George Washington Taylor, son of Charles Alexander

George Washington Taylor, first child of Charles Alexander and Louisa Jane (Curtis) Taylor, was born March 24, 1858 in Winston County.  His name is first found on the 1860 Federal Census as a two year old, living with his parents and newborn sister, Amelia, in Township 10, Range 9 of Winston. 

At the age of 19, George married Lucinda Caroline Swims in 1877.  Lucinda was the daughter of Aaron H. and Elizabeth Caroline (Long) Swims.  Both fathers of George and Lucinda were soldiers in the 1st Regiment, Alabama Calvary, Union Army during the Civil War.

George's wife was orphaned as a child when she was about 8 years old.   Her father had died of typhoid fever in a civil war hospital.  Her mother died the following year.  Guardianship of Lucinda and her siblings was granted to her uncle, William Riley Long. 

George and Lucinda had the following children:

• Charles Aaron Taylor, named after their fathers, married Scottie May Lyle
• Frank Marion Taylor
• Andrew J. Taylor
• Columbus Washington Taylor, married Arsula "Suler" Posey
• David Lincoln Taylor, married Lula Belle Posey (sister of Columbus' wife, Suler Posey)
• Rhoda Bell Taylor, married (1) William Houston Guttery and (2) Pinkney Jackson Woodall
• Ada Louise Taylor, married Richard Sherman Godsey
• Ida Taylor, twin to Ada, died at birth
• Ella "Eller" Ruth Taylor, married John W. Kidd

George was sometimes listed as George Washington Taylor, Sr. in records.  Unlike today's naming pattern practices, George did not have a son named "Junior."  However, George's uncle, James Knox Polk Taylor also named his son George Washington Taylor, who was referred to as "Junior."

George and Lucinda lived all of their lives in the Ashridge community.  He died on March 25, 1926 at the age of 68.  His occupation was listed as retired farmer on the death certificate.  Lucinda died on December 21, 1940 at the age of 83. They are both buried at Rock Creek Baptist Church, Winston County.

George Washington and Lucinda Caroline (Swims) Taylor,
Photo in collection of descendant Kay Wojack

Charles Alexander Taylor, 3rd Child of John & Eliza

Charles Alexander Taylor,
Son of John & Eliza (Cagle) Taylor

Charles Alexander Taylor, third child of John and Eliza (Cagle) Taylor, was born in Hardin County, Tennessee on January 24, 1834.  His birth place is recorded on Union soldier pension documents and provides proof that the Taylor family lived in Hardin County, Tennessee before settling in Winston County, Alabama.

His name first appears on a federal census for Hancock County, Alabama (later known as Winston). Listed as Charles Taylor, age 16, he is the oldest child living in the household of 10 people.  At the age of 23, Charles married Louisa Jane "Sis" Curtis on February 19, 1857 at the home of the bride's father, Solomon Curtis.   Two brothers of Louisa Jane also married Taylor sisters.

Charles Alexander and Louisa Jane (Curtis) Taylor,
Photo in collection of Bill Taylor

Charles and Louisa were the parents of eight children:

• George Washington Taylor, married Lucinda Caroline Swims, buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, Winston
• Amelia Taylor
• Thomas Pinkney Taylor, married Cordelia J. Swims, buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, Winston
• Martha Jane Taylor, married Albert Randolph Shipman, buried at Fairview Cemetery, Winston
• John Frank Taylor
• James Jackson Taylor, married Lou Ella Penn
• William Verpo Taylor, married Sarah Elizabeth James, buried at Hopewell Cemetery, Ashville, St. Clair County, Alabama
• Lewis Monroe Taylor, married Lula M. Alexander, buried at Curtis Cemetery, Winston

On October 12, 1863, Charles Alexander went to Glendale, Mississippi and enlisted in the Union troops of the 1st Alabama Volunteer Calvary, Company L.  He and his brother, Andrew Jackson Taylor, served in the same unit.  Many Winston County men joined the Union troops to show their opposition to War of the Rebellion.  Their father, John, was a leader in Winston County who boldly spoke about his loyalty to the United States government. 

Later in Charles' life, he filed for a pension which he was eligible to receive for his military service.  In those pension files can be found information regarding his family and life in the war.  One eventful story unfolds through the documents Charles submitted.  Following orders given by Colonel Dodge to recruit new members for the company, Charles and a few other men set out on Christmas Day of 1863.  When they were near Jacinto, Mississippi, the men were shot by bushwhackers causing their horses to stampede.  Charles' horse made a quick bolt to the left and caused him to be thrown into the pommel of the saddle causing a painful rupture to his groin. This injury which gradually grew worse troubled him for the remainder of his life. 

