Fauquier County Tapscotts - Cordelia

We have spent several weeks reviewing the history of Harriet’s firstborn daughter, Maria Ann Tapscott. Now it’s time to do the same for Harriet’s only other known child, Cordelia Tapscott.

Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier Co.

All records indicate that Cordelia (also called “Delia” and “Adelia,” though the latter may be due to error) was born well before 1850 (the most reliable year is 1835 from her grave marker and the 1860 census), but she does not appear in the 1850 Fauquier County census with her mother, Harriet. Or does she? For in Harriet's household in that census is a ten-year-old girl named Susan Adams. Could Susan be Cordelia, with her surname that of her otherwise unknown father? It does not seem unlikely, particularly since names among the Fauquier Tapscotts were often changed.

In 1860 Cordelia was living in Fauquier with her mother, Harriet, and Cordelia’s first-born known child, Tasco. Also in the household is 30-year John Tapscott. John and Cordelia appear with Harriet in the 1860 census with ages that correspond to a birth year c1830 for John (listed as a laborer) and c1835 for Cordelia (listed as a weaver). Some people assume John to be a son of Harriet, but it is far more likely that he was Cordelia’s paramour. Strong evidence of this is in Tasco’s death certificate, which gives his parents as John and Adelia. John may well have been one of Elizabeth’s slaves, now in Harriet’s household. If so, “Tapscott” was probably an assumed surname. We do not see John again.

Cordelia had five known children, all born out of wedlock, all given the surname “Tapscott,” and all raised in the Cedar Run District of Fauquier County—James Tasco, William, Murray, Elizabeth, and John, Descendants claim that the father of the middle three was Marcus A. (“Mark”) Russell, the Baptist minister who married Cordelia’s cousin, Mary Frances Tapscott. There are no contemporary records showing this to be true; however, in this case I am going to take the word of relatives, something I very seldom do. There is evidence that the final child, John, had a father named “Thomas,” likely another one of Elizabeth's slaves.

Cordelia died young, around age 47, and was buried in the Tapscott Family Cemetery in Fauquier County. The marker, which gives a death date of 1882, appears to be a recent addition and may not, for that reason, be completely reliable for the death and birth dates, or, for that matter, the burial location.

Have any of you descendants of Cordelia found records or other evidence indicating that Mark Russell fathered some of Cordelia's children?

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Elizabeth without James

In a much earlier post, we discussed James and Elizabeth---James Tapscott and Elizabeth Percifull. James died young, leaving Elizabeth in Fauquier County with just her kids. She would soon have more. Immediately after that earlier post we should have posted something about Elizabeth without James. But we didn't. Let's do it now.

It is shocking to see that in Fauquier County, Elizabeth owned slaves. In the 1840 census, her household included six male slaves and two female slaves. Some of the male slaves were almost certainly Elizabeth’s paramours. In addition, the 1840 census shows both free white and free colored people in the household, primarily Elizabeth’s children and grandchildren. Under Virginia law, the slave status of a child followed that of the mother (doctrine of partus sequitur ventrem). Offspring of Elizabeth would have been born free, whether the fathers were slaves or not. The numbers and age distributions of the free occupants are almost exactly what would be predicted:

1840 Fauquier County Census, Elizabeth's Household

Only the free colored males show a discrepancy from what is expected, likely because the oldest, William, had moved out. By 1840, Elizabeth’s son Telem Plato was married and living in a separate household. And her son Robert Frances was living in Warrenton, probably in the blacksmith shop of James Mclearen. More on Robert Frances, later.

Elizabeth, who arrived in Fauquier County around 1810 apparently lived out her life there, dying sometime between 1850, when she appears in the census, and 1860, when she is missing from the census.

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Carrie Martin

Carrie Martin, the only known child of Maria and her second husband, Alfred Martin, appears to have been born in 1870; however, birth dates for Carrie (and her offspring) are highly questionable. Carrie apparently knocked off years as she grew older. Around 1890, Carrie married Isaac Chichester. whose ancestry is far too complicated to discuss here but was a descendant of Richard McCarty Chichester. The union has resulted in a lot of confusion, for a few years earlier, on 30 Mar 1882, Isaac had married, Catharine Collins, who went by the name “Carrie.” And, of course, the two Carries have been confused and often merged by family historians.

The first Carrie was born in October 1869 to Amanda (“Mandy”) Morton (Oct 1830–11 Jul 1933) and Henry Collins (Jun 1840–by 1910), probably in Fauquier County, where her parents were married (on 13 Apr 1873). Catharine and Isaac had a single known child, Samuel Chichester, who was born on 5 Jul 1884 in Fauquier County and died 7 Oct 1916 in Warrenton. Isaac’s first marriage did not last. On 28 Dec 1895 in DC, Catharine married Jerry Hughes and then went on to marry Johnson Addison in Fauquier County on 3 Oct 1917. Catharine died 14 Jul 1961 in the village of Casanova in Fauquier County.

Carrie Martin and Isaac Chichester, who may have died by 1910 (he does not appear in that census or thereafter), had four known children, all boys and all having gaps in contemporary records.

