Do you have any news to share about the Vining family? births, marriages, deaths? graduations? honors received? genealogical puzzles solved? Please send them along for inclusion in our News and Notes.
We've made the following updates to the online genealogy this month:
Albert Clifford Vining — created entry; promoted from inline child of Ernest W. Vining; added wife Alta Esther, son William, and Albert's full birth date and place; added William's full name, birth/death/marriage/adoption details from his obituary; promoted William to his own entry.
Alcide Joseph Vining — resolved birth and death dates by separating them from his younger brother Alcide's records (the brothers' similar names had been conflated); added mother's maiden surname.
Alver Nathaniel Vining — added wife Mary Ethel to Nathan Felix Vining's child line; promoted him to his own entry; source: obituary of his daughter Wanda Diane Vining Holloman.
Artie Vining — expanded inline daughter Ruth to full name Helen Ruth Vining with birth, death, burial, and marriage details; contributed by Debbie Parker; added previously omitted child Bobby J. Vining from 1950 census.
Benjamin Franklin Vining — resolved George Albert's child-line birth year and added death date, place, and burial; source: gravestone via Find A Grave.
Benjamin John Vining — corrected death date from 23 December 2020 to 22 December 2020.
Bernard Roy Vining — added Bernard's death information from his obituary.
Bobby Leigh Vining — added death date; contributed by his daughter Sarah (Vining) Fournier.
Bruce Edward Vining — created entry; source: obituary of Bruce Edward Vining.
Cecil E. Vining — added wife Myrtle “Lorene” (Disher) Vining's death (7 May 2025, Augusta, Georgia); source: Lorene's obituary at Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors.
Celia Vining — created entry; added baptism, marriage, death and burial; added daughter Mary Leavitt Stoddard's burial. Note: Obadiah Stoddard's place of origin corrected from Weymouth to Scituate.
Charles Macon “Pat” Vining — added daughters Ima Jean and Alice; source: Ima Jean's obituary.
Charles Ray Vining — renamed the existing “Gary Vining” child to Gary Wayne Vining (distinct from his nephew Gary Paul Vining); added note that Frank Guiffreda later married Viola's sister-in-law Netye Douglas Vining; Charles Ray's 1966 funeral notice names three surviving daughters as Mrs. Paul Gordon, Mrs. Frank Guiffreda, and Mrs. Albert Husser; the first two clearly match Esther B. and Viola H., but Mrs. Albert Husser is not yet identified with any documented daughter (Alberta H. is later documented as “Alberta Myers” in Douglas's 2001 obituary, but no source ties Mrs. Albert Husser and Alberta Myers to the same person).
Charles Wendell Vining — updated child Forest Glee's birth place, death, and spouse surname from his obituary.
Clarence J. Sr. Vinning — created entry from a Morgan City–area newspaper obituary clipping; open question: Clarence's parents are unknown and he is not yet linked to an existing Louisiana Vining line (Stephensville/Patterson suggests proximity to the Alcide Joseph Vining family but no source ties them); promoted son Melvin to his own entry; added his death date from his obituary; added Clarence's approximate birth year from 1950 census; linked to parents in John35.
Craig Eugene Vining — added spouse Janet M. Humphreys (b. 7 January 1970); contributed by William Cory Vining.
Dallas Claude Vining — added middle name Max for Frederick Chittenden, husband of daughter Barbara Gay Vining; added biographical tribute and portrait photograph of Barbara; contributed by Linda Basinger (Barbara's daughter).
Daniel Hugh Vining — created entry; promoted from inline child of Virgil Vernon Vining; added wife and children; promoted son John to his own entry.
David Burchim Vining — added David's death info and burial; added marriage date; corrected wife's surname; refined wife's death date.
David H. Vining — corrected burial location to Vining Cemetery, Frontenac, Goodhue County, Minnesota (cemetery is on the original Vining family property in Frontenac, within Florence Township); refined Charles D. Vining's birth date from July 1858 to 9 July 1858 (derived from age-at-death on tombstone); refined Otis A. Vining's birth date from February 1855 to 24 February 1855 per tombstone inscription; refined Rocksy Susan (Edwards) Vining's birth date from 1819 to 23 August 1819 per tombstone inscription, corroborated by 1860 census (age 41) and 1870 census (age 51) in the David H. Vining household.
David Jr. Vining — corrected David H. Vining's burial location to Vining Cemetery, Frontenac, Goodhue County, Minnesota (on the original Vining family property in Frontenac, within Florence Township).
David Roswell Vining — added birthplace from father's 1996 obituary; added death, place of death, and burial.