Charles was separated from his unit and unable to return, according to documents in the pension file.  He recorded that he hid out in the bushes to keep from being shot at by rebels.  After a few months, Charles was able to return to his unit.  He was treated by the Regimental Sergeant for his injury.  His file also revealed that a march from Glendale, Mississippi to Jasper Alabama led his troop of soldiers within ten miles of Charles' home in Ellaville. His captain advised him to go home and take to the woods to prevent capture by the Rebels. Charles recorded that he was treated in the woods by Doctor Bird and DeGraffenreid.  His discharge date for his service was May 1, 1864.

At the age of 47, Charles was named first minister of Liberty Grove Baptist on October 8, 1881.  He was very active in the Clear Creek Baptist Association. Another brother, James Knox Polk Taylor, also became a Baptist preacher.

On January 7, 1916, Charles died at the age of 81.  In his last days he was cared for by sons, John Frank and Lewis Monroe Taylor.  Charles is buried in Curtis Cemetery, along with his wife Louisa Jane.

CHAS A. TAYLOR, CO. L, 1 ALA. CAV.
Curtis Cemetery, Winston County, Alabama

Surrounded By A Cloud of Witnesses........ Liberty Grove Baptist Church

This Oct the 8^th 1881:
State of Alabama
Winston County

We the brethren and sisters met in convention Sept 20^th 1881 and agreed to petition the following named minister Charles A. Taylor; Deacons J.R. Whitmire, Calvin Miles, Steaphin McCollum, John W. Curtis and J.N. Curtis met by request of brethren at school house near George Wilsons on Saturday before the second Sabath in Oct 1881 and formed themselves in to a presbah organised by electing Charles A. Taylor Mod., John W. Curtis Clerk, and finding the brethren and sisters sound in the faith constituted them in to a church which was named Liberty Grove.

Liberty Grove Baptist Church, Winston County, Alabama

The words written above were recorded by a group of Christian men and women when they began a church over 130 years ago---Liberty Grove Baptist.  Located near Ashridge, the church still thrives today. 

The first minister was Charles Alexander Taylor, first son of John and Eliza Taylor.  He was 47 years old at the time.  Charles and his wife, Louisa Jane (Curtis), were the parents of eight children: George Washington, Amelia, Thomas P., Martha Jane, John Frank, James Jackson, William Verpo, and Lewis Monroe Taylor.  All but the last son were born when Charles became minister.

Early church rolls show many Taylor family members.  Men listed were James Knox Polk Taylor, William C. Taylor, William C. Taylor, Jr., Alonzo G. Taylor, Francis Marion Taylor, and Carel Taylor,  Women listed were Eliza Taylor, Patience (Taylor) Sutherland, A A Taylor, Georgeann Taylor, Nancy M. Taylor, Francis Taylor, Servaner V Taylor, and Emma Taylor.

There are two photographs in the collection of Newman "Wayne" Taylor that reveal early events in the life of the church family.

Singing class at Liberty Grove Baptist Church, in Winston County, July 1919. Verdie Davis with the song book was the teacher. 2nd row third from right is Lucinda Taylor. She and Verdie married later in life as second spouse for each.

Photo taken about 1921 in Winston County, Alabama. Some of the known individuals are as follows: The Rev. Tom Kelly (hands raised) officiating, Alonzo Grant Taylor in the water with hands folded, Hardin Taylor (a son of Tom Taylor and grandson of Charles Alexander Taylor) with crutches. Right to left standing in the water to be baptized: Iren Roland (next to Alonzo) then Ida Brown, then an unknown girl, then Dovey Taylor (later Dovey married George Pulliam), then an unknown girl, then Dessa Crittenden. Right to left on the bank: crippled man being held by the arm is Johnny Harris (he was a school teacher), holding Johnny is Glenn Cauthen, next person unknown, then Wallace Taylor son of Alonzo, next is Howard Lovett, next is Bob Cauthen, behind Rev. Kelly's hand is Murphy Lovett, behind Hardin Taylors' left shoulder is Fayette Burns, behind Fayette is Newman 0. Taylor(a son of Alonzo), beside Newman to the right is Lucinda Taylor (a daughter of Alonzo), further to right is Thurlo Taylor (youngest son of Alonzo), and then Margaret Stevens Taylor (wife of Alonzo) with her hand on Thurlo's head. These persons were identified to Wayne Taylor by his father Newman and his Aunt Lucinda Taylor in 1978.