William Henry Chichester was born 5 Feb 1892 in Warrenton, and married Florence Scott in DC on 18 Aug 1920, a marriage that ended in divorce on 1 Feb 1941 in Arlington Co, Virginia. William died in October 1958, probably in DC where he had been living. He left no known descendants.

James Robert Chichester Sr.
(Kim D'Addario)

James Robert Chichester Sr. was probably born 3 Dec 1897, as given in the 1900 census, with the day taken from other records. The dates of 3 Dec 1893 on his death certificate and 3 Dec 1892 in his Social Security application are obviously incorrect. Might he have made himself look older to collect social security? James may have had a criminal element. In 1920 he was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for theft of liquor seized in raids from the Fauquier County Clerk’s office, where it was being stored. He escaped from the Warrenton jail before he could be transferred to the prison but was soon recaptured. It is strange that James escaped since it was likely that he would have been pardoned. A majority of the jurors had petitioned his pardon after the principal witness against him had recanted his testimony. James was recaptured after having been seen as a pallbearer at the funeral of a relative. (Could the relative have been his father, Isaac?) That escapade may have helped end his marriage to Virginia Kathleen Tyler, who he married on 12 Sep 1917 and divorced on 29 Mar 1932, both actions in Fauquier County. After marrying one more time, to Ethyl Penny, James died 18 Jan 1950 in Charlottesville, Virginia. He had a single known child, James Robert Jr., from his first marriage.

The next child born to Carrie and Isaac was the mysterious Lee Ellsworth Chichester, who was born in Warrenton on 5 Jun 1900. We say “mysterious” because there are large gaps in his history. Despite being born in 1900, he is missing from the 1910 census record of his mother and his three brothers. And he cannot be found in census records after 1920. The latest we see him is in a 1942 WWII draft card, when he is shown as living in DC. No record is found of his date of death. Despite being married twice, to Virginia Arabelle Butler on 5 Jul 1922 in Fauquier County and Aleta Franklin on 5 Sep 1935 in DC, Lee left no known descendants.

Carrie and Isaac’s final child was Claude Leonard Chichester, born in Warrenton 4 Jul 1901. On 7 Jun 1922, Claude married Lillian Tomes in Fauquier County. The marriage resulted in two children, Louis Robert Jones and Carrie Virginia Chichester, but ended in divorce on 21 Jul 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland. Claude died in DC around May 1957.

And this brings us through the last of Maria Ann Tapscott's descendants, as far towards the present as we are willing to go. (I actually have 211 in my database, and that count is undoubtedly far too few.) The next stop on our journey through the Fauquier County Tapscotts is Maria's sister Cordelia and her children.

Stupid errors? Typos? Complaints? Let me know.

 

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Louisa Martin

Louisa Martin, born c May 1860, was Maria and John Martin’s final known child. Louisa is seen with the name “Lou,” “Louise,” and even “Mary” in various records. In later years, Louisa claimed to have been born in May 1864, but she had obviously knocked some years off her age since she appears in the 1860 census. Louisa was about age 36 when, on 1 Oct 1896 in Fauquier Co, she was finally married, to John L. Preston. Born in June 1867 to John Preston and Harriet Brown, John was about seven years younger than Louisa, which may have prompted her age reductions. Mark Russell, who would father three of Louisa’s cousins, performed the ceremony. John L. Preston’s brother Hamilton had earlier married Gertrude Tapscott, Telem Plato’s granddaughter.

John and Louisa soon ended up with three children—Lillian (“Lillie”) B. Preston (b. Sep 1878), Louise A. C. Preston (b. c1900), and Lee E. Preston (b. c1901). But Lillian was born years before John and Louisa were married. When Lillian was born, John was only around age eleven, which makes him a highly unlikely father, though there are uncertainties in the birthdates of all the characters in our story. Louisa, on the other hand, would have been around age 18. Lillian may have been a child of Louisa, but not of John.

On 31 Dec 1895 in Fauquier Co, Lillian married George Chalmers Russell, who had been born 12 Mar 1866 to Mark Russell and Mary Frances Tapscott, Lillian’s first cousin twice removed. The couple had a single known child, Selena Russell, born November 1896. Selena is not seen after 1900 and presumably died. The same is true of Lillian. George married Nannie Roberta Mann in DC on 12 Sep 1921, though the two were living together well before that time and claimed to have married in 1901. This implies that Lillian had died around 1901. Like Lillian, her two siblings, Louise and Lee, had unknown fates. Neither are seen after 1910 and presumably died by the time of the 1920 census. Louisa Martin passed away 5 Jul 1912 in Warrenton, Virginia.

John L. Preston, remarried, with Lucy L. Miller in DC on 4 Nov 1919. Lucy had been born in March 1886 to Ashley (“Ash”) Miller and Lucy (Ferguson) Scott, probably in Culpeper County, where her parents had been married 11 Jun 1882. Ashley had died in Culpeper just a few years later, 7 Oct 1890. Her mother had apparently also died around the same time for Lucy is found in 1900 in Fauquier County living with a brother, Ernest, and a half-sister, Kate. Before her marriage to John, Lucy had at least six children from one or more complicated relationships.

