John Peyton Taylor Family Record - Part 1

We are very lucky to have this significant research paper contributed to us by Jerry Long, a genealogist from Owensboro.  It is nine pages in total so I will post in in two parts.

                 John Peyton Taylor Family Record

By Jerry Long, Owensboro, KY, c2001

The following family record was copied on 21 May 1980 from records in the possession of the late Lamar Chapman (1921-1990), of Pleasant Ridge, KY & by his widow, Audrey Whitehouse Chapman (1923-1997).  The data was on eight very yellowed and brittle pieces of paper.  The papers had been passed down in Mr. Chapman’s family several generations.  They contained data on the children of his 3^rd great-grandparents, John Peyton Taylor & Mary Davis and 2^nd great-grandparents, Thomas L. Taylor & Sally L. McCrocklin.  Mr. Chapman was the son of Archie Bruce Chapman (1895-1969) & Essie Kate Jeffries, grandson of Joseph F. Chapman & Mary Lou Taylor (1867-1949), and great-grandson of George Warren Taylor (1840-1914) & Susan E. Walker. 

                                    Births                                                              Deaths

John P. Taylor, Sr. was born date unknown               departed this life 28 Sep 1847

                                                                                    supposed to be about 80 years old

Mary Taylor wife of the above was born                    departed this life on 18 April 1861

            26 January 1772                                              3 o’clock A.M.,

      aged 89 years - 2 mos – 22 days

Ann Taylor 1^st daughter of the above was                  departed this life 8 August 1866

            born 27 September 1793                                 age 72 years – 10 mos – 20 days

Thomas L. Taylor 1^st son of the above was                departed this life 18 July 1878

            born 10 August 1795                                      age 82 years – 11 mos – 8 days

Matilda Taylor 2^nd daughter of the above                  

            was born 15 January 1797

Mary B. Taylor 3^rd daughter of the above

            was born 3 July 1798

Elizabeth D. Taylor 4^th daughter of the above            departed this life 11 March 1878

            was born 7 May 1800

Benjamin B. Taylor 2^nd son of the above                    departed this life 26 May 1850

            was born 15 February 1802                            aged 48 years – 3 mos – 11days

Sally P. Taylor 5^th daughter of the above                   departed this life 9 October 1876

            was born 1 October 1804                                aged 73 years – 9 days

Lucinda Taylor 6^th daughter of the above

            was born 23 February 1807

Ady P. Taylor 7^th daughter of the above                    departed this life 16 April 1871

            was born 30 April 1809                                  aged 61 years – 11 mos – 14 days

Jane S. Taylor 8^th daughter of the above

            was born 3 August 1811

John P. Taylor 3^rd son of the above

            was born 25 July 1813

[2^nd generation – family of Thomas L. Taylor:]

John S. Taylor, 1^st son of Thomas, was born

24 September 1821 (by first wife)

Hiram V. Taylor 2^nd son of the above was born         departed this life 27 June 1824

            20 September 1823 (by first wife)

Sally L. Taylor 2^nd wife of the above was born          departed this life 7 March 1881

            5 June 1807                                                     aged 74 years – 8 mos – 23 days

Squire L. Taylor 1^st son of the above was

            born 4 September 1827

Cassandra Taylor 1^st daughter of the above               departed this life on 23 April 1864

            was born 23 May 1829                                   aged 34 years – 11 mos

Jessie Mc Taylor 2^nd son of the above was                 departed this life on 25 Feb 1889

            born 19 May 1831                                           aged 57 years – 9 mos – 6 days

Benjamin W. Taylor 3^rd son of the above was           

            born 26 March 1833

Richard D. Taylor 4^th son of the above was               departed this life on 9 October 1872

            born 24 March 1835                                        aged 37 years – 6 mos – 15 days

