The Taylor Family History
 (Last Update: 4 August 2008)

Special Thanks:  Without the help of Nina Sue Rees, Mae Jean Windsor, Carol Burge, and many others, this work would have a whole lot more holes in it.  If you can help fill in the gaps, please email me: dchampion@zianet.com
Earlier Taylor History
(With thanks to Patricia Staley and Jim Taylor)

Introduction:  I have gathered the following information from oral history, from papers found in my Aunt Cornell's personal effects, and from people (listed above) who contacted me via the internet.  Most everything about these sources agree with each other.  It seems that the first traceable Taylor was found in western Kentucky in the Graves County area.  They then moved to northern Alabama (Limestone County) for a couple of generations and then moved back.  However, there is evidence that the Taylor's began in South Carolina.  Beginning with the first documented Taylor, I will move forward through my lineage.

My great-great-great-great grandfather was Chapman Taylor.  He was born in Kentucky, migrated to Limestone County, Alabama with at least one of his children, and died in Limestone County, Alabama in about 1823.  His wife's name was Rachael.  I know of three children: Joshua and Teakle (who remained in Kentucky) and Peter (who moved to Alabama with his father).

My great-great-great grandfather was Peter Taylor.  He was born in Kentucky and migrated to Limestone County, Alabama with his father. This is where things start to get a bit uncertain, so this is what I have compiled from three sources.  I hope that I have not mixed several sets of Taylor's and Dawson's.  I am concerned that Peter's son (James A. Taylor) also married a Dawson).  Peter had a wife (name unknown) and had four children: James A. Taylor, Joseph Taylor, Joshua Taylor, and John Taylor.  He then married Elizabeth Dawson in Williamson  County, TN in 1806 and had four children: Daniel, Martha, Rachel, and Peter Junior.  After Peter's death (in Limestone County, Alabama in 1827 or 1828), Elizabeth bore a child named Permelia Taylor.  The history seems to imply that Elizabeth was pregnate at the time of Peter's death.  Elizabeth then married Wyatt Ballard and had two more children.  All indications that Elizabeth and Wyatt were on the move quite a bit and may have ended up in Texas in the 1860's.  One of the brothers was born in1812 in Alabama and died in 1903 in Pueblo County, CO.

My great-great grandfather was James A. Taylor.  Things get a lot more solid at this point because they are all back in Kenucky and the records are a clearer. James was born on 1-13-1812 in Alabama and died on 12-13-1884 in Graves County, KY.  He was marreid to Mary Dawson.  Mary was born on 1-13-1815 in Alabama and died on 2-9-1887 in Graves County, KY.  They were married in either June 1832 or on 12-26-1832 in Limestone County, Alabama and they are both buried in the Rhodes Cemetary in Graves County, KY.  They had 12 children.  The descrepancies in the dates are because the 1850/60/70 census and the headstones at the Rhodes Cemetary (36° 32.508 North, 88° 35.342 West) in Graves County, KY are different.  The children are: William H. Taylor (b. 11-24-1832 or 1834 and d. 12-24-1854 or 1857 married Mary Frances ), John M. Taylor or John W. Taylor (b. 11-24-1833 or 10-17-1835 d. 1-29-1858), Mary Elizabeth Taylor (b. 4.22.1837 and d. 1.9-1858  married to J. Coeley), Joshua (b. 1839 or 1-2-1840 believed to have died during the Civil War married to Elizebeth Wade), James Harvey Taylor (b. 11.15.1841 d. 2.22.1938 [see special section below]), Louisa Taylor or Louiza Frances Taylor (b. either 12.23.1843 or 1835 d. 6-8-1899 married to William Griffith in 1859), Hetty Ann Rebecca Taylor (b. 1845 or 1.4.1846 and d. 3.12.1858), Peter Taylor (b. 7-18-1849 d. 5-10-1912), unnamed male (b. 6-20-1848 d. 9-11-1848), Thomas Benton Taylor (b. 8.27.1851 and d. 3.22.1918), Martha Luthisea Taylor (b. 4.13.1854 and d. 4.20.1924 married to a Quesinberry), and Josephine Taylor (b. 1855 or 8-9-1856 married Ki Hodge).

My great grandfather was Peter Taylor.  Peter was born on 7-18-1849 and died on 5-10-1912 in Graves County.  He is buried in the Wortham Cemetary.  He married a girl named Mollie.  Married to Rececca Wiley who was born on 10.20.1847 and died on 8.25.1912. I know of three children: Mollie Taylor (b. 9.29.1871)(d. 12.14.1913), Rebecca Taylor (b. 10.20.1847)(d. 8.25.1912), and Peter Wright Taylor (my grandfater).  [There is a problem with Rebecca's dates.  I will resolve it when I am able.]
 
 

I will begin with my grandparents.  At a later time, I will put in the information that goes backward from this point.  For now, I will say that my great-great-great grandfather, James Taylor, was one of the first settlers in western Kentucky.  This would have had to been in the 1820 time frame. He settled in an area near Cuba, KY.  The Canters and the Rhodes were also among the first settlers.  James was born in a covered wagon on the way from Alabama.  There was also a Harv Taylor (again, I am unsure of the spelling) who was a confederate soldier.  Everyone in the family referred to him as 'Uncle Harv'.  He was just about the last civil war veteran from western Kentucky to die.
 

From my Grandparents to the Present Day

My grandparents were Peter Wright Taylor (b.9.29.1881 near Cuba, KY) (d. 10.31.1970 Mayfield, KY) (buried in Cuba, KY) and Viola May Olive (b. 8.27.1893 Corning, AR)  (d. 1.9.1976 Paducah, KY) (buried in Cuba, KY).  They were married on 12.26.1915 in Dukedom, KY.)   Their children called them Mama and Daddy.  The grandchildren called the Grandpa and Mama May.  They had 10 children.  My grandfather's first marriage (to Sarah May) produced four children and his first wife died giving birth to the fourth.

