Email From Gary Aden to Gary Aden
Email Dated 5/10/2001   

                      TARPLEY

                   Fifth Degree Twig

Nearest Ancestor: James Tarpley, Jr.-actually, in retrospect, James
II(5/8/1692 North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia-5/28/1781
Brunswick County, Virginia), 5th great grandfather, married 1/5/1733-34
in King & Queen County, Virginia to Mary OLDHAM(6/25/1712 North Fanham
Parish, Richmond, Virginia- 1781 96th District, South Carolina),
daughter of John Oldham and Sarah HOWE, / James I/ John
Old World Roots, Immigration, and New World Settlement: John Tarpley was
born 1625 in Yorkshire, England and   arrived in Charles City, Virginia
about 1650. He settled in Old Rappahannock County(later Richmond County)
Virginia. He married Mary( ? ?- ? ?). Historians do not know this wife's
maiden name, but they note that she remarried Captain William Barber in
1690.  The John Tarpley couple had two children, James and John.
James Tarpley, Sr. or I(1657 Richmond County, Virginia-7/27/1713
Richmond County, Virginia) married 1687 at North Farnham Parish Mary
BIDDLECOMBE(1669 Settlingbourne Parish, Old Rappahannock County,
Virginia-12/17/1718 Richmond County, Virginia), daughter of James
Biddlecombe( ? ?- 1687 Virginia) and Mary BRASSIEUR Biddlecombe( 1645 ?-
1713 Richmond County, Virginia). Her father was Robert Brassieur( ? ?- ?
?). James Tarpley was a Captain in the Virginia Militia of officers in
1698. The couple had eight children, the third of which was James
Tarpley, Junior(See above). James Tarpley, II, and his wife, Mary Oldham
Tarpley had twelve children, four of whom married spouses with the
surname of CAMP including our direct ancestor, their eighth child, Mary
"Minnnie" Tarpley Camp(10/30/1740 North Farnham Parish, Richmond County,
Virginia-8/13/1789 96th District, South Carolina), who married John
Camp( 1743 Culpepper County, Virginia-12/24/1817 Jackson County,
Georgia). James Tarpley II was a prominent figure in the colonial
period, but  was in his retirement years during the Revolutionary War
itself. He was proprietor of Tarpley's Store which still stands on
Governor Square at Colonial Williamsburg. He is famed for his
presentation of the Bell to the Burton Parish Church, Williamsburg,
Virginia in 1761(according to "Records of Burton Parish  Church" by
Dr.William Archer Rutherford). A tablet placed in the tower of the
church has the following inscription: "THE GIFT OF JAMES TARPLEY TO
BURTON PARISH 1761"  engraved on the bell in the tower. Both the store
and the church where the leaders of the Revolution(Washington,
Jefferson, John Jay and many others) worshiped are tourist attractions
today!

      Recently, Mary Oldham Tarpley has acquired some fame as the object
of genealogical curiosity. Because of a mistake by a family source, the
wife of James Tarpley, Jr., had been incorrectly listed as Mary Campe or
Mary Camp. Like many genealogical miscues, it found its way into other
source documents and publications. An article entitled "Who was Mary,
wife of James Tarpley of Richmond and Brunswick Counties, Virginia?" by
Margaret T. MacDonald, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, published in the
Virginia Genealogist, Volume 37, Number 1, Jan.-Mar., 1993 set the
record straight.

      One can only speculate on the traumatic effect public
embarrassment upon the accusation of treason and subsequent finding of
guilty in the case of their son-in-law, John Camp, if they ever knew.
Based upon the chronology and the time of their demise(1781), it is
unlikely they were aware of this development. On the other hand, they
could have died without having the opportunity to learn that the
conviction was reversed by a higher court and no property was ever
confiscated as was the usual penalty for collaboration with the British.
Nonetheless, the whole incident, involving a similar kind of situation
for Thomas Camp III as well, was probably  very emotionally trying for
the whole Tarpley family what with all the Camp intermarriages comingled
with the Tarpleys' close business and personal relationships to the
leaders of the Revolution. I hope to have the  opportunity to learn of
the existence of family association, reunion and publication activity in
the future so that I can satisfy my curiosity on these matters as well
as learn more about this very prominent colonial family in the future.
Related Twigs: OLDHAM, CAMP, BIDDLECOMBE, BRASSIEUR, HOWE

Gary Carl Aden 5/9/01