Fauquier County Tapscotts - Mary Frances

Marcus A. (“Mark”) Russell/Weldon/Brown.
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Mary Frances Tapscott was born to Telem and Margaret (“Peggy”) in Fauquier County on 5 Sep 1833, though one would not know that from census data. Like a lot of people, Mary Frances knocked a few years off her age in the presence of census takers.

On 4 Jun 1860, in Fauquier County, Mary Frances was wedded to “Mark Weldon.” Mark, it turns out, was born “Marcus Brown” in Fauquier County to William Russell, a white carpenter and mechanic, and Fannie Brown, a black woman. Marcus, who was William and Fannie’s oldest known child, had six known siblings, all of whom used the last name “Brown” for a while, but eventually adopted the name “Russell.” All but two of the children, Marcus and Fanny, appear with their parents in the 1860 census. Fanny, whose marriage record gives her name as “Fanny Brown (also Fanny Weldon)” is almost certainly a child of William and Fannie, not only because of her names, but because in the 1860 census, she and her husband, Albert Coram, are living just two dwellings away from William Russell.

The children of William Russell and Fanny Brown

Marcus Russell was married with the surname “Weldon,” lived for a while with his father-in-law, Telem, using the surname “Brown,” but spent most of his adult life having the surname “Russell.” The origin of the name “Weldon,” used for a while not only by Marcus but also by his sister Fanny, remains a mystery.

Marcus and Mary Frances Russell lived most or all of their married life in Cedar Run Distr, where they raised ten known Russell children: William L. (c1680–17 Oct 1883), Martha A. (5 Dec 1862–7 Aug 1938), Virginia (“Jennie,” Oct 1863–12 Sep 1900), George C. (12 Mar 1866–16 Dec 1949), Rinehart (also “Rhyne H,” c1868–15 Oct 1887), Mary Louise (c1872–28 Jul 1953), Bladen Devaughn (12 Feb 1873–28 Sep 1937), Maggie L. (15 Apr 1875–by 1880), and Drucilla (b Oct 1881). The name of the last-born child, “Drucilla,” is in doubt because it is nearly illegible in one census and is possibly given as the name of a granddaughter rather than a daughter, in another.

Telem and, presumably, William L., were named after their grandfathers. But what do you think of the auspicious names “Bladen Devaughn” and “Rinehart”? Both of these are a little questionable since they were spelled in more than one way in censuses. “Devaughn” became “Devon” or “Devan” and “Rinehart,” “Rhyne H.”

While Mark Russell was fathering kids, he was also a farmer and a carpenter, occupations that appear in censuses from 1870 to 1900. But the calling for which Mark was best known did not appear for him in a census entry until 1910, when “Minister” appears with his name. Mark Russell was a Baptist minister, possibly the first at Double Poplars Church. He was the pastor there in 1872, just two years after the church was founded. In that year he was one of five ministers at the first Council held to form the Second National Ketoctan Primitive Baptist Association (2^nd NKPBA). The 2^nd NKPBA was formed by Black churches, which split from the White 1^st NKPBA. (Before you ask, “Ketoctan” is believed to have come from the name of a stream near a Loudoun Co Baptist Church.) The first Council for formation of the new association was held at Mount Morris Primitive Baptist Church in Hume, Virginia. A church history states that Marcus and his sons had helped build the original Mount Morris church building.  Marcus eventually ending up as pastor at Mount Morris, serving from 1895 to 1915, following his stint at Double Poplars.

Mount Morris Baptist Church, Hume, Virginia.

Mark Russell is claimed to have been a great preacher, but he may have had another side. It is said he fathered a number of children with women other than his wife. In particular, with his wife’s cousin, Cordelia Tapscott. Is it true? We will come back to that when we discuss the James E. Tapscott Line, which includes Cordelia.