Descendants of George Taylor


George Taylor

(b. ? m. Aug 1782; d. Sept. 1797)

Virtually all we know of the life of George Taylor we know from his widow's unsuccessful pension application.

He was of Irish descent and spoke with a speech impediment. He had black eyes and dark hair. He was raised in Virginia, probably in Rockingham County.

At the age of approximately 17, he enlisted and served, probably as a private, for three years during the Revolutionary War, under Capt. Robert Beal and Col. Gibson. He probably served at Detroit Fort Pitt and near Philadelphia.

In 1782 he was married to Catherine, four miles south of Greenville, Tennessee ("on Chucky River") by a Baptist minister. In 1783 they had a son, Isaac Taylor.

In September 1797, after complaining of an aching arm from gathering fodder, George Taylor died in his sleep during the night and was discovered by his wife.

On May 18, 1841, while living with her son Isaac in Fentress County, Tennessee, Catherine Taylor applied for a pension as the widow of a revolutionary war soldier. Following correspondence between her attorney and the government, as well as supplementation of the affidavits, the pension was denied.

Note: Family legend, from several sources, identified George Taylor as a captain. His widow's application, however, clearly indicates this was not the case. This application is linked to his descendants by the presence of Isaac's family bible pages in the application file.

[Click here to see pension application file]

Pension application (U.S. Archives, Wash., D.C. - Index M-804, Roll #2346, frame 0812, et seq.)

 


Isaac Taylor

(aka Isaac William Taylor)

(b. 23 Aug 1783)

Isaac Taylor married Agnes Copeland (b. 15 Apr. 1788), who was the daughter of Stephen Copeland, one of the first settlers of Overton County, Tennessee. Her brother, "Big Joe" Copeland was described as being of giant physical stature - able to "take a barrel of whiskey up and drink out of the bung hole."  According to family records records, the Copeland family came to Tennessee from tidewater area of Virginia on the Rappahannock River.  They settled in Overton County Tennessee in a place which became known as Copeland's Cove.

Isaac and Agnes (identified variously as Armilda Copeland an Mahala Copeland in some recent family records) established their home in Old Monroe in Overton County and  had the following children: Jerusey (b. 23 Aug 1783); Pleasant (b. 2 Feb 1810 (bible shows 21 Feb)); Mahaly (b. 12 Apr. ****); Leroy (b. 8 Oct 1812; m. Margaret Campbell); Alfard (b. 6 Feb 1814); George Washington (confederate soldier; died in battle near Sparta, TN); Evan (confederate soldier).  Leroy went on to establish Taylor's Chapel in Jamestown - the site of the Taylor family cemetery.

According to family records, Isaac fought in the war of 1812.

In February of 1843, Isaac Taylor was indicted by the grand jury for Fentress County Tennessee for an assault and battery on Joshua Wright taking place on 15 Feb 1843. Bond of $250.00 was posted by his son G.W. Taylor. In June of 1843, Isaac Taylor pled guilty to the charge and his fine of $1.00 was paid by his son Pleasant. Joshua Wright was similarly charged.

Fentress County land records (Deed Book E, P. 126) show an 1850 transfer whereby "Pleasant and Isaac Taylor sold 100 acres on Taylor's Turnpike Rd. to Jones for $100."

 

Page from family bible (part of Catherine Taylor's pension application).

Court record of Fentress County, TN - P-298, et seq. (p. 116 of typed book) DAR Library, Wash. D.C.

 


Pleasant Taylor

(aka Pleas Taylor)

(b. 2 Feb. 1810; d. 6 May 1889)

Fentress County Tennessee land records reflect a deed dated 17 Feb 1841 showing the transfer of from "Pleasant Taylor to Leroy Taylor 800 a. part of a tract of 1000 a. granted to Pleasant Taylor"

Pleasant married Martha Hamlet (aka Martha Hamlett) (b. 14 Jan 1812; d. 28 Apr 1876), the daughter of Berriman Hamlet (aka Berriman Hamlett). They had the following children: Matilda (aka Martelli; b. 1838; m. Jeff McGee); Catherine (b. 28 Apr. 1839; m. Bob McGee; m. George Zimmerman); Joseph Copeland (sheriff of Fentress County, TN; b. 21 Mar 1841; d. 21 Nov 1903; m. Mahala Ward); Diadama (aka Didama; b. 17 Nov 1843; m. Pleasant Phillilps); Martha (b. 1847; m. James Crowley); Berry Hamlet; Amanda (b. 15 July 1852; d. 18 Nov 1917; m. James Allred); James Pleasant (b. 8 Apr 1885; d. 16 Dec 1932; m. Sibyl Northrup).

