DNA Comes Through

Great news. At last we have proof that the U.S. Tapscotts descended from Henry the Immigrant of Virginia are related to at least one British Tapscott. A Tapscott who never immigrated from England and who is descended from the Somerset line shows a match with me and another U.S. Tapscott with a yDNA genetic distance of 3 for 67 markers and with another U.S. Tapscott with a distance of 4 for 37 markers. We all share a common ancestor, probably from Somerset (or possibly Devon), with a 50% probability of being 10 generations back. Not only that we all closely match the Jamaican discussed in my blog of 21 Oct 2014.

And speaking of the Jamaican, it is thought that William Tapscott, the Rebel, who was transported around 1686 to Jamaica, ended up in Monmouth County, New Jersey. (See blog of 8 Feb 2014).  I now have a close autosomal match with a known descendant of Lydia Tapscott of Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Two "successes", but we are still awaiting others. We are still awaiting results for the descendant of Robert Francis Tapscott of Virginia. The test analyses have been postponed. And we still need yDNA test volunteers from the Tapscotts of Ohio, Canada, and Australia. But what a day!

On another subject, demand has been far greater than I expected for the 2nd Edition of Henry the Immigrant. But I still have a few copies left.

Robert "King" Carter (1662/63 - 1732) of Lancaster County, Virginia, at the time the wealthiest man in Virginia, if not all of America, was a businessman, a planter, and an employer of Henry Tapscott, the Immigrant, who did some carpentry for him. From Jul 1726 to Sep 1727, Robert served as acting governor of Virginia following the death in office of Governor Hugh Drysdale. During that time Virginia was hit with a dreadful pandemic.We don't know what the illness was--perhaps smallpox, or typhoid fever, or yellow fever--but Governor Carter believed it resulted from the sinful condition of Virginians. Accordingly he issued the following proclamation:

Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God for the punishment of our sins to afflict this Colony with a long and violent sickness and grevious Mortality And to the End all persons may be excited to a Speedy Repentance that So the Almighty may be moved to avert his Judgments I have thought fitt by and with the Advice and Consent of the Council to appoint That Wednesday the Tenth day of May next be observed and kept throughout this Colony and Dominions a Day of Publick Fasting and Humiliation...

"King" Carter's proclamation was issued 21 April 1727, the month and year that Henry the Immigrant is believed to have died. Thus Henry may well have been a victim of the "violent sickness," passing too quickly to be aided by "fasting and humiliation." A rapid onset would explain why Henry died without a making a will.

Author Anne R. Davis discusses the proclamation (though not Henry) in her soon to be published monograph Distempers and Physic: Eighteenth Century Health in Lancaster County, Virginia. (TimeLines, Foundation for Historic Christ Church, Vol. 10, Issue 2, Fall 2014.)

Henry the Immigrant , 2nd edition

Today about 188 lbs of books arrived at my front door. Fifty copies of Henry the Immigrant, The First Tapscotts of Virginia, 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded, are hot off the press. Most of the books are going to close relatives and libraries. But there will be a few remaining. The 497-page, hard bound book cost $48 to print. With packaging the 3 lb 12 oz book will run $4.61 for media mail postage and about $1.50 for packaging.  To cover all direct costs for printing, packaging, and distribution, I am asking $55 per book.

I will be contacting those who have already expressed interest in a book.

Three Clark County Illinois Tapscotts of Unknown Origin

In Auburn Cemetery, Clark County, Illinois, are two markers for two Tapscotts whose parentage cannot be identified.

A Civil War military marker for Wesley Tapscott is contains neither birth nor death dates; however, probate and other Clark County records show he died in Marshall Illinois 21 Nov 1894. But the extensive records show no connection with any other Tapscott. I am now obtaining all the files for his Civil War pension application, but whether those will provide a connection is unknown. [Since this was written, the mystery has been solved. He was James Wesley Tapscott, a son of Henry the Traveler. See "A Brick Wall Demolished" 12/29/17.]

The marker for John Tapscott is sufficiently worn that there are uncertainties. My wife and I have seen the marker and have transcribed it as

JOHN TAPSCOTT

DIED

AUG.(?) 28, 1850

AGED

41(?)Y  2M & 12D

Records in the Clark County Genealogical Society give an abbreviated transcription of [TAPSCOTT], John  d. May 23, 1850 - 41 y 2 m 14 d.

Neither transcription corresponds with a Tapscott who could be John [Again the mystery has been solved. He is another son of Henry the Traveler. The transcription is wrong. See "An Uncertain Life" Part 1 (6/5/17), 2 (6/12/17), 3 (7/5/17).]

A third Clark County Tapscott of unknown origin is found in a newspaper article supplied by Bob Walls:

The following persons were buried this week by undertaker Harlan: Mrs. McKinney of Wabash tp., Mrs. Kirby of Darwin; William Tapscott of Anderson. Mr. Tapscott was an old pioneer, being about 84 years of age. He was living by himself, was taken suddenly ill, and when found was in a dying condition. Marshall Weekly Messenger, Thu 13 Apr 1876, p 5.

Marshall Weekly Messenger, Thu 13 Apr 1876.

