not a name that was in the family. However, the older William did leave a will, had a good amount of property, and was a church warden so he was not a poor man. I've just checked my map, and yes, Reigate is close to the areas I mentioned. The Vaus/Vaux family also had a connection to Horsham, which is also close. I will definitely add your information to my Vaus binder. Thank you very much for your help! Perhaps in the future I may be able to connect it somehow. Thank you again, Lisa.

There is this entry in the BIVIRI, might be worth your following up. VAUX, William Christening Gender: Male Christening Date: 3 Jun 1744 Recorded in: Froyle, Hampshire, England Father: Wight VAUX Mother: Jane Source: FHL Film Dates: 1732 - 1876 Jennifer

In the Holdings of Lambeth Palace Library you will find the Directory of medical licences issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury 1535-1775: ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS LICENSED BY THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, 1535-1775 This index gives the name, place of activity and date of licence of all physicians and surgeons to whom licences were issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury, both through the vicar general and Faculty Office. It includes: VAUX (George), of Reigate, Surrey, 1688. Vaux is an unusual name and Reigate isn't far from the places you name.

A 'family bible' and LDS records confirm that William Vaus was born in 1761 in Shipley, Sussex. I am fairly certain his father was William Vaus (or Vaux/Vous), married to Bettie/Betty Francis, 16-Mar-1748, Itchingfield, Sussex. Since I don't know when or where the older William was born, I cannot trace the family any further back, can I? (Note: I have additional information about the family AFTER the 1748 marriage.)