Grant Frederick Tapscott, Genetic Genealogy

The story of Grant Frederick Tapscott was introduced on the Tapscott Family History site. Being of interest both to Wabash Valley Tapscotts and to Wabash Valley Wrights (I happen to fit in both families), the tale continues here.

Isaiah Grant Wright
(collection of Frank Helton

In a nutshell, Mary Emma Sanders of Clark County, Illinois, appears to have had a son, Grant Frederick, born out of wedlock and fathered by a Grant Wright. When Mary Emma married Joseph R. Tapscott, an offspring of Henry the Traveler, Grant Frederick took the surname “Tapscott.” We know of only one Grant Wright in Clark County, Isaiah Grant Wright, son of Richard and Joanna Ruth (Paschal) Wright. But we need proof that the two Grant Wrights are one. yDNA might provide proof (or near-proof), but so far no patrilineal descendants (all male line) of Grant Frederick Tapscott and Richard Wright have stepped forward to take yDNA tests. So we are stuck with autosomal DNA testing.

Rev. Richard Wright, c1865

(courtesy of Patrick Shade).

We now have autosomal test results from a descendant, “X,” of Grant Frederick Tapscott. As expected, X shows matches with descendants of Richard and Joanna (Paschal) Wright by lines not involving Grant Frederick. But X also shows matches with descendants of Sarah Ann Tapscott and Joseph Tapscott, even though Grant Frederick Tapscott is believed to not be a Tapscott genetic descendant. This is puzzling until we realize that there are non-Tapscott routes available for matches. That is one of the problems with autosomal DNA. Matches may come from many lines. The unexpected Tapscott matches are owed to Sanders connections, not Tapscott.

If we are correct in our premise, Grant Frederick Tapscott was descended from Mary Emma Sanders as well as Isaiah Grant Wright. Sarah Ann Tapscott, James Byron Tapscott, Thomas Tapscott, and Joseph R. Tapscott all married descendants of Francis and Mary H. (Mackey) Sanders (see “The Sanders Connection”). Thus, a descendant of Grant Frederick Tapscott, would be genetically related to descendants of these four Wabash Valley Tapscotts.

Red Borders show people descended from Francis and Mary H.  (Macke)
Sanders. Blue indicates a non-paternal event (NPE). Many, many, many
siblings, sons, and daughters have been omitted.

Three additional descendants of Grant Federick Tapscott show matches with me (apparently through my Wright connection), but with no Tapscotts not descended from Richard Wright. DNA testing done to date is consistent with Grant Frederick Tapscott being a descendant of Richard and Joanna (Paschal) Wright but not of Henry and Susan (Bass) Tapscott.