William's approximate birth date makes him the same generation as Henry the Traveler, who founded the Wabash Valley Tapscotts. But no known William Tapscotts fit the bill. Could a mistake have been made in the name? Henry Tapscott the Traveler is known to have died in the 1870s, probably in Anderson Twp. And in 1876 he would have been around 80. But he should not have been living by himself. Henry’s wife, Susan, was still living at the time. Still, all in all, it would seem that this might be the best guess – that “William” Tapscott was really Henry. Newspaper reporting is certainly not error free. And it is quite possible that Henry's full name was "Henry William Tapscott." After all, his father was William and his grandfather was Henry. What do you think?

A Killing in Borton

Among the Wabash Valley Tapscotts, James Byron and Sabra Ellen (Mundy) Tapscott and their three sons were the source of both comedy and angst. And since none of the sons had offspring (or at least known offspring) we can discuss the family without offending close relatives. Tragicomedy was provided by the oldest son Omer Frank Tapscott, whose passion for gambling and culpability in a homicide was discussed in an earlier blog. Outright tragedy was provided by the middle son, John Howard.

Mattoon Morning Star, 4 Mar 1905.

Howard was born in September 1887, probably on the family farm in Kansas Township, Edgar County, Illinois. In April or March 1905, James and Sabra moved a few miles west to a new home near Humboldt, Illinois, in adjacent Coles County, leaving seventeen-year old Howard behind to take care of some matters before rejoining the family.

On Friday 6 March Howard and some young neighbors decided to go to a revival meeting in nearby Borton, a tiny community of a few scattered houses. This would be the last opportunity for all the teens to get together since Howard was scheduled to join up with his family the next day. A revival seems a strange venue for a get together, but social events were decidedly scarce in rural Edgar County in the early 1900s. Among the participants was Will (William) Chaney, who lived on a neighboring farm with his mother and father, Andrew and Maria, and four brothers and sisters. Will and Howard had known each other for years.

During the church services that evening, the two boys started quarreling and continued to squabble after church had been let out. As the group walked through Borton, the argument, said to have been over a girl, erupted into a fight. Some claimed that Howard, larger and older, had pushed Will Chaney off a sidewalk. Whatever the cause, Will pulled a knife and stabbed Howard, who bled to death within minutes.

It was first reported that Howard was stabbed in the throat and died from a severed jugular, but it was later revealed that death was due to a punctured artery near the heart from a chest wound. The details are immaterial. Howard Tapscott, at age seventeen, was dead and fourteen-year-old William Chaney was the killer.

110 years ago, the sleepy little town of Boyton saw violence in its streets (Jun 2015) .

On Thursday, 15 March 1906, just over a year later, Will was put on trial for manslaughter at a circuit court in Paris, the seat of Edgar County. The defendant claimed that he was assaulted in the dark and was unaware of the assailant’s identity until after the killing. The trial was brief. On the second day, Friday, the jury was charged, and on Saturday brought back a guilty verdict after deliberating overnight. William was sentenced to reform school.

The tragedy hit the families hard. Will’s family moved to North Dakota, likely to escape the condemnation of neighbors. And for a while. James Byron and Sabra split up.

Tapscott DNA Project Update

This will bring you up to date on the yDNA test results for the Tapscott Project at Family Tree DNA (http://www.familytreedna.com/)

1. Some time back I noted that I had a 1-step (genetic distance of 1) 37-marker match to a mixed-race Ford from Jamaica, indicative that they may have been descended from William Tapscott the rebel (with a name change as was often the case in interracial relationships). The person matching me has now expanded his testing to 67-markers and shows a 2-step match with my 67-marker test results. This is a very close match for this many markers, making it highly likely that he and I have an identical paternal ancestor. He also shows a 3-step match with a male Tapscott descendant of Capt. Henry Tapscott. Interestingly, the Jamaican individual matches several Boldings and Bowlings with a very close 1-step for 67 markers. Things are starting to fall together. Eventually I plan to see which markers show variations, which may allow a proposal for the point(s) at which Ford, Tapscott, and Bolding/Bowling families separated, assuming, of course, that they do share a common male ancestor. I suspect that any break happened in England before 1700.

2. The Tapscott DNA project has, or will soon have, a participant from England and a participant, who is a descendant of the "mysterious" Robert Francis Tapscott of Virginia.

3. I am still looking for yDNA participants from the New Jersey Tapscotts, the James Tapscott line, and Canadian and Australian Tapscott.

Books

Just returned from a trip to Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois to research the Tapscotts for my new book on the descendants of Henry son of William the Preacher. The tentative title is Henry the Traveler, The Tapscotts of the Wabash Valley. Found some interesting things that I will be blogging during the next few weeks.

The "Second Edition, Revised and Expanded" of Henry the Immigrant, The First Tapscotts of Missouri, was sent to the publishers yesterday. The printing cost is expected to be $44 per book. I am having fifty copies printed, which I hope will be finished by Christmas. About half of the hard-bound, 497-page, 8 1/2 X 11 book will be distributed to family members and libraries. The rest will be sold at cost (probably $55 to cover printing, packaging, and postage). Interested people should contact me at retapscott@comcast.net.

Notorious

Less than reputable people lend spice to histories. A while back we heard about the dissolute Samuel Tapscott, son of Henry of Kentucky and a chief protagonist in The Tapscotts of the Wabash Valley. Here is the story of Samuel’s grandnephew Omer Frank Tapscott, who is also appearing in the book.

77-year-old Omer walks up the Coles County
courthouse steps for a preliminary hearing on
a murder charge (Decatur Herald, Decatur,
Illinois, Fri 24 Apr 1959, p. 4.)

