Lillian was the only offspring of Henry and Elizabeth (Sowers) Tapscott
who had known children–eight total from two different marriages, both of which
ended in divorce. Born 31 Jan 1890 (later records give 29 Jan 1891) in Clarke
County as “Lillie”, Lillian Sowers Tapscott moved to Baltimore, Maryland, with her
mother and siblings following her father’s death. It was presumably in Maryland that she married
John Edwin (sometimes “Edward”) Whitehead around 1907. The couple settled in
Laurel, MD next door to Lillian’s mother Elizabeth. There, the couple had six children, one of
whom died shortly after birth: Pearl E. (1908 – 5 May 1940), Mary Ethel (12 Jul
1910 – 4 Apr 1986), unnamed male infant (15 Dec 1012 – 18 Dec 1912), Mildred
Lois (25 Aug 1914 – 1 Oct 1981), Raymond Randolph (10 Jun 1917 – 10 Jan 1999),
and Dorothy Helen (12 Feb 1920 – 24 Apr 2001).
The marriage did not last. By 1920 John was back in his home county,
Anne Arundel, MD, living with his widowed father. and Lillian, claiming to be
single, was living with her children in Bowie, MD. When John Edwin Whitehead, who did not marry
again, died on 30 Oct 1940, his death certificate stated that he was divorced.
Around 1922, Lillian was married a second time, to John Randolph
Chaney. While living in Laurel, the couple had two children,  |
| Laurel
about 1940. Lillian lived on Main Street in 1940. |
Phyllis Mae (13 Sep 1922 – 30 Sep 2021) and Thomas
Howard (22 Oct 1924 – 21 Apr 1977). But like her first marriage, this one also broke
up. By 1940 Lillian was living in Laurel without her husband, John. She claimed
to be widowed, but John did not die for another five years, on 17 Mar 1945 in
Baltimore, MD. His death certificate stated that he was divorced.
Lillian, who died in February 1976, is interred in Ivy Hill
Cemetery in Laurel.
