Volume 27 Number 3; September 2023

President Roger Russell is married! #

Roger is excited to welcome his new wife, Carole Cooper Morris, to the family. Roger and Carol have a beautiful story of their relationship from their teen years when they first met. Carole summed it up best with her post on Facebook, “In 1960, I kissed Roger Taylor Russell goodbye and sent him off on his LDS mission to Germany. I said I’d wait, and he said he’d write. He didn’t, and I didn’t. But being a girl who keeps her promises, I married him on June 17, 2023.” Welcome to the family, Carole!

Seeing them together is just fantastic, and they have constant smiles. Roger has a pep in his step, and he is being cared for by his beautiful wife through his latest health challenges and coming out healthier and happier in just these few short months. 

Roger has relocated to St. George, Utah, where he and Carole serve at historical sites in and around the area. So, if you are in the area, stop by to say hello to the newlyweds! 

An Update of “The Norfolk County Taylors”

Mark J Taylor — July 2023

Taylor Times, vol. 5, no. 2, in February 1999, published a report from Bill Linder of Arlington, Virginia, “The Norfolk County Taylors.” Linder summarized a theory showing four consecutive Richard Taylors in Norfolk County, likely Joseph Taylor Sr’s ancestors. The critical evidence he reported for the first generation in the Virginia Colony, Richard Taylor I and Margaret M Taylor, was Richard’s and Margaret’s wills from 1679. These two wills introduce close relationships with three families: Taylors, Hodges, and Mannings. Richard Taylor married Margaret Manning, and Roger Hodges married Mary Manning.

In the past, some members of the extended Joseph Taylor family have claimed our family descended from the family of President Zachary Taylor of Orange County, Virginia. The historical record and y-DNA testing have ruled out this connection to our Joseph Taylor. Others have claimed a link to a certain John Taylor from the north of England, but evidence of this possible connection doesn’t appear to exist. The possible ancestry of Joseph Taylor Sr, reported by Bill Linder, remains a strong possibility.

We have been looking for the origins of this Richard Taylor I and his wife, Margaret Manning, who both died in 1679. In addition to the 1679 wills, the Taylor family has a genetic connection with a group of Hodges which provides another avenue of research and analysis. This connection began with two teenagers sailing on the ship Truelove from the South of England to Bermuda. The Truelove, captained by Master Robert Dennis, departed Gravesend on the Thames estuary on June 10, 1635, headed for the Somers Islands [Bermuda]. On board were Roger Hodges, age 17, Rich[ar]d Taylor, age 16, and three other Taylors who might be related to Richard. (Camden Hotten, Original Lists of Persons of Quality, pp. 85-87)  

The first definite evidence of Richard Taylor I in the Norfolk part of Virginia involves Richard Taylor and Thomas Nash acquiring 446 acres in Lower Norfolk County, near the head of Julians Creek in the SW Branch of the Elizabeth River in 1665. Our family research identifies friends and family related to others who acquired property in this area. This tract of land appears to be close to a 200-acre parcel acquired by John Manning on October 25, 1648. John Manning’s two daughters are relevant to the story:  Mary Manning who married Roger Hodges Sr, and Margaret who married Richard Taylor I.

This information is the story of the beginning of our Taylor family in the New World. There remains substantial research to do, history to be understood, genealogical data to be gathered from wills and land transactions, and DNA connections to be confirmed. We hope members of the family will join in this organized effort.

Editor Note: Mark J Taylor’s detailed research from this abstract will be posted soon on the Taylor Family Association website.

Life of Upstanding Men, Independence “Penn” Taylor and Leland Taylor, in New Harmony, Utah

By Debra Tangren

I recently joined the New Harmony Heritage Historical Society on their Facebook group to keep up with the comings and goings of this beautiful Southern Utah region where many of our Taylors settled. Come to find out, more than just one branch settled in the area with its rich history. New Harmony Utah is where the Taylor Organization plans to hold the next in-person Family Reunion next spring 2024; see more information below under Family Reunions. I wanted to learn more about the area and expand our knowledge of our great heritage. Scrolling through the Facebook group, I found a recent post about a medal that was found inside the walls of the historic Independence Taylor home. The name on the medal didn’t fit into any of our Taylor ancestors, but I knew that Independence Taylor did.

