Malina Hedgeman Bailey

Malina (myCentralJersey.com)

I was saddened to hear of the death of Malina Hedgeman Bailey (Courier News, Somerville, New Jersey, Thu 10 Dec 2015). Although she lived most of her life in New Jersey, Malina was related to the Tapscotts of Buckingham County, Virginia, specifically the line originating from Thomas Cobbs Tapscott and Amanda Davis [post of 5 Jan 2013]. Others connected to this line, but only by marriage, not by blood, were entertainer Bill Cosby and Eugene Charles Allen, whose life (with poetic license) was portrayed in the Hollywood movie, “The Butler” [post of 15 Aug 2015]. 

Malina was the granddaughter of Sarah ("Sarah Ladaan"?), wife of George Thomas Tapscott Sr. I once thought that Malina was descended from Sarah's first marriage with Robert Hubard, but (thanks to Malina's daughter, Ora) I now believe that is not correct.  Robert reportedly died in Sep 1880, well before the birth of any of Sarah Ladaan's known children - Addison Wilmington, Nannie E., John A., Sarah Malina, and George Thomas Jr. DNA studies indicate that Sarah Malina, and presumably the other children, were probably offspring of George Thomas Tapscott.

Buckingham County, where Malina was born, was one of Virginia’s “burned counties.” In Feb 1869, the courthouse, containing virtually all of the county’s records since its 1761 founding, went up in flame and Buckingham county historians have been immersed in murky waters ever since. For some time I have corresponded with Malina’s daughter, Ora Bailey-Hill, a well-known educator, writer, social activist, and genealogist (with DNA interests). Ora has helped me immensely in lifting a little of the fog from the Buckingham County Tapscotts and their connections. And that is how I learned of Malina.

Thomas Cobbs Tapscott, George Thomas Tapscott, and Eugene Charles Allen

     A blog of 5 Jan 2013 told of Thomas Cobbs Tapscott of Buckingham County, Virginia, who, with Amanda Davis, is believed to have had two mixed-race children, Amanda Lee Davis and George Davis (later adopting the name “George Thomas Tapscott”). The blog noted that Amanda had a connection with Bill Cosby, a person of some notoriety, these days not all good. But her brother, George Thomas Tapscott Sr,. also had a connection with someone of some notoriety, this time all good. The story follows:

     George Thomas Tapscott Sr., was born in August 1864, although he cannot be found in the 1870 census. By 1900, he had changed his name from “Davis” to “Tapscott,” the name he used the rest of his life. Sometime between 1900, when she was listed in a census as George’s housekeeper, and 1910, when she was listed as his wife, Sarah L. Hubard and George were married. Previously married to Robert Hubard, who died early, Sarah had five known children, all probably the offspring of George Thomas Tapscott Sr.—Addison Wilmington, Nannie E., John A., Sarah Malina Ladaan, and George Thomas Jr., the last born 22 Aug 1900.

Unmarked stone at right of that for Thomas Cobbs Tapscott
in the George Nicholas Tapscott Family Cemetery is believed
to be for his son George Sr. (photo by Jeremy Winfrey)

     About 1929, George Thomas Jr. married Kate Allen, one of ten or eleven surviving children of Albert and Sophia Allen. Born into slavery, Albert and Sophia were illiterate. Thus census ages (and, therefore, birth years) for them and their children vary widely and are highly questionable. Kate (sometimes, “Katie”) Allen was born 20 Feb 1904 (SSDI), almost certainly in Buckingham County. In 1910 and 1920 she was living with her parents and some of her siblings in the Slate River District of Buckingham, in the northeastern part of the county.

Eugene Charles Allen

    George Jr. and Kate farmed in Albemarle County, near Scottsville. George died 23 Oct 1991 and Kate died 23 Mar 1998, probably in Washington, DC, where they had been living. The location of their graves is unknown.

     Although Kate and George had no children as a couple, Kate had two sons, Eugene Charles and Geater, from an earlier relationship. The boys never lived with their mother, residing instead with their aunt and uncle, Charles and Susan Brown.

     Born in a log cabin on 14 Jul 1919, a time of harsh segregation, Eugene achieved fame. In 1943 he married Helene Arnetta Lee and nine years later joined the White House staff as pantry man. There his career lasted more than thirty years, during which time he served eight presidents, from Harry S. Truman to Ronald Reagan, and worked his way up to maître d’. Eugene passed away 31 March 2010. At his funeral the minister declared, “Now, it's true that some tried to stigmatize his job, that of a butler. But Eugene Allen raised it to a level of excellence. It was as if Eugene knew the way to be exalted was through humility.” Numerous biographies are available for Eugene. Perhaps the best is that in the memorial booklet, “A Life Well Lived” distributed at his funeral.

