Taylor Surname

George Taylor was born circa 1760's, possibly in Scotland. He died circa 1801 ⁴.

According to various internet sources, some researchers think that George was the son of Colonel George Taylor of Orange County, Virginia, either by his first wife Rachel Gibson or second wife Sarah Taliaferro Conway. In actuality, this claim is based on no logical evidence, other than similarities in names and dates. We do not know who our George Taylor's parents were.

According to family history, George was born in Scotland, but came to the United States as a young man, later being joined by an uncle, who was a lawyer. According to family tradition, George was a small store owner before his immigration to America. After arrival, he settled in New York state, where he was probably married in about 1790 to Susannah Gould/Gold. The couple settled in Ovid Township, Seneca County, New York. They had several children, but only the names of 2 are known: James (see next generation) and Mary. George was a Presbyterian and apparently had "sandy" colored hair.

Considering his history as a store owner, George was apparently not suited to farming and clearing land. He had heard stories that at the time (late 1700s) the Ohio River valley was "the land of opportunity." In 1796, George abandoned or sold his farm in New York and with his family, moved out west, settling in what is now Cincinnati, Ohio. George was said to have been moderately successful in a trading business on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers between Cincinnati and New Orleans. In 1801, George left his family to go back east on a trip to retrieve some of his horses and stock that he had left behind. He never returned to his family in Ohio and left no indication of where he had gone. His widow eventually left Ohio to try to find her husband, eventually hearing word that he had drowned on his way to or from New York.

Father: James Gold/Gould
Mother: Martha* Webster

According to Taylor family history, when Susannah's husband never returned from his trip back east, she left her younger children in Cincinnati and left with the older ones on a trip to New York to look for her husband. After finding word that her husband had died, she then continued on to New York to try to regain their land and found that it had been taken from them. The story then indicates that she gave up her children for adoption and then moved to Pennsylvania to live with relatives, where she died.

In reality, Susannah did return to New York - but she remarried to John Roberts in about 1803 and continued living in Ovid, New York (where she had previously lived with George Taylor. (In 1800, John Roberts was enumerated next to her parents and must have been a neighbor). John and Susannah had 5 children and lived together in Ovid, New York. In January 1810, they sold their land in Ovid. In the 1810 census, they might have been the John Roberts household enumerated in Junius in Seneca County, New York. They probably did not move west until 1811, when Susannah's parents sold their land in Ovid and moved to Indiana. In about 1811, Susannah and her extended family settled in Whitewater Township in Franklin County, Indiana. In February 1832 and January 1833, Susannah and her husband sold their land in Franklin County, Indiana. After this, they apparently briefly lived in neighboring Rush County, Indiana. Then sometime in the late 1830s, they moved west to Boone County, Indiana; where they settled in Clinton Township. There, they were adjacent to the land of her daughter Mary Fall.

* Susannah's mother is often listed as "Marcha" in online family trees, but multiple contemporary records prove that her name was "Martha".

1	James Lowden Taylor
2	Mary Taylor was born circa 1797 in New York. She died on March 27, 1870 in Boone Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery, Washington Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. She married George Fall on August 21, 1813 in Franklin Co., Indiana.

James Lowden Taylor was born on October 30, 1794 in Ovid, Onondaga (now Seneca) County, New York ⁴. He died on December 4, 1875 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana ⁴. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.

Father: George Taylor
Mother: Susannah Gold

In about 1796, When James was not quite 2 years old, he moved with his family out west, and they settled on the Ohio River, at Cincinnati, Ohio; then a frontier wilderness. In about 1801, his father went on a trip back east to New York and presumably drowned along the way. Apparently, back in Ohio, James' mother Susannah never learned the true fate of her husband and had no idea what had happened to him. She is said to have waited 2 years for his arrival until she decided to go search for him herself as she could not afford to raise her children on her own in Ohio. She took some of her older children with her back east and left the younger ones (including James) behind in Cincinnati. Susannah apparently found word that her husband had drowned and then returned to New York. There, she remarried to John Roberts and they lived in Ovid, where they were near her parents.