John Preston and Lucy had five known children. Lucy is last seen in the 1920 census. John died in DC on 4 Mar 1937.

I have spent (wasted?) a lot of time investigating the life and relationships of Lucy Miller, but since she is not a Fauquier Tapscott, I have decided to not include the details in the book Elizabeth's Children. If you are interested or have a connection through Lucy's Hughes or Chandler associations, contact me. If there is sufficient interest, which I strongly doubt, I will blog what I have.

Have any photos I might use in the book? See questionable blog information or obvious errors? Have reliably sourced additional data? Contact me.

 

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Jefferson D. Martin

Jefferson D. Martin (a middle name of “Davis” is possible, but seems highly unlikely) was born in Fauquier County February 1858 to Maria Ann Tapscott and John F. Martin. On 17 Dec 1883 in Fauquier County, he married “Saeny” E. Martin. Saeny, who is found in records with the name “Sena,” “Scenia,” “Saeny,” and, most often, “Seney,” was likely named “Senia,” when she was born June 1857 in Fauquier County to Charles and Elizabeth (Anderson) Martin. “Senia” is a much more common name that the others, though the use of a Hebrew/Slavic name seems strange. Were the two Martins—Jefferson and Seney (the name we chose to use)—related? With the same surname and birthplace, Fauquier County, it seems likely, but it remains to be proven.

Jefferson and Seney lived out their married lives in Coles Distr, Prince William Co, Virginia, where Jefferson farmed. Jefferson died c1910 and Seney, sometime between 1910, when she appears in the census, and 1920, when she did not. The couple had no children.

Fauquier County Tapscotts - James Henry Martin

James Henry Martin was born to Maria Ann Tapscott and John F. Martin in Jan 1856, and grew up in Fauquier County. It was there, on 24 Dec 1877, that he married Texanna Proctor. Born c1859 in Virginia, probably in Loudoun County, where she spent her childhood, Texanna was one of nine known children of Samuel K. Proctor (birth year, highly variable) and Margaret A. Johnson (born Jan 1839).

Margaret A. (Johnson) Proctor
Smith Tapscott (Photo
supplied by Cortez Marks)

Following Samuel’s death in May 1870 from an accident involving a plow and a thrasher, Margaret married James Henry Martin’s granduncle, William Tapscott, in Fauquier County on 1 May 1872 (more on that, later). When that marriage didn’t pan out, she married William H. H. (Henry Harrison?) Smith on 3 Feb 1887 in Baltimore, Maryland. William’s first wife, Martha Jane Davis, who he married in DC on 29 Dec 1866, had died in DC 19 Feb 1886. William and Margaret lived for a while in DC, where William had a rather good job as a clerk in the Bureau of Pensions. Like Margaret’s previous marriage, this marriage also failed, ending about 1901 in a rather nasty divorce, with Margaret declaring desertion and demanding support. Margaret may not have succeeded in her demands since William died in DC on 8 Feb 1903. By 1910, Margaret was working as a dressmaker, while living in Atlantic City, New Jersey with her daughter Texanna. Margaret is not seen again.

After living for a while in Fauquier County, James Martin and Texanna ended up in Washington, DC, where James worked for the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind, which would become Gallaudet University. It may be that eventually James and Texanna were not living together at least part of the time since they appear in two separate records in the 1900 DC census—James was shown at the Columbia Institution and Texanna is shown at home with their six (at the time) kids. It was in DC that James met a tragic end. On 4 Jul 1908, he drowned in the Potomac River during an outing with two male friends. It was claimed that when a small boat carrying the three men careened, the passengers were thrown overboard. Two made it to shore. James did not, because, it was claimed, he was exhausted from swimming earlier in the day. But, according to a great grandson, Cortez Marks,

My Grandmother Etta V. Martin [one of James's daughters-in-law] told me that James didn't come home for dinner and his wife, Texanna, sent some of the kids to go down where he was supposed to be, but couldn't find him. Then somebody said that he had drowned. When the police searched the body [not found until the next day], he only had a penny on him. But he had been paid the day of the drowning. The family always said he was robbed and pushed overboard.

James left seven children: James Mallel (8 Dec 1878–31 Jul 1947), Earnest Winfield (15 Sep 1879–aft 1918), Henry Otto (31 Mar 1883–3 Oct 1952), Landon Marvlyn (Sep 1884–12 Nov 1981), Olive Fately (Sep 1886–21 Jun 1972), Ivy Wade (6 Jan 1892–22 May 1968), and Haywood Trimble (8 Sep 1892–1 Aug 1971).

Texanna. who used the name “Texas” more and more as she grew older, lived out her life in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area. She died in Absecon, New Jersey, 23 Dec 1939.

