Taylor - James & Son John - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

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If any family in the section of Montgomery county, of which the beautiful and thriving little town of Ladoga is the hub, is prominent, it is the Taylor family, for members of it have played well their several roles in the local drama of civilization from the early pioneer period until the present time, doing whatever task that has been assigned them in promoting the material, civic and moral affairs of the community and laboring industriously and honestly in legitimate vocations. John Taylor was born in July, 1870, at Ladoga, and is a son of James F. and Elizabeth L. (Goodbar) Taylor. The father was born near Mount Sterling, Montgomery county, Kentucky, November 9, 1844. He is a son of Augusta and Ormilda (Allen) Taylor. When James F. Taylor was six years old, before there were any railroads at Ladoga and when this country was still in practically a primitive state, Augusta Taylor and wife moved with their family of eight children from the Blue Grass state, coming by wagon to near Greencastle, Indiana, where they located on a farm, and there James F. grew to manhood and there he remained for some time, but about the time he attained his majority the rest of the family moved to Missouri, but immediately came back to Edgar county, Illinois, locating near the city of Paris, and later settling near Ridge Farm, Illinois, not far from Chrisman and there they remained. The mother and two of the sons are buried at Chrisman and the father is buried at Paris. James F. Taylor remained in Indiana, and here he was married in 1865 to Elizabeth Goodbar-Crow, widow of William Crow, and a daughter of Harvey and Louisa (Lockridge) Goodbar. She was born in 1836 and reared in Scott township, this county, where her people on both sides had lived from early pioneer days and where her parents were reared. Her father, Harvey Goodbar, was a son of John H. and Rachael (Hostetter) Goodbar, who, as early as 1829, came from Montgomery county, Kentucky and settled in Scott township, Montgomery county, Indiana. John H. Goodbar was born in Virginia, and was a son of Joseph Goodbar, the latter being one of two boys born in England, and left, orphans, early in the eighteenth century. Joseph was taken by a sea captain and he followed a seafaring life. Once returning to England and failing to find his brother, he emigrated to America and settled in Virginia, where he reared his family. His son, John H., who came to Indiana in 1829, was among the first to teach school in Scott township, Montgomery county. He was trustee of this township for a period of eighteen years successively, and served a term in the legislature at a salary of two dollars a day. He was widely known in western Indiana and was influential in the affairs of Montgomery county. His death occurred in the year 1870, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, after a long life of usefulness, loved and respected by all who knew him. Harvey Goodbar, father of Mrs. Taylor, also came to Montgomery county, Indiana, in the year 1829 with the rest of the Goodbar family, traveling with horses and wagon, driving their cows before them, the trip requiring sixteen days. He was a most estimable citizen and died in early life. Before his marriage, James F. Taylor had been farming for himself, and after his marriage he continued to farm in Scott township, prospering through close application, the exercise of good judgment and foresight, and finally became the owner of a fine improved and productive farm of two hundred and fifty acres, and he continued to carry on general farming and stock raising on a large scale until 1882, when he left the farm, having accumulated a competency for his declining years, and moved to Ladoga in order to give his son, John, the benefit of the schools there. However, not content to be idle the elder Taylor soon went into the business in Ladoga of breeding, training and racing horses, and soon became widely and well known in this field of endeavor and met with great success, being an exceptionally good judge of horses and knowing every phase regarding the care and training of them. He raised some of the finest horses ever known in this section of the Wabash country. Among his first was old "Red Buck," a champion pacing horse and sire of many fine colts. Another notable one was "Rescue," bred at the stables of Powell Brothers in Pennsylvania, a trotting horse and sire of a number of fast horses. "Crisis" was a Kentucky bred stallion, a great show horse, often shown with "Que Allen," and sold for six thousand dollars when seventeen years old, at Madison Square Garden, New York City. Another good horse was "Dispute," a track horse bought in Kentucky when two years old, and who attained a record of 2:15-1/4 on a half mile track with the old style sulkey, and he made it 2:09-1/4 on a mile track. He was the sire of "John Taylor," a horse with a record of 2:08-1/4, and winner of the M. and M. races at Detroit, Michigan, and a ten thousand dollar stake. "Dispute" was the first stallion to sire an M. and M. winner at that time. Mr. Taylor also owned "Egwood," who had a mark of 2:14-1/4 on a half mile track. This fine animal was purchased in Kentucky by our subject at the same time he bought "Dispute." He afterward sold for a sum of fourteen thousand dollars and went to Austria. Mr. Taylor was also the owner of "Taylor McGregor," sired by "Jay McGregor," whose record was 2:07-1/4, that sold for forty thousand dollars and went to Russia. "Jay McGregor" is the champion sire of trotters of the United States, has four 2:10 trotters, in 1912, of whom "Baldy McGregor" has a record of 2:06-3/4 at three years old. These splendid animals carried the name and fame of Mr. Taylor all over the United States, and he has long been regarded as one of the leading horsemen of the country, and has accumulated a handsome fortune through the handling of horses. He has also bought, bred and trained and raced a number of other horses who acquired records of from 2:08-1/4 to 2:30. During the past five years Mr. Taylor and his son have been breeding pure bred Percheron horses for the benefit of the farmers who desire heavy draft horses, and the fillies sired by his stallions bring as high as six thousand dollars. John Taylor is the only child of James F. Taylor and wife. He was ten years old when the family left the farm and located in their commodious and attractive residence in Ladoga. He received a good education, and, having grown up in the horse business and inheriting many of the sterling attributes of his father, he gives promise of great success in this field of endeavor. He has long trained and driven his father's race horses. He is known as a prompt starter, always up to the scratch when the race starts, and handles his horses well. In 1893 John Taylor married Clara Pierson, of Indianapolis, daughter of Jennings and Amanda (Browning) Pierson, a family well known in business and social circles in the Hoosier capital, where Mrs. Taylor grew to womanhood and was educated. To our subject and wife three children were born, namely: Myrtle and Irene, living; and Vivian, who died when a year old. Both father and son have been life-long Democrats, but have never aspired to be public men. The M. and M. race winners are telegraphed all over America and Europe. The Taylor stables are known all over the United States and are visited by many admirers, some of them being noted horsemen from all parts of the country.