Fauquier County Tapscotts - James and Elizabeth

In our previous blog, we looked at the origins of James E. Tapscott, the progenitor of the genetic Tapscott line of the Fauquier County Tapscotts. Now we need to link him with Elizabeth Percifull, the mother of all the Fauquier Tapscott lines.

When James E. was growing up in Lancaster Co, Virginia, also living there were the Percifulls, who were well acquainted with James’s family. On 17 Apr 1783 Elijah Percifull had secured a bond for the marriage of Susanna Tapscott, Ezekiel’s sister and James’s aunt. And around 1790, Elijah was made the executor of the estate of Joseph Dobbs, who had married Mary Schofield, future sister-in-law of Ezekiel Tapscott’s daughter Polly. Thus, it was inevitable that James Tapscott and Elijah’s daughter Elizabeth, who were about the same age, would meet. And meet they did, for on 20 Dec 1811 in Fauquier County James E. Tapscott obtained a bond to wed Elizabeth “Pearciful,” daughter of Elijah.

It is likely that James and Elizabeth traveled to Fauquier for their marriage to avoid Elizabeth’s father, Elijah, who not only disapproved of his daughter, but also had a poor opinion of James. This can be seen in Elijah's will. The will gives the full names of the husbands of Elijah's three other married daughters:

Judith who intermarried with Thomas Potts . . . Daughter Ruth who into married with William Sims . . . Nancy who intor married with Gideon Marsh

But Elizabeth was listed as

Daughter Betsey who into married with Tapscott

It was almost like Elijah didn’t know James’s name. But of course, he did. And Elijah didn’t want James to get his hands on Elizabeth’s inheritance, what little she got. So, his will states:

there is seven pounds ten Shillings to be Reducted out of my Daughter Betsey proportion for money I paid for her and the balance of her proportion to be in money and paid to her yearly as five pounds a year so long as it will last and the said Tapscott to have no power of the same and if she dies before it is gone the same to Return to the estate

The money Elijah had "paid for her" was Elizabeth's fine for bearing "two bastard children" with Richard Cundiff.

So, at the beginning of 1812, James was on his own in Fauquier County, far from home with a wife and likely a child (Telem) to support. Any inheritance he may have gotten from his father, who died over a decade earlier, had probably been used by James’s guardians for his support. And with a disapproving father, Elizabeth would certainly not be bringing money into the family. All this may explain why on 25 May 1812, less than a month before the start of the War of 1812 and just five months after he had obtained a bond to marry Elizabeth, James enlisted in the U.S. Army for a five-year term. Unlike the militia, the regular Army provided a dependable, though meagre, income.

At the time, the standing U.S. Army was small. When President James Madison and the U.S. Congress declared war with Britain on 18 Jun 1812, the army numbered less than 7000. Most of the War of 1812 was conducted by states’ militias. By war’s end, militias totaled about 470,000 men (in those days, they were all men), while the Army had expanded to just 60,000. Two other James Tapscotts served in the War of 1812, both in the Virginia Militia–James W., the son of Chichester and Betsy Ann Williams Tapscott, and James Jr., son of James Sr. and Elizabeth Davis Tapscott. Both were grandchildren of Capt. Henry Tapscott, brother of Edney, and both were second cousins of James E. Tapscott of Fauquier County. Curious about these other James Tapscotts? Get a copy of Henry the Immigrant, The First Tapscotts of Virginia and look them up.

A bounty land warrant states that James served as a private in the 5th Regiment of Infantry, which was not formed until 3 Mar 1815, after the war’s end. He is also said to have served in the Corps of Artillery, which was formed in May 1814. During his military stint, James likely served in several units.

James died in service, though not in battle or even during the war. His service in the 5th Regiment had to be after the war. James may have died a long ways from home. In 1816, the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment was stationed in the Upper Midwest of the United States. And he died young, no older than 27. He was deceased by 23 June 1817, when Elizabeth posted a bond in Fauquier County for guardianship of their daughter. He was also shown as deceased when a bounty land warrant was issued in 2 Jul (or 9 Jul, two dates are given) 1817. His death likely occurred in 1816 or 1817.

It was now Elizabeth who was on her own, with soon three kids to support—Telem, Harriet, and Robert Francis. And who was Robert Francis? Wait and see.