Temporary Distribution Schedule: I will be out of town from February
4-15. The issue for Wednesday, 4 Feb, will be distributed on Tuesday, 3
Feb. There will not be a distribution for Wednesday, 12 Feb.
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KYLE LITES (klites@lee.1stnet.com)
After seeing so many references to the below surnames posted to the
NC, SC, and VA Roots lists, I thought I might mention that I had seen many
households with these during my search of Bryant/Briant in Mississippi.
Most were from NC/SC but quite a few from VA & other states.
<<<<Boone, Campbell, Clark, Currie, Gibson, Goodman, Harvey, Head, Houston, Quinn, Rice, Stewart, Taliaferro, Woods>>>>
Specifically note the Smith County federal censuses 1850, 1860, 1870
& 1910. Reels 381, 591, 749 & 758 respectively. Good hunting.
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For those who are fans of "Touched by an Angel," CHARLEEN OERDING (hotomy@teleport.com)
sends some Taliaferro information concerning the star of the TV show.
*****
In the Sunday, January 19th "Parade Magazine" which is in many major
Sunday papers, there is an article by James Brady titled "In Step With
Della Reese." Here is a bit of information about her: Born Deloreese
Early on July 6, 1932 in Detroit. Divorced from Vermont TALIAFERRO
and Leroy GRAY; married to Franklin Lett, Jr., 1982-. Four children:
Doloreese, James, Franklin, and Dominque. Della Reese is an ordained minister.
'TBAA' is filmed in Salt Lake City all week. She flies back to L.A.
on Sat., preaches on Sun., and then goes back to SLC to film again.
When Roma Downey (Monica) was married, Della performed the ceremony! James
Brady asked her if she had many Morman pals. "I've got no time for pals,
Mormon or otherwise, except for the people I work with," she said.
"Some of them are imported from L.A., but most are local people and
the best company I've ever worked with.......It's a group with a
cheerful spirit, and there's not a lot of junk going on and no attitude."
Can't you just hear Tess saying that?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: In view of our recent conversations about the realationships between the Taliaferro and Gray families, do you think maybe we've been 'Touched by an Angel' who offers insight and encouragement to perservere?]
NEW MEMBERS
SUE T. RAYBURN (louis74@1stresource.com)
*****
I've been a subscriber to TT since the beginning. My husband,
Louis A. Rayburn, and I lived in Arlington, Texas for 18 years, where he
was the Chairman of the Dept. of Physics at the University of Texas.
I owned and operated a business there (a dress shop) for many years.
We retired and returned to Tennessee in 1988. I have been researching
my mother's family for several years, and am hoping that some of the following
information will connect with another subscriber.
My GGgrandfather was Benjamin Taliaferro, born in Tennessee in 1795, and died in Tennessee about 1880. I know of only one other member of his immediate family, Arminda Taliaferro, a sister, born in 1823, and died in 1918. Benjamin may have been married more than once, but my GGgrandmother was Sally (Sarah) Ledford. Arminda married Lydel Grant. Following are the children of Benjamin, as listed in the in the Hiwassee, Polk County, Tennessee census of 1870, all born in Tennessee:
1. Benjamin - born about 1860, probably in Polk County. He was
killed, along
with his brother Berton, in Oliver Springs, TN,
in 1890.
2. William - born January 1865 (my grandfather), married Belle
Burns,
daughter of B.Ballard Burns of Rockwood, Roane County
TN.
3. Hardin - born about 1866, was a farmer and lived in Elk Valley, TN.
4. Burton - born in 1867 - was killed along with Benjamin his brother.
5. Minnie - birth date unknown. Married (?) Wilson.
6. Betty - born 1874, died 1954, married George Pickle, and lived
in
Carryville, TN.
7. Hattie - born 1877, died 1965, married Jack Bossee, and lived
in
Prestonsburg
As you know, there are many, many Benjamins in the Taliaferro lineage. My problem is in trying to discover who his parents were. I find (in the book of Willie Catherine Ivey, as well as in other literature) a Benjamin, 6th son of Dr. John Taliaferro and Mary Hardin, who married Ada or Adra Snow on 4 June 1791, in Surry County, NC. She says "they went to Georgia and then to Tennessee, and then, probably, to Texas." It is possible that these are the parents of my GGF Benjamin who was born in TN in 1795, at which time they could have lived in Tennessee.