According to family history, James and his sister Mary were adopted by a German hatter from whom James learned the trade of being a hatter. Sometime in their youth, the German hatter moved them to nearby Indiana, where they probably first lived in what is now Franklin County, Indiana. James was married on June 17, 1813 to Esther Fall. They settled in what is now Union County, Indiana (this was in Wayne County between 1811 and 1818 and in Fayette County between 1819 and 1821). There, they lived in Brownsville Township, just north of the town of Brownsville. He was a farmer and also taught school during the winter. James and Esther had 12 children. As early as 1831, James made plans to move with his family west to Boone County, Indiana. He had 560 acres patented there between 1831 and 1834. During that same time period, his step-father and mother (John and Susannah Roberts) and his sister and her husband (George and Mary Fall) also moved to Boone County, Indiana. In June 1839, James and his family sold their farm in Union County and moved to Boone County, Indiana, where they settled on one of their patented tracts in Jefferson Township, south of Thorntown. Here, James spent the remainder of his life, and was quite successful. He was a Presbyterian. His wife Esther died in 1866. The following year, on September 9, 1867, he was married to a widow named Naoma Sparks Immell. James died on December 4, 1875 at his farm in Jefferson Township, Boone County, Indiana.

Father: Christian Fall
Mother: K.*

Esther was born and raised in Guilford County, North Carolina. In March 1807, her father sold his land there and moved out west. They settled in what is now Union County, Indiana.

* Her mother's name only survives in a bible with the initial "K.", most researchers agree that her name was probably Katherine. A guess is that her maiden name was Finn, as one family story is that Christian married to three sisters (and his first wife's last name is documented as Finn).