Omer, son of James Byron and Sabra Ellen (Mundy) Tapscott and great grandson of Henry of Kentucky, worked for many years as a brakeman for the Illinois Central Railroad and for a while as a pipeline laborer in Marshall, Illinois. But only briefly married (another story) and living with his parents most of his life, financial security eluded him. In 1939, at the age of 56 and the sole support of his widowed mother, he worked only ten weeks and earned but $200.

Either his failure brought him to a wayward life or his wayward life led to failure, but in either case he suffered from numerous brushes with the law. In June, 1915, he was arrested in Decatur, Illinois, for selling bootleg whiskey in nearby Arthur, Illinois. The arresting official was none other than Arthur’s Mayor. Omer was fined $100 (a huge sum in those days) and sentenced to 40 days in the county jail. In January, 1919, Omer was one of fourteen arrested in a gambling raid in Champaign, Illinois. Once again a mayor, Mayor Tucker of Champaign, was directly involved in the arrests.

Menard Penitentiary (now Menard Correction Center),

Chester, Illinois, Omer’s temporary residence (2010).

Omer's biggest scrape with the law occurred in Charleston, Illinois. There, Cooley’s Pool Hall at 505 Monroe Avenue, run by Purne A. Cooley, was a center for Coles County gambling and a magnet for Omer. In 20 April 1959, while playing poker in the back room of Cooley's, Omer became involved in a violent argument with one Buford Hill. Some say that Omer went home and returned with a pistol. Wherever it came from, Omer pulled the pistol from his coat pocket and shot Hill, who died the following day, just shy of age 51. In part because of Omer's age of 77, a Coles County jury failed to reach a verdict and the charge was reduced to manslaughter. Omer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and requested probation. His lawyer claimed that his client was acting only in self-defense and shot Hill because he feared for his life. The lawyer went on to say that “Any sentence, even if it be only one year, is a death sentence because age and poor health have numbered Tapscott's days.” The judge refused probation. On 14 Nov 1959 Omer was sentenced to four to ten years at Menard Penitentiary. He took his sentence well, stating “I’ll have over $3,000 saved up from my pension checks when I get released.”

Omer failed to learn from his lesson. Several years later, in 1965, at 4:30 pm on a Thursday, 9 December, Illinois State Police simultaneously raided three Coles County establishments suspected to front gambling activities—Knight's Buffet, White Owl Truck Stop, and Cooley's Pool Room. Thirty-four people were arrested. One was Omer, at age 83 still a frequenter of Cooley’s.

Omer passed away less than two years later on 6 April 1967. Today, only a parking lot is found where Cooley's Pool Room once stood. Omer rests alongside his mother in the city cemetery in Marshall, Illinois. Buford lies in Roselawn Cemetery in Charleston.

Henry Tapscott in Indiana

I just got through posting the following on Ancestry.com, but I may reach other people through this blog.

Following the death of his father, William the Preacher, in March 1837, Henry Tapscott head north from Green County, Kentucky, traveling through Indiana and ending up in Clark County Illinois in 1840. During this three-year trip, Henry and his wife, Susan Bass, had two children, Sarah Ann Tapscott and Frances Ann Tapscott, both born in Indiana. (Before making the trip Henry and Susan had six other children born in Kentucky and after the trip, four additional born in Clark County Illinois.) In a few weeks I will be making the same trip to research a book on Henry and his descendants, but I face a serious problem. So far I have been unable to determine what Indiana counties Henry passed through or in which Indiana counties his children Sarah and Frances were born. It is sometimes claimed that they were born in Allen County Indiana, but not only is there no reliable evidence for this, Allen County does not lie on any reasonable route between Green County Kentucky and Clark County Illinois. Does anybody out there have any evidence of where Henry was in Indiana?

Books

As I announced in my last blog, Henry the Immigrant, The First Tapscotts of Virginia, 2^nd edition is finished and I fully expect to have it printed before Christmas. I will keep you posted. It will be hardbound, lots of pictures, close to 500 pages with 121 in color. The book contains a list of the first six generations originating from Ann Edney covering both Tapscotts and Georges with spouses (a little over 1200 people total), an index, and 2512 endnotes. Unfortunately, I suspect the production cost will be substantial, about $45 per book. I am printing enough to distribute free to my close relatives and as gifts for a few people who helped a lot. There will be sufficient to sell at cost to those wanting copies.

I am now working on a book about the descendants of Henry Tapscott, son of William the Preacher. Henry, who claimed to have been born in Virginia, lived in North Carolina, then Kentucky, then Indiana, and finally ended up in Clark County Illinois. Henry Tapscott of Kentucky and his wife, Susan Bass, had a large number of descendants (I am one of them), most of the early ones living in the Wabash Valley—Marshall, Illinois, Terre Haute, Indiana, etc. Right now I count 565 direct descendants and 321 known spouses, but the number will greatly increase. I am tentatively titling the book The Tapscotts of the Wabash Valley.

Because the book about the Wabash Valley Tapscotts will come down to the present time, many descendants are living (a problem I did not face with Henry the Immigrant, but did face with a book I wrote on my wife’s family, Bier und Brot, the Wehners of Southeast Missouri). Because some people are concerned about confidentiality, I usually mention living people giving only their names but omitting birth dates, marriage dates, locations, occupations, etc. However, I make an exception for people who specifically approve inclusion of their specifics. If you are a descendant of Henry the Traveler and would like the “detailed” story of your family to be included, please give me information on your history, particularly your recent history, which is often difficult to uncover. I want to warn you, however, that I may reduce the amount of material submitted to keep the book to a reasonable size, and I will edit and rewrite as needed. Also, if you have photographs, etc. please let me know. My profile on this site contains a way to contact me.