There are other possibilities with other Benjamins, but it seems that this is the most likely scenario. Additionally, he had sons by the names of Benjamin, Hardin, and Burton - all common names in the John Taliaferro family. The given name "Hardin" is still passed down in our family, even to the present generations.
I have searched for "provable" ties for Benjamin for years, to no avail. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING THAT WOULD HELP ?? Thanks.
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TIM TALIAFERRO (HAMWIFE)
*****
Good Morning, here is a little bit of the information I have on the
Taliaferros that I am looking for, among others. I'd also like to
see where they fit in with these others. This say that My GG was Charles
William Taliaferro. Born 1/8/1853 he died at age 80, and his
father was Robert Hay Taliaferro. His mother was Louise Hickox.
I guess Charles William was born in Cooper Co. Mo. He married a Francis
Olivia Young. Somehow 6 children are involved. The names I have are
Walter Wate Taliaferro of San Angelow Tx; Harry; John of Hancock Tx;
1 sister, a Mrs Park, from somewhere in Ca. There were 2 uncle's names
that are mentioned, Carl and Emmet.
Also , there is a family of Taliaferros South of Tulsa in a place
called Lone Grove Ok. There are so many of them that there is a place
outside of Lone Grove called Taliaferro's corner. There are
approximately 60 of them within a 3 mile area. I will send the information
I have on them when I can in the next day or so.
QUERIES
TT is receiving some outstanding Querys with good citations for those who want further information. Please remember if you send a response to also send a copy to me, so everyone can share in the information. Check out this issues' Response section also and see what's jelling out there. We're going to get this family straightened out yet! Many thanks for making this study work, Taliaferros.
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BETTY A. SMIDDY (103107.3363@CompuServe.COM)I have a question re Francis
Taliaferro m Bennet Haie. According to "The Origin of the Family of Taliaferro"
by Sir. Anthony Wagner & F. S. Andrews, Va. Mag. of History & Biography,
Jan. 1969, Francis Taliaferro m 2) Miriam ? who was buried Aug. 16, 1647,
at Stepney from Bethnal Green. Did he marry twice? Did he have any children
by Miriam? None by her are listed in this article and only Anne & Robert
by his first wife.
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LAWRENCE LEE (SXGY62A@prodigy.com)
*****
I decided to bring my Taliaferro information into a single file.
I should have known that was going to create problems. I started
with Francis "of the Mount" Taliaferro and Elizabeth Catlett. One
file has their children as:
1. Agatha Taliaferro
2. Francis Taliaferro--b. 1697, d. young
3. John "of the Mount" Taliaferro--b. abt 1699, Virginia
4. Robert Taliaferro--b. abt 1701, Virginia, d. 1725
5. Richard Taliaferro--b. 1705, Essex County, Virginia, d. Jul
3, 1779
6. William Taliaferro--b. Jan 17, 1706/7, Virginia
7. Elizabeth Taliaferro--b. abt 1709, Prince William County,
Virginia, d. 1775
The other file has their children as:
1. Francis Taliaferro--b. 1697, d. young
2. Zachariah Taliaferro--will probated 1745, Essex County, Virginia,
married
unknown abt 1705
3. John "of the Mount" Taliaferro--b. 1699, Virginia
4. Robert Taliaferro--b. abt 1689, d. 1735, Essex County, Virginia
5. Elizabeth Taliaferro--b. 1695, d. abt 1775
Does anyone know the correct information?
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CHARLEEN OERDING (hotomy@teleport.com)
*****
I think I have a mess regarding the children of John Taliaferro (1656-1720)
and Sarah Smith (1666-1720)! First of all, I'd like to verify their
birth and death** dates? And secondly, who were their children?
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CAROL PURDY (MAPurdy16)
Several years ago, I put a Query in DAR Magazine for information on
Thornton Taliaferro (1794 GA - 1839 AL )and his wife, Mary Ann Christmas
Green. Thornton is the son of Benjamin Taliaferro and Martha Meriwether.
Thornton and Mary Ann were married in 1816 in Lincoln Co. GA and moved to Montgomery AL by about 1820. They had only two children, Sarah Ann (b. 21 Jun 1824) and Thornton Nicholas (b. 29 Nov 1829). Mary Ann died Christmas Day 1829 of complications from childbirth.
I received a letter from a woman in MD who gave me the names of five additional children that she said came from Bible records printed in a magazine. From the names and dates, these would appear to mesh nicely with the known children, who are included in the record. Now the problem--SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER WHAT MAGAZINE!!! This has been driving me crazy for years. Can some Taliaferro cousin put me out of my misery?
