  We present a systematic study of the structure, electronic, and magnetic
properties of a new branch of intermetalllic compounds, $R$V$_6$Sn$_6$ ($R$ =
Tb - Tm) by using X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization,
electrical transport, and heat-capacity measurements. These compounds feature a
combination of a non-magnetic vanadium kagome sublattice and a magnetic
rare-earth triangular sublattice that supports various spin anisotropies based
on different $R$ ions. We find magnetic orders for the $R$ = Tb, Dy, and Ho
compounds at 4.4, 3, 2.5 K, respectively, while no ordering is detected down to
0.4 K for the $R$ = Er and Tm compounds with easy-plane anisotropies.
Electronically, we found no superconductivity or charge ordering transition
down to 0.4 K for any member of this family, while all compounds exhibit
multi-band transport properties that originate from the band topology of the
vanadium kagome sublattice.
