Moses Taylors Parents


The following is extracted from Rev. Rone's Addendum (1983) to W. C. Taylor's biography of his father, Alfred (1878):


SOME OTHER PATERNAL ANCESTROS OF ELDER ALFRED TAYLOR


From 1918 through 1968 conflicting views and uncertainty existed on the question of the parents of Moses Taylor Senior the grandfather of Alfred Taylor. Ed T. Taylor in his four page paper on "SOME THINGS ABOUT THE TAYLOR FAMILY" affirmed that he was a descendent of a certain Edward Taylor who emigrated from England to New Jersey with the James Taylor I Family of Virginia especially with the Zachary Taylor line.


From 1948 through 1968 L. Rhea Taylor Bowling Green Kentucky researched the matter In his book on "PIONEERS MOSES TAYLOR SENIOR AND ELIZABETH (PREVATTE) TAYLOR OF KENTUCKY AND NORTH CAROLINA" published in 1968 he flatly stated in answer to the question: "Who were Moses Taylor, Senior's parents?" - "I DON'T KNOW!" From 1948 through 1968 he had corresponded with an attorney J. Carroll McConnell another Moses Taylor Senior descendent of Fort Worth Texas. McConnell was of the opinion that his parents were either Zachary Taylor I or James Taylor III sons of James Taylor II and brothers. But it could not be substantiated by documented evidence. By 1964 another researcher Edward M. Manley of Los Angeles Cal. had concluded that he was the son of James Taylor III and Alice (Thornton) Taylor but evidence was still lacking to prove it. This writer accepted the Manley conclusion for a time. But this has now changed.


In April, 1983, David White a graduate student at Western Kentucky State University Bowling Green Kentucky from Scottsville in researching another Taylor Line revealed to me some available information concerning Moses Taylor's parents in the Kentucky Building of the University. It had been obtained from records in Craven County North Carolina bu a Bowling Green Genealogist - NORA YOUNG) FERGUSON - and published by her in a book called "FAMILY RECORDS" IN 1970. Securing copies of this information I immediately checked material in Kentucky Tennessee Indiana North Carolina and Maryland Libraries to verify its accuracy. The Genealogical Services Branch of the North Carolina State Library Raleigh N.C. had the records of Craven County available for study. Also State Land Grants in the period 1728-1800 were at hand as were copies of the wills of the father and grandfather of Moses Taylor Senior. I was also established that both of these ancestors had come from Maryland to North Carolina. Research in the Hall of Records at Annapolis and in the Maryland Historical Society Library at Baltimore confirmed this and also revealed that the great-grandfather of Moses Taylor Senior was Abraham Taylor Senior (1661-1719). The last three libraries mentioned above were visited during the week of May 9-13 1983.


From the above information we determined that ROBERT TAYLOR the son of Abraham Taylor Junior and Dinah (White) Taylor was the father of Moses Taylor Senior and the great-grandfather of Alfred Taylor. Robert Taylor was born on October 13 1709 (St. John Parish Record, p. 18)in Baltimore County Maryland. He migrated with his parents to the New Bern area Craven County North Carolina in 1728-1729, where he lived until his death on April 15 1780. He married about the year 1728 either in Baltimore County Maryland or in Craven County North Carolina. His wife's first name was CATHERINE. Her last mane is unknown. They became the parents of eight children - five sons and three daughters. Moses Taylor Senior was their first child and eldest son, being born in 1729. The dates and order of birth of the remaining offspring are unknown. They are Aaron Taylor Abraham Taylor Absalom Taylor James Taylor______ (Taylor) (who married Robert Green________ (Taylor) who married John Slade________ (Taylor) who married Owen Daugherty. The first names of the Taylor daughters are unknown to me. Robert Taylor is listed as a "Planter" in deeds.
ABRAHAM TAYLOR JUNIOR and DINAH (WHITE) TAYLOR were the great-great-grandparents of Alfred Taylor. He was born about 1685 in Baltimore County Maryland the son of Abraham Taylor Senior and Jane (______) Taylor. He was united in marriage to DINAH WHITE in the same county in about 1708. The name of their children together with the dates and places of their births are as follows:ROBERT TAYLOR (b. October 13 1709) Anne (Taylor) Colton (b. March 29, 1712) Jacob Taylor (b. October 6 1714) Rachel (Taylor) Beesley (b.October 9 1919) Abraham Taylor III (b. October 20 1723 Isaac Taylor (b. November 25 1725) and Prudence Taylor (b. 1729). All but the last-mentioned one were born in Baltimore County Maryland and their names and births are recorded in the St. John's Parish Register in that county (See pages 7 18 62). Prudence Taylor was born in Craven County, North Carolina after her family had migrated there in 1727-1728. Abraham Taylor Junior, died sometime between the making of his will on April 2 1751 and the probation of it in Johnston County in December 1751. After 1746 he lived in that county. It was taken from Craven County. He and his son Robert had secured extensive acreage in land in the period 1729-1751.