Taylors Buried at Liberty Grove Baptist Cemetery

Taylor, Alma F., 18 Feb 1902- 9 Jun 1982

Taylor, Alonzo G., 20 Jun 1869 – 6 Mar 1949 [Husband of 1^st Emma L. Elliott, 2^nd  Margaret Derusha Stevens, daughter of John Benjamin and Lucinda Brown Stevens]

Taylor, Alta I., 15 Nov 1913 – 11 Nov 1995 (single stone Theodore R. Taylor)

Taylor, Amery W., 30 Jun 1907 – 15 Aug 2000 (single stone Mary S. “Tom” Taylor)

Taylor, Antha E., 22 Jan 1898 – 3 Nov 1976

Taylor, Carol F., 26 Apr 1921 – 23 Jul 2001 (single stone Cecil Taylor)

Taylor, Cecil, 4 Aug 1920 – 6 Aug 1978; GM3 US Navy, WWII, (single stone Carol F. Taylor)

Taylor, Charles A., 28 Dec 1882 – 13 Aug 1949

Taylor, Charles T., 19 May 1918 – 19 Dec 1966; Alabama PFC 903 Ord Ham Co, WWII

Taylor, Charley, 1 Dec 1877 – 1 Mar 1937 (single stone Susie Taylor)

Taylor, Emmer L., wife of A. G. Taylor, 20 Jun 1868 – 20 Mar 1898

Taylor, F. M., 1 Jan 1843 – 2 Mar 1919 (next to W C Taylor) Note:  Served as Winston County Probate Judge from 1878-1886. [son of John and Eliza Cagle Taylor]

Taylor, George Washington, 7 Aug 1881 – 5 Jul 1960 (single stone Sally Rebecca Taylor)

Taylor, Infant, daughter of Ophelia and Hollis Taylor, born and died 19 Mar 1932

Taylor, Infant, son of Charlie and Susie Taylor, born and died 1903

Taylor, James K. P., Rev., 12 Jan 1845 – 28 Feb 1933 (single stone Mandy Taylor) [son of John and Eliza Cagle Taylor]

Taylor, James Voit, 3 Mar 1908 – 1 Feb 1944

Taylor, L. Gene, 2 Oct 1939 – 6 Jan 1940

Taylor, Lenward, 23 Jan 1928 – 30 Jun 1950; Alabama F2 US Navy, WWII

Taylor, Louanna, 26 Jul 1890 – 25 Nov 1922

Taylor, Lula, 21 Jul 1909 – 1 Aug 2003

Taylor, Luna, wife of C. A. Taylor, 9 Jul 1884 – 12 Apr 1917

Taylor, Mandy, 4 Dec 1847 – 8 Dec 1933 (single stone Rev. James K. P. Taylor) [Amanda Byrd, wife of Rev. James Knox Polk Taylor, daughter of John and Nancy Sutherland Bird]

Taylor, Margaret D., 25 Nov 1876 – 27 Mar 1956 [Margaret Derusha Stevens, 2^nd Wife of Alonzo Grant Taylor and daughter of John Benjamin and Lucinda Brown Stevens]

Taylor, Mary S. “Tom” 27 Jul 1908- 10 Apr 1976 (single stone Amery W. Taylor)

Taylor, Sally Rebecca, 10 Sep 1886 – 4 Dec 1974 (single stone George Washington Taylor)

Taylor, Sarah S., 9 May 1855 – 19 Dec 1947 [Sarah Sephronia Evans, wife of William Carroll Taylor and daughter of Leverett Hudson and Sarah Brown Evans]

Taylor, Sprot Arnold, 21 Apr 1921 – 3 Sep 1922

Taylor, Susie, 11 Nov 1880 – 25 Feb 1974 (single stone Charley Taylor)

Taylor, Theodore R., 30 May 1913 – 7 Oct 2001 (single stone Alta I. Taylor)

Taylor, W. C., 8 Feb 1847 – 24 Jan 1922 (next to F. M. Taylor) [William Carroll Taylor, youngest son of John and Eliza Cagle Taylor, Husband of Sarah S. Taylor]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

fixing our eyes on Jesus,

the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Memories of Visiting My Grandparents: Columbus and Arsula "Suler" Taylor

Columbus Washington Taylor

Columbus Washington Taylor was the son of Lucinda Swims and George Washington Taylor, (1858-1926). George Washington Taylor was a son of Louisa Jane Curtis and Charles Alexander Taylor, (1834-1916).  Charles Alexander was a son of Eliza Cagle and John Taylor, (1808-1880).

In the year 1905 or 1906 Columbus Washington and his father George Washington were our riding when Columbus spied the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen.  Having no idea who she was or what community she was from, he could only dream about her until his father advised him to visit a different church every Sunday until he located her. 

We aren’t sure how many Sundays it took, but eventually Columbus did locate this beautiful dark haired, dark-eyed beauty at Posey’s Mill.  It seems that Arsula (Suler) Posey, daughter of Appleton Posey and Celia Jane Jones, thought the young blue-eyed man was the one for her.

They were married in January 1907 and set up housekeeping in one large room with a lean-to which served as a pantry for staples, dried fruits and jars of canned vegetables.  At some point a long open porch and two rooms connected by a open hall were joined to the original house.  Another porch was added to the front side of the two new rooms.  Two double beds were placed in each of the two new rooms.  My mother often told of how three or four of the girls would sleep in the same bed in the winter in order to stay warm.  There was no “living” or “family” room as we know it today, no sofa or lounge chairs.