Fauquier County Tapscotts - John Robert Martin

Born in Fauquier County Oct 1853, John Robert Martin, Maria Ann Tapscott Martin's third child, married his first cousin Elizabeth Tapscott around 1884. Elizabeth was the daughter of Maria’s sister (probably half sister), Cordelia. Then, while living in Cedar Run, where John farmed and worked as a carpenter, Elizabeth and John had ten children, born between 1887 and 1912, who lived to be adults: Alvenia (“Alice,” 10 Jan 1887–7 Apr 1953), Robert Franklin (28 Aug 1888–24 Jun 1969), Jesse James (16 Mar 1890–24 Jan 1962), Cinderella Nellie (May 1891–c Jul 1939), Harry Richard (15 Oct 1892–16 Apr 1965), Sadie Ann (7 Jan 1895–Jan 1986), Maria Virginia (9 Dec 1896–14 Jan 1999), Cora Dean (20 Jun 1901–3 Dec 1990), Johnanna (7 Feb 1906–May 1986), and Herbert Radcliffe (10 Aug 1912–Feb 1980).

Then things fell apart. On 6 Dec 1928, at a farm, where he had worked for years, near the village of Casanova in Fauquier County, John Martin got into an argument with his employer Cornelius R. Tompkins about storing some corn. John pulled out a pistol and shot Cornelius three times. Cornelius died a few hours later, and John was charged with 2nd degree murder. He was convicted and on 4 Feb 1929 was sentenced to 20 years. John Robert died of endocarditis in prison 23 May 1934, and was laid to rest in Warrenton, Virginia. His death certificate also stated that he suffered from senility. Perhaps it was a decreased cognitive ability that caused John to solve an argument over corn with a pistol.

Cornelius R. Tompkins

Cornelius was the son of Robert R. Tompkins, who had administered the estate of Telem Plato.

Elizabeth spent her final years in Washington, DC. In 1930 she was living there with her daughter Sadie, son-in-law Hamilton Preston, and five Preston grandkids. In 1940 Elizabeth was heading a DC household of assorted relatives. Elizabeth died in DC 17 Feb 1947, and was buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. Her cemetery marker is inscribed 

BY HER DEVOTED DAUGHTER

JOHNANNA M. WASHINGTON

State Prison, Richmond, Virginia, John Robert Martin’s home for four and a half years (from post card).

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Virginia Martin

Virginia A. Martin, Maria Ann Tapscott Martin's second offspring, was born c1853 and had two children, James W. Martin and William Martin, prior to her known relationship with Thomas Russell. Both children were born around 1868 and were likely twins. The father may have had the surname “Hord” since James appears, with his stepfather, Thomas Russell, in the 1880 census with the name “James W. Hora.” “Hora” is a rather unusual name and may be a miswriting of “Hord.” Several persons with the surname “Hord” were living in Fauquier County at the time, including some in the Southwest Revenue Distr, where Virginia was living in 1860. In fact, an Enos Hord had been the surety for a bond for the marriage of Virginia’s great aunt Catherine Tapscott and Virginia’s uncle Alexander Martin. William Martin is not seen after 1870 and James W. Martin/Hora is not seen after 1880.

By 1873, when their first child was born, Virginia was living with Thomas Russell, brother of Mark Russell, who had married Virginia’s cousin once removed Mary Frances Tapscott. Virginia and Thomas had three known children: Agnes A. (b c1873), Mattie R. (b c1875), and Minerva (b c1877). The last child, Minerva is seen in a single record.

The relationship with Thomas did not last. In 1900 we find Virginia, living separately from Thomas and under her birth name “Martin,” caring for her “daughter,” Anna B. Martin. The “daughter,” was actually Virginia’s granddaughter Anna Belle Chandler, the only known child of Agnes Russell, who had married John Franklin Chandler in Fauquier County on 15 Nov 1888. It appears that both Agnes and John had died between the birth of their child Anna in 1892 and 1900, when their daughter was being cared for by Virginia.

In 1900 we find Thomas Russell living with a new wife, Polly Russell, and a new family of five children, four of them his. Born around 1847 (his death certificate claims 1852), Thomas passed away on 20 Oct 1915, and was buried in Poplar Forks Baptist Church Cemetery. His second wife, Polly Pinn, born in 1872, lived until 13 Jan 1951 and was buried in Warrenton Cemetery.

Of her five known children, Virginia had a single child, Mattie, known to have lived past early adulthood. Mattie, who had multiple and intensely confusing relationships, passed away on 1 Nov 1954 in Warrenton, Virginia.

Virginia had one more relationship. In the 1900 census she is shown with the surname “Martin,” but the 1910 census shows Virginia as a widow with the surname “Baker.” It appears that between 1900 and 1910, Virginia had married, and then her new mate had died. When Virginia died on 16 Jan 1929 in Fauquier County, her death certificate showed her as widowed with Andrew Baker as her husband. Her husband had likely been the Andrew Baker who was born in Fauquier County c1856 to Charles and Isabella Baker and who on 22 Nov 1877 had married Mildred Grigsby. Andrew and Mildred had apparently separated prior to Andrew's union with Virginia since Mildred is found in 1910 with a new husband, Charles Coram, to whom she was married c1896. Mildred died 25 Sep 1918 in Warrenton.

 

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Jane Elizabeth Martin

We are still researching Maria Tapscott, Harriet Tapscott’s older daughter. We hear a lot about Harriet's second daughter, Cordelia, but in fact, Maria and her children had much more interesting (but calamitous) lives.

