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Horace Dickinson Taylor

Horace Dickinson Taylor

Male 1821 - 1890  (69 years)

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  • Name Horace Dickinson Taylor 
    Birth 8 Jan 1821  Sunderland, MA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Census 10 Nov 1860  Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location 
    H.D., age 39, born MA, merchant 
    Census 18 Jul 1870  Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location 
    age 49, born MA, corn merchant 
    Census 8 Jun 1880  Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location 
    H..D, age 59, born MA, cotton factor, parents, born MA/MA 
    Death 9 Nov 1890  Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, TX Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I1685  Family Tree | 12 Generation Ancestor Chart
    Last Modified 3 Sep 2014 

    Father Rev James Taylor,   b. 22 May 1787, Sunderland, MA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Oct 1831, Sunderland, MA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 44 years) 
    Mother Elizabeth Terry Taylor,   b. 16 Apr 1789, Enfield, CT Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1831, Sunderland, MA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 41 years) 
    Marriage 15 Jun 1810  Sunderland, MA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F589  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Emily Baker,   b. 29 Jul 1827, Baldwinsville, Onondaga, NY Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 20 Feb 1906, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 78 years)  [1, 2
    Marriage 1 Dec 1852  Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. Mary Taylor,   b. 27 Sep 1853, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Jul 1906, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 52 years)
     2. Ellen Taylor,   b. 2 Nov 1854, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Jan 1860, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 5 years)
     3. George Taylor,   b. 30 Jun 1856, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 30 Jun 1859, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 3 years)
     4. Elizabeth “Bessie” Taylor,   b. 28 Oct 1858, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Dec 1859, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 1 year)
    +5. Edward Wyllys Taylor,   b. 17 Mar 1860, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 13 Sep 1919, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 59 years)
    +6. Horace Dickinson Taylor,   b. 4 Dec 1861, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Jul 1949, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 87 years)
    +7. William Baker Taylor,   b. 5 Sep 1863, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 22 Jul 1947, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years)
    +8. Emily Bagby Taylor,   b. 29 Mar 1870, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 19 Dec 1902, Houston, Harris, TX Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 32 years)
    Histories
    History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston
    History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston
    Early Days on the Bayou 1838-1890, The Life and Letters of Horace Dickinson Taylor
    Early Days on the Bayou 1838-1890, The Life and Letters of Horace Dickinson Taylor
    Family ID F426  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 6 Sep 2014 

  • Photos
    Horace D Taylor
    Horace D Taylor
    Horace D Taylor - later years
    Horace D Taylor - later years

    Headstones
    Taylor Family Grave Site
    Taylor Family Grave Site
    Plot: Sect. D-2, Lot 92
    Taylor Family Gravestone Inscription
    Taylor Family Gravestone Inscription
    HORACE DICKINSON TAYLOR / born in Sunderland, Mass. / Jan. 8, 1821 / died in Houston, TX / Nov. 9, 1890
    EMILY T. FARRAR / born Mar. 30, 1870 / died Dec. 19, 1902
    EMILY BAKER TAYLOR / wife of H. D. Taylor / born in Baldwinsville, N.Y. / July 29, 1825, / died Feb'y. 20, 1906.

  • Notes 
    • HORACE DICKINSON TAYLOR (1821 - 1890)

      At the age of 17 Horace Dickinson Taylor left his native Massachusetts with his brother, Edward, after the sudden death of their parents. They settled in Independence, Texas, in 1838, and in 1848 the Taylor brothers moved to Houston where they established a cotton business. Horace became sole owner of the business in 1850 and soon thereafter bought a warehouse near a steamboat landing on Buffalo Bayou. From this strategic location he could roll cotton down to boats waiting below and within a short time developed a thriving cotton brokerage enterprise.

      Horace married Emily Baker in 1852. They reared three sons and two daughters here on their 3.5 acre wooded homesite. Taylor became one of the city's influential citizens, serving as Alderman in 1861-1862, Mayor in 1866, and as an elder of the First Presbyterian Church.

      Buffalo Bayou, neglected during the Civil War, was dredged during Taylor's term as Mayor, effectively re-establishing commerce to the Gulf. The bayou soon became the lifeline of Houston businesses, allowing the city to successfully compete with Galveston for trade. Taylor, who was one of the founders of the Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange in 1874, continued in the cotton business until his death.

  • Sources 
    1. [S40] Anonymous, History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston, (Lewis Pub. Co., Chicago, 1895), 474-475.

    2. [S43] Red, Ellen Robbins, Early Days on the Bayou 1838-1890, The Life and Letters of Horace Dickinson Taylor, (Texian Press, Waco, TX, 1986), 175, 181-182.