1	George Bloomfield Taylor was born on December 23, 1814 in Brownsville Twp., Wayne (now Union) Co., Indiana 4,9. He died on February 12, 1896 in Sugar Creek Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4,9. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He married Louisa Cooper on September 11, 1836 in Boone Co., Indiana 4. (She was born on June 9, 1815 in Pennsylvania and died on November 23, 1894 in Boone Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) They had the following children: Elizabeth Esther Taylor (1838-1929) md. Joe Lame James Lowden Taylor (1841-1915) md. Eva Caldwell Asa Cooper Taylor (1843-1914) md. 1st. Mary Crose md. 2nd. Elizabeth Miller George Allen Taylor (1846-1864) John Calvin Taylor (1849-1936) md. 1st. Carrie E. Ross md. 2nd. Miriam Cooley Martha Ellen Taylor (1852-1858)
2	William Riley Taylor
3	James Lowden Taylor was born on November 30, 1818 in Brownsville Twp., Wayne (now Union) Co., Indiana 4. He died on June 10, 1896 in Washington Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4,9. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He married Martha Emmaline Utter on November 30, 1846 in Boone Co., Indiana 4. (She was born on December 7, 1830 in Blount Co., Tennessee and died on November 5, 1899 in Thorntown, Boone Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) They had the following children: John Wesley Taylor (1847-1929) md. Nan Albert Tip Taylor (1848-1936) md. Lydia M. Hiram Jefferson Taylor (1850-1877) Dewitt Clinton Taylor (1852-???) William Neal Taylor (1854-1939) Thomas Alonzo Taylor (1856-???) George Pomroy Taylor (1859-1944) md. Susan V. Charles Elden Taylor (1860-1924) md. Emmina Frank Harvey Taylor (1863-???) Slifer Abraham Taylor (1867-???) Maud Etna Taylor (1869-???)
4	Sarah Jane Taylor was born on April 14, 1821 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. She died on April 15, 1821 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4.
5	Mary Ann Taylor was born on April 14, 1821 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. She died on April 15, 1821 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4.
6	Nancy Jane Taylor was born on July 1, 1822 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. She died on November 12, 1906 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. She married Harrison Grimes on March 9, 1847 in Boone Co., Indiana 4. (He was born on March 14, 1814 in Fleminsburg, Kentucky and died on April 12, 1881 in Boone Co., Indiana. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) Cassandra Grimes (c. 1849-???) Bloomfield Grimes (c. 1851-???) Wallace Grimes (c. 1853-???) Sarilda Grimes (c. 1855-???) John B. Grimes (c. 1856-???) James Walter Grimes (1858-1862) Dudley Grimes (c. 1859-???) Flora A. Grimes (c. 1862-???) Hester D. Grimes (1865-1866)
7	Julia "July" Ann Taylor was born on June 19, 1824 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. She died on July 2, 1849, probably in Sugar Creek Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 12. She is buried in the Sugar Plain Cemetery, Sugar Creek Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. She married Jefferson "Jeffrey" Horner on March 1, 1843 in Boone Co., Indiana 12. (He was born on December 27, 1821 in Dayton, Montgomery Co., Ohio and died on May 6, 1906 in Thorntown, Boone Co., Indiana.) They had one child: Ann Horner (1846-1925) md. Richard M. Crouch (divorced)
8	Oliver Jackson Taylor was born on May 8, 1826 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. He died on November 26, 1864 in Sugar Creek Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He married Malinda Jane Utter on July 2, 1849 in Boone Co., Indiana 4. (She was born on April 19, 1827 and died on October 28, 1905 in Boone Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) They had the following children: Samuel A. Taylor (1852-1854) Charles A. Taylor (1853-???) Mary A. Taylor (1855-1855) Oliver Jackson Taylor (1856-1868) Constanzo C. Taylor (1858-1861) Warner Taylor (1860-???) Henry B. Taylor (1861-1935) md. Sarah O. Amosa Taylor (1864-???)
9	Eliza Ann Taylor was born on April 17, 1828 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. She died on April 13, 1905 in Thorntown, Boone Co., Indiana 12. She is buried in the Old Thorntown Cemetery, Thorntown, Boone Co., Indiana. She married first to John Slocum on March 18, 1858 in Boone Co., Indiana 14. (He was born on November 11, 1834 in Boone Co., Indiana and died on March 8, 1864.) They had no children. She married second to Ephraim R. Hollowell on September 2, 1866 in Boone Co., Indiana 14. (He was born circa 1831 in Indiana and died on July 2, 1885 in Boone Co., Indiana. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) They had no children. She married third to Addison O'Rear on November 15, 1885 in Boone Co., Indiana 14. (He was born in November 1834 in Montgomery Co., Kentucky and died on November 28, 1905 in Thorntown, Boone Co., Indiana.) They had no children.
10	Martha Jane Taylor was born on April 21, 1830 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4,9. She died on March 29, 1856 9 probably in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. She married Drury Jackson on December 25, 1850 in Boone Co., Indiana. (He was born on March 27, 1824 and died on December 19, 1886.) They had the following children: Oliver Taylor Jackson (1852-1875) Allen D. Jackson (1854-1899) md. Elizabeth "Lyda" Rachel Potts
11	Charles Robert Taylor was born on March 28, 1832 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. He died on March 1, 1910 in Hamburg, Freemont Co., Iowa 4. He married Sarah Cosand on December 25, 1850 in Boone Co., Indiana.
12	John Franklin Taylor was born on October 25, 1834 in Brownsville Twp., Union Co., Indiana 4. He died on April 22, 1895 in Sugar Creek Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4. He is buried in the Cox Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He married Alay Ann Lame on November 17, 1857 in Boone Co., Indiana 4. (She was born on July 11, 1839 in Boone Co., Indiana and died on March 18, 1895 in Boone Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Cox Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) They had the following children: Willard L. Taylor (1858-1859) Jeanette Frances Taylor (1860-1922) md. James Newton Neptune Everett Claude Taylor (1866-1904) md. Jessie Corrington Van Loon

