Thomas M. Tapscott

Henry and Elizabeth’s last known child, Thomas, was born 20 Nov 1894 in Berryville, VA. His SS card , WW I draft card, and cemetery marker give a birth year of 1894; however, his WWII draft registration card and the 1900 census give a year of birth of 1895.

A possible confusion is that another Thomas Tapscott was also born in Berryville, also in November, and around the same year. Thomas Gold Tapscott was born 14 Nov 1896 (or 1892, or 1893) to William Cabell Reeves Tapscott. The unusual middle name may have come from a relative since several Clarke County residents had the surname “Gold.” Thomas Gold was a member of the James line of Virginia Tapscotts and was not one of the Fauquier County Tapscotts.

Uncle Tom's Marker

Unlike many of his siblings, Thomas apparently led a rather boring life. We say apparently because he drops out of sight for twenty-two years, between 1920 and 1942, times he was living in Laurel, MD. Thomas started life working as a cotton mill doffer in 1910 and ended up an automobile mechanic. He never married, dying 19 Aug 1995 and leaving no known descendants. Thomas is buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery, where his mother and several of his siblings were laid to rest. His marker is inscribed with “Uncle Tom” and was probably erected by the family of his sister Lillian, with whom he lived for a while. The family called him “Tommy.”