Maria’s first-born child, is seen with just the name “Jane E.” in the 1850 and 1860 censuses, but we know that Jane’s middle name was “Elizabeth,” because that was the only name she used the rest of her life. Jane Elizabeth’s tale must start with Charles Ridgely McBlair, who would one day be involved in the death of Elizabeth's stepfather, Albert Martin.

Following the war, Charles McBlair moved from Maryland to Fauquier County, where he rented a sawmill from Thomas T. Chichester (brother of William Doddridge Chichester). There, he hired Alfred Martin to work for him in the sawmill and there, according to the Baltimore Sun newspaper, he married Alfred’s “stepdaughter” (no name given). At the time, around 1870, Alfred had only two stepdaughters of a marriageable age, both from his wife Maria’s marriage to John F. Martin—Jane E. and Virginia A. But in the 1870s, Virginia was involved in another relationship (with Thomas Russell), so it had to be Jane that Charles married. Charles McBlair and Elizabeth Martin (as she was designated in all records after the 1860 census) had four known children—Anna Elizabeth McBlair (22 Jun 1870–15 Sep 1930), Charles McBlair Jr. (c1870–15 Apr 1873), Robert McBlair (1 May 1873–16 Nov 1873), and Ridgely (“Richard”) McDonald McBlair (4 Feb 1875–21 Mar 1933).

Jane Elizabeth's husband, Charles, went downhill in Fauquier County. According to the Baltimore Sun,

His life here has been wild and reckless, though it was supposed his indiscretions proceeded rather from the head than the heart, and would not go beyond a participation in drunken brawls, in which he often became involved when intoxicated.

Then, in a catastrophic year, 1873, two of Charles’s children died (Charles Jr. and Robert) and Charles was tried for the murder of his wife’s stepfather. Though he was cleared of murder, things continued to slide. And then on 17 Oct 1878, near Williamsburg, Virginia, he was killed by a gunshot during a quarrel. According to a newspaper article about the shooting,

The deceased was highly connected in the State of Maryland. Since he has resided in Virginia he has been in very poor circumstances, and obtained a precarious sort of living by hunting and fishing. He leaves a wife and two children.

The two children were Anna and Ridgely (“Richard”).

Now a widow from a highly questionable marriage, Jane Elizabeth McBlair parked her daughter Anna with Anna’s McBlair grandparents, Charles Henry and Frances ("Fanny") McBlair, in the District of Columbia, and dropped out of sight for a while, presumably with her young son Ridgley (“Richard”). Then, on 12 Jan 1882 in Prince William Co, Virginia, Elizabeth McBlair married S. B. Byrne. S. B. was Shinar Bertrand, son of Thomas W. and Catharine A. (Thomas) Byrne. In 1860 Elizabeth and Shinar had both lived in the Southwest Revenue District in Fauquier County, where their fathers were wheelwrights. Elizabeth had probably known Shinar well before she ever met her future husband, Charles Ridgely. The last record we see for either Elizabeth or Shinar is their marriage record. Their fates are unknown.

Elizabeth’s daughter, Anna Elizabeth, married Samuel Walker on 26 Oct 1892 in Alexandria, Virginia. There they lived out their lives, Anna dying on 15 Sep 1930 and Samuel on 25 Oct 1949. They are buried in adjacent graves in Bethel Cemetery in Alexandria.

Ridgely (“Richard”) McDonald McBlair

On 17 Feb 1909 in DC, Ridgely McDonald, Jane Elizabeth’s last born, who always went by “Richard,” married Alvenia (“Alice”) Martin, who was both his first cousin through her father, John Robert Martin, and his second cousin through her mother. Elizabeth Tapscott. Richard passed away 21 Mar 1933 and Alvenia on 7 Apr 1953. Like the Walkers, they were also laid to rest in Bethel Cemetery.

Confused by all these relationships? Below is a chart of the whole works, with McBlair, Tapscott, and Martin connections as they relate to Jane Elizabeth Martin. Caution! Lots of people are omitted. These are by no means entire families.

Some Tapscott, McBlair, Martin connections, with many omissions.

Are you descended from Jane Elizabeth Martin? Have I made any errors in her history? Have I left something out? Do you have any family history stories about her or her descendants? In particular, do you know anything about what became of Jane Elizabeth or her second husband, Shinar?

Fauquier County Tapscotts - The McBlairs

It has been noted that Maria Ann Tapscott's second marriage, to Alfred Martin, was short, for tragic reasons. Now we are going to see what those tragic reasons were.

In the late evening on a rainy 20 Aug 1873, Alfred was returning from the Fauquier County town of Melrose Station, renamed “Cassanova” a few years later, where he and a most unusual companion had been boozing it up. We say unusual, because his drinking companion was Charles Ridgley McBlair, a member of a prestigious and wealthy family. The story of what occurred, which appeared in numerous newspapers at the time, and what led up to it is worthy of a book in itself. A major synopsis, though still incomplete and a little doubtful in places, is found in the 8 Sep 1878 Baltimore Sun.

