Vorce Family in Throopsville,
Cayuga County, New York

Descendents of Daniel and Priscilla Thompson Vorce

Daniel Vorce was born in Dutchess County, NY on June 28, 1776. The family name was Force.  He was the third son of Solomon and Elizabeth Sheldon Force. Daniel and his wife, Priscilla Thompson Force, came to Cayuga County in 1810. They changed their last name to Vorce at that time. First they settled in Conquest and then moved to the area later named Throopsville. Daniel and Priscilla had five children.

Daniel was a descendent of Matthew De La Force who was born between 1640 and 1645 in Gravesend, Long Island. Matthew was the son of Matthew La Fors who was born about 1620 and came from England about 1640.

Benjamin, the son of Matthew De La Force dropped the De La and used the name Force. Benjamin Force had a son, Benjamin Jr, who was the father of Solomon Force, Daniel's father.

This line is believed to have originally come from Gascony and came to this country after living in England for some time.

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Elizabeth (Betsey) Vorce was born June 13, 1798 in Dutchess County. She was the second wife of Nathanial Taylor and they had one child, Nelson Taylor. She died January 12, 1851 and is buried on the homestead. Nelson married Rena Cattalin and they lived in Sterling where they had two sons. Nathanial Taylor is buried in the Sterling Cemetery.

Maria Vorce was born February 8, 1800 in Dutchess County. She was the first wife of Nathanial Taylor and they had one child, George Taylor. Maria died 9/10/1831 and is buried on the homestead. The cemetery was started because Maria was concerned about the stories of grave robbers and wanted to be buried on the farm. George drown in Duck Lake and was buried on the homestead.

Harris Vorce was born February 15, 1802 in Dutchess County. His first wife was Fannie Spalding who was born September 16, 1803 and died July 29, 1839 after they had been married about ten years. She is buried on the homestead.

Harris then married Minerva Johnson who was born November 19, 1818, daughter of John and Betsy Johnson and half sister of Fannie Spalding.  Harris and Minerva had three children, Fannie Eliza, Mary Elizabeth and George Eugene Vorce. Minerva died February 26, 1888 and is buried on the homestead. Harris died  August 2, 1873 and is buried on the homestead.

Sheldon Vorce was born March 11, 1803 in Dutchess County, NY. He married Rhoda Baldwin who had been born in Bridport, Addison County, Vermont in 1802. Rhoda was the daughter of Josiah and Martha Baldwin. Josiah served in the Revolutionary War and he and his wife, Martha, are buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron.

Sheldon and Rhoda had seven children. They lived on the farm next to the Vorce Homestead. The border between Throop and Mentz runs between the two farms.  Then they moved near Port Byron. Rhoda died in 1879. Sheldon died October 11, 1890 and is buried in Ness County, Kansas. He was on a visit with his daughter, Sevilla and her husband, Charles Curtis when he died.

Mary Elizabeth Vorce was born September 24, 1816 in Cayuga County. She was married to Thomas Ross in 1836. They had two sons, Daniel and David (Gager) Ross. They had moved to Michigan where Mary died January 22, 1841.

Daniel Ross grew up on the homestead with his grandparents. During the Civil War Daniel enlisted in the 75th NYS Infantry, Co B and died November 24, 1862 at Camp Stevens, LA which was in the Lafourche district, one mile south of Thibodeaux. He is buried at Chalmette National Historical Park, Saint Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA, site 7153.

Gager stayed in Michigan on the farm with his father. He enlisted in the 5th Michigan, Co I and died May 2, 1862 in Virginia at the battle of Williamsburg. He is buried in Yorktown, VA, site 1042.

Children of Harris and Minerva Johnson Vorce

Fannie Eliza Vorce was born June 3, 1842 on the homestead. She married William Henry Riker on December 18, 1861.

Fannie and William  had one daughter, Clara Belle Riker who was born November 8, 1862. Clara married William Megaffee  on November 30, 1887. William was born March 4, 1865 in Naples, NY.

Clara and William  had one daughter, Elma Leontine Megafee who was born July 9, 1891. She married Henry L Putnam January 11, 1916 and they had three children.