Henry the Immigrant, 2nd Edition, DONE!

The writing of the second edition of Henry the Immigrant has been finished, at last. The book still needs to be printed and that may take a little while since I will be heading out of town for a few weeks and I don't want  printed copies to be delivered while I am gone. (I am heading for Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky to research my next book, tentative title The Tapscotts of the Wabash Valley.) I am shooting to have the book printed by then end of October. I will continue to blog and let you all know when it actually goes to the printer.

On another subject, I am still looking for Tapscott descendants to do DNA testing and to join the Tapscott project on Family Tree DNA. I am particularly interested in male Tapscotts bearing the last name "Tapscott" wishing to undergo yDNA testing. Now would be a good time since Family Tree has price reductions on their DNA tests. Don't hesitate to communicate with me to discuss this.

Chicanery

As I am reviewing my book, the second edition of Henry the Immigrant, stories come to light that I believe may be of interest to the readership. This is one of the tales.  Sources are given in my book.

Martin Shearman and his brother Ezekiel G. Shearman married sisters Alice and Elizabeth Tapscott, daughters of Capt. Henry Tapscott. Following his death in 1814, a new Martin, shyster and charlatan, came to light..

On 18 July 1814 Martin’s brother, Ezekiel G. Shearman Sr., entered into a bond for an astounding $15,000 to administer Martin’s estate. One of those securing the bond was Spencer George. The hefty sum caused Spencer to write in his 1823 will “in Case my estate Shall have to pay any Considerable amount for Ezekiel G. Shearman for my having become Security for Said Shearman that my Executor Shall make Sale of my Negroes.”

The inventory and appraisal of Martin Shearman’s estate on 25 October 1814 make apparent the reason for the large bond posted by Ezekiel. The extremely large estate (whose total value was not given) included twenty-seven slaves valued at a total of $5741, one-half ownership in the schooner Dispatch (appraised at $400), one-half ownership in the schooner Lancaster ($1500), $1529.21 in bonds, and $576.60 in cash. Over the next few months, the personal estate (except for the slaves) was sold, at prices often larger than the appraised value. On 8 November 1814 Nephew Ellis L. B. Tapscott bought half interest in the Dispatch for $499. On 20 March 1815 Charles Yerby used bonds to buy half the Lancaster for $2,035. Another estate sale was held 9 January 1818, with Ezekiel Shearman being a primary purchaser of several high-value items (gig and harness, $70.00; black horse, $30.00; sorrel horse, $40.00, 2 beds and furniture, $26.50 and $16.75, and other pieces). Ellis Tapscott bought a small mahogany desk, andirons, a chaffing dish, cotton cards, a tea pot, and a bed cover. The report of the 25 January 1819 estate settlement ran to two and one-half pages, with $5,567.68½ received.

How did Martin acquire twenty-seven slaves, half-interest in schooners, and large amounts in cash and bonds, not to mention extensive livestock, furnishings, and tools? It appears that much was obtained by chicanery. Reports on two cases before the Virginia Court of Appeals, in November 1827 and December 1838, provide the story.

Almost 80 years before Henry the Immigrant came to the New World, another boy named Henry made the same trip—Henry Fleet (or “Fleete“). Unlike Henry Tapscott, however, Fleet was high-born. His mother was a descendant of Sir Reginald Scott. His cousin, Francis Wyatt, with whom Henry Fleet made his voyage, came to America to be governor of Virginia. Henry Fleet, who would become the patriarch of an old and prestigious Lancaster County family, was one of the first two burgesses for the county, and the landmarks Fleets Bay, Fleets Island, and Fleets Bay Neck (where Henry the Immigrant lived with Alexander Swan) are his namesakes. In 1650, in consideration of his contributions, Henry Fleet (now Capt. Henry Fleet) obtained a land grant of 1750 acres along the Rappahannock River from Mosquito Creek down to Windmill Point, in the far southeast of Lancaster County. That land along with acreage from other grants to Capt. Fleet passed down by inheritance until much of it ended up in the hands of his great-grandson John Fleet Sr., husband of Mary (Edwards) Fleet (Lancaster County marriage bond 29 May 1746). John Sr. died around 1793 (will written 12 July 1792, proved 17 June 1793), making his oldest son, John Fleet Jr., his primary beneficiary. When his widow Mary wrote her own will on 28 November 1794 she made John Jr. her sole beneficiary, and when she died (will proved 16 September 1799), John Jr. ended up with a lot of property.

Martin Shearman knew the Fleets well. He and his father, Rawleigh, had lived near John Fleet Sr. Both families appear on tithables lists for the lower precinct of Christ Church Parish in 1777 (when John is shown with 1200 acres) and in 1782. Martin even witnessed Mary (Edward) Fleet’s will. And Martin became quite close to John Fleet Jr. On 7 February 1800 John Jr. wrote a will leaving his entire estate to Martin Shearman, who was also made executor and on 25 April 1800 he sold to Martin a six-hundred-acre tract in Lancaster County, ten slaves, twenty head of cattle, four horses, hogs, sheep, a variety of household furniture, and other items, for $5000, which Martin appears to have never paid. But why should he pay when he would soon get it all anyway? When John Fleet Jr. died (will proved 19 January 1801), much of the Fleet Family land and possessions ended up in the grasp of Martin Shearman, who was both the legatee and the executor.