Independence Taylor home, recent after remodel. Source: Google Earth.

Independence Taylor was born on July 4, 1854, in Davis Co., Utah Territory, as the ninth of eleven children of Allen and Sarah Lovisa Allred Taylor. Independence was known throughout his lifetime as “Penn” or “Uncle Penn.” His father, Allen, and Uncle William moved their families to Southern Utah in 1862, settling in New Harmony in 1864.

In a biographical sketch written by his niece while Penn was still alive, she noted that “he remembers distinctly how he walked and drove sheep most of the way” as they moved from Davis County to Southern Utah.

Penn grew up in New Harmony, starting as a sheep herder at a young age and barefoot to hauling lumber to help build the St. George Temple. Some of his many jobs included graveling roads, being a stage-coach driver, hauling ore, assisting in moving a hotel that had been torn down to be rebuilt in a new area, assisting in building the cement schoolhouse, driving stock, and moving freight by railroad in the Dixie area.

He was known for working hard to provide for his family, that he and his wife, first cousin Julia Aner Taylor, the daughter of William Warren Taylor and Julia Aner Carbine. Together they had four children, William Penn, Sarah Adelia, Joseph Allen, and Julia Aner, raising them all in New Harmony. 

His wife Julia passed away in 1909, and Penn never remarried. He outlived three of his four children and died, after a week with pneumonia, at 87 years old, at the home of his daughter, in 1942. The only known house that Penn lived in, in New Harmony, is still standing, having recently gone through a remodel, and is located just south of the post office in town.

Sources: “A Sketch of the Life of Independence Taylor,” Laverna Taylor Englestead, 1938-39, sourced from FamilySearch.

Joseph Taylor Sr. Family Association database.

Another picture I ran across on the New Harmony Heritage Historical Society Facebook group was that of Leland Taylor and his family. It was reported on the group page that the picture was taken in front of the Independence Taylor home, but after a quick comparison, I found it is not valid. A comment left by another group member noted it to be the Davis family home that the Taylor family had rented before moving into their home in the previous story.

Who were these Taylors in the photo? So, to answer my question, I went on a scavenger hunt across the web. My call to Mark Taylor was returned later in the day, and he verified all I had found; we just got to love those helpful cousins.

Taylor family (left to right) Edwin Ray, Terrence Lee, Esta Belle Smith Taylor, Leland, and Joycelyn.

Since I didn’t recognize Leland’s father’s name, James Edgar Taylor, I dug a little further back until I started to identify some of the names, especially since I noted that Leland was listed as being from New Harmony on his marriage license. I didn’t have to look too far back because Leland’s grandfather was none other than William Warren Taylor, the brother of Allen Taylor, who was Independence Taylor’s father.  James’ mother was Williams’ second wife, Mary Adelia Carbine, the full sister to William’s first wife, Julia Aner Carbine. So, Penn and James were first cousins, and James was the half-brother of Penn’s wife, Julia Aner. 

Leland and Esta had four children, Esta (stillborn), Terrence Lee, Edwin Ray, and Joycelyn, all in the photograph on the Facebook group page. Since there was no date associated with the photograph, we considered what we believed to be the age of Joycelyn, which is about ten years old. Based on her birth year on FamilySearch of 1944, this photo was most likely taken in 1954/55. 

Leland held many jobs in his lifetime, which caused the family to move around the Western States before settling back in New Harmony and the Cedar City area. His many adventures are documented in an oral history on FamilySearch.  His wife Esta was a schoolteacher.  She passed away in 1991, and Leland passed less than a year later, on October 4, 1992, at 86 years old. 

Sources: “Leland Taylor, July 30, 1970,” Voices of Remembrance Foundation Oral History Collection, Dixie State College of Utah, St. George, Utah. Sourced from FamilySearch.

Joseph Taylor Sr. Family Association database.