This wonderful God fearing, church going couple produced five daughters, two sons and ten grandchildren.  My mother, Annie Bea, the middle child, told of gathering around the fireplace in the evening and listening to her dad read the Bible.  She also told many stories of hosting the pastor or guest preacher for Sunday dinner.

What talent!  All the girls played either the pump organ or piano, the sons played guitars, Suler played a zither.  Columbus played the pump organ and led singing at church for many years.  You can be sure their talents were also utilized at all day singings.  For you young folks, a zither is similar to an autoharp.  

Being a hard working farm family they produced the food need for their family.  Columbus was also a master can syrup maker, processing sugar cane brought by residents from all around Winston county.  Suler was known for her dough-ball butter in which a small ball of dough was used to start the ball of butter, thus ensuring that the ball of butter would be round.

Watching my grandmother make biscuits in the dough bowl kept in the flour bin never ceased to fascinate me.  Ma Maw  made an indentation into the flour, added leavening, seasoning and liquid, then proceeded to mix and knead until she was satisfied that the dough was perfect. She never measured any ingredient and when I asked how she knew how much to add, she would say that she just knew. 

Times were hard, eggs were exchanged for needed supplies, clothes were made from feed and flour sacks.  In the fall after the crops were in, one pair of shoes was purchased for each child.  The toes were cut out of the shoes in the spring so they could be worn until the weather permitted going bare footed.

Remember those straight, ladder back, cane bottom chairs?  In the summer most of  the adults would sit in a long row on the porch with the chairs leaning against the house, cooling themselves with feed store or funeral home hand fans.  (Some of those fans had beautiful scenes and look great in a picture frame). Pa Paw and some of the men squatted on the edge of the porch.  Everyone was afraid that Pa Paw would fall, but no matter how many times a chair was offered to him, he always refused it.  This was a time for adult conversations, with all the cousins sent to play.  But we discovered that we could eavesdrop by crawling under the house and hiding in the “root cellar”, which was noting but a large mound of dirt with a big hole in the middle.  Needless to say, the adults soon discovered our shenanigans and we were sent away from the house.

Ma Maw’s favorite sitting area was by a window in one of the bedrooms from which she could read her Bible and  see vehicles coming down the road.  Her chair was the only upholstered chair in the house and eventually the back conformed to the shape of her Dowagers  hump.  A little spit can hidden behind the curtain was the only indication that she dipped snuff. Ma Maw waited until everyone else ate breakfast, then she dipped a hamburger bun into a mixture of  leftover meat drippings and black coffee. I thought this must taste terrible, but she really seemed to enjoy it. Oh, what fun all of us grandchildren had running around, chasing each other through the bedrooms and off the porches, going to the creek, drawing water from the well, eating watermelon at the edge of the porch, spitting watermelon seeds as far as possible, making watermelon rind teeth, and making homemade ice cream in the old hand turned freezer.  In the summer someone had to swat flies in the kitchen in order to keep them away from the food.  After everyone ate, the food was placed on one corner of the table covered with a tablecloth, just waiting for one of the grandchildren to sneak back and grab a piece of cornbread or other leftover.

"MaMaw" holding Scott,
Bea (left) and Kay

I was in awe of the beautiful quilts, and more that once, an aunt would come by and tell me to close the doors of the quilt press.  Each daughter received 13 quilts when she married.  Even today I admire my portion of those quilts. 

The beautiful crocheted doilies also fascinated me.  The oldest daughter, Hattie Viola, could simply look at a picture and replicate it.   All the daughters could look at a dress and cut a pattern. My mother even made clothes for a chicken whose feathers had been pecked off by other chickens.  All that training came in handy in making my clothes when I was in grade school.  It was so exciting to pick the dresses I liked from a mail order catalogue, then watch as my mother measured, cut and sewed my school dresses.

Of course, there are not so fond memories such as the hen pecking at my face because I just had to see the eggs in her nest.  And yes, there really was a mail-order catalogue used for toilet paper  in the three hole outhouse located in the barn.   

Front: Columbus Washington Taylor, Arsula, "Suler" Posey Taylor;
2nd row: living Taylor, 3rd row: Lonnie Taylor, Rose Altha Watts Taylor,
Claudie Taylor Brown, Robert Brown; 4th row: Dayton Taylor, Hattie Viola, "Ola" Scott

5th row: Annie Bea Taylor Davis, Pernie Taylor Ellenburg

There aren’t many of us left, the old house has changed, the barn is gone, the chicken coop is falling apart, but I am so glad to have the fond memories of visiting Ma Maw and Pa Paw Taylor in Double Springs, Alabama.

                                                                                        Written By Kay Wojack