BIO: JOHN S. TAYLOR, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Joe Patterson OCRed by Judy Banja Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/ _____________________________________________________________ >From Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905, pages 618-621 _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Use this web address to access other bios: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/zeamer/ JOHN S. TAYLOR. The Taylor family is an old and honored one in the Keystone State and was founded in York county by Isaac Taylor, who came here from England and purchased the land upon which the old town of York stands. The grandfather of our subject was a son of Isaac Taylor, the founder, was born in York, and inherited extensive properties. Later he engaged in a transportation busi- CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 619 ness and owned teams between Pittsburg, Philadelphia and Baltimore, long before even good roads had been established. His death is recorded as taking place on one of his farms, in Newberry township, York county. He married in his own neighborhood and reared two children: Sarah, who died unmarried, and William, father of John S. William Taylor was born in 1820, near Newberry, York Co., Pa., and was only seven years old when his father died. This accounted for his never having had any school opportunities. When he was about fifteen years of age he began to learn the carpenter's trade, and not until he was sixteen had he any chance to go to his books. Possessing, however, a quick intellect, he soon mastered the rudiments and became, for his day, a well-educated man, and he was a successful business man, engaging in building and contracting. After his marriage he moved to Huntingdon and continued contracting until 1864, when he moved to a farm he had purchased in 1861, in Fairview township, York county, and died there in 1890. He was a Democrat in his political sentiments and for a long time was postmaster at Huntingdon. In religious faith he was of the new school Baptists. He was a man of the highest integrity and his record for absolute honesty was never questioned. At the same time, he was a man of such strong convictions that when he believed a thing right no influence brought to bear could make him change his opinion. Of such stuff were the men of the past generation, who left a decided impress upon the history of the community in which they lived. In 1842 Mr. Taylor married Elizabeth Sutton, who was born in 1820, in Fairview township, York county, and died March 15, 1898. Her father, John L. Sutton, was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was of German and Irish extraction, and died at the home of his daughter, in his ninety-third year. He was a weaver by trade, and it was his industrious habit to farm during the day and do his weaving by night. He was fond of telling of his first housekeeping equipment, which consisted of three plates, two knives and forks, and a store box which made a capital table and sink. Ordinarily this would not have been a wonderful story to many pioneer young householders, but it gained in interest as having been the beginning of a fortune of some $30,000. Mr. Sutton first married Elizabeth Huffstadt, and Mrs. Taylor was the only daughter of this union, there being four sons, John, Washington, Daniel and Hanniah. His second marriage was to a Miss Laird, and his third to Polly Snellbaker. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were as follows: John S., of this review; Margaret, wife of John Gladfelter, deceased; Jane, who married Ephraim Bushry, deceased; Mary, married to John Stair, of Steelton; Clara, who married Joseph Harry, of Salt Lake City; Elizabeth, who married Harry Killian, of Harrisburg; Miss Adwinna; Catherine, who married Charles Chapman, of New Cumberland; and Minnie, who died aged twenty-one. John S. Taylor was born Nov. 18, 1844, in Huntingdon county, Pa., and was educated in the local district schools. At the age of fourteen years, he began to learn the carpenter's trade with his father, having a natural capacity for it. Before he could reach the tool table he would pile up blocks on which he stood to reach the working bench. He took much interest in this industry and displayed unusual skill, at the age of seventeen years being able to make almost any 620 CUMBERLAND COUNTY. article of furniture for domestic use. In 1863 he moved to Fairview township, York county. On account of sickness the father was neither able to attend to the transporting of the goods to the new home, nor to complete a large quantity of unfinished furniture. His son, our subject, took this opportunity to prove what an ambitious and capable youth can accomplish. This was no light task and required the judgment not always found in those without experience. He went ahead with the work on the furniture, completing it, and looked after the moving while the father rested at a hotel, with one of his daughters to look after his needs. Owing to heavy snow, the six-horse mule team used in transporting the family goods was urged along with difficulty, and reached its destination long after evening had fallen, so that the moving was no easy task. Mr. Taylor remained with his father until the latter retired from business. Although then twenty-one, and the master of his own time, he remained until he saw his parents comfortably settled on the farm, when he went to work again at his trade, remaining with his cousin, Henry Moore, at Mechanicsburg, for five years. He was with Henry Eberly, contracting, for one year, and then went to Pittsburg, for Wilson Bros., and later to Canton, Ohio, where he was engaged with Poyser & Campbell, well known contractors, on the court house. Upon his return to Harrisburg he found good openings for capable workmen like himself, and was engaged to assist in the building of the magnificent home of Senator Don Cameron. Later Mr. Taylor was engaged by the McCormicks as foreman of their wood-working department and remained there some five years. In 1873, when the plant was closed, he was approached by the superintendent and asked to remain to do piece work, but he knew his value too well for that, and immediately entered bids on a number of public buildings, which were accepted. About this time he took advantage of the opportunity to buy a small tract of land, consisting of thirty-five acres in Fairview township, York county. An amusing incident of the public sale was, that his father was sitting along side of him and was exceedingly surprised to find who was the final purchaser. Here Mr. Taylor built a nice residence and lived eleven years, after the first year doing no more work at his trade, devoting all his attention to the development of the farm. Later he rented it and moved on the Eichenger farm, near New Market, and later to Major Reynolds's farm of 200 acres, where he entered into a dairy business. When this estate passed partly into the hands of the Improvement Co. and 100 acres of it was laid out, adjoining New Cumberland, Mr. Taylor was the contractor engaged to do the grading. In the spring of 1847 he made a sale and moved to his home in New Cumberland, a handsome and comfortable residence he had just completed, having built a store room on the lower end of his property in 1894. Since then he has lived partially retired, enjoying the fruits of a long and active life. In 1867, in York county, Mr. Taylor married Mary A. Weigle, a native of York county, daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Seidenstricker) Weigle, and five children have been born to this union, as follows: Frank E. married a Miss Thorly, and lives in New Cumberland; William A. married Maud Krietzer, and lives at Riverton; Charles married a Miss Freize, of Mechanicsburg; Bruce, of New Cumberland, mar- CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 621 ried Maggie Ebersole; Elizabeth is at home. All these children have been well educated and are respected members of society. In politics, Mr. Taylor has always been identified with the Democratic party, and he has been prominent in city affairs, in a quiet way, always advocating improvements which gave promise of being of substantial benefit; he is a member of the board of health. For many years he has been an elder in the Church of God. He belongs to the order of Heptasophs.