Telem's Estate

When Telem Plato died in 1863, he left a considerable estate—considerable considering the time and circumstances. He was, after all, the son of an enslaved coachman and Virginia was on the verge of rebellion, with plans to put Yankees and black people in their place.

The personal property inventory (household goods and furniture, farm implements, livestock) ran to four pages and its sale brought $974.12. According to the record of the 17 Mar 1866 estate sale, purchasers included Robt Plato, Ann V. Plato, Telem Plato, Mack Plato, Elisabeth Plato, and Nancy Plato. The Coachman’s grandchildren had taken, or been given, the surname “Plato,” at least for a while, though they would soon go back to “Tapscott.”

Combined with cash on hand of $11.00, the sale proceeds showed a value of $985.12 ($18,109 in 2022 dollars) for Telem Plato’s estate, excluding real estate. And Telem did have real estate, valued at $200 in 1860, which was presumably passed down to his children.

Telem Plato's Children

The eleven children for whom there is evidence are all listed in the 1860 Fauquier Co census for the Telem and Peggy “Pearson” household. Even with the presumably incorrect surname, this record is particularly useful since it is likely that the children are listed in birth order, despite what might be found for their ages in other sources. The birth years for the children are remarkably varied in the various available records, probably because most were illiterate, as were their parents. The children order in the chart below is based on the 1860 census. The names and birth and death dates are compiled from multiple records and are subject to change as new records are found.

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