John Taylor of Caroline papers

Content Description

This collection contains the papers of John Taylor of Caroline (1753-1824) and papers from associated family members. Taylor served in the Continental Army as a major and colonel and would go on to serve in the State House of Delegates from 1779 to 1785 and in the early United States Senate. He became known for his support of Jeffersonian Republicanism, with his work published prolifically over the final three decades of his life. The collection contains twenty-five handwritten documents roughly grouped into three categories: correspondence of John Taylor, legal documents authored by John Taylor, and Taylor family material not authored by John Taylor. The correspondence of John Taylor contains eleven items dating from 1777 to 1812. Four letters recount Taylor’s service as an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, dating from April to October 1777. Two letters are more personal and one written to his wife, Lucy, and the other to his son, Henry. Five letters addressed to politicians James Monroe, Josiah Quincy, and two unnamed officials complain of the strife brought about by the War of 1812. The legal documents authored by John Taylor are three items: one deed and two wills. An 1809 deed from John to his son, Edmund, describes the Taylor family property in detail, including a list of names of thirty-one enslaved persons. John’s 1824 will is signed in his hand at the bottom and countersigned by John Stother Pendleton of a family close with the Taylors. A second copy of the will was written in a different hand but also signed by John Taylor. The Taylor family material not authored by John Taylor includes eleven items: seven letters, two legal documents, and two genealogical documents. The letters are from and between John’s children, associations with the Pendleton family, and a March 1898 letter between John Penn Taylor and W.W. Scott of Houghton Mifflin Publishing, who were interested in featuring John Taylor in their American Statesmen series.

Acquisition Type

Purchase

Provenance

Purchased from Donald Lippincott, 10 February 2025.

Language of Description

English

Restrictions Apply

Yes

Access Restrictions

The collection is available for research, but may take up to three days to retrieve, as materials are currently with the Conservation Department for treatment.