Lucinda Taylor 2^nd daughter of the above

            was born 13 April 1837

Mary P. Taylor 3^rd daughter of the above

            was born 15 May 1839

George W. Taylor 5^th son of the above was

            born 12 February 1841

Lydia J. Taylor 4^th daughter of the above

            was born 19 January 1844

James T. Taylor 6^th son of the above was

            born 14 June 1846

Henry P. Taylor 7^th son of the above was

            Born 23 January 1849

                                           Marriage Family Record

John P. Taylor was married to Mary Davis 10 January 1793

Thomas L. Taylor 1st son of the above was married to Cassandra Van Cleave 22 Dec

                  1818 and she departed this life 27 June 1824 and was born 10 Sept 1802

                  and he was married to Sally McCrocklin 12 Oct 1826 , 2nd wife

John S. Taylor was married to Miss Nancy Phillips 12 January 1847

Squire L. Taylor was married to Miss Mary E. Sinnett 9 December 1851

Cassandra Taylor was married to Eli Martin 30 December 1851

Benjamin W. Taylor was married to Miss Matilda Hinton 27 November 1853

Jessie Mc Taylor was married to Miss Susan Mercer 20 April 1854

Loucinda Taylor was married to Mr. Grant Johnson 24 July 1855

Richard D. Taylor was married to Miss Rachael Bozarth 19 December 1855

Mary P. Taylor was married to George M. Martin 28 February 1864

George W. Taylor was married to Miss Susan E. Walker 9 October 1864

James T. Taylor was married to Chloe Martin 8 December 1867

Lydia J. Taylor was married to Mr. Joseph C. Westerfield 21 November 1869

Henry P. Taylor was married to Miss Matilda F. Hinton 6 October 1872

Additional notes from the research of Jerry Long:

        On 14 May 1980 on a visit to the Kentucky Historical Society Library in Frankfort I discovered a manuscript entitled “History of The Van Cleave Family, The McMullen Family, The Taylor Family”.  After 21 years of family research it still ranks as one of the best genealogical gold mines I have found.  Errett Van Cleave of San Francisco, CA compiled it in 1946; he donated a copy to the library two years later.  Most of the manuscript was based on notes left by his uncle, James William Van Cleave (1845-1925), of Montgomery County, IN.  James William was a son of John Peyton Van Cleave & Marjorie Jane McMullen, grandson of Benjamin S. Van Cleave & Matilda B. Taylor, and great-grandson of John Peyton Taylor & Mary Davis.  The manuscript contained an 11-page chapter entitled “History of the Taylor Family”.  The following are some facts contained therein:  John Peyton Taylor was the son of John Taylor & Ada Parker, her mother was Ada Peyton Parker, who was of an English noble family.  His father, John Taylor, had brothers Ben, who lived in Maryland, & Rafel (sic? - may have been Bazel), one of his sisters may have married  an Arnington/Arrington.  “John Payton Taylor had black eyes, his wife had blue eyes, fair skin, sandy hair.”  He lived in Fairfax County, VA, near Alexandria.  He worked as an overseer on several plantations, including that of Governor Fairfax, who had owned 25 slaves.  He had been on hunts with General Washington and served in his army during the Revolution.  He was at the battle of Yorktown, when Cornwallis surrendered and served there as one of the General’s aids-de-camp.  He had also fought in Braddock’s Army when he marched against the Indians and the French.  John Peyton Taylor married twice.  His first wife died soon after their marriage; she had no children.  His son, Tommy, after his service in the War of 1812, went to Kentucky.  He came back and gave a very favorable report of it, describing it as a paradise.  His father soon moved the family to Kentucky.

        John Peyton Taylor is somehow related to a John Taylor, who resided in Prince Georges County, Maryland, where in 1714 he purchased a plantation called “Little Grove”.  The strongest indication of this is the appearance of the unusual name of Littlegrove among the descendants of John Peyton Taylor.  The middle name of his son, Thomas L. Taylor (1795-1878) was “Littlegrove” according to a great-grandson, Henry Protis Taylor (1904-1991), who stated that his father, Ollie Littlegrove Taylor (1880-1957) was named in part for his grandfather Thomas Littlegrove Taylor.  A son of Thomas L. was christened Squire Littlegrove and another member of the family also bore the name Squire Littlegrove Taylor. 

        In the Prince Georges County deeds it is recorded that on 1 Sep 1714 John Taylor, a planter, purchased a tract called Little Grove from Murphy Ward, of the same county.  It consisted of 90 acres and a house on the west side of Pattuxent River.  In Settlers of Maryland, 1679-1700 Murphy Ward, Calvert County, MD, is listed as acquiring a tract called “Little Groves”, 91 acres, on 10 Jan 1696.  Research by Ginger Taylor (no address given) posted on the message board of the Prince Georges County, Maryland “GenWeb” Internet page reports that John Taylor was married to Eunise and moved to “Little Groves” in Prince Georges Co. in 1714 and was previously a resident of Charles County, MD.  She states that John was the son of Thomas Taylor, b.1654, who was married to Annie and who received from his father, John, and his remarried mother Elizabeth Bonner, a 200 acre farm in Charles County, MD called Batchelor’s Delight.  Described as on Petit’s Creek to Taylor’s creek to Weekes branch near land of Rick Smith.  Thomas of Batchelor’s Delight also was the father of Thomas, Jr., who was born 3 March 1694 and who was married to Barbara.