3rd Generation: William Riley Taylor was born on October 7, 1816 in Brownsville Twp., Wayne (now Union) County, Indiana 4,9. He died on February 16, 1890 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4,9,13. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. Father: James Lowden Taylor Mother: Esther Fall William was born and raised in what is now Brownsville Township in Union County, Indiana (this was in Wayne County between 1816 and 1819, and then Fayette County between 1819 and 1821). Multiple sources suggest that in 1832 he moved west to Boone County, Indiana with his brother George (when he would have been 15 or 16). However he likely did not settle there at that time and was probably just scouting the area for his father who began taking out patents of land there in 1831. When he was married to Elizabeth Beck in November 1838 in Union County, Indiana, he was described as a resident of Union County. Sometime soon after this, William and his wife moved to Boone County, Indiana; where they settled in Jefferson Township on land patented by his father - and remained for the duration of their lives. In 1839, his parents and his wife's parents also moved to Boone County. William owned large amounts of land in the northeast part of Jefferson Township in Boone County. This land was west of Hazelrigg Station and off of Wolf Creek. His brick home (said to have been built in 1844) was apparently still standing as late as the 1950s. That place is today on W Hazelrigg Road (County Road 300 N). Going west from Hazelrigg about 1.25 miles, it is on the left side of the road directly before the road veers to the right at the site of a pond. According to aerial photographs of this site, there are two houses at this site, one of them may be William's. William was a successful farmer and became quite wealthy in his time. He was a Democrat in politics (usually associated with the south and slavery) up until the Civil War, after which he became an Independent and supported the Union during the war. He and his wife were Presbyterians. William's wife Elizabeth died in 1865, and in 1876, was remarried to Eliza Caldwell. He continued to manage his farm until one day in 1890, he suffered from a partial stroke of which he never recovered. He died at his home near Hazelrigg, in Boone County, Indiana, on February 16, 1890. Note: it is possible that William originally had a different middle name. He was described in his father's will and "day book" as "William W. Taylor". He was also described as "William W. Taylor" in his 1838 marriage record. On all subsequent records he was described with the middle name "Riley" or initial "R." Later, he primarily used the name Riley as his preferred name. William married first Elizabeth Peeler Beck on November 15, 1838 in Union Co., Indiana 10

1	John Franklin Taylor was born on December 11, 1839 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. He died on April 1, 1868 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He married Mary Ellen Riggins on October 3, 1864 in Boone Co., Indiana. She was born circa 1848 in Indiana and died c. 1891 in Boone Co., Indiana. They had no children.
2	James Lowden Taylor
3	William Riley Taylor was born on January 19, 1846 19 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He died on May 6, 1917 19 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. He married Eliza Jane Riggins on January 21, 1866 in Boone Co., Indiana 5. (She was born on June 22, 1848 15 in Indiana and died on June 7, 1930 15. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.) They had the following children: Abner Benton Taylor (1867-1906) md. Mary Ellen Fisher Cloyd Emmett Taylor (1870-1956) md. Hattie Elizabeth Jeffries William was a farmer. Sometime between 1880 and 1900 he moved to Lebanon, Indiana, where he operated a boarding house. Then sometime between 1900 and 1910, he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he worked as a sawyer for a furniture factory.
4	Abner Taylor was born on April 12, 1850 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. He died on April 30, 1853 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. He is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.
5	Francis Marion Taylor was born in March 13, 1855 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 18. He died on October 27, 1928 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana 18. He married Mary Hannah Plew on February 11, 1873 in Boone Co., Indiana 8. (She was born on February 14, 1855 in Boone Co., Indiana and died on March 11, 1914 in Lebanon, Boone Co., Indiana.) They had the following children: Myrtle M. Taylor (1875-1878) Louise Ethel Taylor (1877-1910) md. Jonathan Agwey McKern Gussie Forest Taylor (1880-1905) md. Minnie Jacoby Charles Oliver Taylor (1882-1953) md. 1st. Stella B. Bullock md. 2nd. Etta M. Stephenson md. 3rd. Ethel Cecil Clair Taylor (1887-1967) md. 1st. Jennie md. 2nd. Hazel Stella Miller Rosa Taylor (1892-1975) md. Gerald Jackson Francis was a farmer and always went by his middle name. After his wife's death, he moved to Indianapolis to live with his daughter Rosa.
6	Mary Ann Taylor was born on June 13, 1856 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. She died on July 31, 1880 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.
7	Martha Ellen Taylor was born on August 16, 1863 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 9. She died on October 4, 1884 in Texas 9. She is buried in the Taylor Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.