Of course Fleet relatives were irate and took the matter to court. The potential heirs, led by R. C. Christian, either the husband or a descendant of Elizabeth (Fleet) Christian, sister of John Fleet Jr., claimed that John Jr. was incapable of making a will or of executing a sale of land and that both be deemed void. Martin, on the other hand, claimed that John Jr. was perfectly capable of making a contract and disposing of his property and had made him (Martin) beneficiary in consideration of his care-giving. Before the case was decided, Martin died and his brother Ezekiel G. Shearman, as Martin’s executor, became the defendant. Eventually a jury found that Fleet was not of sufficient capacity to dispose of his property, by deed or will, and that both documents were obtained by fraud. Unfortunately, by that time much of Fleet’s property, both real and personal, had gone to Martin Shearman’s heirs. And this caused no end of problems for Martin’s brother, but that is another story in Henry the Immigrant. John Fleet Jr.’s handicaps are never revealed.

Winifred Tapscott, daughter of William the Preacher

William Tapscott, "the Preacher," who ended up in Green and Taylor counties in Kentucky, is claimed to have had four sons (Henry, my GG grandfather and the subject of my next book, George Rice, William Stewart, and Richard) and a daughter Winifred. Although the Preacher was reticent about his family, there is relatively good evidence for the four boys, but there is nothing concrete about Winifred. However, I think I have now found strong evidence for her and where she ended up at. The following (still a draft) is part of the second edition of my book, Henry the Immigrant. (Yes, I am still proofing it). I hope the footnotes come through OK.

On 10 March 1817 a “Winney Tabscott” (likely Winifred Tapscott) married Joseph Mann in Green County.[644] Since William’s family was the only source of Tapscotts in Green County at the time, Winney was probably William’s daughter. Joseph Mann appears in Green County census records for 1810 through 1840,[645],[646],[647],[648] records that show one or more children who could not have resulted from Winney’s marriage. Thus, Joseph probably had an earlier marriage and, indeed, in Green County on 21 December 1799, a Joseph Mann married a “Betsy Hill.”[649]

In 1848, when Taylor County broke away from Green County, it carried a lot of Manns (Men?) with it. The 1850 census shows fifty-one people with the Mann surname in the newly formed county, and nary a one left behind in Green County, which did, however, have six “Man”s. But in 1850 the Manns of Taylor County included no Joseph and no Winney (or Winifred). Were this the end, our tale would suffer from a severe case of “subjunctivitis”; a disorder of wishes, maybes, possibilities, chances—an infection due to William Tapscott’s familial taciturnity.

But this is not the end, for in the 1850 census for Morgan County, Illinois, one finds a Joseph Mann, born in Kentucky, with five children (Sarah, Martha, Fanny, Louisa, and Catharine), also born in Kentucky, the eldest in 1816 or 1817 and the youngest in 1844 or 1845.[650] And the wife’s name is, you guessed it, “Winney,” who was born in Virginia around 1799 or 1800. Shouldn’t our Winney have been born in North Carolina? Not necessarily. There is an indication, a suggestion, that William’s wife traveled to Virginia for the birth of at least one of her children, and Caswell county lay less than 25 miles from the Virginia state line. And, of course, Winney may not have known her birthplace.

Why Morgan County, Illinois? One possibility is that in 1850 there were twenty-two people with the surname “Coppage” living in Illinois, all in the adjacent counties of Morgan and Brown, and most had been born in Kentucky. Joseph Mann’s first marriage produced Margaret Mann, who married Uriah Coppage,[651],[652] brother of Rhoda Jane, who married William the Preacher’s son William Stewart Tapscott.[653],[654] The Manns, Tapscotts, and Coppages were close. The Coppages of Morgan and Brown counties in Illinois were likely connected with those of Green and Taylor counties in Kentucky, though we will leave that for others to determine. When Joseph and Winifred Mann pulled up stakes to seek their fortune, Morgan County may have been targeted because of tales heard from Coppage relatives.

The 1860 census shows Winney and Joseph Mann living in DeKalb County, Missouri, with an Asa Mann, presumably widowed, and Asa’s four children (Elizabeth, John, Dema, and Alexander).[655] In 1850 Asa had been living with his wife Lucinda in Kentucky, in Marion County, next door to Taylor County.[656] It is not unlikely that Asa was a child of Winney and Joseph, probably, as indicated by his age, their first child. And this is the final part of our tale. After 1860, we see no more of Joseph or Winney.

Is our story of Winney correct? Probably, at least most of it. But we are still awaiting that smoking gun, that absolute proof.

---

[644].       Jordan Dodd, Kentucky Marriages, 1851-1900, Joseph Mahan and Winifred Tapscott (“Winney Tabscott”), Ancestry.com, Database On-line, Provo, Utah, 1997.

[645].       1810 U.S. census, Kentucky, Green Co, Greensburg, Joseph Mann household, p. 258 (stamped), line 19.

[646].       1820 U.S. census, Kentucky, Green Co, Joseph Mann household, p. 99 (stamped, lower left), line 5.