Donald Vining — added maiden name and death info for spouse Wanda; noted Donnie predeceased her; fixed children's marriage structure; promoted Kyle to his own entry; source: obituary of Wanda Headley Vining.
Donald Dent Sr. Vining — added head's full middle name, Sr. suffix, birth, death, and burial; linked to parents; added marriage year; noted son-in-law John Kunkel predeceased; expanded son Donald Jr.'s middle name; source: obituary of Donald Dent Vining Sr.
Douglas Herbert Vining — promoted son Gary Paul Vining to his own entry; added Douglas's first wife Pearl Constant and second wife Netye “Zel” Douglas with full life dates, parents, and burials; restructured children into four groups by mother (Pearl's three sons; Netye's two documented daughters; Joyce, mother undocumented; stepson Jeffrey Sylvest by Netye's earlier marriage to Marvin Sylvest); filled in spouse first names for the children's marriages; added 1950 US census for Douglas's household with Pearl Constant; established birth order Ronald – Gary – Donald and added approximate birth years for Ronald and Donald.
Douglas Robert Vining — promoted from inline child of ReginaldW01 to his own entry; added wife Dolores J. (Britten) Vining's life dates, parents, and burial from her 2025 obituary.
Earl Lee Vining — promoted Gregory Carl Vining to his own entry.
Earnest James Vining — created entry; sources: 1940 US census (in Hezekiah “Kie” Vining household, Florida, age 3), Find a Grave memorial, Florida marriage index (Earnest Vining and Pamela Rae Libert, January 1960, certificate 967, vol. 1860), Florida divorce index (Earnest Vining and Pamela L. Vining, March 1966, Hamilton County, certificate 4711), and obituary of son Bruce Edward Vining; gravestone reads “Earnest James Vining” while Bruce's obituary spells the father's name “Ernest”.
Edwin Johnson Jr. Vining — added wife Grace's birth, death, burial, and parents from her obituary; added sons Donovan and Edwin J. III; added wives for Darren and Donovan.
Elbridge Winfield Vining — promoted son William Francis to his own entry; added 1950 census source.
Elias Vining — resolved Thomas's child-line death year per gravestone.
Elisha Vining — added daughter Celia Vining; refined son Israel's birth date; added first Israel's birth and Weymouth baptism record; noted reviewed Elisha Jr.'s probate (case 21657, no inventory or distribution); noted History of the Town of Hingham (1893) supports Levi Gardner spelling for daughter Mary's husband.
Elmo William Vining — resolved uncertain birth place per 1900 census.
Ernest W. Vining — promoted son Albert Clifford to his own entry; added Albert's wife Alta.
Forest Glee “Bud” Vining — added nickname, death date and place, birth place, marriage date and place, spouse surname; added son Jacob; source: obituary.
Francis “Frank” Vining — resolved Olen Marshall's child-line birth place per 1920, 1930, and 1940 censuses.
Frank Booth Vining — added birth and death dates and places for son Frank Booth Vining Jr. from his gravestone; contributed by Lynn.
Frank Christensen Vining — added wife Barbara's birth, death, burial, parents, and nickname; added marriage place; added spouses for children Craig and Jacqueline; source: obituary.
Frank Lathan Vining — added wife Jennie Nora Hemstad's full name to Frank Lathan Vining Jr.'s child line; promoted him to his own entry; source: obituary of his daughter Judy Lae Osborn.
Frank Louis “F.L.” Vining — created entry; sources: 1930 US census (in Willis W. Vining household, age 7, Louisiana), obituary of son Frank “Dwayne” Vining Sr. (March 2023), and obituary of second wife Betty Louise Brunner Vining (October 2025); Frank's full birth date, death date, and place of death are not yet documented.
Frank Lathan Jr. Vining — created entry; added marriage to Jennie Nora Hemstad and daughter Judy Lae (b. 1940, d. 2026, m. Kenneth I. Osborn); source: obituary of Judy Lae Osborn.
Gary Paul Vining — created entry; sources: obituary of Gary Paul Vining (which names his mother as Pearl (Constant) Threton, i.e. Pearl Constant Vining who later remarried a Threton), and obituary of Frank Donald Guiffreda (October 2022) which identifies Netye Douglas Vining as Douglas Herbert Vining's later wife (mother of Patricia, Peggy, and Jeffrey, not Gary).
George Albert Vining — corrected death date and place, confirmed birth date, added birth place and burial; source: gravestone via Find A Grave.
George Washington Vining — corrected Myrtle Esther Vining's burial location to Vining Cemetery, Frontenac, Goodhue County, Minnesota (on the original Vining family property in Frontenac, within Florence Township); corrected name from Myrtle Esther Vining to Myrtle Eraline Vining (per death card and tombstone), birth date from 19 June 1898 to 23 June 1897 (per tombstone, corroborated by 1900 census age 2), and noted death date discrepancy 7 vs 8 January 1901 (tombstone says 7, Minnesota death card says 8).
Gregory Carl Vining — created entry; promoted from inline child of Earl Lee Vining; added second wife Tina Pelham (née Young) and stepchildren John Paul Pelham and Laura Jo Pelham (m. Juan Santos); contributed by Gregory Carl Vining.
Harry Ray Vining — promoted Virgil Vernon Vining to his own entry; refined birth/death/burial places to include county.
Herman Albert Vining — added daughter Jo Ann (Vining) Williamson's death; source: her obituary at Williams & Lord Funeral Home.
Hezekiah “Kie” Vining — promoted Earnest James Vining to his own entry; added his middle name, full birth date (29 March 1937), and death information (15 August 2006, buried Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Deep Creek, Columbia County, Florida).
Horace Oscar Vining — corrected burial location to Vining Cemetery, Frontenac, Goodhue County, Minnesota (on the original Vining family property in Frontenac, within Florence Township); corrected birth date from 27 February 1847 to 23 February 1849 (tombstone inscription at Vining Cemetery; corroborated by 1860 census, age 11, and 1870 census, age 21).
Howard Herman Vining — added marriage date 20 December 1969 for Lorna Ione Vining and Orville Redding; added September 1957 for Virginia Mae Vining and Gordon Genz; contributed by Jean Vining Springer; added death date, place, and burial for Virginia Mae (Vining) Genz; source: obituary.
Israel Vining — added documentation of Revolutionary War service (1832 pension declaration and Mass. Secretary of State service certification), marriage, and death; refined birth date; added Abia's cause of death; added baptism dates for six children.
Jack Harrison Vining — added birth date/place and death date/place for Madge Burt Alexander; source: Legacy.com obituary.
James Washington Vining — resolved Peter S.'s child-line birth place per 1910 and 1920 censuses.
Jehu S. Vining — corrected the child-line link for son Shadrack (b. 1816) to his actual entry ShadrackJ02 (m. Nancy Clifton); it had been wrongly linked to ShadrackJ01, a different, later Shadrack Joshua (b. 1858).
John Vining — added wife's maiden name; resolved son Alcide's full given name, added his wife and place of death; source: Louisiana death certificate (state file no. 8669) for Alcide Joseph Vining; merged in the John Vinning entry (previously held separately): added John's death date and gravestone, a second marriage and bond, additional children documented in the 1900 and 1910 censuses, and an open question about whether John is the Jean-Baptiste of LA Ancestry trees; added father's name, mother's maiden surname, narrowed birthplace, added place and date of death and burial; source: Louisiana death certificate (state file no. 8595) for John Vining; linked youngest son's child-line to his own entry ClarenceJ02.
John Cecil Blue Vining — created entry; promoted from inline child of Daniel Hugh Vining; added wife and daughter.
John Henry Vining — added wife Verna Belle (Dyke) Vining's full life dates (17 July 1927 – 29 January 2025), parents (John Dyke and Margaret Sikkema), birthplace and death place; added marriage date (11 January 1947, Clinton, Iowa); noted daughter Deborah's second marriage to Robert Thies and her death predeceasing her mother; added son John's wife Sheila; source: Verna's obituary at Lensing Funeral Home.
John Keith Vining — added Eva (Hromick) Vining's parents (Peter Hromick and Polly Stupnikoff), birth place (Marcelin, Saskatchewan, Canada), and death (17 September 2025, Heather's House Hospice, Fargo, North Dakota); noted son-in-law Steve Malakowsky as deceased; source: obituary of Eva Vining.
John Wesley Vining — added nickname “Ancilla” for Ratna Surjadi; contributed by John Wesley Vining.
Keith Burchim Vining — corrected mother's surname.
Keith Edward Vining — added birth place, death, and spouse; noted both daughters' marriages; source: obituary of Keith Edward Vining.
Kevin Brian Vining — corrected mother's surname.
Kyle Vining — created entry; source: obituary of mother Wanda Headley Vining.
Leonard John Vining — added Louise Chatfield's middle name Newcomb; added death date (19 June 2024) and birth place (Liberty, New York) to Leonard John Vining Jr.'s child line; source: obituary of Leonard John Vining Jr.
Leonard John Jr. Vining — added birth place (Liberty, New York), death date (19 June 2024); added middle names for children Louise Ann and Lowell Edward; noted Jill Zieber as deceased; source: obituary.
Lorenzo Devaro Vining — marked birth place uncertain.
Melvin J. Vinning — created entry from Melvin's obituary.
Mike Lee Vining — added daughter Dorothy's birth, marriage, and death from her obituary; added first names for daughters Joy and Mary.
Nathan Felix Vining — created entry; added marriage to Mary Ethel and children Wanda Diane (b. 1952, d. 2026, m. [...] Holloman), Rhonda (m. Jim Yearwood), and Jerry; source: obituary of Wanda Diane Vining Holloman.
Noah Vining — added burial for wife Mary Leavitt (Stoddard) Vining.
Olen Marshall Vining — resolved uncertain birth place per 1920, 1930, and 1940 censuses.
Oliver Vining — resolved uncertain birth place per 1920 census.
Orpha M. Vining — added documentation for Orpha's life 1880-1952 (censuses, marriage record, NY State Death Index, gravestone); restructured marriage to David Frayer (23 September 1901, Meredith, NY); added daughter Cora Frayer; added David's parents and Greene County origins; narrowed David's death window to 1915-1920 from the 1920 census; added burial location Ashland, Greene County, NY.
Peter S. Vining — added full birth date (day and month); fixed broken parent link to James Washington Vining.
Ralph Spellman Vining — removed duplicate speculative "R[ene?] Vining" child entry (same person as Ronald, whose middle name is now confirmed as Rene); enriched Ronald Rene's child line with birth place, marriage date/place, death date, and burial; corrected spouse surname to Baylis; source: obituary of Ronald Rene Vining.
Reginald W. Vining — promoted son Douglas Robert Vining to his own entry; added his marriage to Dolores J. Britten.
Ricky Michael Vining — added death date; contributed by his niece Sarah (Vining) Fournier.
Robert Vining — created entry; added wife Annie and ten children; source: 1920 U.S. census of Bartow, Jefferson County, Georgia (household recorded under surname 'Vinnig'/'Virnig').
Robert Lucius Vining — added birthplace, marriage date and place, spouse Evelyn's father and birth/death/residence details, son David's birthplace; corrected death date and specified place of death; attached 1932 Lewisburg Journal marriage announcement, 1950 US Census, and 1996 Lancaster New Era obituary as sources.
Robert Matthew Vining — created entry; added wife Maggie B. and children; sources: obituary of Annie Estella Vining; 1920 and 1940 U.S. censuses.
Rodney Bertrand Vining — added wife Meredith Elaine Sprague Vining's death (18 February 2025, Wilton, Maine) and planned burial at Lakeview Cemetery; added daughter Cathy's husband's first name (Rich); source: Meredith's obituary at Wiles Remembrance Center.
Ronald Rene Vining — added middle name Rene; added birth place (Kalamazoo, Michigan), death date (17 November 2023), and burial (Fort Custer National Cemetery); added marriage date/place (24 June 1961, Ionia, Michigan); corrected spouse surname to Baylis; added daughters' husbands Jeffrey Ball and Anthony Gettig; source: obituary.
Ronald Winston Vining — added death dates for sons Bobby Leigh and Ricky Michael; contributed by Sarah (Vining) Fournier.
Roswell S. Vining — corrected son Robert Lucius's death date and added his birthplace; from his 1996 Lancaster New Era obituary.
Russell Dale Vining — added documentation for Russell's life 1900-1930 (federal censuses and 1918 WWI draft card); added probable birth place (Windham, NY); inferred marriage to Flossie Leah Turk as ca. 1923 and Flossie's birth as ca. 1905 from the 1930 census.
Samuel E. Vining — corrected birth date of 2nd wife Harriet A. Booth from the previously listed (unsourced) “20 February 1855 or 1856” to 3 August 1853 (Southwick, Massachusetts confirmed) based on her appearance as “Hattie A. Booth” age 11 in the 1865 Massachusetts state census; added that census image to the documentation. Noted that her parents and brother (Charles Collins Booth) are buried at Southwick Cemetery; contributed by Lynn.
Scott Osborn Vining — added spouse Lillian's father, identified via brother Robert Lucius's 1932 marriage announcement (Lewisburg Journal) which confirmed the two spouses as sisters.
Shadrack Vining — identified parent — son of Jehu S. Vining (b. 1816, Jefferson County GA; matches Jehu's child line and the 1850/1860 censuses).
Sterling Vining — removed Ronald Vining and Gary Vining from Sterling's children list; per Blake D. K. Vining's earlier contribution they are sons of Donald Earl Vining (Sterling's son), not of Sterling directly.
Theron Nash Vining — added daughter Geraldine (Vining) Irby's death and burial info and her husband's full name; added spouses for brothers Lavelle, Huey, Larry, and Jimmy; source: Geraldine's obituary at Legacy.com.
Thomas Vining — corrected birth place to match parent entry and the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses.
Thomas Cleburne Jr. Vining — added Helmut Stepp marriage date (August 2017) for Angela, and noted alternate spelling Leckie for Kenny Beckie's surname; contributed by John Wesley Vining.
Thomas Ebenezer Vining — expanded son Donald's name, birth, and death details, and linked to his entry; source: obituary of Donald Dent Vining Sr.
Virgil Vernon Vining — created entry; promoted from inline child of Harry R. Vining; added marriage to Elberta Dale on 10 March 1946 (source: Elberta's memoir *Life Goes On*); noted POW service in Japan during World War II; added son Daniel's middle name and promoted him to his own entry.
Walter Ray Vining — corrected daughter-in-law's surname; added son David's death and burial.
William Francis Vining — created entry; promoted from inline child of Elbridge Winfield Vining; added wife Carolyn's full name, life dates, and parents from her obituary.
William George Vining — created entry from William's obituary.
Willis W. Vining — added wife Rittia's maiden name (Morse) and promoted son Frank Louis “F.L.” Vining to his own entry (with marriages to Helaine Hutchinson Fossier and Betty Louise Brunner); sources: obituary of Frank's son Frank “Dwayne” Vining Sr. (March 2023) and obituary of Frank's second wife Betty Louise Brunner Vining (October 2025).
Woodzay Joseph Vining — added stepdaughter Susan David and her husband Raymond Quibedeaux; contributed by Tina Comeaux.
Harold Rowe “Hal” Holbrook (17 February 1925 – 23 January 2021) — Many of you may remember the late actor Hal Holbrook’s portrayal of Mark Twain in his long-running one-man show. When he was a young child, he and two sisters were raised by his paternal grandparents. His paternal grandfather was Allen Vining Holbrook (see 1930 census of South Weymouth, Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts), whose Vining line through his mother is Lois Bates Vining, Allen Vining, Noah Vining, David Vining, Richard Vining, John Vining, John Vining, John Vining (the immigrant ancestor in that line). —Judi Vining
Vining authors — Vickie Vining has written a book, Life Goes On: The Story of Elberta Loucille Dale Vining. Elberta married Virgil Vining, who appears under his father, Harry Ray Vining, in the online Vining Genealogy. The book tells Elberta’s story, starting with her birth in Chaflin, Kansas, and it contains many photographs and interesting details of her life. It is available on Amazon. —John Vining (editor’s note: Elberta is the grandmother of John Vining, who serves on the Vining Family Association’s Board of Directors, and Vicki is his aunt.)
Thomas F. Vining, website manager for the Vining Family Association and lead author Ruth Gortner Grierson, have published their first book together, Living on the Edge: A Guide to Tide Pool Animals, Seaweeds, and Seaside Plants. This is a guide to the common flora and fauna of the coastal habitats of Mount Desert Island and southern Maine, but it covers species that can be found north and/or south of Maine. A popular columnist for the weekly Mount Desert Islander, Ruth has written a nature column in newspapers for at least 50 years and in her nineties shows no sign of slowing down. Tom holds a graduate degree in botany from the University of Maine, and as a former interpretive ranger at Acadia National Park, shared his love of natural history with visitors to the park. The book is beautifully illustrated with colored photographs and includes delicious recipes from some of the items in the area. Most importantly, Ruth and Tom have raised awareness of the need to preserve the beautiful coastline of Maine for future generations. Available from www.vfthomas.com.
Looking for an interesting historical read? — Check out Penn by Elizabeth Gray Vining, a Quaker from Philadelphia, PA. This book was considered by scholars for many years to be the primary source on Penn’s life. More to follow in the Spring 2021 Newsletter… —Judi Vining
Arthur Vining Davis — If you watch many Public Broadcasting shows, you will find some of them are sponsored by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. Mr. Davis died in 1962 as one of the 10 richest men in the US and left his fortune to a couple of foundations. In today’s dollars, it was almost 3.5 billion. If you are like me, you have probably wondered if you are related to Mr. Davis. His mother’s maiden name was Mary Frances Vining, and her father was Samuel Albert Vining. Looking up Samuel shows Vinings in Weymouth, Massachusetts, going back to John Vining in 1662. Unfortunately, Arthur Vining Davis’s family tree does not match mine (at least in the US). However, because of his foundation, more people have learned how to pronounce Vining. How do you explain to folks the proper way to say Vining? —Jim Vining
(editor’s note: Watch for more about Arthur Vining Davis in the Spring 2021 newsletter.)