Fannie and William are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Canandaigua, NY

Mary Elizabeth Vorce was born November 11, 1846 in Conquest, Cayuga County, NY. She married James Walker February 18, 1870. James was born in 1824. They had one son, Fredrick Vorce Walker in 1875.

Mary and James are buried in the Spring Lake Cemetery.

George Eugene Vorce was born December 23, 1854 in Conquest. He married Roselinda Hadden on May 23, 1877. Roselinda was born November 19, 1852 in Pulteney, Stuben County, NY.

They lived on the Vorce homestead where they had four children, Fannie May, George Harris, Grace and Nettie.

George and Roselinda are buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron, NY

Children of George and Roselinda Hadden Vorce

Fannie May was born June 7, 1878 on the homestead. She married Fred E. Weston who was born 1875 in Montezuma. They had one child, Ruth, who was born September 27, 1905. May and Fred are buried in Mt. Pleasant cemetery in Port Byron. Ruth never married. She died on January 25, 1980 and is buried with her parents.

George Harris Vorce was born August 23, 1880 on the homestead. He was called Harris or Harris Jr. He married Lillian Weston October 23, 1907. Lillian was born in 1886. They had no children. Harris took over the farm from his father and it remained in his possession until shortly before his death on February 23, 1968 when it was sold out of the family. Harris and Lillian are buried in Mt. Pleasant cemetery in Port Byron.

Grace Vorce was born March 25, 1883 on the Vorce homestead. She married Thomas Bininger White on October 14, 1908. They had three children, Mary Grace White, George Nelson White and Anna Roselinda White.

Thomas was one of the children of Nelson and Cynthia Annie White who was a Hopping descendent. Thomas was born on the Hopping homestead. When Grace and Thomas married they moved to the Hopping homestead to run the farm, care for his parents and raise their family.

Nettie Vorce was born June 13, 1886 on the homestead. She never married but took care of various family members. She lived her entire life on the homestead and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron, NY. She kept many scrapbooks and recorded family information.

Nettie Vorce kept scrapbooks and wrote a family history.

Children of Sheldon and Rhoda Baldwin Vorce

Sevilla Vorce was born November 21, 1830 in Mentz. She married Charles Curtis on August 30, 1854. Charles was born February 27, 1834 in Mentz. They had six children. The first four were born in Cayuga County, Frank, George, Fred and Zella. Frank died October 14, 1865 and is buried on the Vorce homestead. About 1870 they moved to Melrose, Iowa where Arlie and Myrtle were born.  They moved to Ness City, Kansas in 1879.  

Lewis Vorce, 1834 - 1859
Elmina Vorce 1837 - 1838
Priscilla Vorce 1839 - 1841
George Vorce  1844 - 1847

These children are all buried in the Vorce homestead cemetery

Madison Vorce was born 1842 in Throop. He married Mary Pulver and they had five children. Don born 1867, Milly born 1870, Nellie born 1873, Alice born 1876 and Lena born 1881. Don and Millie died as children.  Madison, Mary, Lena and Alice are all buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Port Byron.

Nellie married Walter DeHart, born June 10, 1879 in Owasco, NY. They had one child, Harold born May 13, 1892. They are all buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Fleming, NY

Thomas Vorce was born August 19, 1848 in Cayuga County. He had one child with his first wife, Ellen, who was Adella Vorce born in 1878.

In 1880 he  married Minnie Dias from Rome, NY. Minnie was the daughter of Alfred W. Dias born August 12, 1823 in London, England and Hanna Miriah Grant Dias born 1827 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Minnie was an accomplished musician.

Tommy and Minnie had one child, Rhoda Vorce born January 31, 1885. Tommy died of typhoid in September 13, 1886 while living and working in Hartford, CT. Minnie died in 1936 and is buried with her daughter in Rome, NY.

Rhoda Baldwin Vorce kept a diary. This is a transcription of one she wrote in the 1860s. The original is in the possession of descendents.

Vorce Homestead Cemetery.

Additional information on the White Family

Additional information on the Hopping Family

This is a work in progress and I am hoping to fill in some of the blanks.  If there are any additions or corrections, please let me know.

Alice Warren - mojo180@juno.com

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