JD Vance
Birth Name: James Donald Bowman
Place of Birth: Middletown, Ohio, U.S.
Date of Birth: August 2, 1984
Ethnicity: English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Scottish, Irish, German, distant Dutch, Frisian, French, Welsh, Belgian Flemish, and Swiss-German, remote Cornish
JD Vance, full name James David Vance, is an American politician, commentator, venture capitalist, author, and attorney. A Republican, he has been Vice President of the United States, since January 20, 2025. He was elected to the position in 2024. He has also been Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee, since March 18, 2025; and, previously, a U.S. Senator from Ohio, from January 3, 2023 to January 10, 2025. He wrote the memoir Hillbilly Elegy, later adapted into a film.
Vice President Vance is the son of Beverly Carol “Bev” (Vance) and Donald Ray Bowman. He went under the name James David Hamel for a time, the surname of his adoptive stepfather, Bob Hamel. He later took on his mother’s family name, becoming James Hamel Vance, and later James David Vance. Vice President Vance was largely raised by his maternal grandparents, referred to as “Mamaw and Papaw.” His family is from an Appalachian background. Many of his recent ancestors were from Kentucky, where he has deep roots, and he spent summers in Jackson, KY. Vice President Vance served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, and participated in the Iraq War; where he was a combat correspondent/military journalist in the Public Affairs section of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Vice President Vance is a cousin of U.S. Marine veteran Nate Vance, who has fought in the Russian-Ukrainian War.
Vice President Vance is married to attorney Usha Vance (née Chilukuri), with whom he has three children. Usha was born and raised in San Diego, and is the daughter of Indian immigrants, who spoke Telugu. Raised an evangelical Christian, JD converted to Catholicism in 2019. He chose Augustine of Hippo as his confirmation saint. His wife is Hindu. A picture of JD and Usha with their family can be seen here.
While Vice President Vance has referred to his Scots-Irish ancestry, genealogists in Northern Ireland have stated that they could find no genealogical claim between Vice President Vance and Northern Ireland.
Vice President Vance’s patrilineal line can be traced to Joris Jacobson Bowman, who was born, c. 1626, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and to his wife, Tryntje Claesen van Schouwen.
Vice President Vance’s paternal grandfather was Don/Donald Campbell Bowman (the son of Robert Sturgus Bowman and Hazel Creech). Don was born in Owsley County, Kentucky, to parents who were also born there. Robert was the son of Jacob “Jake” Bowman and Emily A. McGuire. Hazel was the daughter of Tilford Creech and Cynthia Ellen Gabbard.
Vice President Vance’s paternal grandmother was Melva/Melba/Malva/Melvina Baker (the daughter of Noah Testamen/Testaman Baker and Cynthia Jones). Noah was born in Liberty, Kentucky, the son of Thurman Testerman Baker and Iva Ora Bell. Cynthia was the daughter of George Jones and Mary Hensley.
Vice President Vance’s maternal grandfather was James Lee “Jim” Vance (the son of Wilburn/Wilbur Carl Lee Vance and Goldie/Golda Mae Bellamy). James was born in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Wilburn was the son of Meekin/Meek Vance and Laura Bell Francis. Goldie was the daughter of Christopher Columbus “Lum” Bellamy and Mary Elizabeth Rudd.
Vice President Vance’s maternal grandmother was Bonnie Lois/Eloise Blanton (the daughter of Blaine Blanton and Hattie Belle/May Hounshell/Houndshell). Bonnie was born in Breathitt County, Kentucky, to parents who were also born there. Blaine was the son of Samuel Tilden/Tildon Blanton and Docia/Doica Howard. Hattie was the daughter of Samuel Thomas Hounshell and Alice Katherine Lovely.
Through his Hounshell line, Vice President Vance is a fourth cousin, once removed, of entertainer Dax Shepard.
Sources: Genealogy of Vice President JD Vance – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Vice President Vance’s father (focusing on his own father’s side) – https://www.findagrave.com
Obituary of Vice President Vance’s father – https://www.browndawsonflick.com
Genealogy of Vice President Vance’s paternal grandfather, Don/Donald Campbell Bowman – https://www.wikitree.com
Genealogy of Vice President Vance’s paternal great-grandmother, Hazel Creech (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://freepages.rootsweb.com
Genealogies and obituaries of Vice President Vance’s maternal grandparents, James Lee “Jim” Vance and Bonnie Lois/Eloise (Blanton) Vance – https://www.findagrave.com
Obituary of Vice President Vance’s maternal grandfather, James Lee “Jim” Vance – https://www.newspapers.com
Through his Vance line he is descended from Andrew Williamson Vance and Jane Hoge, a couple from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland who settled in the US by the 18th century. That also makes him a distant cousin of filmmaker Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame), whose own mother had the last name ‘Vance’ as well.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/MWTG-KGM
The Democratic Unionist Party, the main British nationalist and unionist party in Northern Ireland, can’t find a genealogical connection for him with the country, which I’m actually not surprised about.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/jd-vances-irish-ancestry-claim-in-doubt-after-experts-look-into-family-history/ar-AA1FrjdJ
The Irish are incredibly leftist, it’s probably a way to distance from him.
This is silly. DUP is a right-wing party.They’d have loved to find a genealogical connection, which is why they initiated this.
Forgive me, I was talking about another kind of Irish (those on Reddit)? DUP is conservative, yeah.
Vance’s McGuire line traces back to Ireland.
Yes, I should have been more clear. The DUP wanted specifically to celebrate his Protestant Ulster Irish heritage, and commissioned a dossier entitled “The Family Footsteps of JD Vance” to publish during his recent visit to the island back in March. But the researcher was unable to find any connection to Ulster and it appears that they quashed the report.
The Irish aren’t incredibly leftist but our rotten anti-Irish Government and MSM who are desperately trying to control the narrative are. Also, Scots-Irish aren’t Irish ethnically & shouldn’t really be conflated as Irish-American. They are the descendants of Presbyterian Scottish planters were loyal to the British King, who settled in Ulster when the Catholic Irish there were thrown off their lands to accommodate them. As for your claim of Ireland trying to distance themselves from JD?? That would be an absolutely stupid move considering how much we rely on America in Ireland added to the fact that he will very likely be the next President
lol
Come back here in 2028
I agree he has a good chance. He is the clear front runner for potential Republicans in 2028
Of coursevthry are Irish. Many were in Ireland for hundreds of yrs before moving to the USA and shaped the Ireland we know today. And the planters were throughout Ireland and there is possibly very little whst we consider genetically Irish today without some or more ancestry from the UK and I do not mean Irish who went and/or returned.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101107715/obituary-for-james-l-jackson-aged-68/
https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/james-lee-vance-24-7jry16
According to their marriage record, Goldie’s father was Christopher Columbus ”Lum” Bellamy. John Miles Taulbee married her mother three years after she was born. Wilburn Lee Vance’s parents were Meekin/Meek Vance and Laura Bell Francis.
Also, Docia Howard was not Bonnie Blanton’s mother. Bonnie’s mother was Hattie Belle Hounshell, the daughter of Samuel Thomas Hounshell and Alice Katherine Lovely. Through this Hounshell line, he’s fourth cousin once removed of Dax Shepard.
From what I can tell, Blain Blanton’s parents were Samuel Tilden Blanton and Docia Howard. Nancy Burton was Samuel’s mother.