Collection open for research.
No physical characteristics affect use of this material.
Taylor Family Papers, 1817-1872 (SC 0097), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.
Loudoun County Historical Society, Leesburg, VA
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2004.0001
Elizabeth Preston, 6 January 2012
Bernard Taylor (1771-1848) was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Society of Friends. He moved to Loudoun County and joined the Goose Creek Monthly Meeting in 1791. He married Sarah Smith (1769-1862) in 1792 and they settled in the area of Loudoun County that eventually became known as Lincoln. They had several children in Loudoun County, including Yardley Taylor (1794-1863) and Jonathan Taylor (1797-1846). Bernard and Sarah are both buried at the Goose Creek Burial Ground.
Yardley Taylor married Hannah Brown (1792-1880) in 1818 and had eight children. He was a surveyor, mapmaker, letter carrier, and nurseryman as well as a prominent member of the Friends community and outspoken abolitionist. He was rumored to have helped several slaves escape Virginia, in violation of fugitive slave laws. Jonathan Taylor married Lydia Brown (1805-1878) in 1822 and also had eight children. Though less outspoken than his brother, Jonathan was also prominent member of the Quaker community and an abolitionist. Both families valued education and religion, and all of the children were well educated on religious and secular matters.
Many of the children of Yardley Taylor and Jonathan Taylor remained in Loudoun County and are buried at Goose Creek Burial Ground.
This collection is made up of papers belonging to Bernard Taylor and his descendants. It includes deeds, a handwritten eulogy, a marriage certificate, and school awards. Of particular interest are the Yardley Taylor broadside and a letter from Carrie Taylor (1833-1904) to her sister from 1864. The broadside was published in 1857, and though the author's name has been torn from the copy, it is likely that it was written by James F. Trayhern, an attorney and supporter of slavery. Trayhern publically denounced Yardley Taylor's abolitionist activities and accused him of subverting the Fugitive Slave Act by helping slaves escape to Pennsylvania. The broadside represents a bitter and personal attack on Taylor, and calls his actions "Monstrous!" On 3 December 1864, Carrie Taylor wrote a letter to her sister in Maryland sharing the details of the Burning Raid and its ramifications for their family and community. The Burning Raid was the Union military's attempt to destroy supplies and disrupt support for Mosby's Rangers in the Loudoun Valley. The letter tells of barns burned, horses and pigs taken, and crops destroyed by Union soldiers. It also shows continuing support for the Union among the Quakers, even in the face of military operations.
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Yardley Taylor Surveying Book, 1832-1884 (M 036), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA; Taylor Family Tree, 1851 (OM 016), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA; Yardley Taylor Map, 1853, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA;