Taylor Book By Shari Franke

For those of us who have thrown up our hands in disgust at the volumes of information (Much of it wrong) about the Taylor family, here is an answer.

Shari Franke on the Taylor Book: (Contact Shari & Don Franke for more information. )
My book is going to be a 3-Volume Set. Warning: link no longer works 2020, can't find another one yet. Rumor has it, she will be releasing a second edition. 
Volumes 1 & 2 are published and available. Cost per copy is $45, with an additional $6 to cover shipping if required.

For those who want to pick them up, books are available at Shari's home in Ogden or from Noel Taylor in Sandy, UT.

Brian Taylor also has books available in Farr West, UT.

Mail orders should be sent to Shari at:

Shari Franke

6147 South 2250 East

Ogden, UT 84403

Volume 1 is a little over 750 pages.

It is comprised of the following: Part One---The North Carolina Period (1756--1808) . The story of what life was like for the planter in North Carolina. Our earliest proven Taylor ancestor was Joseph Taylor, Sr. and he was a planter. He sold his large parcel of land in Tyrrell Co, NC to two other Taylors who we assume to be his two brothers. Richard Taylor, Sr. who lived there and also worked the land as did Joseph, Sr. and to Thomas Taylor, the shipwright who lived in Norfolk Co, VA on the lower branch of the Elizabeth River. We bring the families down for Joseph Taylor, Sr. and his probable brother Richard.

We also bring the family down of Thomas Best the father of our Sarah Best. We tell about Joseph, Jr. and Sarah Best and Joseph being in the Revolutionary War. We talk about the land and the slaves being the most important thing to the planter.

Part One features many wonderful Wills of known family members there, probably never seen by our family. It is a wonderful section.

Then we go to Part Two---The Kentucky Period (from 1808-1865). We take Joseph Taylor, Jr. & Sarah Best & family to Warren Co, KY in 1808. We tell all about them there. We tell about the Taylor family in the Civil War and how it affected them. We have a large list of known family descendants of Joseph Taylor, Jr. who were in the Civil War on both sides. Cousins did fight against cousins in our family!

Part Three: Starts the information on the children of Joseph Taylor, Jr. and Sarah Best.

Child #1 was Frances Taylor who md William B. Cherry. We tell all about their wonderful family and bring it down, with many pictures, documents, etc. Henry Hardin Cherry, a grandson of this couple, was the founder of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. There is a full-size statue of him there.

Child #2 is the story about Amy Taylor who md Etheldred Wallace. They moved to Stewart Co, TN from NC and raised their family there. Interesting folks, those Wallaces! Don & I had the opportunity to go visit Stewart Co. in Sep. 1993 and took quite a few pictures of sites pertinent to this family.

Child #3 is the story about Delilah Taylor who md John Wallace, Etheldred's brother. They went first to Warren Co. in 1808 with Joseph Jr. & Sarah. Then then moved to Stewart Co, TN abt 1818 & raised their large family there & then moved to Trigg Co, KY by 1830. Some colorful stories in this part, to say the least.

Child #4 is our own William Warren Taylor who md Elizabeth Patrick. This just gives two pages to them in this volume, with brief explanations of their life to preserve William's place in the Joseph Taylor, Jr. family.

Child #5 was Allen Taylor who md Lavina Cherry. They stayed in Warren Co, KY all of their lives and raised their family there. Many of their close descendants moved away--some to Calif. and ILL. We bring their family down. Many pictures & documents.

Then we have 3 Appendixes, one of great interest to our family tells the story of how Joseph Taylor, Sr., his son David Taylor, Thomas Best & other close neighbors were Tories at the beginning of the Revolutionary War! Proven information! They changed their minds though & joined with the colonists. We have depositions which were found! Then we have an index of the whole thing at the end. It is a wonderful book, not because I wrote it, but the information gathered therein is wonderful.

Volume 2 consists of the following:

Continuation of the children of Joseph Taylor, Jr. and Sarah Best.

Child #6, Mary Ann Taylor who md (1) Samuel Cherry & (2) Elijah Upton & their family; Child #7, Seraphy Temperance Taylor who md Wiley Smart & their family. They left Warren Co. and moved to Madison Co, IL early on.

Child #8, Nancy Taylor who died as a teenager & has only 1 page.

Child #9, Sarah Best Taylor who md Rene Chastain Hudnall & all about their family.

Child #10, Joseph Best Taylor who md (1) Polly Ann Hudnall, Rene's sister. Md (2) Sarah Elizabeth Rone Burchfield. Joseph Best stayed on his land in Warren Co. and died during the Civil War. Many of his children moved to MO and KS. We tell all about this wonderful family. Child #11, Elizabeth Ann Taylor who md Samuel Venable Goode & about their family. They stayed in Warren Co. where they died during the Civil War.

Child #12, the baby of the family was Charlotte Taylor who md William Lawson White & their large family. They also stayed in Warren Co.

Part Four contains the Reunion Section of the Joseph Taylor, Jr. family. Then an index.

Volume 3 will be the complete story of our William Warren Taylor--Elizabeth Patrick family, with their 14 children. This story is way too big to put with something else. We have mounds of wonderful information about this great family. Pictures, obituaries, documents, etc. Then another index for this volume.

Price again is going to be $45.00 per book, for Volume 1. If we need to mail it, we have to charge $6.00 which includes the box for mailing.

I have researched the Joseph Taylor, Sr. & Joseph Taylor, Jr. families since 1990, working on Taylors exclusively. I know a great deal about them, I believe. I have researched other difficult families with good success before 1990. I hope everyone will be pleased with the results. I can only say I have done my very best and given it my all! My husband Don has helped me more than you would believe, even while working a fulltime job & a big Church job.

Absolutely no proselyting is involved in these books. I simply tell their story. Vol. 3 will naturally include information about early Church history as our people lived it!

I would suggest that if anyone hesitates & thinks they don't want to see Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, that they look at one of the books and study it some before they order. This is all one big family! All three volumes are our family!