from “Family History of the Joseph Taylor, Jr. & Sarah Best Family”
by Shari H. Franke
Delilah Taylor was puportedly the 11th child of Joseph Taylor, Jr. and Sarah Best. She might have been born ca. 1804 at Edgecombe County, North Carolina.
This branch of the Joseph and Sarah Best Taylor family constitutes a real enigma at the present time (November 1993). The earliest known source to this author of the existence of a “Delilah Taylor” is the “1909 Taylor Family Reunion Record.” Delilah is mentioned therein as a child of Joseph Taylor, Jr. and Sarah Best. The record also stated that she married Dred Wallace, which is obviously an error.
An explanation of the current challenge has to begin with some research that was conducted back in the 1950’s by two excellent family genealogists along with early Warren County Genealogist, Nora Young Ferguson. Nora Y. Ferguson worked with a Professor Saunders, then employed at Litchfield High School in Girard, Maucopin, Illinois; also with a 2nd great-granddaughter of Delilah Cherry. Together they compiled information on a family group record. Professor Sanders convinced the others that Delilah (b. 1806 in Tennessee), daughter of Joseph and Sarah Best Taylor, was married (no date available) to John Cherry, (b. 1797 in Rdgecombe County, North Carolina, the son of William Cherry, Jr. and (1) Lottie Hopkins) and had the following children: John W.; Thomas Calhoun; Mary; Lavinia; Sarah; John Berry; Martha; Jemima; James and Elizabeth. While this record caused some concern because no existing record indicates that Joseph and Sarah Best lived for a time in Tennessee, the research team seemed confident that the family group record was correct.
Our Reunion Chairman, Brian L. Taylor of Farr West, Utah, did further research on children in that family and their descendants in Macoupin and Greene Counties in Illinois until he was able to make contact with two living descendants and obtain additional information from each of them.
On 3 July 1993 a descendant of Delilah Cherry’s daughter, Sarah Cherry Bristow, phoned Brian Taylor about the reunion and indicated that she had documented evidence that Delilah was married to James Harvey Cherry, Sr., then later had a Separation Agreement in which several of the same children mentioned above were named.
Recent research, October 1993, has definitely established that the Delilah Taylor purported to have been the child of Joseph and Sarah Best Taylor, was actually named Delilah Bristow, the daughter of James Bristow of Cumberland County, Kentucky. Therefore, the earlier research placing her in the Taylor family was in error.
The existence of Delilah Taylor, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Best Taylor must remain a possibility until proven otherwise. We invite our Taylor/Cherry family to help.