A book on the history of Fentress County reports,

"Pleasant Taylor lived for a long time on the Jamestown and Crossville Road, 3 miles south of Jamestown near the community of Allardt. All his children were born here. His home furnished many a wary traveler a comfortable stopping place. This road was much traveled then. Many a drove of hogs, sheep and cattle have been driven by his place on their way to southern markets before railroads and before the war."

Another text reports,

"Pleasant purchased a large tract of timberland south of Jamestown and built a home where the road forks with one road going to Clarkrange and the other going to Allardt."

According to notes kept by his nephew (through his brother Leroy),

"At an early day Uncle Pleas, as we always called him, settled on the Kentucky Stock Road two miles south of Jamestown.  Uncle Pleas was a blacksmith.  He also kept a tavern or inn, where travelers and drovers were kept over night."

"In the early days, there were a bunch of outlaws along the roads across Cumberland Mountain.  Uncle Pleas and Father formed a Law Enforcement Committee that broke up these lawless bands and drove them to cover.  The Taylor's were well known far and near and [given] a wide berth by law breakers."

[Once the civil war began, union guerilla forces under the leadership of Tinker Dave Beaty] would raid Uncle Pleas' shop, force him to shoe their horses, and threaten to kill him when he called them a thieving band of murderers."  

"Each one of the four girls and three boys had   musket loaded with buckshot.  Seven boys and girls bluffed 50 men and lived to tell the story."

Pleasant Taylor is buried at the Taylor family cemetery in Jamestown, Tennessee.

 


Berriman Hamlet Taylor

(aka Berry Taylor, Berriman Taylor, Berriman Hamlett Taylor, B.H. Taylor)

(b. 27 Mar 1850; d. 15 Apr 1905)

Berry Taylor first married Stella Wheaton (b. 29 Nov 1856; d. 2 Mar 1875). They had a daughter Lora (b. 2 Nov 1874; d. 3 Feb 1875). Judging by the dates alone, Stella's death was presumably related to childbirth and the death of her daughter.

Berry Taylor's second wife was Susan Little (b. 2 July 1856; d. 1 Apr 1907). They had the following children: Joseph Pleasant (aka "Joe" - b. 9 July 1877; d. 27 Oct 1966); Martha Stella (aka "Mattie" - b. 9 Dec 1879 d. 3 Sept 1969; m. Martin Littleton); Diadama Catherine (aka "Dama" - b. 26 Aug 1881; d. 1970; m. * Rauberson); Benton McMillan (b. 10 May 1883; d. 9 Feb 1965; m. Frances Elizabeth Piper); Grover Cleveland; Mahalia Jane ("Jenny" - b. 9 March 1886; d. 18 Apr 1956; m. n/a); Amanda Elizabeth ("Mandy" - b. 3 June 1889; d. Nov 1969; m. Paul Helm); Horace Yetman (b. 1893; d. 1 May 1929; m. Josephine Land); Mary Muhulda ("Mollie" - b. 30 June 1984; d. 14 Nov 1961; m. Martin Fritts) and Ellen (b. 22 May 1898 d. 29 Aug 1899)

Both Berry and Susan are buried at the Taylor family cemetery in Jamestown, Tennessee.

Photo

 


Grover Cleveland Taylor

(aka Cleveland Taylor, G.C. Taylor)

Grover Cleveland Taylor married Margaret Jackson (aka "Maggie" - b. d.) on 29 Nov 1913. They had the following children: Ivan Jackson; Harry Ray (b. 9 Nov 1921); and Donald Lee (b. 9 June 1927).

Photos

 


Ivan Jackson Taylor

(aka I.J. Taylor, Jack Taylor)

(b. 16 Nov 1915 d. Sept 1984)

Jack Taylor married Dorthea Jewell McManus (b. 16 May 1918) on 21 Nov 1936. They had the following children: Robert Cleveland; Donald Glenn (b. 15 July 1956), Janet Faye (b. 21 May 1958) and John Alfred (b. 14 Jan 1961).

Photos

 


Information assembled by:

John A. Taylor -  taylaw@digizen.net

If you believe our ancestries intersect, please e-mail me with any information you may have.

The information provided above focuses on those descendants of George Taylor who are in the author's line.  I am assembling a GEDCOM format file containing all of the descendants of George Taylor, and would be happy to e-mail a copy to you.  Please help by providing any addition information you may have.

Please click here to see the complete George Taylor descendancy outline compiled to date.

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