Sonoma-Solano County CA Archives Biographies.....Taft, S. A. 1825 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 3, 2006, 5:29 pm Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. (1880) Taft, Rev. S. A., D. D. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in the town of Mendon, county of Monroe and State of New York, on the 6th day of January, 1825. His father's name was Adon Taft, who was born and raised in the same place as the son. His grandfather, Caleb Taft, was a Revolutionary soldier, who soon after the close of the war, moved from Massachusetts into western New York, where, as a pioneer, he endured all the hardships and experiences incident to pioneer life. He lived to a good old age, being upwards of eighty at the time of his death. Adon Taft moved with his little family, consisting at the time of a wife and three infant sons, of whom the subject of our sketch was the eldest, in 1830, into what was then the wilds of the Territory of Michigan, and settled about thirty miles north of Detroit, in Macomb county, township of Washington. Here he remained until the time of his death, May 8, 1879. Dr. Taft was reared on the farm, and inured to manual labor, availing himself of the common school and such private schools as then existed, the chief of which in all that locality was what was known as "Romeo Academy," of which Professor Nutting was then the principal or chief, until he was of age. He then commenced a regular course of study under Peter Moyres, a graduate of Western Reserve College, Ohio. Having completed his preparatory course, he entered the Freshman class in Michigan University in the Spring of 1849, where he remained to the close of the college year in 1851. Then he went east to Rochester, New York, and entered Rochester University, and graduated from the platform in Corinthian Hall, with the class of 1852. He then entered upon his theological studies in Rochester Theological Seminary, with the class that graduated in 1855. After his graduation in July, 1852, he came back to Michigan and was married to Miss Viletta Curtis, daughter of Jeremiah Curtis, a principal citizen in Shelby township, Macomb county, Michigan. The marriage took place in the Baptist Church, Mount Vernon, July 18, 1852, Rev. Z. Coleman being the officiating clergyman. In September following, he with his wife returned to Rochester and entered upon the work of his theological course of study. Meanwhile he was preaching almost every Sabbath without abatement, having commenced preaching when he was only eighteen years of age, and was then known as the "Boy Preacher;" and boy preaching it must have been, sure enough. And yet the people would flock to hear him in crowds and multitudes from far and near. He was first pastor of the Stony Creek Baptist Church, then of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church. These churches he served while preparing for college. Then after he entered Michigan University, and while a student there he became pastor of the Ypsilanti Baptist Church, and served them until he went East. After-entering upon his work in Rochester University he became pastor of the Webster Baptist Church, which position he filled, while prosecuting his studies in the university and the seminary, until his return to Michigan, when he became a second time the pastor of the Ypsilanti Baptist Church, and after that again of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church, the same place where he was married in 1852. In the Fall of 1857, he became Principal of the " Oxford Institute," where he remained until the Spring of 1861, when he moved to Fentonville, Genessee county, Michigan, and became pastor, or supply, rather, of the Baptist Church of that place. He then became Principal of the Fenton High School, which position he filled until the close of the Spring term in 1866, when he resigned and became pastor of the Old First Baptist Church, Quincy, Illinois, where he remained until the Fall of 1870, when he became president of what was then known as "The Baptist Male and Female College," of Palmyra, Missouri. During his term of teaching in Fentonville, Michigan, for the most part, the subject of our sketch was pastor of the Holly Baptist Church, at Holly, a town on the D. & M. R. R., not far distant from Fenton. Also, while he was in charge of the Institution at Palmyra, Missouri, he was preaching for the Bethel Baptist and the Palmyra Baptist churches. November, 1873, Doctor Taft became pastor of the Macon Baptist Church, Macon, Missouri. While there he received an invitation to visit the Santa Rosa Baptist Church, this county. He resigned his pastorate in Macon and came to Santa Rosa, reaching here the 23d day of July, 1875, and preached his first sermon in California, Sabbath morning, July 25th. On entering the pulpit, his first utterance was significant; it was this: " There is such a thing as the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the one great end of the pulpit is to make it known." And most faithfully did the doctor stand by that text in his relation with the Santa Rosa Church and people, until his brethren called him to the presidency of "California College," a Baptist institution, most unfortunately located at Vacaville, Solano county, this State. He entered upon his duties as President of the College in August, 1877, where he remained until the close of the Fall term, December, 1878, when the class work of the college was suspended, and the doctor returned to his old charge in Santa Rosa, where he is at this present writing. The doctor is a bold, earnest man, of liberal feelings and sentiment, yet most decided and fixed in his own convictions. He manifestly believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ, for he preaches it and urges it upon the attention of all. In politics he is a Democrat of the State's Rights school, within the limits of the Federal constitution. He does not believe that we are exclusively a nation, nor that we are exclusively a confederation of States, but that we partake of the nature of both. We are both federal and confederate. We are a federate nation—not a nation simply, but a nation of people and States in federation. And this condition of things, he maintains, must be upheld and continued, or the true genius and nature of the American system of government will have been destroyed. In religion he is an enthusiastic Baptist, of the millenarian school. He has a good physique, of Scotch descent; florid complexion; height, five feet ten inches, and greatest weight two hundred and twenty-five pounds. He is manly, dignified and noble in appearance, and urbane in manners. He has had five children, three sons and two daughters. Two are dead—died in infancy — one, Daton DeGarmo, was born in Oxford, Oakland county, Michigan, April 20, 1860, and died January 2, 1863; the other, Rittie Italia, was born in Fenton, Genesee county, Michigan, July 25, 1861, and died January 1, 1863. Three are living, Herbert DuFay, born in Webster, Monroe county, New York, November 26, 1853; Luie Luella, born in Fenton, Michigan, November 8, 1864, and Anson Curtis, born in Palmyra, Missouri, April 26, 1871. Mrs. V. C. Taft, the mother of these children, was born in Middlebury, Wyoming county, New York, December 23, 1827; a woman of good constitution, most conscientious and devoted. May God bless and keep the family, and long may it live to perpetuate and enoble the family name, honor God, love mankind, and do good in the world. Additional Comments: Santa Rosa Township Extracted from: HISTORY —OF- SONOMA COUNTY, -INCLUDING ITS— Geology, Topooraphy, Mountains, Valleys and Streams; —TOGETHER WITH— A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political History, Comprising the Tabular Statements of Elections and Office-holders since the Formation of the County; Separate Histories of each Township, Showing the Advancement of Grape and Grain Growing Interests, and Pisciculture; ALSO, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE; THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG; AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN; —AND OF ITS— Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc., Etc. ILLUSTRATED. SAN FRANCISCO: ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS. 1880. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sonoma/bios/taft278gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 8.6 Kb