[647].       1830 U.S. census, Kentucky, Green Co, Joseph Mann (“Man”) household, [page unmarked], line 26.

[648].       1840 U.S. census, Kentucky, Green Co, Joseph Mann household, pp. 35-36, line 19.

[649].       Jordan Dodd, Kentucky Marriages, 1851-1900, Joseph Mann and Elizabeth (“Betsy”) Hill, Ancestry.com, Database On-line, Provo, Utah, 1997.

[650].       1850 U.S. census, Illinois, Morgan Co, Joseph Mann household, p. 207 (stamped, front), dwelling 477, family 503, 20 Aug 1850.

[651].       John E. Manahan and A. Maxim Coppage, The Coppage-Coppedge Family 1542 - 1955, Commonwealth Press, Radford, Virginia, August 1955, p. 74.

[652].       William H. Perrin, J. H. Battle, and G. C. Kniffin, Kentucky: A History of the State, 4th Ed., 1887.

[653].       William Rice Tapscott, 3 Jan 1924, Chesterfield, Macoupin, Illinois, Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 (Ancestry.com).

[654].       Death Certificate, Nancy Coffman, Kentucky State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, File No. 19242.

[655].       1860 U.S. census, Missouri, Dekalb Co, Washington Twp, Asa Mann household, p. 88, dwelling 591, family 591, 25 Jul 1860.

[656].       1850 U.S. census, Kentucky, Marion Co, Distr 2, Asa Mann household, p. 422 (stamped, front), dwelling 385, family 385, 10 Sep 1850.

Christopher Baylor Tapscott or Christopher Tapscott Baylor

As I proof the 2nd edition of Henry the Immigrant, I often run across still-unsolved mysteries. One of these, of course, is the ancestry of Robert Francis Tapscott of Clarke County, Virginia. Another concerns a son (or supposed son) of William Tapscott son of Capt. Henry Tapscott. His name was "Christopher Baylor Tapscott" or "Christopher Tapscott Baylor," said to the the child of William Tapscott and his second wife, Catherine Baylor. Much of his story comes from proceedings of a Spotsylvania Chancery Court action, "Baylor &c vs Harrison Admrx & Others," recorded in 1830. The case has to do with the inheritance of slaves from Catherine Baylor's father. The courtroom materials, incredibly difficult to obtain were kindly sent me by Richard Voter. Below is a synopsis of what is in the 2nd edition (without references or images).

 In the chancery court action, a  number of documents name “Christopher Baylor Tapscott, only son and heir of Catherine Baylor, deceased, and of William Tapscott”; however, in at least two records, Christopher’s last name, “Tapscott” has been crossed out and a “T.” entered as a middle initial. Most of the later records in the file show Christopher only as “Christopher T. Baylor.” A record in the court file dated 15 January 1813 gives his name as “Christopher Tapscott Baylor.” Of particular interest is that in a record dated 11 April 1811, the phrase “and of William Tapscott” is crossed out in giving Christopher’s parentage.

Christopher served as a private in the War of 1812. His regiment, the 4^th, Virginia Militia, was in Norfolk, Virginia in 1815, when he received a letter, addressed to “Christopher Baylor” from a friend, Thomas Walker. In addition to comments about “wellness,” a usual concern among Virginians, news included visits by Thomas:

I was at Mr. Tapscotts the other day when they were tolerably well. I was at your Uncle Baylor’s 8 or 10 days since, when they were as well as usual; the neighbours generally speaking, are well at this time.

“Mr. Tapscott” was William, and “your Uncle Baylor” was Richard Baylor, Catherine’s brother, who had secured William’s marriage bond and would later hold money for him as payment for his land purchase from James Madison. Thomas’s use of “Mr. Tapscott,” rather than “your father” may be an indication of Christopher’s parentage.

On 12 September 1826 Christopher T. “Bayler” of Jefferson County married Alice Pendleton of King and Queen County, daughter of Benjamin and Catherine (Gatewood) Pendleton. In 1830 the family was living in Caroline County, Virginia, where they were shown with two boys under five and fifteen slaves, a sizeable number. In 1850, Christopher and Alice were living in St. Stephen’s Parish, King and Queen County, Virginia, and in 1860, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. As a farm family, they appear to have been doing well. The censuses show $7,000 in real estate in 1850 and $10,000 in real estate and $8,270 in personal property in 1860.

Ages shown in the 1850 census correspond to a birth year of 1795 to 1796 for Christopher and 1805 to 1806 for Alice, and this presents a problem. Christopher could not have been born after William and Catherine’s marriage in 1801 if his census age is close to correct. Nor could he have been born after the 1801 marriage if he had served in the War of 1812 as a private. Though a few boys undoubtedly evaded the age limit of eighteen for regular service, Christopher, if born after his supposed parents had married, would have been at best eleven or twelve at the start of the war and thirteen or fourteen at war’s end. And his 14 June 1814 letter from Thomas Walker was written to a young man, not a boy.

Christopher could have been born out of wedlock, he could have been a product of William’s first marriage, or he could have been a child of Catherine from an unknown earlier marriage, but he most assuredly was not a legitimate offspring of William Tapscott and Catherine Baylor. That he was a product of an earlier marriage of Catherine is unlikely since numerous records as late as February 1798, after Christopher is believed to have been born, show Catherine with only the name “Baylor.” It is even more unlikely that Christopher was a son of William Tapscott’s first marriage since he would not have been considered Catherine’s heir, nor would there have been an obvious inducement for a name change. One problem with an illegitimate birth is that Christopher would not have been Catherine’s legal heir, unless explicitly named in her will, yet he did inherit her slaves without a known will.