They had no children.

Eliza was orphaned as a small child and afterwards spent time living with older siblings and various relatives. Although her name was Eliza, she sometimes used the names Mary and Louisa. After the death of William, she was married to Andrew Burgess and then Augustus Barker.

4th Generation: James Lowden Taylor was born on July 11, 1841 in Jefferson Township, Boone County, Indiana 4,6. He died on October 5, 1912 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4,6,7. He is buried in the Cox Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana. Father: William Riley Taylor Mother: Elizabeth Peeler Beck James apparently spent his entire life on the the Taylor family farm near Hazelrigg in Boone County, Indiana, devoting his time to farming and stock raising and remained a faithful member of the Presbyterian church. On July 28, 1862, he married Rachel Lavina Hill, who was born and raised nearby. They lived on his parents' large farm and had 2 daughters: Elizabeth (see next generation) and Carrie. James was a Democrat in politics and also a member of the Thorntown Lodge of the Knights of Pythias. He was a "kind husband and indulgent father, always interested in the welfare of his family." He and his family were members of the Presbyterian church. He died at the age of 71 on October 5, 1912 at his farm in Jefferson Township, Boone County, Indiana. James married Rachel Lavina Hill on July 28 4 or 31 5, 1862 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana.

1

Elizabeth Romona Taylor

2

Carrie Elva Taylor was born on October 27, 1867 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 4. She died on March 16, 1928 in Crawfordsville, Montgomery Co., Indiana. She is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery, Crawfordsville, Montgomery Co., Indiana. She married Marshall K. Barnhart on May 4, 1886 in Boone Co., Indiana 4 or September 8, 1886 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 5. (He was born on May 4, 1866 in Boone Co., Indiana 5 and died on December 3, 1918 in Crawfordsville, Montgomery Co., Indiana 5. He is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery, Crawfordsville, Montgomery Co., Indiana.) They had three children: Ruby Barnhart (1887-1953) md. Isaac V. Hays infant male Barnhart (1889-1889) Ruth Barnhart (1890-1961) md. Lex B. Clore

5th Generation: Elizabeth Romona Taylor was born on March 18, 1863 near Hazelrigg, in Jefferson Township, Boone County, Indiana 1,2. She died on January 14, 1916 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana 1,3,4. She is buried in the Cox Cemetery, Jefferson Co., Boone Co., Indiana. Father: James Lowden Taylor Mother: Rachel Lavina Hill She was raised as a Presbyterian and remained a member of that denomination for the duration of her life. Elizabeth (usually called Lizzie), was married to John W. Custer on April 26, 1882 at her parents' house near Hazelrigg, Indiana. John and Lizzie settled near Hazelrigg in Jefferson Township and had 4 children: Sumner, June, Louise and Mary. They lived near Hazelrigg until 1904, when the family moved to the bustling city of Indianapolis, Indiana, where they lived in at least four different houses. There appear to be conflicting sources about Elizabeth's personality. Her obituary indicates that she was "a devoted wife and mother and a true friend and neighbor" and "held in high esteem", while her grandson Paul Wadleigh (who was born long after she died), described her as nagging, cold and cruel. Elizabeth suffered from lagrippe (influenza) and died at the Deaconess Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, on January 14, 1916, aged 52 years old. Elizabeth married John William Custer on April 26, 1882 in Jefferson Twp., Boone Co., Indiana 1,5.

For information on their children, see his page.