RESPONSES
WELDON W. ROGERS (New e-mail address: hcfr@mindspring.com)
********
Relative to TT, No. 10:
P 4: Elizabeth Stribling was d/o of Francis Taliaferro and Eliz.
Catlett and a g/d of the immigrant. Proved by her brother Robert's (of
Stafford) Will. They had 5 known children and George Stribling of Aiken
SC is a descendant.
The only known General in the family is Major Gen Wm Booth T 1822-1898, the ggg gs of William T of King and Queen, son of John the Ranger and Sarah Smith. His wife is said in some accounts to be Katherine Hay but no record has been found of such a person. We know all the children of John Hay & Ann Robinson. No Katherine. William has a record in the Caroline COB indicating that the wife of his late-born children was probably Mary.
P 5: The parents of Andrew Toliver are most likely to be William Toliver III and Susannah Reeves.
Re: Richard the Pirate. The Wingfield family association has materials indicating his association for personal gain with some suspected pirates in the Bahamas. See George King's Marriages of Richmond County for comments on Thomas Turner Sr.
P. 9: Charles I (not II) was beheaded in 1749.
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JEAN KYRLACH (Greenroots) Jean brings up a subject we began earlier
and were diverted from - does anyone have any raw primary data
that would give us some guidance about the skewered identities of the two
Katherines, the second (wife of Robert Taliaferro) sometimes also known
as Sarah?
****
A response to TIMES/13: COLONIAL TALIAFERROS by JOYCE BROWNING
(JBrown7169) An article by John Bailey Calvin Nicklin (Virginia Historical
Magazine, p208-210, issue unknown) concernns the identity of the wife o
Robert Taliaferro I. He presents the following: Katherine Grymes,
wife of Rev. Charles Grymes, was the widow of Henry Dedman/Deadman.
Henry had land grants in Rappahannock Co, (1650), Lancaster Co (1653).
In 1652/3 he gave a heifer to his son (Name unknown), and he was taxed
for 3 tithables. In 1654/5 he was taxed for 2 tithables.By June 16,
1655 he was deceased. Nicklin concludes: "it is certainly permissible to
place Katherine, wife of the Rev. Charles Grymes, as the widow of this
Henry Dedman and as the mother of Katherine Dedman (who married Robert
Taliaferro I), Ann Dedman (who married Edward Hoyle) and Mary Dedman."
If Katherine Taliaferro was the mother of at least six Taliaferro children, born between 1652 and 1669, and she married again in 1650 Henry Dedman, wouldn't the children have carried the surname of DEDMAN? This sounds as though the widow of Robert Taliaferro, Katherine, married Dedman. Wasn't it her mother, Katherine, who was the widow of Henry Dedman, and later the wife of Charles Grymes? Feedback appreciated.
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CAROL PURDY (MAPurdy16)
***
Response to GENE (trap-27th-va@worldnet.att.net): A General Taliaferro
was in Stonewall Jackson's Brigade, they didn't get along very well. At
the Battle of MacDowell, Gen. Taliaferro saved the day. Who was he?
. . . . A few years ago on a trip to the Buffalo River in Arkansas
, at a park called "Big Spring" there is a Headstone or Monument to a General
Taliaferro. Is this the same General? >>
If so, William B. Taliaferro was appointed a colonel in the provisional
army of Va 1 May 1861. Brig. Gen. CSA 4 Mar 1861 and Major-Gen. 1
Jan 1865. In March of 1862 he commanded a brigade composed of 10th,
23 & 37th VA Inf. Reg'ts under Stonewall Jackson during the Valley
Campaign, and continued
under Jackson's command until Mar 1863, when he took command of the
District of Savannah GA.
Stonewall is very adept in not mentioning Taliaferro in the official
reports at all. If no one has ferreted out the reason for their feud,
I'd be happy to take that as a project--my husband has a huge WBTS
library. [Great project for you, Carol! We await your
report. Others volunteer to Carol.]
COLONIAL TALIAFERROS
When you think of old Virginia colonial homes, you tend to think in
terms of Williamsburg and the James River Plantations. Beautiful
they are, but also somewhat brittle and museum like. One of the loveliest
counties in Virginia with a wealth of old homes is Gloucester County, the
first county of our
Taliaferro family. Problem is - most are still family
homes hiding down at the end of two-track country lanes somewhere beyond
the tree line. Here are word pictures of two Taliaferro haunts, Marlfield
and Roaring Springs located away from the water. The family of Robert
Taliaferro, the immigrant, moved away from Gloucester to "Old" Rappahannock.
