This site has discussed at length
the Fauquier County Tapscotts and the potentials and difficulties in using DNA
to confirm and unravel connections (13 Jan 2015, 15 Jan 2013, 17 May 2013, 13
Mar 2014, 30 Mar 2014, 21 Jul 2016, and others). DNA results are starting to
roll in from Fauquier County Tapscott descendants and we are now faced with the
problem of interpreting the data. A major problem is the
reliabilities of published family trees for Elizabeth Percifull (also "Purcifull"), believed
to be the progenitor of all Fauquier Tapscotts. A number of trees have been
published showing that Elizabeth was a daughter of Elijah Percifull and
Elizabeth Carter (almost certainly true), and that her mother was a daughter of John
Carter and Sarah Kenyon or Thomas Charles Carter and Elizabeth Sarah Morgan (false,
as we shall see).
Elijah Percifull is known to have
had at least thirteen children (Polly C., Judith Tayloe, Elizabeth, Neddy,
Caty, Thomas, Robert, Ruth, Sarah, Rebeccah, John Y., Nancy, and Edward) and
probably four wives with uncertain marriage dates (in likely order of
date, Winifred Wildey, Caty Yerby, Elizabeth “Betsy” Carter, and Elizabeth
Rivers Davis). It is difficult to assign children to mothers; however, record dates provide strong evidence that Elizabeth Carter was
the mother of Elizabeth Percifull, who was born around 1790.
We know little of Elijah’s
origins, other than that he was the son of Thomas Percifull and Letitia, the
widow of William Parler ("Parter," "Partor") and had a brother Elisha.
 |
| George Carter's 1789 deposition |
We know more about Elizabeth
Carter, whose origins are revealed in a Lancaster County Chancery Court record
and are confirmed in several Lancaster County estate divisions. In 1789, Elijah
and his wife, Elizabeth, were sued by Elizabeth’s brother, George Carter, over
an inheritance from his father, who had died intestate. George’s court
deposition specifically states that
“your Orator George
Carter of the said County That Your Orator is the Son of William Carter late of
this County decd who Departed this Life on or about the [blank] day of [blank]
in the year [blank] Intestate, leaving his Widow your Orator's mother and three
children To wit William, since dead, your Orator, and Elizabeth now the Wife of
Elijah Percifull … and Daniel Carter your Orator's Grandfather on the fathers
side.”
George felt
that he had been cheated out of his fair portion of his father’s estate (primarily slaves) “by
Connivance” of Elijah and “by pretense” of Elijah’s marriage with his sister.
George won the suit because the Percifulls failed to make a court appearance. Interesting, but of no significance to the present study, is the fact that James Tapscott, son of Capt, Henry, was one of those assigned to inventory the slaves under dispute.
Thus, court
records prove
(don’t you love that word?) that Elizabeth Carter, wife of Elijah Percifull,
was a daughter of neither John Carter and Sarah Kenyon, nor Thomas Charles
Carter and Elizabeth Sarah Morgan. She was a daughter of William Carter and granddaughter of Daniel Carter, who are the actual ancestors of the Fauquier County Tapscotts.
