Introduction
The information that follows was retrieved from our Norfolk tithables database of Taylor families. The information in the database was extracted from a three-volume transcription of the originals by Elizabeth B. Wingo. This database should cover all Taylor families in Norfolk County, Virginia during the period 1730 to 1780 with a thirteen-year blank spot between 1736 and 1750. Sons were reported out at age sixteen by their father or by their widowed mother. This database will give us a tremendous amount of family information provided we analyze it very carefully and thoroughly.
A recent query of the database for Richard Taylor produced forty-one hits with two duplicates. Supplemental queries were made using the name of each negro owned by the family. This helps tremendously in keeping lines separated since negroes were normally passed to the next generation through wills. The results of this computer study are grouped by primary area where these Taylor families lived. Some comments and questions have been added to this report.
Western Branch
The only Richard Taylor in the 1730 Norfolk tithables was living on the Western Branch of Elizabeth River in Norfolk County (bk. 1, p. 21). One of his neighbors was John Manning.
This Richard Taylor was in the same location in 1731, and still living close to John Manning (bk. 1, p.39). This Richard Taylor was living in the same household with a Joseph Johnston in 1731.
In 1732 this Richard Taylor and the same Joseph Johnston were still in the same household on the Western Branch (bk. 1, p. 70).
In 1733, Joseph Johnston was gone, but this Richard Taylor was still living in the same neighborhood on the Western Branch (bk. 1, p. 96). Richard Taylor reported a negro named Sambo. This Richard Taylor does not continue in the tithable database after 1733. Was this the Richard Taylor that people say died in Norfolk County in 1734?
A new Richard Taylor shows up in the Western Branch Precinct in 1751 (bk. 2, p. 21). In this record, a Richard Taylor and a James Taylor were reported out by their mother, Mary Taylor. Did Richard and James both reach age sixteen in the year 1751?
This new Richard Taylor in the Western Branch Precinct was in the same household with John More in 1752. The household shared by Richard Taylor and John More was located between the household of a Joseph Taylor and the household of Mary Taylor, mother of James Taylor (bk. 2, p. 44).
Looking backward from 1753 to 1751, it appears that the Richard (blank) between Joseph Taylor and Jonas Taylor in 1751 on the Western Branch was most likely a Richard Taylor (bk. 2, p. 23). Note – a William Bailey with nine negroes was living next to Jonas Taylor.
Note – this Margaret Taylor was the widow of William Brown. Margaret (Taylor) Brown and William Taylor were the children of Thomas Taylor son of Andrew Taylor. (see the wills of Thomas Taylor and Andrew Taylor in bk. H, p. 197, and bk. 10, p. 10.)
The new Richard Taylor was still living in the same household with John More in the Western Branch Precinct in 1754 (bk. 2, p. 85). The second Richard Taylor in this same precinct in 1754 was living near John Taylor, William Taylor, and Edward Taylor (bk. 2, p. 88).
Both of the Richard Taylors living on the Western Branch in 1754 disappear from the Norfolk tithables. There were no other Richard Taylors living on the Western Branch of Elizabeth River after 1754. Did one of these two Richard Taylors leave the Norfolk County will dated 28 Oct 1754?
Southern Branch
A Richard Taylor was living in Norfolk County on the West side of the Southern Branch of Elizabeth River in 1736 (bk. 1, p. 190). This Richard Taylor was living in the same household as Philanan Haywood. Unfortunately, due to the thirteen-year blank spot in the database, we can find no more information from the tithables database on this Richard Taylor.
A new Richard Taylor was reported out by his mother, Ann Taylor, on the West side of the Southern Branch in 1752 (bk. 2, p. 41). His birth year would calculate to be 1736.
There was no Richard Taylor on the West side of the Southern Branch in 1753, 1754, or 1756. This would suggest that Richard, son of Ann, died or left the area.
The (blank)ard Taylor in 1761 in the Southern Branch Precinct is probably a Richard Taylor (bk. 2, p. 174). This Richard Taylor was living near John Manning, John Taylor, Samuel Taylor, and Thomas Taylor.
A Richard Taylor in 1765 in the area described as Portsmouth to New Mill Creek was in an alphabetized list with Edward Taylor, Thomas Taylor, John Taylor, Sr., John Taylor, Jr., and Ann Taylor for Theophilus Taylor. This Richard Taylor had negroes Joe, Perkins, and Phillis (bk. 2, p. 208).
This same Richard Taylor still lived along the road from Portsmouth to New Mill Creek on the Southern Branch in 1766 (bk. 3, p. 9). He still had negroes Perkins and Phillis and he still had 300 acres of land. He was counted as a tithable.