This was his second marriage.  His first marriage was to Sarah May Murphy (b. 10.15.1881 or1891 Graves County, KY) (d.5.22.1914, Graves County, KY) (buried in the cemetery next to the school in Cuba (36° 34.979 North, 88° 37.537 West)). They were married on 7.22.1906 in Graves County, KY and had four children: Virginia Mae Taylor (b.11.21.1908), Ila Maurine Taylor (b. 10.6.1910), Allen Reed Taylor (b. 9.23.1912), and Colier (b. 5.22.1914).

For more information on my grandmother and her family, click on the arrow. This information goes back to about 1725.

Children of Peter Wright Taylor
With Sarah Mae Murphy:
  • With Viola Mae Olive:
    • Note: P W Taylor was born with only initials.  He took the name Paul William when he entered the Army.
    Harold B Taylor was not given a middle name, only an initial.


    I will make a feeble attempt to talk about each of these 14 children, their children, grandchildren.  This family tree is growing almost daily now, so there will be some admissions and errors. Please inform me when you see these errors.  Some of the following people I have never met and the accuracy is unknown.  If you have any questions/comments/correcteions, please contact me. 

    Virgiline Mae Taylor
    Married Joe Laird (b. 12.23.1888) (d. 7.21.1973) on ____.

    Ila Maurine Taylor
    Married Miller Griffin Burge (b.   ) (d.   )

    married Thomas J. Wheelis (b.3.26.1922 in Graves Co., KY) (d. 11.28.1996 in Plymouth, MI)

    Allen Reed Taylor
    married Beauton McClain (b. 3.16.1920 Graves County, KY) on 4.21.1935 in Benton, KY

    Colier Taylor
    Died when four days old.

    Neva Laverne Taylor
    Married to Ira Sylvester Windsor (b. 7-18-1911 or 6.11.1911 Calloway County, KY d. 4-10-1969 Eddieville, KY buried in Murray, KY) on 12-24-1937 in Obion County, TN.

    Harry Louis Taylor
    Died of an accident on 12.6.1930 in Graves County, KY.

    Opal Ruel Taylor
    Died of Scarlet Fever on 4.1.1931 in Graves County, KY.

    Cornell Olive Taylor
    Married to Lonnie Chavis (b. 8.4.1920 Laurinburg, NC) (d. 6.7.1984 Graves County, KY) on 6.24.1960 in Detroit, MI.  No children.

    P W Taylor
    Married Betty Jean Arnold (b. 6.18.1929 Dyersberg, TN) in 1946 in Highland Park, MI Married Rita Rose Raedle (b. 9.22.1941 Wayne County, KY) on 5.6.1967 in Detroit, MI

    Elsie Ruth Taylor
    Married to Byron Basil Smith (b. 2.26.1920 Calloway County, KY, d. 12.28.1993  Mayfield, KY) on 9.6.1941 in Obion County, TN.

    Robert Edward Lee Taylor
    Never married.

    Ina Lou Taylor
    Married Henry Clifton Champion (b. 9.9.1930 Durham, NC) on 4.16.1952 in San Francisco, CA.

    Nina Sue Taylor
    Married Thomas Henry Rees (b. 4.2.1921 Columbus, OH) (d. 9.8.1988 Oakland County, MI) on 8.8.1951 in Ferndale, MI.

    Harold B Taylor
    Married Ester Pearl Stubbs (b. 10.27.1934 St. Andrews, FL) on 6.7.1952 in Panama City, FL
     
    Older Taylor Family History - Fact and Maybe a Little Fiction

        I have heard many things about the Taylor Family History over the years.  I think some of it is probably absolute truth and some of it has absolutely no basis in fact.  I will discuss three of these relationships and provide how honest I think they are.  I really have no facts to base any of the following paragraphs.

        First, there was the person that everyone refers to as "Uncle Harve" Taylor.  Although Uncle Harve is not a direct decedent, he is still related.  He was my grandfathers uncle.  James Harvey Taylor was from western Kentucky (Graves County area) and joined the Confederate Army in Columbus, KY during the Civil war.  He was wonded in either the left upper arm (according to my Aunt) or the left wrist (according to his granddaughter) and discharged on November 11, 1862.  He was the last civil war veteran from western Kentucky to pass away.   I found his stone in the Cuba, KY cemetary for James Harvey Taylor (b. 11.15.1841, d. 2.27.1938).  My mother remembers attending one of his birthday parties shortly before he died.  His granddaughter placed a military marker on his graves spelling his name (James Harvie Taylor) and listing the unit to which he was assigned. In June 2002, I spent time with his granddaughter (who is about 75 years old) and she showed me his photograph, his discharge papers from the CSA, and the rifle he used during the war.

        Next, there is the story that has been passed down orally over the last 100+ years.  It seems that there were three Taylor brothers from the North Carolina area that headed west to seek their fortune.  Two stopped in the central Kentucky area (Louisville/Lexington) and began a distillery.  Their product is known today as Old Taylor Whiskey.  The third brother continued to western Kentucky and is the person that we all descended from.  I know that the a Taylor began a distillery and that all of the dates/places fit together pretty well.  However, I do not know if there is any relationship.  I would love for someone to provide proof one way or the other.

        Lastly, I have been told by someone that this lineage should contain President Zachary Taylor.  I have absolutely no proof and I seriously doubt that there is a direct line between Zach and myself.  I would not put any credence in this statement unless you have some pretty strong evidence.