[Ancestor] Taylor

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Husband [Ancestor] Taylor

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Wife

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Children

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1 M John Taylor ^{1 2}

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General Notes: Husband - [Ancestor] Taylor

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The Taylors are of ancient origin, for it was William the Conqueror himself who bestowed the motto as the hero was dying:
Drink to Taillifer, boys,
His heirs shall have a whole county, fee-simple deeded.
And a motto-Consequitor quodcunque petit.
In "A Corner in Ancestors" we find: "Taillefer was the original form of this name, but simplified spelling has cut out letters here and there, and changed others. Telfor was an early nondescript form, hardly worth mentioning. If you inquire its derivation, or meaning, it is 'iron cutter.' There are those, however, who presume to suggest that the name should he Taylzer, or Teazeler-a form found in records of the sixteenth century, also Le Tasseler-derived from tasseles, or teasel, the kind of thistle used to raise the nap of cloth. The most interesting tradition is that one of William the Conqueror's knights was the bold Norman Baron Taillefer, who before the battle of Hastings, where he lost his life, seemed beside himself with joy, throwing up his sword and catching it again, and
"Chanting aloud th' lusty strain
Of Roland and of Charlemagne.
"It is the lyric poem of Uhland which recounts, in lively measure, the valiant deeds of this doughty warrior. To his family large estates in Kent and other counties were granted. The name all along the ages has had a variety of forms; for example, Taylefer, Le Tallyur, Le Talynr, Taillour, Tailyour (which is the old Scottish form), Tailleau, Tayleure, Taylurese, Taylour, Taylir, TayIler, Taillir and Tattler. Present day orthography is reduced to the forms Taylor, Tailor, Tailer, Tattler and, in rare instances, Tayloe.
"The first of the name in this country was James Taylor, 'gent,' who was living in Virginia, 1635, and became a large land owner. His descendants may claim much coveted membership with the Society of Colonial Wars, through his son, James, justice of the peace and surveyor. An old record shows that his widow, Martha Thompson, received 16,000 pounds of tobacco from the burgesses for one of his surveys. Their children numbered nine, and they were the great-grandparents of Zachary Taylor, 12th president of the United States.
"The founder of the New England branch of the family was John, of Hadley, Massachusetts, who is mentioned as a 'single young man,' a 'land owner' and a 'citizen.' In 1666 he married Mary, daughter of Thomas Selden, of Hartford.
"Reunions of the Taylor family meet at the old homestead in Hadley-the place John the Pilgrim bought from Governor Webster. The present house is about 150 years old
"Patriots the Taylors have always been, willing, when necessary, to pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors, and they number soldiers in every war. William, the fourth from John the Pilgrim, was at the surrender of Burgoyne; Lieut. Augustine, of Connecticut, Capt. Chase, of New Hampshire, Lieut. Daniel, of Massachusetts, were among representatives of the New England family in the Revolution, to say nothing of the noble army of the rank and file. Virginia patriots include Surgeon Charles, Lieut. William, Capt. Francis and Lieut. Richard, the fourth from James, settler. Richard received a grant of land in Ohio for distinguished services rendered in the war.
"Gen. James Taylor, son of Zachary, was an officer of the war of 1812, also Elisha Taylor, temperance lecturer.
"Besides the soldiers and statesmen, the family has its authors, poets, dramatists, artists, actors, scholars and educators. Joseph Taylor, actor and friend of Shakespeare, was personally instructed by him how to play Hamlet, and he is said to have been the original Iago.
"The chief periodical literature in many New England homes was the Almanac-the predecessor of 'Poor Richard's Almanac'-published from 1702 to 1746 by Jacob Taylor.
"Characteristics of the Taylors are incorruptible integrity, persistent loyalty to duty, quickness of perception, fertility of resource, and unflagging energy. Of Zachary Taylor it was said, after he had adopted a resolution, or formed a friendship, no power could make him abate the one, or desert the other. 'He was as incapable of surrendering a conviction as an army.'
" 'Strong in action, firm in purpose, modest in manner, dress and personal belongings,' is the verdict regarding one, with the addition, 'none of the Taylors, from the first ancestor down, has ever lacked common sense.' "
The Taylors have been entitled to armorial bearings since the eleventh century, and the coat of arms shown in "A Corner in Ancestors" is quartered as follows: First and fourth for Taylor, azure, the upper half salute, charged with two wild boars' heads: second, for the De Fairsted family, a chevron of ermine between three greyhounds courant; third, for the Freeland family, a chevron of ermine between three rowels of a spur. Crest, a dexter arm, embossed in armor; the hand, gauntleted, grasps a javelin. The motto, Consequitor quodcunque petit, means, "He accomplishes what he undertakes."

1 Editor, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 523.

2 J. T. Stewart, Indiana County, Pennsylvania - Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1913), Pg 726.