William Taylor

WILLIAM TAYLOR, a prominent general farmer and fruit grower of Cherokee County, who owns a quarter section of fine land in section 36, Salamanca township, was born in Huron County, Ohio, in 1832 and is a son of Thomas and Fannie (Spencer) Taylor.

Thomas Taylor was born in Ireland, and settled in Richland County, Ohio, at the age of 16 years, but later removed to Huron County, where he carried on farming until his decease, in 1875 at the age of 69 years. His wife was born in Huron County, Ohio, where her people had settled when they came, in early days, from Connecticut. She died in her native county in 1865, aged 49 years. The subject of this sketch is one of a family of nine children, two of whom are deceased, and the others are distributed in different sections of the country, William Taylor being the eldest, and the only one who located in Kansas.

William Taylor was reared in Huron County, Ohio and obtained his education in the district and select schools of his neighborhood. His life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits. In the fall of 1884 he came to Cherokee County, Kansas, and located on a part of his present farm, a claim which had been taken by a Mr. Pratt, and later improved by a Mr. Trimmer. Mr. Taylor purchased his land from a Mr. Moyer. Here he carries on general farming, in partnership with his son, Frank S., and they devote special attention to fruit growing and berry raising.

In November, 1863, Mr. Taylor was married to Sarah L. Conklin, who was born in 1842 in Richland County, Ohio, and is a daughter of Charles and Rachel (Bevier) Conklin. Mrs. Taylor comes of Dutch ancestry, her forefathers having emigrated from Holland and settled in New York, where her parents were born. They were early settlers in Richland County, Ohio, where her father first followed the tailoring business, but later became a farmer, and died there in 1889, aged 84 years. The mother died in January, 1885, aged 70 years.

Mrs. Taylor was one of a family of six children, three of whom still survive, and with three half-sisters, reside in Ohio. She was reared and schooled in Richland County. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have three children, all of whom were born in Ohio, viz: Julia, who is the wife of T. J. Skinner; Frank, associated with his father, who married Ida Losey, of Cherokee County, and has two bright boys,—Fred and Thomas, aged seven and five years, respectively; and Charles, who is engaged in clerking for Isaac Wright at Columbus. Mrs. Taylor is a member, and the rest of the family are attendants, of the Presbyterian Church.

Politically, Mr. Taylor is a stanch Republican. He is a member of the Good Templar organization, and in earlier days belonged to the Farmers' Alliance. His pleasant country home is on Rural Free Delivery Route, No. 1, and is one of the hospitable centers of the neighborhood.

History of Cherokee County Kansas and its representative citizens, ed. & comp. by Nathaniel Thompson Allison, 1904, transcribed by Cody Warstler, student from USD 508, Baxter Springs Middle School, Baxter Springs, Kansas, 3-4-97.