On that 20 Aug 1873 evening, after traveling about a mile in their wagon, McBlair attempted to fire his revolver, which had become wet by the rain. He tried five times, without success. Then he placed it to his head and fired twice, again without it discharging. Seeing this, Alfred swore that he would do the same, and taking the pistol from Charles, he pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. The pistol went off and Alfred was killed instantly.

Alfred was killed by Charles McBlair’s revolver and Charles was the only living witness. So, even though McBlair informed others of Alfred’s death, assisted in removing the body, and testified about the accident before a coroner, he was jailed for trial.

Michael McBlair (Ancestry.com).

The father of the suspected murderer was Charles Henry McBlair, a son of Michael and Pleasance Goodwin McBlair. Michael, who had emigrated from Ireland in 1789, had made it big in Baltimore business and society. He had been such a success that a collection of approximately 3000 items associated with him, primarily letters, are maintained by the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Much of the information given here comes from those papers. Three of Michael’s sons, Charles Henry, John Hollins, and William, held high-ranking positions in the U.S. Navy. But in 1861, two of those sons, Charles and William, resigned from U.S. Navy to join the Confederate States Navy, where they were ships commanders, though William died before war’s end. Charles Henry McBlair saw to it that his son Charles Ridgley, though only in his late teens during the war, was made Acting Master’s Mate in both the Confederate Navy and Confederate Army.

One of the three brothers, John Hollins McBlair, stayed with the Union, serving as a major during the war. And John Hollins had a son that he also named “Charles Ridgely McBlair,” something that causes no end of confusion, particularly since the two Charles Ridgelys were born just a year or so apart.

Gov. Charles Carnan Ridgely 1820

Capt. Charles Ridgely

"Ridgely" was a family name. Pleasance Goodwin's grandmother was Pleasance Ridgely. The prominent Ridgely family of Maryland included a Maryland governor, Charles Carnan Ridgely (Pleasance Goodwin's cousin), and multiple industrialists. Another member of the family was Capt. Charles Ridgely, an adventurous ship's captain (quelled a mutiny, survived two hurricanes, imprisoned by the French during French and Indian war) and a wealthy landowner (twenty-four thousand acres).

Despite his role in the rebellion, after the War, Charles Henry McBlair became Adjutant General of Maryland, a position he held from 1871 to 1874, and a position he held when he attended his son’s trial in Warrenton, Virginia. On 12 Sep 1873 a circuit court jury in Warrenton declared Charles innocent of murdering Alfred.

Why have we presented so much about the McBlair family? Because a McBlair married into Maria Tapscott’s family. Who that McBlair was will be revealed in our next blog. Some of you Fauquier County Tapscotts have illustrious McBlair and Ridgely ancestors. But any pride must be accompanied by dishonor, for that means you also have Confederate rebels in your family tree.

Fauquier County Tapscotts – the Martins

“Martin” is a common name among Fauquier County Tapscott ancestors, and many of these Martins were descendants of Maria Ann Tapscott, who married John Martin and then Alfred Martin. Others were descendants of Catherine Tapscott and Alexander Martin. And who were John, Alfred, and Alexander? Here we answer that, but the story is long, complicated, and, to many, boring. You are forewarned.

John, Alfred, and Alexander were likely brothers. We know a lot more about Alfred than about the other two. The record of Alfred’s marriage with Maria shows his parents to have been John and Peggy Martin. In Fauquier County on 15 Aug 1803, Peggy Elliott, daughter of Samuel, had married John Martin (the Elder).

Samuel Elliott had fought in the Revolutionary War, so you Martin descendants are eligible for DAR or SAR membership. And your ancestor, Samuel, had a meritorious service record. According to his pension file, he first served as a Minute Man and had then enlisted in the Continental Army in Fauquier County on 20 Aug 1776, serving as a private in Capt. William Blackwell's company, Col Daniel Morgan’s 11th Virginia regiment. He had been wounded in the Battle of Brandywine, being struck on the left breast by a ball. Then Samuel fought in the battles of Germantown and Monmouth, was at the Siege of Yorktown, and was at the surrender of Cornwallis in 1781. His pension file contains a massive amount of data for the family, listing all his children, including Peggy (“Margaret”), with their birthdates.

In the 1850 census for Turner’s District in Fauquier County we find a 30-year-old Alfred Martin living in a household headed by a Henry Allen and his wife, Harriet. Harriet was Harriet S. Martin (b c1832), who had married Henry Allen in Fauquier County 26 Dec 1848, and was Alfred’s sister. Two others in this 1850 household were Milly Martin (b c1804) and James Martin (b c1834), also likely to be Alfred’s siblings (or, in the case of Milly, possibly a sister-in-law). But there is one other person in the household, whose relationship is uncertain, 50-year-old Margaret Martin. Margaret appears to be too old to be a sister of Alfred, but too young to be his widowed mother.

