I am a retired Police Commander from a large Police Department in Southern California and spent over 30 years conducting and supervising major Police Investigations and thus have extensive investigative experience that I have been able to transfer over to my genealogy research. I have spent thousands of hours traveling the entire United States doing this research for the past 20 years. I have been fortunate enough to work with several other very experienced genealogy researchers (Especially Ed and Larry) that are also researching the same family history. Working collaboratively we have made tremendous strides in our research and we are extremely confident in the accuracy of our investigations. I have done extensive genealogy research on the Provence (Province, Provance, Provin and Provience)families in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and then beginning in the 1920's through the 1960's on westward into California (both Northern and Southern California). The Province family migration (our Branch) began in New London Chester County Pennsylvania in the early 1700's and then began going west into Northern Virginia (what is now Frederick County Virginia), then on into south western Pennsylvania into several of the counties there such as Greene, Fayette and especially around what is now Masontown Pennsylvania along the Monogahella River. They stayed in that area until around the early to mid 1780's and then our branch one of the sons of John William Province (named Thomas Province and one of this Thomas sons named John Province began migrating south into Tennessee and North Carolina. Another major Province branch (those of another son of John William Province and his 2nd wife Sarah Yard Wright),Joseph Yard Province stayed in south western Pennsylvania until the early 1800's with some of them going on into Illinois and Missouri and many of them to this day still live in the area of Masontown Pennsylvania.
Our branch stayed in Tennessee and North Carolina areas until around 1810 when they began migrating south west into the area of what is now Madison County Alabama. They made this migration with many of their Province cousins and their families and that is why you see so many Province-Provence families in Northern Alabama from 1812 on into the early 1900's. Many many researches who have investigated these families confuse them because many of the cousins had the same first names of Thomas and John. In about 1858 our Provence branch specifically Thomas Provence the one who was born in North Carolina and eventually married a lady named (Mary Stokes) in 1793 migrated from Madison County Alabama with his family into Titus County Texas about 1858 and then eventually into Wise County and Bell County Texas. My gg grandfather Frazier Vandalia Provence (son of Thomas Province and Mary Stokes that was born in North Carolina in 1793) Stayed in Wise county with his own wife and one of his brothers (also named Thomas Provence and his wife Amanda Laird) until he died there on March 12,1887.My Provence branch began moving north settling in Oklahoma and north Texas around Burkburnett and Wichita Falls Texas. They stayed in that area for many years then a lot of them moved to Northern and Southern California in two time periods (early 1920's and then in the 1940'to 1960's). If your family name is spelled any of the 5 variations of Provence listed above myself and other genealogy researchers have documented proof through DNA testing and dozens of other documents including court records, military records, property records, church records, many family bibles and other related documents that we have located in Libraries and research centers across the country that provide absolute proof we are all related and that we all descend from the same man. This man is Thomas Province who we first find in the United States in 1727 in New London, Chester County Pennsylvania and who died in Frederick County Virginia in 1772 (his will is on file in the courthouse in Winchester Virginia) and then from him through his only son John William Province. This Thomas Province did have 5 daughters that we have documented and researched but he had only the one son John William Province. It is believed that this Thomas Province emigrated here from Northern Ireland or Scotland when he was a very young boy probably in his early teens and first settled in Chester County Pennsylvania. I know many Provence-Province-Provience-Provance and Provin family members believe we are from France but DNA testing and our extensive research shows we probably came from Northern Ireland or Scotland prior to coming to America in 1700-1720. If you are researching this family name feel free to contact me at the e-mail address given. I am also researching the following allied families Bruner,Bingham,Bruce,Cox,Cantrell,Fraley,Lacy and Bedford. I am also researching my wife Barb Grant families that include the Grant and Williams family from Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas and the Muller and Lombard families from Lyon France.

I am a retired Police Commander from a large Police Department in Southern California and spent over 30 years conducting and supervising major Police Investigations and thus have extensive investigative experience that I have been able to transfer over to my genealogy research. I have spent thousands of hours traveling the entire United States doing this research for the past 20 years. I have been fortunate enough to work with several other very experienced genealogy researchers (Especially Ed and Larry) that are also researching the same family history. Working collaboratively we have made tremendous strides in our research and we are extremely confident in the accuracy of our investigations. I have done extensive genealogy research on the Provence (Province, Provance, Provin and Provience)families in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and then beginning in the 1920's through the 1960's on westward into California (both Northern and Southern California). The Province family migration (our Branch) began in New London Chester County Pennsylvania in the early 1700's and then began going west into Northern Virginia (what is now Frederick County Virginia), then on into south western Pennsylvania into several of the counties there such as Greene, Fayette and especially around what is now Masontown Pennsylvania along the Monogahella River. They stayed in that area until around the early to mid 1780's and then our branch one of the sons of John William Province (named Thomas Province and one of this Thomas sons named John Province began migrating south into Tennessee and North Carolina. Another major Province branch (those of another son of John William Province and his 2nd wife Sarah Yard Wright),Joseph Yard Province stayed in south western Pennsylvania until the early 1800's with some of them going on into Illinois and Missouri and many of them to this day still live in the area of Masontown Pennsylvania.
Our branch stayed in Tennessee and North Carolina areas until around 1810 when they began migrating south west into the area of what is now Madison County Alabama. They made this migration with many of their Province cousins and their families and that is why you see so many Province-Provence families in Northern Alabama from 1812 on into the early 1900's. Many many researches who have investigated these families confuse them because many of the cousins had the same first names of Thomas and John. In about 1858 our Provence branch specifically Thomas Provence the one who was born in North Carolina and eventually married a lady named (Mary Stokes) in 1793 migrated from Madison County Alabama with his family into Titus County Texas about 1858 and then eventually into Wise County and Bell County Texas. My gg grandfather Frazier Vandalia Provence (son of Thomas Province and Mary Stokes that was born in North Carolina in 1793) Stayed in Wise county with his own wife and one of his brothers (also named Thomas Provence and his wife Amanda Laird) until he died there on March 12,1887.My Provence branch began moving north settling in Oklahoma and north Texas around Burkburnett and Wichita Falls Texas. They stayed in that area for many years then a lot of them moved to Northern and Southern California in two time periods (early 1920's and then in the 1940'to 1960's). If your family name is spelled any of the 5 variations of Provence listed above myself and other genealogy researchers have documented proof through DNA testing and dozens of other documents including court records, military records, property records, church records, many family bibles and other related documents that we have located in Libraries and research centers across the country that provide absolute proof we are all related and that we all descend from the same man. This man is Thomas Province who we first find in the United States in 1727 in New London, Chester County Pennsylvania and who died in Frederick County Virginia in 1772 (his will is on file in the courthouse in Winchester Virginia) and then from him through his only son John William Province. This Thomas Province did have 5 daughters that we have documented and researched but he had only the one son John William Province. It is believed that this Thomas Province emigrated here from Northern Ireland or Scotland when he was a very young boy probably in his early teens and first settled in Chester County Pennsylvania. I know many Provence-Province-Provience-Provance and Provin family members believe we are from France but DNA testing and our extensive research shows we probably came from Northern Ireland or Scotland prior to coming to America in 1700-1720. If you are researching this family name feel free to contact me at the e-mail address given. I am also researching the following allied families Bruner,Bingham,Bruce,Cox,Cantrell,Fraley,Lacy and Bedford. I am also researching my wife Barb Grant families that include the Grant and Williams family from Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas and the Muller and Lombard families from Lyon France.