In 1761 a James Tarpley presented the Bruton Parish Church with a steeple
bell. A tablet placed in the tower confirms this gift. There were a number of
Tarpley families in eastern Virginia, and James is a very common family given
name. So the question arises as to which James Tarpley presented the bell.
The Manns in their "Camp-Kemp Family History" credit this gift to James
Tarpley, Jr. (1692-1781), grandson of John Tarpley (1625-1663), and father of
Mary Tarpley, who married John Camp (1743-1817?). This is repeated in other
publications, but to my knowledge none identified an original source. For a
number of years I searched for the original source identifying James Jr. as
the donor of the famous bell. This search has not been successful in so far
as locating that document.
However, it has lead to a conclusion in so far as I am concerned.
James Jr. and his family moved from Richmond Co., VA to Brunswick Co., VA in
1746/7 when he purchased a tract of land there (4 February 1746/47, Brunswick
Co., deed book 3, pages 293-295). He engaged in many land transactions over
the following years until 1779. He was in St. Andrew's Parish and is
mentioned in the Parish Vestry Book on a number of occasions, for example 5
November 1754 (page 56/57), 28 September 1759 (page 80), 8 April 1760 (page
86), 28 May 1764 (page 105), and 27 June 1768 (page 124). The land
transactions and the entries in the Vestry Book show a continuous presence in
Brunswick Co. until his death there about 1781. Another question arises in
view of this information. Why would a member of St. Andrews's Parish living
in Brunswick Co., some distance from Williamburg make an expensive gift to
the Bruton Parish Church?
John Tarpley (1625-1663) through his son, John, had a great grandson, James
Tarpley (1728-1764)), who became a well-known merchant in Williamsburg,
VA. His mother, Elizabeth Ripping Tarpley, and brother, Edward Ripping
Tarpley were members of the Bruton Parish Church ("Records of Bruton Parish
Church", by Dr. Wm. Aucher Rutherford), and it is reasonable to suppose James
was also a member. James never married. He died about 1764.
In view of the foregoing who is the more likely donor, James Tarpley, Jr. of
Brunswick Co. or James Tarpley of Williamsburg? I believe the donor was
James Tarpley of Williamsburg.
An addition to the research, "The Glas(s)cock - Glassco Saga", by Lawrence A.
Glassco, discovered just last week, supports my conclusion with the following
"Anne (daughter of Thomas Glascock and Anne Nichols) married Col. John
Tarpley. Their grandson, James Tarpley, was a prominent merchant of
Williamsburg and in 1761 he gave the historic bell to Bruton Parish Church
which still swings in the steeple" (81, also page 26).
Dwight Allen
28 February 2000