Later in the 18th century, Taliaferros returned to Gloucester. Marlfield,
reported on briefly by Betty Ann Smiddy in last week's issue, is described
in more detail here. It was, as seen by two of the Buckner patents
abstracted below, adjacent to the original Taliaferro land. Roaring
Springs belonged to a later Taliaferro family.
~ ~ ~ ~
Abstracted from: Cavaliers and Pioneers. By Nell Nugent.
Published by Virginia State Library. 1977.
Patent to Mr. John Buckner: 194 acres in Gloucester granted in 1667. Beginning near plantation he lives on, adjacent to Francis Ironmonger, by the arbour in Mr. Barnard's line, by the rappahannock path, along Isack Richardson's, to Mr. Taliaferro's.
Patent to Mr. John Buckner, Sr.: 300 acres in Gloucester, Petsoe
Parish, granted in 1681. Adjoining and betwixt land patented by Maj.
John Smith on back of Purton old dividend, and land of Mr. Francis Ironmonger,
Totapotomi Swamp, and 300 acres granted Mrs. Ann Bernard beginning at said
Smiths, decd, on the northwest side of Goodluck Branch, down to Totapotomie
Creek.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Source: Old Virginia Houses: The Mobjack Bay Country.
By Emmie Ferguson Farrar. 1955.
***
Marlfield in the upper end of the county, was built early in the 18th
century, by the Buckners. It was a T-shaped brick house. The
first printing press in Virginia was brought to Gloucester County by John
Buckner, who was Clerk of the county. Lord Culpeper, the governor,
reproved him in 1682 for having printed, without license, the laws of 1680.
Further printing was prohibited, and some say his press was destroyed.
Marlfield had a center hall, with a room on each side, downstairs and up, this being only the four big rooms, and the two halls, at the time it came in the Catesby Jones family. Mr. Catesby G. Jones, of Gloucester, tells us that it was bought by his great-great-great grandfather in 1779 or 1780. The purchases immediately built a wing in the center back, thus making the building T-shaped. The new part also had large rooms, which were used as dining room and kitchen. In 1904 Mr. Jones's family sold Marlfield to Mr. Z. T. Gray. This made about a century and a quarter that the Joneses lived at Marlfield, and during that time it was one of the social centers of the county. The large chimneys, open fireplaces, lovely staircase, mantels, and paneling were typical of the period.
There was a large amount of timber on the place when Mr. Gray bought it; in fact, that was why he bought the place. He sold large quantities of timber, but today, there still remain at Marlfield, some fine trees.
The grounds are over-grown, the house is in ruins, and the old graveyard, with its fine old vaults and tombstones, is also over-grown. Here lie the ancestors of the Jones family, and also of the Buckners.
***
Roaring Springs: In Gloucester County off Route 17 onto Road
616, one finds the house known as Roaring Springs.
It was built by James Baytop Taliaferro, at, or near the end of the 18th century and in early years it was the seat of the Taliaferro family.
Built on simple Dutch-Colonial lines, with gambrel roof, the interior is beautiful, with its fine paneling and woodwork.
It is, as Anne Page Johns, the Richmond poet, so aptly puts it, - "A equestered small country manor-house of old-time charm, projected into its useful present."
There are about twelve acres of park and lawn in the grounds, and the elm trees are impressively beautiful.
Paintings from the Johns Hopkins collection, priceless family heirlooms, and outstanding antique furniture decorate this charming farm home.
Roaring Springs is owned by Mrs. R. M. Janney.
Other former Taliaferro homes still standing in Gloucester County in 1955 are:
Timberneck built by the first John Catlett in the county, probably in 1776.
Airville, a Dixon home, but spoken interestingly of by General William Booth Taliaferro who reports that during the War of 1812, "Our seabound situation rendered us liable to maritime incursion, and my my father has often told me how as a boy he watched from the portico at Airville the manoeuvres of the British Fleet. (His father was Warner Throckmorton Taliaferro.)
