William Robert Taylor (abt. 1806 - 1870)

Born about 1806 in Frankfort, Franklin, Kentucky, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Mary J. (Hoppes) Taylor — married 20 Nov 1827 in Fayette, Ohio, United States

Husband of Maria (Fleming) Robey Taylor — married 12 Aug 1851 in Howard Co, IN

Descendants

Died 1870 at about age 64 in Richland Township, Grant, Indiana, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Albert Taylor [send private message] and Ray Vick [send private message]

Biography

William was the son of Robert and Mary Taylor who settled in Preble County, Ohio, likely Dixon Twp. around 1807. He is very well documented for an early 1800's man. He appears in several written histories of Grant County, Indiana, three census records, and other documents including one that says he traded with the Indians in 1839 for his farm just SE of Converse on Taylor Creek[1].

His 1827 marriage to Mary "Polly" Hoppes is recorded in Fayette County, Ohio. As a resident of Preble County, how he came to marry Mary from Fayette County is probably connected to the time Mary's grandfather Brown lived in Preble County starting in 1815 and other family connections between Preble County and Fayette County.

He remarried in Dec 1851 in Howard County, Indiana to widow Mariah Robey who had a daughter, Rosetta Robey Find A Gave memorial #45999750[2]^[1]who used the Taylor surname.

There is ample written and genetic evidence to connect him to various siblings and Taylor-related kin including his brother Robert Taylor, husband of Marillis Drook, of Indiana and Illinois, sister Sarah Parks nee Taylor, and nephew Matthew Taylor, husband of Catherine Hullinger, of Sims, Grant County all with connections back to Preble County, Ohio. (There is no good evidence that William was related to the TAYLORs of Union Twp, Fayette County, Ohio including Edward Find A grave memorial # 131884249)

William's son William Preston's bio and son John's obit say William came to Indiana in 1841. The History of Grant County Indiana, page 19 says, "William Taylor settled the Martin Pence farm where Delphi road crosses Taylor's Creek (Section 33) at an early day; a child of his was the first buried in the Pence Graveyard [Silas d 1841]. Martin Pence bought Taylor out about 1847. After Martin Pence bought William Taylor out he went and settled the Jake (John) Drook farm in 1847." [Jacob Drook, son of John, m Nancy, William and Mary's dau].

From Biographical Memoirs of Grant County, Indiana 1901, page 546, "William and Mary Taylor, were among the first settlers of Richland Township, if not the first, as William Taylor made a treaty for his land with the Indians. William R. Taylor was the first settler in Richland township, was an Indian trader, and built his cabin where Fink’s machine shop [east Converse] now stands and where he set out his orchard. His death occurred at the home of Mr. Drook [husband of his daughter Nancy Taylor] in 1870." The Drook family history says he died and was buried in the Drook/Parsons Cemetery which was on John Drook's farm in section 22 just off N 900 W 27. John died in early 1870 and Jacob and Nancy were living on the farm in 1870.

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ingrant/convabcd.htm

Referring to old histories of these two counties I find some items of interest. The old Atlas of 1877 says "William Taylor settled the Martin Pence farm where the Delphi road crosses Taylor Creek at an early day. A child of his was the first buried in the Pence Graveyard." This plot is located on a knoll overlooking the creek and is fenced in with a good wire fence. The cemetery in Miami County has been lost to the memory of most of the people in the town.

Two of his sons' obits say there were 9 sons, 11 children in total. So he and Mary probably had 11 children; in addition to the 10 shown above there may have been son I refer to as Robert2 Taylor b 1845 based solely on the 1850 census. Or there may have been an unrecorded son who died an infant. The family is discussed in the Hoppes family history by Ed Hoppes and in William Preston Taylor's biography.

To find the cemetery go about 2 miles north of Highway 19 on N 900 W 27 Road or about 1/4 mile south of the intersection of W 400 N 27 Road and N 900 W 27 Road. The cemetery is about 300 feet east of N 900 W 27 Road. There is a sign on the road.

Ray Vick, 16 June 2018; LRAYVICK(at)cox.net. William was my 4th great grandfather through Robert Taylor.

On FamilySearch.org 6 sources of information for:

Name • • William Robert Taylor Sex • • Male Birth • • 1806 Frankfort, Franklin, Kentucky, United States Christening Death • • 1870 Grant, Indiana, United States Burial • • from June 1870 to December 1870 Drook farm, Richland Township, Grant, Indiana, United States

Other Information Alternate Name • Birth Name William Robert Taylor Last Changed: February 10, 2021 Residence • 1850 Jackson, Howard, Indiana, United States Last Changed: November 26, 2018 Residence • 1870 Union MM, Howard, Indiana, United States Last Changed: October 14, 2019

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45999750/rosetta-a-reese

• Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/K69Y-XXF
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/110472499/william-robert-taylor