     A movie, “The Butler,” inspired by Eugene’s life in the White House, was released 16 October 2013. Unfortunately, for dramatic effect, much of Eugene’s story and even his name was changed. A straightforward version would have been much more interesting.

Thomas Cobb Tapscott's Buckingham County Land

Today I received an email from Paige Anderson, a J. D. candidate at the University of Virginia School of Law and Executive Editor of the Virginia Law Review, providing information on what became of the land Thomas Cobb Tapscott left to his children Amanda Davis and George T. Tapscott. Here is her email in full:

I posted on your blog the other week about Thomas Tapscott’s land in Buckingham County, VA; sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you, but I was out of town and just pulled out my notes.

As I know you know, Thomas left land for George and Amanda on his death – 60 acres and 34 acres, respectively.   George died intestate.  The property went to his children and their spouses: George T. Tapscott, Jr. & Kate Allen Tapscott, Adson W. Tapscott, Nannie T. Berkely & Fletcher Berkely, and Malina T. Fields.  The land was not divided, and on Jan 21, 1966, the children sold it to C. Douglas Branch & Clayton C. Bryant.  There are two other transactions after that, but they were essentially paper transactions (or so it appears, because the names on them are of land dealers in the area).  My husband’s late father acquired that tract in 1991.  The deed still refers to it as the George T. Tapscott tract.

Amanda inherited 34 acres, but it was not recorded until 1890.  She and her husband, Enoch, both died intestate; Gay O. Parsons and Edna Parsons Cosby were the heirs.  In 1979-1980, there was a suit, Cosby v. Parsons, in Buckingham County Circuit court regarding the disposition of the land.  I only have the deed resulting from this suit, not any of the court papers.  The deed transferred the 34 acres (as well as 46 acre parcel acquired separately) to Roland & Sharon Parson and Travis & Wanda Parson.  The owners of the 34  acres had been: Gay O. Parsons (1/2) & Dorothy Robinson (1/8), George E. Cosby (1/8), Zack Cosby (1/8), and Edna Taylor (1/8).  [I think I’m correct on this] This deed specifically refers to the 34 acres as being placed in the Buckingham County books in 1890 under the name Amanda Tapscott.  (Which is interesting – this is the only place I have ever seen her using the name Tapscott, not Davis prior to her marriage).  In 1998, Travis & Wanda Parson sold the land to C. Douglas Branch.  (I’m not sure what happened to Roland & Sharon’s share—they may taken land on the 46 only?)  My husband’s father purchased the land a few months later.

I hope this information is helpful to you!

Thomas Cobbs Tapscott, Amanda Davis, and Bill Cosby

I just received the following note on Facebook from Robert J. Tapscott, Great Grandson of George Nicholas. and Ann Ethyl (Scruggs) Tapscott (and Great Grandnephew of Thomas Cobbs Tapscott)

re Black Tapscotts possible link in Buckingham: There was a black man named George Tapscott in Buckingham in the 1930s. A possible link might be Thomas C Tapscott, a brother of George Nick, who was never married but willed some land to a black woman and her offspring???

Since my comments are a little lengthy, I thought I would put them here.

Coleman and Samuel Cosby were children of
Zacharia and Louisa Crosby

Thomas Cobbs Tapscott founded a large line of mixed-race descendants. Never legally married, Thomas is believed to have fathered two children, Amanda Lee Davis and George Davis (who later adopted the name “George Thomas Tapscott” ), probably with Amanda Davis, a black cook living in nearby Maysville Township.  The two children, born around 1864, were living with Thomas (Amanda as a servant and Gorge as a farmhand) at the time of the 1880 census.  Thomas’s 9 November 1881 will left some land to “Amanda J. Davis,” probably the daughter rather than the mother.  Thomas’s grave, birth date 14 February 1814, death date 6 May 1882,  lies on or near his father George’s land on Rock Island Creek.  The plot contains a second stone with no markings.

Of particular interest is that Amanda, the daughter, married Enoch L. Parson. In 1900 she and her husband were living in Buckingham County, Virginia, and had taken in as a boarder her first cousin once removed, Napoleon Bonaparte Tapscott (grandson of George Tapscott Sr.). This possibly surprising connection helps verify Amanda's relationship to the Tapscott family.

Perhaps of even greater interest is that Amanda and Enoch's daughter Edna E. Parson married Coleman Vernon Cosby, great uncle of the well-known entertainer Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby (See Johni Cerny," From Maria to Bill Cosby: A Case Study in Tracing Black Slave Ancestry," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol 75, No. 1, pp. 5-14.) Thus we Tapscotts are connected to Bill Cosby, but not by blood since Cosby is descended from Coleman Vernon's brother Samuel not from Vernon Coleman.

Some of this appears in the second edition of my book, perhaps I will include all of it.