Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Taylor, Sylvester February 7, 1897
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Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net June 27, 2010, 3:01 pm

The Ionia Standard, Friday, February 12, 1897
At the ripe age of 83 years, another long-familiar figure passes from the busy 
scenes of life into that “undiscovered country,” which all must, soon or late, 
explore.  Sylvester Taylor died on Sunday morning, after an illness of five 
days.  He was taken with a fever, which developed into pneumonia, but the 
immediate cause of death was doubtless heart failure, while the primal cause 
was old age.  

Deceased was born in Berkshire county, Mass., April 7, 1814, and removed with 
his parents to New York City when only two years old.  As a boy, his life was 
spent in that city and the neighboring suburbs.  At the age of 15, he came 
with his parents to the then frontier settlement known as the Western Reserve 
in Ohio, where the years of his young and early manhood were spent, amid the 
privations of pioneer life, but with the stimulus of social good feeling and 
the engendering of a spirit of neighborly sympathy that comes from such a 
life.  Here he first entered politics and served in minor official positions, 
including that of under-sheriff, jailor and court officer of his county, in 
which position he made the acquaintance of Ben Wade, then serving as judge; R. 
P. Ranney, Gov. Todd, and later Gen. Garfield, and other men who became famous 
in the stirring period previous and during the war, and when he imbibed the 
radical anti-slavery views that appealed strongly to his generous nature, and 
swayed all his future political action until slavery became extinct.

He was married Oct. 18, 1838 to Catharine A. Colton.  In the fall of 1854 he 
came to Ionia, and went to work in the cabinet and chair factory of R. & N. 
Dye, located nearly opposite the Dexter (now Sharick) mills.  Later he carried 
on business in the same place himself.  

He was early active in politics in his new home, and was elected justice of 
the peace two or three times, having an office at one time in the old “Higham 
house.”  For several years he was supervisor of First and Second wards.  
During the war he was assistant provost marshal, and was engaged in the work 
of raising troops, arresting deserters, attending to drafting soldiers, and 
other duties which were exacting and sometimes not entirely without peril.  It 
is related as an illustration of his nerve and his persuasive powers that, 
alone and unarmed, he arrested a deserter fully armed, and entrenched on an 
island, who had defied the authorities, and declared that he would kill any 
officer on sight.  

After the war he was assistant assessor of internal revenue for five years, 
and filled other official positions in a manner that proved his competence and 
integrity.  Later he had an unfortunate experience in the insurance business, 
which was experimental in its nature, and for the special caution and care 
necessary in the management of which he was not fitted by his truthful and 
hopeful nature.  The business came to naught, and in it he lost the little 
savings he had made, and which he had put in, or allowed to stay in, in the 
vain hope of stemming the tide of disaster.  Of late years he has retired from 
all business, except of such transitory and light nature as was suitable to 
his years and growing infirmities.

His nature was too hopeful, generous and trusting, to bring a marked success 
in business undertakings.  But his life was full of kind deeds, his sprit was 
catholic in its sympathies, and he perhaps lived as near to the Golden rule as 
it is given many men to do, and possibly this is worth as much to him now as 
success in other directions would have been.  

His wife died in December 1880.  He leaves three sons: John C., of THE 
STANDARD; Henry P., of Duluth, formerly clerk of this county; and Charles H., 
of this city.

The funeral services were largely attended Tuesday p.m. from the Church of 
Christ.  The services were conducted by Rev. W. H. Scott, assisted by Rev. C. 
R. Taylor, grandson of deceased, and appropriate music was furnished by Mrs. 
Eugene Smith, Miss Grace Allured and Miss Avis Simmons, Mr. Smith at the 
organ.  The remains were carried by M.M. Currier, L. H. Colton, Clayton 
Colton, of Ionia, and Cornelius Stowe of Saranac.  During his remarks Rev. 
Scott spoke feelingly of deceased, with whom he had enjoyed long acquaintance 
and confidence.  Services were made impressive by the fact that there was a 
good representation of the Ionia county pioneer society present.  The remains 
were laid to rest in Oak Hill cemetery.



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