Fauquier County Tapscotts - What’s in a name?

 

Bertha Mae’s letter requesting a name change, if needed.

While working on a history of the Fauquier County Tapscotts, I ran across Marion Douglas Tapscott,  a great granddaughter and also a great great granddaughter of Elizabeth Percifull, founder of the clan. Why two relationships? Because Marion’s parents, Walter Wallace and Bertha Mae, were both Tapscotts, a case of cousins marrying, or in this case first cousins twice removed marrying. Now this is not what intrigued me about Marion. It was her name. How in the world did she get what most would consider a male name? The answer is simple, and oh so lovely, at least most of it.

The Department of Health Response.

When Marion was born, in 1916, her mother, Bertha Mae, was, in her own words, “very ill.” The doctor in attendance at the birth, who helped Bertha through the difficult time, was Morton Douglas, a Fauquier Co physician. Since he was so much help, it was decided to name the new born girl “Marion Douglas” after the doctor’s wife. But the birth certificate was accidently submitted with the child’s original name, “Florence.”

Years later, in 1944, concerned that the birth certificate might have mistakenly given the name “Florence,” rather than the name “Marion,” which her daughter had used throughout her life, Bertha Mae wrote the Registrar of Vital Statistics, to change the name, if needed, to “Marion Douglas Tapscott.” The name “Florence” was struck out and the requested name inserted.

But there is one more part of our tale, the unlovely part. Take a careful look at the registrar's signature on the Department of Health letter -- “W. A. Plecker.” That’s right, the rabid racist author of Virginia’s   “Racial Integrity Act of 1924.

“Florence” struck out and “Marion Douglas” inserted.

”

Capt. Henry Line - The Fate of the Schooner Fair American

 

On 8 Feb 1819 the Alexandria Gazette reported the loss of the schooner Fair American on a voyage from Fredericksburg to New York with a cargo of wheat and flour. And the report included the tale of the mishap related by the ship's occupants, one of them a great grandson of Henry The Immigrant:

“On the 20^th of January, (instant,) 20 minutes before 8 P. M. we had the misfortune to run ashore on Absecum Bar, on the Jersey side of the Delaware Bay, and after making every exertion to get off, but without success, we turned our attention to the means of preserving our lives—At 12 o’clock at night the vessel bilged and filled, when we (7 in number, including Mr. James V. Fraser, a passenger) secured ourselves on the quarter-deck suffering all the horrors of an awful ship-wreck. At about 2 in the morning the schooner severed at the break of the quarter deck, when little remained to us but the assurance of a watery grave. The quarter deck, however, holding together, a ray of hope dawned from the reflection that this our last resting place, might remain entire until the return of day, when some friendly sail might snatch us from impending destruction. About the dawn of day, our sufferings were for a moment mitigated by he sight of a sail, with an old shir attached to an oar, we made a signal to attract their attention; but from the heaviness of the weather and increasing thickness of the fog, they soon disappeared to our view, perhaps without having observed our signal of distress. At this moment, hope seemed to abandon us forever, but in a short time the fog began to dissipate, the land became visible, and discovered to us the welcome sight of some vessels, which had made a harbor, about two miles distant—we also saw some persons walking on the beach, but soon discovered that they were much more intent on saving the ruins of our vessel and cargo for their own benefit, than on procuring the means of rescuing us from our perilous situation.—Some of the crews of the vessels in the harbor, seeing our deplorable condition, came with great difficulty to our relief, and conveyed us to their vessels, where we were received with the greatest kindness and treated in a manner which merits our eternal gratitude.

“Having lost every thing except what we had on our backs, the benevolence of these strangers it may be supposed was a cordial to our bosoms. But while we acknowledge with hearts overflowing with thankfulness, the good offices of these our seafaring brethren, we want language sufficiently strong to depict the base and inhuman conduct of some of the inhabitants of Absecum and the adjacent country, who although apprised of our misfortunes and destitute situation, refused even to deliver up our cloathing which they had picked up on the beach, after it had drifted on shore, and treated us in other respects so much like savages, that we had just reason to believe, that but for the humanity and generosity of the masters and crews of the vessels in the harbor, we should have been abandoned to all the horrors of shipwreck, on a coast where the claims of humanity were stifled by the sordid and unmanly consideration of self aggrandizement. 

E. L. B . TAPSCOTT, one third owner.

BENJAMIN GEORGE, Master.

JAMES V. FRASER, passenger.

And the CREW of the Fair American

And who was E. L. B. Tapscott? He was Ellis L. B. Tapscott (middle names unknown), son of Rawleigh and Ann (Shearman) Tapscott and grandson of Capt. Henry Tapscott. We have met him once before in this Blog as a purchaser of half interest in the schooner Dispatch from his uncle Martin Shearman (Chicanery, Monday, August 25, 2014). Although he escaped from the shipwreck, Ellis was soon deceased, dying by 20 May 1822, when a bond was issued to administer Ellis's estate. Ellis, seemingly a well-to-do business man, died young, less than forty years old, without widow or descendants.