Alice (Pendleton) Baylor died 6 December 1866 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. In January 1869, Christopher died of a beating he received near the small town of Dinwiddie in the county of the same name. The culprit was Essex Jones, one of Christopher’s former slaves, who claimed he was owed a debt. Alice and Christopher left two children, Mary (“Nancy”) Ellen Baylor, born 1832 to 1837, and Robert A. Baylor, born 1834 to 1839.

Is anybody out there interested in Christopher? If so, contact me. With two children, he may have present-day descendants. Unfortunately, however, the rather common name “Baylor” makes descendants difficult to trace.
.

Susan Cary Tapscott

In a still-unsuccessful attempt to definitively connect Robert Francis Tapscott with the family of Henry Tapscott (the Immigrant), I have continued researching the sons of James and Susan Howard (Baker) Tapscott—Baker, Newton, and Chichester since one of them appears to be the most likely connection (if there is one). The latter two brothers each had a single known child, a daughter. Susan Cary Tapscott (Newton) and Anna Chichester Tapscott (Chichester). Susan Cary Tapscott’s death is the subject of a most interesting tale, one that unfortunately sheds no light on Robert Francis.

Following Newton’s death, his daughter, Susan Cary, whose middle name comes from her grandmother, Elizabeth Blair (Cary) Fairfax, was made a ward of her uncle Baker Tapscott. She is shown living with her aunt and uncle Susanna Carolyn (Tapscott) and Lucas P. Thompson in the 1850 Augusta County, Virginia, census, where her age is given as 23 (birth year 1826 or 1827). Consumption, took her life, as it did her mother’s. She went to Savannah, Georgia, for her health, and passed away there in 1852.

Four years after her death, one of the Virginia delegates to the 1856 Southern Commercial Convention in Savannah, Georgia “brought to memory Miss Tapscott of Staunton, who died of consumption, in Savannah.” From a newspaper article, “Gayety in Savannah,” The Daily Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, Monday, 15 Dec 1856, p. 1, col. 3:

The disease had fastened upon her, and in a very short time she fell a victim to the destroyer. Towards the close of her life, when pale wasted and emaciated, she was frequently placed in an open carriage and driven along a beautiful road, that gently winds along the banks of the lovely Savannah river, at this point. Conscious of her approaching dissolution, and feeling that the beautiful savannas of the South would soon be forever shut from her eye, and that the gentle and balmy breezes which are so peculiar to the climate would soon cease to fan her cheeks, she ordered the carriage to be stopped on one occasion, and pointed out a spot near the banks of the river, beneath a little grove of trees, where she desired her remains to be buried. in a short time after, her spirit winged its way to realms above, and in accordance with her request, the ashes of that fair girl now repose at the very spot designated by her in life. her name was Sue Cary Tapscott, a one that will doubtless be remembered by many in Virginia. There is no stone of any description to mark the spot, or tell the passer by who reposes under the shade of that beautiful little grove where her body now lies. Mr. Hunter, the speaker, stated that there was now a larger body of Virginians present in Savannah than would ever again be collected on Georgia soil, and he hoped they would contributed something to the erection of an appropriate monument in memory of Sue Cary Tapscott. the appeal, which consisted mainly of a tribute to the virtues and accomplishments of the deceased and was truly pathetic and affecting, was liberally responded to, and over $200 collected for the purpose. The funds will be placed in the hands of Mr. Charles Preston, at whose residence Miss Tapscott died, and that gentleman will superintend the erection of the monument.

In Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery (made famous by John Berendt’s 1994 novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) stands a stone engraved “Susan Tapscott of Staunton Va. Died 1852.” Enclosed by an ornate wrought iron fence, her monument predates the formation of the public burial ground from the Mullryne Plantation on the Wilmington River joining the Savannah River, where her carriage apparently passed

Robert Francis Tapscott

Today, I noticed a Find-a-Grave entry for Robert Francis Tapscott, which gives his parents as "James Tapscott and Susannah Howard Tapscott (nee: Baker)" of Botetourt County. This would be laughable were it not likely to lead to a mass of misinformation and a multitude of erroneous family trees to be passed down from person to person without thought or consideration. The reason that it would otherwise be laughable is that James Tapscott, the husband of Susannah Howard Tapscott died over a decade before Robert Francis was born. Besides, James Tapscott's will, which names all his children and step children, makes no mention of Robert Frances. I would very much like to see a male descendant of Robert Francis Tapscott by an all-male line, take a yDNA test and join the Tapscott Project (see https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Tapscott/), but so far I have had no volunteers. Come on. We need you!. In the meantime, below is what I have written about Robert Francis Tapscott in the 2nd edition of my book (still a draft). Please forgive some missing endnotes, which do not always come through in these blogs. Note that there is a chance, albeit slim, that Robert was the son of a James Tapscott, but not the James of Botetourt County, rather James E. of Fauquier County. I am still looking into this as well as the possible Baker or Newton Tapscott connection.