From Gordon Taylor, VP of Descendency

The Board of Directors has decided to change the name of “Slicer” to Family Representative or “Branch Manager.” We are recruiting you to become knowledgeable about your “slice” of Taylor genealogy and work with other cousins and family to fill our twigs and branches of Taylor’s. When our membership comes to us with a question about an ancestor in your line, we will help connect the two of you to work through and direct them in their research. More hands make light work, and we will continue to grow our membership and fill our tree with our loved ones. If you want to become a Family Representative “Branch Manager” for your branch, please contact Gordon Taylor; see page 11 for contact information.

JOIN US for our VIRTUAL INFORMAL MONTHLY CHATS!

From TFA Presidency and Staff

We have had three virtual informal visits and chats that have been held over the past few months since our last Newsletter went out. They have been such a success that we plan to continue hosting them once each month. We are holding them on Zoom with no agenda. Visit, chat, and meet new cousins! 

There are usually a few different TFA Board members there, so if you have questions or are stuck on a genealogy question, someone will be there to help or pass along your question to the correct person. 

Our planned virtual visits on Zoom are scheduled for 10 AM Mountain Time:

August 19

September 16

October 14

November 11 (tentatively)

December 9

We want to invite the younger generations to join us, so tell your children and grandchildren to join us. It will be a safe place to be ourselves and only moderated to keep it safe for everyone, answer questions if needed, or keep the conversation moving forward.

Contact Christian at Christian@taylorassociation.org to register and get access to the link.

It is Time for Reunion Season! #

The Taylor Family Association is hosting its 2^nd Semi-Annual Fall Virtual Family Reunion on October 28, 2023, at 9 AM Pacific Time, 10 AM Mountain Time, 11 AM Central Time, and noon Eastern Time. Be on the lookout for more information in an upcoming email to register and notices on Facebook; see below about our Facebook page and group. Our ZOOM account runs smoothly, and we have access to breakout rooms for personal visits and chats with loved ones or to meet new cousins. The planning is well on its way to having a quick year in review, how far we have come with membership and growing our database, and will be interactive. We love to see everyone, so if you can’t attend our monthly informal virtual chats, put this on your calendar! 

The Taylor Family Association is starting to plan an IN-PERSON TAYLOR FAMILY REUNION in Spring 2024! If YOU would like to HELP in planning this next Reunion that will be held in the Southern Utah area in New Harmony! Contact Mark Taylor at tmjtbat2@taylorassociation.org to let him know you want to help. Have you HOSTED or ATTENDED a Family Reunion this past Spring/Summer that you would like to share pics or information about? Are you HOSTING or ATTENDING a Reunion this Fall 2023? Please share your News with us here; contact Debra at Debra@TaylorAssociation.org to have the details posted in an upcoming issue of our Newsletter. 

Reunion News! #

The Rocky Mountain Allreds hosted their annual Allred Family Reunion in Spring City, Utah. A few branches of the Taylor family are connected to the Allred family, descendants of Allen Taylor & Sarah Lovisa Allred and Julia Ann Taylor & Isaac Allred. The family reunion was held on June 9-10, 2023. 

Many cousins met for the first time, and two of our Taylor members, Debra Tangren and her mother, Phillis Harris, were on the Rocky Mountain Allred Reunion Committee. They had tremendous fun helping to plan the Reunion. Phillis was tasked with planning and ordering the breakfast and boxed lunches. Debra’s son, Christian, assisted with setting up breakfast and passing out boxed lunches. Debra also presented “How to Capture Your Grandparents or Your Oral History.”

Our President, Roger Russell, and his fiancé, Carole, stopped by for a brief visit; just one week before their wedding. Mona Ward and her daughter Sheryl Ward Dell (Taylor/Allred’s) also came to the Reunion and met Phillis and Debra, the closest relations we could find at the Reunion. Mona and Phills are 1C1R, and Sheryl and Phillis are 2C.

Hooray for Family Reunions! The next Allred Family Reunion has the East Coast Allred’s hosting on August 26, 2023, in Siler City, North Carolina, and the Rocky Mountain Allred’s hosting on 7-8 June 2024, in Spring City, Utah. Mark your calendars! I hope to see more of the Taylor/Allred family there!

Sheryl Ward Dell & Mona Ward (daughter & mother).

Mona Ward & Phillis Harris (1C1R).

Roger & Carole Russell