Church Hill, original grant to Mordecai Cooke. The house built around 1670 on an elevation over the Ware River was called Mordecai's Mount originally. His daughter, Susan, married Capt Henry Fitzhugh. Daughter, Frances, married Gabriel Throckmorton. The house passed to the two Throckmorton descendants, each of whom married Mr. William Taliaferro; and so Church Hill passed to the Taliaferro family. Ware Parish Church was first built on this property.
Ditchley, belonged at one time to the Singleton family, was purchased in 1862 by Professor Edwin Taliaferro of Belleville. In the 1890s, a young woman speaking of the social life at Ditchley said: "Young men are delightful adjuncts, but by no means the perfunctory articles they have gotten to be in 1893."
Dunham Massie: Warner Throckmorton Taliaffero, of Church Hill, married Frances Amanda Todd Booth, and went to live at Belleville. When their son William Booth Taliaferro, was married, his father built him a beautiful home on adjoining land near the river.
Burgh Westra: This attractive little home was built for Dr. Philip Alexander Taliaferro, by his father, Warner Throckmorton Taliaferro, about 1847. [Note: there may be a research error in the above two father/son combinations. In one place, the book says that William Booth Taliaferro was the only son of W.T. Taliaferro; but here, it is reported that W.T. Taliaferro also had a son, Phillip Alexander Taliaferro???]
MISCELLANY
Abstracted From: "Settlers, Southerners, Americans, The History
of Essex County, VA," by James B. Slaughter, 1985. [Note: Rappahannock
County of the 1680s included the present counties of
Essex and Caroline on the south side of the river, and Richmond and
King George on the north side of the river.)
**********
"A French visitor to the Rappahannock Valley in 1684 saw the young
plantation society [not always flatteringly depicted] in first bloom.
Durand de Dauphine was a Huguenot exile from the Catholic-Protestant conflict
in his native country. Virginia gentlemen gave Durand a guided tour
of the Rappahannock Valley, hoping he would recruit Huguenot settlers for
the area. Everywhere he went, the Frenchman was treated as a distinguished
guest.
"Durand's first view of Virginians at play came at a wedding. The marriage occurred in Gloucester, but the celebration was probably very similar to the affairs a short distance up the peninsula in Rappahannock County. A hundred spirited Virginians attended the all-day event:
" 'We were twenty-four at the first table. They served us so copiously with meats of all kinds that I am sure there would have been enough for a regiment of five hundred soldiers . . . The [Virginians] eat almost no bread, seldom drink during meals; but they did nothing afterwards for the rest of the day and all night, but drink, smoke, sing, and dance. The had no wine: they drank beer, cider, and punch, a mixture prepared in a large bowl. They put in three jugs of beer, three jugs of brandy, three pounds of sugar, some nutmeg & cinnamon, mix these well together & when the sugar has melted they drink it, & while making away with the first, they prepared another bowl of it.' "
"Durand remarked that the next morning he "did not see one who could stand straight." Guests stayed overnight at parties in the colonial era, because travel was difficult even in the daytime. The ladies slept on beds and cots while men slept on the floor. The plentiful meats mentioned by Durand certainly included venison. He wrote that there were 'such a great numbers of red & fallow deer that you cannot enter a house without being served venison. It is very good in pies, boiled or baked.' "
"Durand enjoyed more extravagant partying at the home of King George County planter William Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh was a forerunner of the wealthy Virginia gentlemen who entertained on a lavish scale. Durand was part of a company of twenty men who descended on the planter:
" 'He treated us royally, there was good wine and all kinds of beverages, so there was a great deal of carousing. He had sent for three fiddlers, a jester, a tightrope dancer, an acrobat who tumbled around, & they gave us all the entertainment one could wish for. I was very cold, yet no one thinks of ever going near the fire, for they never put less than a cartload of wood in the fireplace & the whole room is kept warm. . . .' "
"Tobacco has always been another Virginia pleasure. Life in colonial Essex revolved around growning, selling, and smoking tobacco. Durand found this habit the most interesting aspect of a visit to a Rappahannock Valley church:
" ' Large quantities of it are used in this country, besides what they
sell. Everyone smokes while working & idling. I sometimes went
to hear the sermon; their churches are in the woods, & when everyone
has arrived the minister & all the others smoke before going in.
The preaching over, they do the same thing before parting. They have
seats for that purpose. It was here I saw that everyone smokes, men,
women, girls and boys from the age of seven years . . .' "
(Continued next week)
==================================================================
TALIAFERRO TIMES: Compiled from email and other sources
Distributed by Joyce Browning
cJBrown7169@AOL.com
27 January 1996