        John Taylor, of Prince Georges County, MD, appears to have resided on Little Grove until his death in 1738.  On 17 Jan 1736 John wrote his will and it was recorded on 29 Nov 1738 (Maryland Calendar of Wills, Vol.VIII, pp29-30).  He bequeathed to his wife, Unice - 30 acres with the dwelling, to son John – 30 acres south of the dwelling, to son James – 30 acres, & to son Thomas & daughters, Mary & Ann – personalty.  Richard Parker, Thomas Blanford Sr. & John Blanford witnessed his will.  Later records have been found in which his sons, John Jr. & Thomas, refer to the Little Grove tract. 

        On 22 March 1763 “John Taylor Junior” of Prince Georges County, MD sold to Thomas Wall (or Hall), 30 acres, part of tract called Little Grove.  His wife, Priscilla, ratified the deed.  James William Van Cleave wrote that John Peyton Taylor was the son of John Taylor & Ada Parker.  Could Priscilla be Ada Parker?  John P. & Mary Taylor named one of their daughters, Ada Priscilla, and several other descendants had the same name.  In the 1790 & 1800 censuses of Prince Georges County, MD a Priscilla Taylor is listed, she possibly could be the widow of John Taylor, Jr.  Thomas Taylor, son of the John Taylor, Sr., who owned Little Grove in Prince Georges County, MD, later lived in Fairfax County, VA.  On 11 June 1777 Thomas Taylor, of Fairfax County, VA wrote a will and it was recorded on 21 July 1777 (Fairfax County Will Book D-1, p14, on p43 of the same book an inventory of his estate is recorded).  To his son, Thomas, he bequeathed his part of a tract of land lying in Prince Georges County, MD, known by the name of Little Grove.  To Thomas, Jr. he also left the plantation that he was living on and appointed him the executor of his estate.  His will named 12 other children, sons – Richard, John, Bazel & Benjamin Bassick/?Basset Taylor; daughters – Barbara Stuart, Mary Ann Club, Sarah, Cloeann, Eunis, Milord, Arrybeckey & Drusilla Taylor.  The names of Bazel, Benjamin B. & Cloeann are found several times in the family of John Peyton Taylor.

        John Peyton Taylor was born between 1760-1765 according to census reports of 1810, 1820, 1830 & 1840.  He appears in the 1810 census of Fairfax County, VA (p221).  In addition to himself and his wife, 9 others were reported to be in his household, their ages correspond exactly to the ages of his first 9 children listed in the preceding family record.  He was also reported to be the owner of 6 slaves.  “John P.” & Mary Taylor on 11 Oct 1814 served as witnesses on the will of Yelverton Reardon, written and recorded in Fairfax County.  About 1817 he moved his family to Shelby County, KY, where 2 of his children were married in 1818.  He lived along Bullskin Creek.  He is listed as John P. Taylor in the 1820 census of Shelby County, KY (p155).  Enumerated near him were his son, Thomas L. Taylor and several members of the Van Cleave family.  Four of his children married Van Cleaves while the family resided in Shelby County.  Three of these, Matilda B., Mary B.& Benjamin B., during the latter part of the 1820’s were among a large contingent of Shelby County families who relocated to Montgomery County, IN.  Many of them were inter-connected through the Van Cleaves.  In addition to the numerous Van Cleave families other family names, which migrated there included – Taylor, Davis, McMullen, Carson, Allen & Kerns.

        In 1823 John P. Taylor moved to Ohio County, KY, were he spent the remainder of his life.  He first appears there in the tax lists in 1823 and is listed in each successive list through 1847 – in all but one year he is identified as “John P.”  In the 1830 (p247) & 1840 (p130) Ohio County censuses he was listed similarly.  When he first arrived in the county he owned four slaves, in 1830 he had four & in 1840 five.  At his death in 1847 he owned seven blacks and 576 acres on Panther Creek.  He left no will, however, in the Ohio County estate files, settlement books & deed books there are a multitude of pages filed in relation to the settlement of his estate.  Several of these documents record the names of his heirs – his widow, Mary, and their 11 children.  Concerning the sale of the 7 slaves owned by his estate a suit was filed in the Ohio County Circuit Court.  This case (file #1077)  names the above 11 children as well as the names and ages of his slaves.

-to be continued-