The ship’s master, Benjamin George, was probably Ellis’s second cousin, son of first cousins Nicholas Lawson George and Susanna Tapscott. Benjamin and Ellis had the same great grandmother, Ann Edney. And not only were they related, the two had served in the same regiment and company during the War of 1812.

Tapscott Project

Here is an update on the Tapscott Project at FamilyTreeDNA.

Most Tapscotts in the United States can be assigned to one of two major lines, one originating in Lancaster and Northumberland counties, Virginia, and the other, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The progenitor of the Virginia Tapscotts was Henry Tapscott (Henry the Immigrant), born in 1685, probably in or near Somerset County, England, and emigrating as a teenager to Virginia in 1700 (1699 Julian calendar). The New Jersey Tapscotts possibly originated from William Tapscott (William the Rebel), a rebel in the Monmouth Rebellion, from Devon, England, who was transported as a prisoner to Jamaica around 1686 and is believed to have emigrated to New Jersey around 1691. Note, however, that the earliest documented New Jersey Tapscott was not William the Rebel but James Tapscott (b abt 1690) and William Tapscott (b 1718), believed (but not proven) to be descendants of the Rebel. Extensive genealogical research has been done on the Virginia Tapscotts, who later spread into North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Less research has been done on the New Jersey Tapscotts, many of whom later ended up in Ohio.

Despite an abundance of classical (non-genetic) genealogical research, particularly for the Virginia group, many questions remain that seem insoluble using classical methods. Specific problems involve Tapscott groups who separated in England, in many cases before good records were available, to go to separate countries and separate U.S. regions. A major question is that male Tapscotts show close yDNA matches with persons having the name Bowling/Bolling/Bolin/Bolding. Could the split have occurred in England, possibly before last names became common. It is hoped that DNA testing will help answer some of these questions.

The Tapscott Project emphasizes y-DNA testing (tracing paternal ancestry) using STRs (short tandem repeats), but also considers autosomal test results. It is possible that mitochondrial studies will one day be included; however, the use of mtDNA to show Tapscott relationships would be, at best, difficult.

Below are listed the questions to be answered by the DNA studies of the Tapscott project.

Questions

1. Are the New Jersey/Ohio and Virginia Tapscotts related? (There is some belief that William Tapscott the Rebel may have been the father of Henry the Immigrant, or at least a close relative.)

2. Are one or both groups related to present-day Exmoor-area Tapscotts?

3. Are the U.S. Tapscotts related to the sizeable groups in both Canada and Australia

4. Classical genealogical research has shown three main branches of Virginia Tapscotts descended from the three sons of Henry the Immigrant--Edney, Capt. Henry, and James. Can we confirm this?

5. What is the connection between the Bowling/Bolling/Bolin/Bolding Family and the Tapscott Family?

Who Can Join the Tapscott Project?

Any descendent of a person having the Tapscott surname, or a variant thereof (e.g., Tabscott, Tapscot), is encouraged to join. In addition persons having close DNA matches with Tapscotts are also invited to join.

How Do I Get Started?

The following website provides information on joining the project. Tapscott - Background | FamilyTreeDNA

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Elizabeth's Children - Edmond/Edward Tapscott

One of the children of Elizabeth (Percifull) Tapscott is claimed to be named “Edmond Abraham Tapscott,” but we some problems with this.

1. Contemporary records show his name as “Edward” as often as “Edmond.” But that is a minor problem.

2. The middle name “Abraham” is found only in family trees, not in a single reliable record. (Does anyone know how this name arose?)

3. Edmond/Edward Tapscott is found in the 1850 census, living with his mother, Elizabeth, and his siblings, including Harriet. And he is found in the 1870 census as a married man. But Edmond/Edward cannot be found in the 1860 census -- at least until recently (see below). The 1860 census, however, does show a John Tapscott living with Harriet. 

Because Harriet and John are found together in the 1860 census, it has been assumed that they were mother and son. But Elizabeth had died by this time and it is likely that her unmarried children would be living together. Moreover, if John was Harriet’s son, why does he not appear with her in the 1850 census? The 1860 census, the only place John is found, he has an age corresponding to a birth year of about 1829, very near to that of Edmond/Edward, whose grave marker shows a birthdate of 3 Sep 1828. (Census data indicate a birth year for Edmond/Edward between 1827 and 1831.)

I once proposed that Edmond/Edward Tapscott and John Tapscott were one and the same. That Harriet had no son named “John.” Either the 1860 census enumerator had made an error in the name, as all too often happens, or Edmond/Edward’s middle name was “John” not “Abraham.” This nicely explains John's seeming absence in the 1850 census and in other records, and nicely explains Edmond/Edward's seeming absence in the 1860 census. 

