Fauquier County Tapscotts - Henry Kerfoor and Herbert Tapscott

Two of Henry C. and Elizabeth's children led rather dull lives, dull, that is, compared to their siblings. 

Henry Kerfoot Tapscott

Henry was born in Clarke Co, VA, on 23 Sep1884, although his birth record, which may have been prepared well after his birth, gives a date of 4 Nov. His middle name, “Kerfoot,” is almost certainly a family name. There were a number of Kerfoots (or should we say “Kerfeet”) in Clarke County, and several marriages between the Kerfoot and Sower families.

Berryville High School, where Henry Kerfoot’s life almost ended.

On 9 Dec 1897 while Kerfoot (the name he used at the time) was attending Berryville High School, he was struck by a brick during a fight with another student. The wound was serious enough that there was concern that it might be fatal. One wonders if the head injury led to mental problems since Henry never married and the 1930 census claimed he could neither read nor write. Of course, census enumerators are notorious for entering incorrect data. Moreover, in 1930 Henry was working as a truck driver, an unlikely occupation for someone with a serious brain injury.

In 1900, Henry was living with his mother and siblings in Baltimore, MD, while working as a cotton weaver. He, of course, had dropped out of school as had his brothers and sisters. In 1910, he was working as a farm laborer while living with his mother in Laurel, MD. We last see Henry as a lodger in Savage, MD, where he is driving a truck for a contractor. Henry Kerfoot Tapscott is not found in the 1940 census, nor in any other record after 1930. He had no known descendants.

Photo by Dick Belle, 2026

Herbert C. Tapscott

Born 10 Apr 1887, based on the age on his gravestone, Herbert died as an infant of typhoid fever near Millwood, Clarke Co, VA, 26 Mar 1889. He was laid to rest in Green Hill Cemetery, Berryville, VA.