Overview History on the Taylor Line

Sarah Ellen Taylor b 17 Sep 1865 d 7 Mar 1947

Married 1st, John Martin b-abt 1864; Married 2nd, John W Carter b1850 d1899; Married 3rd, Charles Alfred Hightower b1873 d1948;

Sarah's father, George Washington Taylor, b 3 Apr 1846 in Franklin County, Alabama, was the end of the direct male line of Taylor, for myself and my descendants. This male line goes back to Hanger Taylor of Kent, England who lived during the time of King Henry III and whose estates were in Kent, England. Hanger had a son named William who was called, "Taylor of Shadochurst" and Hanger's grandson John Taylor was Lord of the Manor Shadochurst.

Sarah was my Great-grandmother and she raised my mother Charlotte (her granddaughter) from the age of five years old. Mother had a brother named Harry Malory Hightower who was a year younger than my mother and Sarah raised him also. Charlotte, my mother, and Harry, my uncle, were the children of Amanda Carter and Charles Hightower. Amanda had placed both Charlotte and Harry into an orphanage in Kansas City, Missouri. She did this out of necessity and not because she wanted to. They had not been there long until Sarah found out about it and got them out.

As a child, my mother was told very little about Sarah's family, the Taylors, on Sarah's paternal side. One thing, however, was very interesting, Sarah told that one of her ancestors, one Zack Taylor had been president of the United States. I was surprised when I started working on the Taylor line. I found that it was actually true. But what I call "The Presidential Line" is not a direct line for my descendants. James, the son of (Immigrant) John, was the beginning of the presidential line. That same line also produced President Madison. My ancestor is James' brother, Robert Taylor, also the son of John (Immigrant) Taylor. John Taylor and his family immigrated to the colonies in 1650.

Seaver's History of the Taylors, says that the ancient name was Tailaferro and there was a Tailaferro who was with Caesar in his campaign in Gaul 58 B. C. The name appeared again in Normandy, France, a nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066, leading the Battle of Hastings. The battle took place on 14 October 1066 between Harold, King of England and William, Duke of Normandy. Although Baron Tailaferro was killed in that battle, his brother Foulkes and decendants received vast estates and became the Earls of Pennington, the ancestors of the Taylors. In the time of Charles The Bold, King of France, a Tailaferro was created Duke of Angouleme. Isabel Tailaferro, daughter of Count Tailaferro married King John of England.

In England, the name gradually became Taillefer. Then became Taylor as Hanger's grandson John Taylor was known as "Lord of the Manor Shadochurst". There were also the Taylors of Ireland who spelled their name Tallisfer or Tayleur. John Telfair was given as the ancestor of Matthew Taylor who settled in New York in 1670. The Taylors of Shadochurst were said to be of Pennington which is only twenty miles from Carlisle, England, the port from which the first Taylors sailed to America. The old ancestral home is Pennington Castle where the Taylor ancestors are buried.

King Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547. His first wife was Catherine of Arragon. She gave him no sons (Catherine was, however, the mother of a daughter named Mary, who became known as "Bloody Mary"). King Henry asked the pope for permission to divorce Catherine. The pope refused, saying there were no grounds for a divorce from Catherine. Henry banned the Catholic faith in England and authorized the Protestant faith, seized the property of the Catholic Church and became the wealthiest monarch England has ever had. He then married Ann Boleyn. She gave him no son either, was condemned for adultery and beheaded.

King Henry then married Jane Seymour who gave birth to Edward VI. Seymour gave birth to Edward on 12 Oct 1537 and died on 24 Oct 1537. Edward succeeded his father to the throne in 1547 and died of consumption in 1553. Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Arragon succeeded him and attempted to return England to Catholic power. It was during Mary's reign in 1555 that our ancestor Dr. Rowland Taylor was executed for heresy, and his brothers fled to Ireland after Rowland was martyred.

Rowland Taylor was the son of Reverend John Taylor and Susan Rowland. The following children were born to them: 1. Rowland Taylor born 6 Nov 1510 died 9 Feb 1555 2. Robert Taylor 3. Thomas Taylor born 1513 died 1534 4. John Taylor (Dean of the compilers of the Protestant Prayer Book) 5. Edmund Taylor 6. Nathaniel Taylor

In 1642 civil war broke out with King Charles' Royalists opposing the Parlimentarian Puritans. Oliver Cromwell led the Parlimentarians to victory and had King Charles executed in 1649. Cromwell banished all loyal followers of King Charles and the Taylors were included. These were the sons of John and Thomas Taylor. They fled to the Virginia Colony in America and are named as immigrants of the Moravian faith which was called Presbyterian in America. These Taylors are listed as immigrants on Greer's Immigration List and also on Richardson's Immigration List of 1650.

Regarding Ellen Taylor, daughter of Thomas Taylor who married Thomas Harrison: In 1649 when Oliver Cromwell defeated and beheaded King Charles I in England, there were 13 men who acted as judges and signed the death warrant of King Charles I. One of these men was Thomas Harrison who was the husband of Ellen Taylor. When Charles II returned from exile in Holland on 25 May 1660, he tried and executed all 13 judges. Thomas Harrison was one of those 13 judges. He was hanged and his body mutilated at Charing Cross, London, England on 13 October 1660.

There was a Trade Guild School in England named "Merchauntaile" operated by the Taylors. This educational guild had been licensed in the time of King Edward I (1272 - 1302). Henry VI gave the guild a charter in 1422 under the name "Masters and Wardens of The Maternity of St. John Baptist of London". Henry VII changed its name to "Merchant Taylors" in 1485. The Taylors also operated the great Cloth Making Guild known as "Merchants Tailors". Members of Immigrant John Taylor's family were Merchant Taylors. In 1683 in Virginia, John 2nd who owned a shipping line exhibited 50 yards of linen cloth of his own manufacture. For many years the Taylors and other families sent their children back to England to attend the Taylor School. Leaving specific instructions in their wills to be paid for with tobacco. In the Merchants Taylor School, every subject that could be taught useful to man to prepare him for public service was offered at the Taylor School, General Education, Law, Medicine, Agriculture,Theology, Surveying and more.

Researched and Written by Charlucker