But it turns out that I was wrong, wrong, wrong about John and Edmond/Edward. Edmond/Edward is found in the District of Columbia 1860 census, as "Edward Tapscoe" (a spelling he often used) living with 3-year-old "Mahaly A. Tapscoe," presumably a daughter from Edmond's first marriage to Frances Hughs (who was apparently deceased by 1860). A 10-year-old Nancy A. "Hues" in the household is probably a relative of Frances.

And who was the John Tapscott in the 1860 census? It is beginning to look like he was one of Cordelia's paramours and that "Tapscott" was just an assumed last name. But I am still working on that.

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Elizabeth's Children, the Tapscott Lines

Elizabeth Percifull (c1790 - c1855) had a large number of male companions, both before and after her short marriage with James E. Tapscott, who died young, around age 30. Her many descendants comprise the Tapscotts of Fauquier Co, Virginia. Below is my working chart showing origins of the various lines. Is it correct? Probably not. That's why I call it a "working chart." There is very good evidence for the twins from her union with Richard Cundiff. Though we don't know what became of them. There is excellent evidence for Harriet being a daughter of James Tapscott, though many people believe otherwise. There is good DNA evidence for Robert Francis Tapscott being the son of a "Holder," though the evidence that it was Taliaferro Holder is weak. There is fair evidence for William Tapscott being a descendant of a "Phil Tapscott" though we know little about Phil, except that his birth name was almost certainly not "Tapscott." The other unions, particularly that involving Plato (who may not have even existed) are somewhat questionable. But this chart is a start. Now let's see if we can prove or disprove portions. Maybe we can name the "Unknown" partner, or more likely partners. But I need your help is doing so. Don't be afraid to criticize. I have very thick skin. But try to provide evidence. Trees produced by others without sources, are not evidence. And if you are a male descendant of Elizabeth or Harriett with the name "Tapscott," your yDNA might provide names or connections for the unknown(s).

Are you A Fauquier Co Tapscott descendant? Which is your line?

Fauquier County Tapscotts - Elizabeth’s Children

Those I often term “Fauquier County [Virginia] Tapscotts” are not all descended from a male Tapscott. But they are all descendants of Elizabeth Percifull, either through her 1811 marriage to James E. Tapscott, son of Ezekiel, or through relationships with others, which produced children she named "Tapscott." Those not descended from James sometimes express disappointment since they feel they cannot claim Revolutionary War soldier ancestry.  (Ezekiel Tapscott was a Colonial soldier.) But that is not true. In fact all Fauquier County Tapscotts (or descendants thereof) are DAR- or SAR-eligible, for Elizabeth’s father, Elijah, was a Revolutionary War combatant. On 17 Jun 1779 Elijah signed an oath as an ensign (the lowest ranking military officer) in the Lancaster Militia.(1) The war would continue for well over two more years.

(1) John Hastings Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, 1775-1783, The Dietz Press, Richmond Virginia, 1938, p. 617.

The Edney Line - Palace Revisited

When I spoke of Palace Tapscott, great grandmother of Horace Tapscott, in my previous blog, I stated “we will probably never know Palace's origins with any certainty.” We may be coming closer. Terry Bullock, a family history collaborator, who has been of immense help to me over the years, has found a delayed birth certificate for Valentine Tapscott, one of Palace and James R. Tapscott’s ten children. Not all the information in the certificate is trustworthy since the document was created in 1941, sixty-eight years after Valentine's birth and over three decades after the deaths of Palace and James. Nevertheless, that the information was supplied by sons John and Valentine provides some reliability. The certificate states that James R. Tapscott’s full name was “James Robert Tapscott,” very likely since his father was "Robert Tapscott." More important is that the certificate gives Palace’s maiden name as “Palace Matilda Pettus.” Now that’s very interesting since in Kemper Co, Mississippi, where James Robert Tapscott had lived in 1850 before moving to Washington Co, Texas, were three families with the slightly unusual name “Pettus,” and all three owned slaves. (In Ancestry.com the name in the 1850 Slave Schedule is incorrectly transcribed “Petters.”). One slave owner, J. J. Pettus, owned 24 slaves. J. J. Pettus was “John Jones Pettus,” who would twice be the governor of Mississippi, once when the state seceded from the Union.

It is not unlikely that Palace was once a slave of a Kemper Co Pettus family, was sold to the Tapscotts, and was taken with the Tapscotts to Washington Co, Texas, during the 1850s. As was noted earlier, an 1860 slave schedule for Washington Co shows one of the Tapscott slaves to have been a female, age 20, the exact age expected for Palace at the time. At some point Palace may have assumed or been given the name of her former slave owner. John Jones Pettus is known to have spent some time in Alabama, where Palace claims to have been born. J. J. spent his childhood in Limestone Co, Alabama, and studied law in Sumter Co, Alabama.