ABRAHAM TAYLOR SENIOR and JANE (_______) TAYLOR were thegreat-great-great-grandparents of Alfred Taylor. He was born about 1661 in Norhhampton County Virginia and was probably the son of Abraham Taylor (an emigrant from England in 1654) and Deborah (Kechine) Taylor. He appears first on a Maryland Record as a vestryman of St. John's Parish (Copley) in 1693. He married probably as early as 1685 a lady named Jane. Her last name is unknown. He appears the first time as a landholder in the north side of Gunpowder-Hundred
in Baltimore County in August 1695 for tax purposes. He appears also on the Baltimore County Maryland, Tax List 1699-1706 compiled by Raymond B. Clark and Sarah Seth Clark (1964) for the years 1699-1705. His son Abraham Taylor Junior appears first and only on the 1705 list. His father accumulated quite a large estate prior to his death on July 20 1719, in Baltimore County Maryland. It is recorded in the St. John's Parish Register (Page 96). His will was made in 1717. His son John Taylor was made executor and his son Abraham Junior and daughter Lettie (Taylor) Doddridge were beneficiaries of it. Her brothers migrated to North Carolina in the late 1720's but she and her family remained in Maryland. The families of Abraham Taylor, Senior (c. 1661-1719) and Abraham Taylor Junior, (c. 1685-1751) were of the Anglican faith (English Episcopal or Church of England). To recapitulate we note that ALFRED TAYLOR (1808-1865) was son of JOSEPH TAYLOR SENIOR (1765-1853) who was the son of MOSES TAYLOR SENIOR (1729-1819) the son of ROBERT TAYLOR (1709-1780) the son of ABRAHAM TAYLOR JUNIOR (c.1685-1751) the son of ABRAHAM TAYLOR SENIOR (c. 1661-1719). On the basis of limited information we are of the opinion that Abraham Taylor Senior was the son of an Abraham Taylor who migrated from England to Virginia in 1654 and married Deborah Kechine at Eastville in Northampton County Virginia on November 3rd 1660. He migrated to Maryland in 1668 and was probably the same who sold fifty acres of land to William Truly on November 4 1671 "which is due to me for my transportation out of Virginia into Maryland". It seems he was an indentured servant who finally worked off the cost of his transportation to this country and established himself.


Moses, Family & Friends Head West
This information is foud in the book written by L. Rhea Taylor Sr.
PIONEERS MOSES TAYLOR AND ELIZABETH PREVATTE TAYLOR, SR.
OF KENTUCKY AND NORTH CAROLINA


In the fall of 1794, plans were made for an early 1795 move to Kentucky. There was a large party consisting of families of neighbors and friends. In wagons, with oxen teams, horses and other livestock and household goods. They crossed North Carolina to Cumberland Gap, Kentucky. Daniel Boone had discovered this pass through the Cumberland Mountains some twenty years earlier. Below Cumberland Falls in Kentucky they built or brought some thirteen barges and traveled down the Cumberland River to Nashville, Tenn., Then to the Ohio River to near, what is now Evansville, Indiana, on down the Green River to the confluence of the Barren River. The river route presented many hazards. Locks or dams had not of course been built. There is no indication they had any serious misfortune during this journey. Having lived by the Neuse and Trent Rivers, they were no doubt expert river men. Because of the wilderness, an overland route through Kentucky had not been established. From this point, they proceeded to their destination being only a short distance. This is on Highway # 231, at Gasper River Bridge, some 10 miles from Bowling Green, Kentucky, on the road to Morgantown, Kentucky. Mr. Enid Howard now owns a part of the old homestead. The original log house has been moved to a new location. Two log barns are also standing. All are in excellent condition after 193 years. After their arrival most of the time was spent in cutting roads though the wilderness hunting game, building cabins and clearing land. Water was plentiful as Gasper River ran through Moses Sr. property. Warren County, Kentucky was not established until 1796, or one year after their arrival. Bowling Green, Kentucky was not incorporated until 1797. After some years the family scattered. Five of Moses Sr. children moved to the adjoining county of Butler. Others went to Indiana, Mississippi and Texas. Moses Taylor Sr. and his family were the first Taylor's in this section of Kentucky. Most of their history has been lost over the past 193 years. Unfortunately for posterity, people generally live from year to year without recording their family lineage. my father William Lee Taylor, spent his early life at the old homestead. The early Taylors were buried in the family graveyard. A flash flood around 1865, though the Gasper River section washed all head-stones away. Apparently the Taylor family were Baptist. There was only one church in New Bern, North Carolina as late as 1787. They probably worshipped in private homes. Soon after they arrival in Warren County, son Joseph Sr. was one of the organizers of the Providence Knob Baptist Church in 1804. Also three sons organized a Baptist Church near, Hadley Kentucky which faded out for lack of members. Marki, you are related, distantly, of course to many descendants in Warren and Butler Counties, Kentucky, as well as many others scattered through out the United States. George Washington was President when the Taylors came to what is now Warren County. Isaac Shelby was the first Governor of Kentucky at this time.
Your Grandfather,
L. Rhea Taylor Sr.