In fact, we know that this Margaret is not Alfred’s mother, because his mother is found elsewhere in the Fauquier County census for 1850. Shown in that census is Henry C. Martin and his wife, Elizabeth Ash, who were married in Fauquier County on 20 Dec 1827, and living with them is 74-year-old Margaret Martin. In Samuel Elliott’s pension file, a record dated 1837 describes Margaret as the “widow Martin.” That and other data indicate that John (the Elder) had died around 1835. We know that the Margaret Martin living with the Henry C. Martin family is very likely Margaret (Elliott) Martin, because Henry C. Martin, presumably her son, provided an affidavit about the family for an 1837 application by Samuel’s widow, Winifred (Lee) Martin for a pension based on Samuel’s service.

Living  next door to Henry and Harriet Allen in 1850 was a Thomas Martin (b c1810), his wife Jane (b c1811), and their inferred son William C. Thomas is another very likely family member, probably the Thomas Martin who provided surety for the bond for Maria Tapscott’s first marriage. And living just two dwellings away from Henry and Harriet Allen’s household in the 1850 census was Alexander Martin, who had married Catherine Tapscott. Alexander is another candidate for being a son of John and Margaret (Elliott) Martin. More on Alexander and Catherine will be provided in a future blog.

In the 1860 census, the elder Margaret Martin is not to be found and has presumably died, but the younger Margaret Martin, now with an age given as 65 (b c1895) is found living in Fauquier County with her possible siblings (or siblings-in-law?), James D. Martin and Harriet S. Martin. Harriet’s marriage had apparently broken up since Henry Allen is seen living elsewhere in Fauquier County and Harriet has taken back her birth name. But she is left with a child, James Martin (b c1857). And guess who is living next door to Margaret and her two offspring 1860—John and Maria (Tapscott) Martin. That, and the fact that Alfred would one day marry John’s widow, makes it highly likely that John was, like Alfred, a child of Margaret (“Peggy”) and John (the Elder) Martin.

 

What a mess. But perhaps this chart provides some clarification.

Anything you disagree with? Anything you can add? Please comment or email me to let me know.

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Maria

Harriet had two children—Maria Ann Tapscott, the first born, and Cordelia Tapscott. A third child, John, is sometimes claimed. But John, who appears in an 1860 Fauquier County census with Harriett and Cordelia, was Cordelia’s partner rather than her brother. We will hear more about Cordelia and John in the future. But in this and the next few blogs, we will be looking at Maria and her relatives, an exceedingly complex group of people. Indeed, one could write a single book about Maria and her connections.

Records for both her first and second marriages, show Maria Ann Tapscott, born c1832 according to a weighted average of census data, to be a child of Harriet, but no father is recorded. With a complete absence of evidence, an Eli Penn (also “Pinn”) Tapscott is often claimed to be the father of Maria, and sometimes of her sister, Cordelia. There was an Eli Pinn that lived in Fauquier County at the time and whose sister, Amanda, married Harriet’s half-brother William Tapscott (more on all that later). But that Eli Pinn was born c1823 and would have been a young child when Maria and Harriet were born. No other Eli Penn/Pinn or Eli Tapscott is found in Fauquier County records. We have no evidence of who fathered Maria.

On 6 Apr 1848 in Fauquier County, Maria married John F. Martin. John had been born in Virginia around 1824. A Thomas Martin was a surety for the marriage bond. John and Maria lived out their married life in Fauquier County, where John was first a laborer and then a wheelwright, and where the couple had six known children—Jane E., Virginia A., John Robert. James Henry, Jefferson D., and Louisa.

John Martin died c1863. He is seen in the 1860 census, but when Maria married a second time, to Alfred C. Martin in Fauquier County on 12 Jan 1867, the record showed that she was a widow.

Maria’s second marriage was short, for tragic reasons we shall soon see, but it did result in a child, Carrie. We last see Maria living as a widow 1880 in Cedar Run District with Carrie and the two youngest children from Maria’s first marriage, Jefferson and Louisa.

Eventually we will look at each of Maria’s children, but our next blog is on the ancestry of Maria's husbands. Be prepared to be bored with lots of data and lots of confusing connections.

Fauquier County Tapscotts – Harriet

Harriet Tapscott

We have already taken a detailed look at Harriet, the apparent daughter of James and Elizabeth (Harriet and Harriott). But note that I use the adjective “apparent.” We need to examine Harriet further. But I warn you. This is exceedingly complicated and rather boring.

Harriet was listed as “m” (“mulatto”) in the 1860 census and as “W” (White) in the 1870 census. No race was given for her in the 1850 census. When she died on 12 Aug 1871, her death record listed her as “Colored.” All this is puzzling since Elizabeth and James were both White, at least as far as we can tell. Perhaps Harriet’s race was inaccurately concluded based on the race of her children, but might there have been other reasons? Could her parentage be different than what we believe?

In Harriet’s death register, Cordelia Tapscott, the informant, is named as Harriet’s mother, an obvious error. Or is it? Could another Cordelia have been an unknown consort of James and might Harriet have named one of her daughters after her mother? That would explain a lot. Nevertheless, the only Cordelia Tapscott living at the time, of which we are aware, was the child of Harriet. (Two Cordelia Tapscotts born c1785 and c1814 and shown in a small number of online trees are easily proven fictional.) At this point we need to continue our earlier look at DNA.

