Taylor, William H.

TAYLOR

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 9/22/2019 at 20:24:16

William H. Taylor

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.524)
WILLIAM H. TAYLOR is one of the early and best known settlers of Silver Creek Township. He came to Pottawattamie County in 1850 and has since made this place his home.

Mr. TAYLOR was born in Clark County, Illinois, March 5, 1842. His father, Pleasant TAYLOR, a prominent citizen and pioneer of that county, was born in Smith County, West Tennessee, and his mother, nee Jane ALISON, was born in Pennsylvania. They were married in Indiana and subsequently removed to Barry County, Missouri, settling near the Ozark Mountains. From that place they went to Clark County, Illinois, and from there, in 1843, to Wapello County, Iowa. Seven years later they came to Pottawattamie County and settled in Silver Creek Township. Pleasant Taylor was the first Gentile to settle among the Mormons here. He bought a claim of Mr. D. JACOBS for which he paid $450. This was before the land here was put upon the market. For several years Mr. TAYLOR kept the stage station, the proprietors of the stage line between Des Moines and Council Bluffs at that time being Frink & Walker. Mr. TAYLOR is now eighty years of age and resides in Washington Township. His wife died in 1868, leaving three children living, namely: James A., of Washington Township; Mary A. GORTON, of Oklahoma, and William H., the subject of this sketch. The latter was reared on his fathers's frontier farm and received his education in a log school-house with a board against the wall for a writing-desk and wooden benches for seats, free-schools not being common those days. In 1864 he made a trip to Montana, Virginia City and Helena, and was engaged in mining.

In the fall of 1865 Mr. TAYLOR returned to Pottawattamie County. He came down the Missouri River from Fort Benton to Omaha on a steamboat named Twilight. September 28, that year, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. BRATTON, a native of Guernsey County, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Rebecca (HARRIS) BRATTON, who was born November 22, 1845. Her father is a native of Pennsylvania and her mother of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. They removed to Mills County, Iowa, in 1855, and are now residents of Silver City, that county. Mr. Bratton has been a carpenter and a farmer, a County Judge and a minister. Religiously he is a Methodist. Mrs. TAYLOR was reared and educated in Mills County. After his marriage Mr. TAYLOR resided on Silver Creek two years and then removed to York Township. In 1869 he came to his present location. He is the owner of a one-fourth section of rich bottom land on Silver Creek. This is well improved and is one of the best stock and grain farms in the township. Mr. TAYLOR has a good frame house, a fine grove and orchard, stables, cattle-sheds, and a corn-crib made of logs that were hewed by the Mormons forty-three years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. TAYLOR have three children: George P., at home; M. R. J., wife of F. M. SMITH, of Silver Creek Township; and Emma L., at home. Mr. TAYLOR is a gentleman in the prime of life, is broad and progressive in his views on general topics, and is regarded by all who know him as an upright man and a popular citizen. His political views are in accordance with Democratic principles.