This same Richard Taylor was mistakenly shown as living on the South side of the Western Branch in 1770 (bk. 3, p. 106). Surely he did not move? He still had negroes Perkins and Phillis and he still had 300 acres of land. He was counted as a tithable.
A new Richard Taylor was shown along the road from Portsmouth to New Mill Creek in 1770 (bk. 3, p. 125). He was included with the sons of John Taylor, Sr.; Samuel, John Jr., Edward, and Richard. They had 160 acres of land.
The old Richard Taylor was shown along the road from Portsmouth to New Mill Creek in 1771 (bk. 3, p. 159). He still had negroes Perkins and Phillis and he still had 300 acres of land. He was not counted as a tithable.
The new Richard Taylor was shown along the road from Portsmouth to New Mill Creek in 1772 (bk. 3, p. 190). He was included again with the sons of John Taylor, Sr.; Samuel, John Jr., Edward, and Richard.
A Richard Taylor was shown along the road from Portsmouth to New Mill Creek in 1774 (bk. 3, p. 238). Richard was shown in the alphabetized list with John Sr., Samuel, John Jr., and Edward, and Ann all living separately except John, Sr., and Edward. This Richard had negroes Perkins and Phillis, and he was not counted as a tithable. Ann had negroes Primos and Hannah.
Note – what happened to the new Richard Taylor we were tracking above? Did he die, or did he leave the area?
A Richard Taylor was shown by the index to be along the road from Portsmouth to New Mill Creek in 1778 (bk. 3, p. 267). He was not found there.
Borough of Norfolk
Note – the Tanner’s Creek area will be included with the Borough of Norfolk since they were both in the Elizabeth River Parish and there were few entries for Tanner’s Creek by itself.
A Richard Taylor shows up in 1731 in Tanner’s Creek Precinct in the same household with Mr. John Taylor and James Sinclair (bk. 1, p. 41).
Note – Mr. John Taylor was a merchant in Norfolk. Mr. John Taylor was born in 1694 in Fintrie, Scotland and died in 1744 in the Borough of Norfolk.
The only Richard Taylor reported in 1750 was on the South side of Tanner’s Creek in Norfolk County. This Richard Taylor was living in the same household with David Harper (bk. 1, p. 201).
A Richard Taylor shows up in the same household with Willis Lister and Thomas Williamson in 1751 in the Borough of Norfolk (bk. 2, p. 13). A duplicate record reports this Richard Taylor as living in the same household with Willis Lester in the area referred to as Hollow Poplar to Upper Inhabitants (bk. 2, p. 32). This Richard Taylor was not found in 1752.
The Richard Taylor in the Borough of Norfolk in 1754 was living in his own household for the first time (bk. 2, p. 94).
This Richard Taylor was living in the same household with Willis Lester and George Cox in the Borough of Norfolk and South side of Tanner’s Creek in 1753 (bk. 2, p. 70).
The next Richard Taylor is in the Borough of Norfolk in 1757. He was back in a household shared by Samuel Lewellyn and Thomas Sherrock, and a negro named Phillis (bk. 2, p. 123). Thomas Sherrock was apprenticed to Richard Taylor in 1756 for five years to learn the trade of carpenter.
The Richard Taylor in the Borough of Norfolk in 1759 was living in the same household with Sam Lewellyn, Thomas Sharrock, John Wright, and negroes Phillis and Chany (China) (bk. 2, p. 146).
The Richard Taylor in the Borough of Norfolk between Church Street and the Town Bridge in 1761 was next to James Taylor in an alphabetized listing. Richard is listed with five tithables and James is listed with seven tithables. Normally the number of tithables corresponds with the number of names.
Richard Taylor was the only Taylor in the alphabetized listing of the Western District of the Borough of Norfolk in 1765 (bk. 2, p. 214). He was living in a household that included Francis Hutton, Benjamin Buntin, John Bridger, Josiah Deane, Richard Buntin, and negro China.
This same Richard Taylor was in the alphabetized listing of the Western Division of the Borough of Norfolk in 1774 (bk. 3, p. 243). He was living in a household that included William Taylor, Stephen Deans, Cornelius Edwards, John Bailey, and negroes China, Ruth, and Sabina.
This same Richard Taylor was in the alphabetized listing of the South side of Tanner’s Creek in 1778 (bk. 3, p. 262). He had negroes Perkins, Phillis, China, Ruth, and Seviner.
Note – was this the Richard Taylor who died in 1785 in the Borough of Norfolk? The will of this Richard Taylor was dated 28 Jan 1785 and proved 17 Feb 1785. It names nephews Thomas Taylor and Richard Bailey, and niece Mary Bailey (bk. p. )