The origin of Robert Francis Tapscott, who married Lucy Frances Wood (daughter of Alexander Wood and Elizabeth Kirtley)[1] and whose family and descendants appear in Clarke County, Virginia, censuses beginning in 1850, remains a mystery. Robert is first named in a 4 April 1843 Clarke County record: “James T. [Thomas] Wood made Oath before me Clerk of the Court of the County aforesaid that Lucy F. Wood who is about to intermarry with Robert Tapscott of the County of Fauquier is over twenty One years of age and an inhabitant of this county.”[2] That Robert was from Fauquier County could indicate that he was a child of James and Elizabeth (Percifull) Tapscott, or possibly an illegitimate child of Elizabeth. Robert was born 8 March 1817,[3] the last year that James could have still been living. That a marriage record[4] for Joseph Baker Tapscott, Robert’s oldest son, stated that he and his bride were “colored” might indicate a mixed-race offspring of Elizabeth, who is known to have had such descendants. The 1840 Fauquier County census shows Elizabeth’s household with no white, but several free black males. Note, however, no document other than Joseph Baker Tapscott’s marriage record indicates the possibility of a mixed-race origin.

Clarke County is located near Hampshire and Jefferson Counties, now in West Virginia, where the three sons of James and Susanna (Baker) Tapscott resided. Furthermore, Robert Francis married a Wood, and Susanna Baker’s mother was a Wood, as was her first husband, John. And the middle name of Robert and Lucy’s oldest child was “Baker.”[5] In view of these facts, particularly the middle name “Baker,” Robert Francis Tapscott would appear to be a possible grandson of James Sr. and Susanna—a son of Newton, Baker, or Chichester. (He cannot have been a son of James Sr., who was deceased by 27 February 1807, ten years before Robert Francis was born. But no relationship between Lucy Wood and Judith Howard Wood is known. Moreover, Robert and Lucy were married by Rev. Joseph Baker,[6] for whom their first-born may well have been named. The 1820 Romney, Virginia census shows the Newton Tapscott household with one male child, who has never been identified. Likewise, the 1830 census for Shepherdstown, Virginia, shows the Baker Tapscott family with four male children,[7] but only three sons are known. But the obituary of Newton Tapscott’s widow, Louisa, specifically states that she left only an infant daughter, and the only known marriages of Baker and Chichester occurred years after the birth of Robert Francis Tapscott.

Robert Francis died 24 June 1874 and is buried in Old Chapel Cemetery, Clarke County, Virginia.[8] His wife is said to be buried there also, but no grave is now found.[9]

---

[1].      James A. Wood, “The Wood Family,” 22 August 1913.

[2].      Mixed Marriage Licenses, Certificates &c 1836-1865, Clarke County, Virginia, courthouse record, transcribed in letter from Mrs. D. F. Hardesty to E. Lucille Trickett, 22 August 1868 (Lucy Hardesty Collections, Stewart Bell Jr. Archives Room, Handley Regional Library, Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, Winchester, Virginia, provided by Laura Chasty). Brett Fairchild also provided a transcription. The record shows that the James T. Wood who verified Lucy’s age was her brother (James Thomas Wood).

[3].      Beverly Alexander Tapscott, notes on birth and death of his father Robert Francis Tapscott, transcription communicated to Robert E. Tapscott by Laura Chasty, 19 April 2007. The same birth date is also given on his cemetery marker in Old Chapel Cemetery, Clarke County, Virginia (Robert E. Tapscott, Old Chapel Cemetery, Clarke County, Virginia, Transcriptions, 31 July 2007).

[4].      Patricia P. Duncan, Clarke County, Virginia, Marriages, 1836-1886, Heritage Books, Westminster, Maryland, 2008, p. 165.

[5].      “J. B. Tapscott” is shown as a witness on Robert Francis Tapscott’s death certificate and “Joseph B. Tapscott” is shown in the 1850 Census for Clarke County, Virginia, but the back of a photo of Joseph B. Tapscott lists him as “Baker Tapscott” and a list of births and deaths of Robert Tapscott’s children written by Beverly Alexander Tapscott, one of those children, lists the name “Joseph Baker Tapscott” (records and photos in possession of Laura Chasty). Moreover, records of the births of three of Joseph’s children give the father’s name as “Baker” (Clarke County, Virginia Births, 1878 - 1896 [database on-line], Provo, Utah, The Generations Network, Inc., 1999). And Joseph Baker Tapscott is the name on the Clarke County record for his marriage to Henrietta Stickles (Patricia P. Duncan, Clarke County, Virginia, Marriages, 1836-1886, Heritage Books, Westminster, Maryland, 2008, p. 165).

[6].      “Minister’s Return: Jos. Baker – Apr. 4, 1843 – Rob. Tapscott and Lucy F. Wood,” transcribed in letter from Mrs. D. F. Hardesty to E. Lucille Trickett, 22 August 1868 (Lucy Hardesty Collections, Stewart Bell Jr. Archives Room, Handley Regional Library, Winchester-Frederick County Historical Societ, Winchester, Virginia, provided by Laura Chasty).

[7].      1830 U.S. census, Virginia, Jefferson Co, Shepherdstown, Baker Tapscott household, p. 155, line 2, Ancestry.com images 17, 18.

[8].      Robert E. Tapscott, Old Chapel Cemetery, Clarke County, Virginia, Transcriptions, 31 July 2007.

[9].      E. Lucille Trickett, letter to Mrs. D. F. Hardesty, 21 January 1969. In July 2007, the present author, after a thorough search of the cemetery, failed to locate Lucy’s grave.