The following table contains summaries of selected autosomal DNA matches for three people shown by paper studies to be descendants of Harriet. For reasons of privacy, I am not naming these individuals, who are the only Harriet descendants whose DNA test results I have access to. (Thank you, One, Two, and Three.) Descendant One is believed to be a descendant of only Harriet’s daughter Maria. Descendant Two is a descendant of both of Harriet’s daughters, Maria and Cordelia, by two different lines. And Descendant Three is a descendant of Cordelia, but also of Harriet’s half-brother, Edmond, a child of Elizabeth Percifull by an unknown suitor. It would, of course, be better for DNA interpretation to avoid a person with two entirely different connections to Elizabeth, but one must use what one can get.

The table shows DNA matches between the three descendants of Harriet with three different groups of people. The first group consists of descendants of Henry the Immigrant through lines believed to not involve James, son of Ezekiel Tapscott. The second is people believed to be descendants of Elijah Percifull by routes that involve no Fauquier County Tapscotts. And the third group is Fauquier County descendants of Elizabeth, but not of Harriet. Shown are the number of matches and the average shared DNA. The larger the centimorgan (cM) number, the closer the relationship.

I must admit that the data are questionable because analyses of the matches are based to a large extent on what others have entered into their trees. Nevertheless, the DNA results in the table provide excellent evidence that Harriet was a child of James. The three individuals tested show a total of 19 matches with descendants of Henry the Immigrant, with a particularly large number (nine) for Edney Tapscott, grandfather of Harriet’s father, James. This is very good evidence that James E. Tapscott was Harriet’s father.

On the other hand, at first glance, the data provide only fair evidence that Harriet was a daughter of Elizabeth. There are matches to Percifull descendants, through both Fauquier Tapscott and non-Fauquier lines. Although this is what we would expect if Harriet’s mother was Elizabeth, the evidence is shaky for two reasons. First, one would expect a greater number of matches.  Second, a small, somewhat isolated, community, such as Cedar Grove and Turner's District in Fauquier Co, could result in endogamy or something similar. Multiple relationships might cause Percifull matches resulting from hidden connections, and this would decrease the already small number of meaningful Percifull matches.

But additional data strengthen the conclusion that Harriet was a daughter of Elizabeth. We start with a member of the Holder line, a descendant of Robert Francis Tapscott, believed to be a child of Elizabeth Percifull and a person with the surname “Holder.” That member of the Holder line has, as far as we know, no connections with other Fauquier County Tapscotts than via Elizabeth. The Holder descendant, who has granted me permission to review DNA results, has four matches with people who are descendants of Harriet, but who have no other known connection with Elizabeth. Three of these matches involve lines through both Maria and Cordilla, but one involves only a single line through Cordelia to Harriet, for which there is a match of 9 cM. The Holder descendant is separated from Elizabeth by 5 steps, and the Cordelia descendant, by 6 steps. Thus, there are 13 degrees of separation between the two people descended from their most recent common ancestor, Elizabeth. The Holder and Harriet descendants are fifth cousins once removed. For 13 degrees of separation, we would expect the shared DNA to be 6.64 cM, which is remarkably close to the 9 cM actually observed, considering that the expected range is probably around 0 to 15 cM. Is this proof that Cordelia’s grandmother and Harriet’s mother was Elizabeth Perciful? No. There are too many things that could be wrong, particularly unknown multiple relationships. But it is strong evidence.

The other three matches of the Holder Descendant with individuals believed to be descended from Harriet through both Maria and Cordelia show shared DNA of 39 cM, 35 cM, and 36 cM; however, it is difficult to calculate how much shared DNA is expected when there are multiple relationships. It is admitted, however, that these numbers appear to be higher than expected, which would perhaps be around 13 cM, and that hints of unknown relationship paths.

At this point we are going to say that DNA evidence provides good evidence that Maria and Cordelia were, indeed, children of Harriet and grandchildren of James Tapscott and Elizabeth Perciful. But we would like more data than what are now available.

Are you a Fauquier County Tapscott (i.e., a descendant of Elizabeth Percifull, with or without the name “Tapscott”)? Do you have DNA results (autosomal, mitochondrial, or yDNA) you could share? Sharing would certainly help our Fauquier County Tapscott research, and your identity will not be divulged. If you have DNA test data on or transferrable to FamilyTreeDNA, I encourage you to join the Tapscott Project. If you have DNA data on Ancestry or MyHeritage, please consider sharing them with me (see Ancestry Sharing or MyHeritage Collaboration). (And, of course, I would be quite willing to share my results with you in return, though you would probably find them rather uninformative.) If you have DNA data on GEDmatch, I encourage you to give me your kit number (again, I will do the same for you, if requested). And, finally, I urge males, particularly those with the name "Tapscott," to take a yDNA test and females to take a mitochondrial DNA test. Both tests are available at FamilyTreeDNA though, I admit, they are a rather pricey. (No, I do not get a cut.) To discuss using your DNA test results in research, email me (address below) or leave a comment on this post. Thanks for your help, cousins.