Robert Brank Vance was born at Reem's Creek (Buncombe County), North Carolina, on April 24, 1828. Vance was a Confederate general and politician. He served as a Congressional Representative for the state of North Carolina (1873-1885) and a representative of Buncombe County in the North Carolina House of Representatives (1893-1895). He died in Alexander (Buncombe County), North Carolina, on November 28, 1899.