WILLIAM TAYLOR, Sr. was born in Virginia in 1800. He died on 30 June 1877 at Davis Corner, Quercus Grove, Switzerland County, Indiana and was buried in Patriot, Switzerland County, Indiana. By 1820 he had established residence in Switzerland County, Ohio and had married Mary Cochran, born abt. 1807 in Indiana. In The History of Switzerland County, Indiana (1885 Chicago: Weakley, Harraman & Co., Publishers, 1885), William and Mary are described as having been "old residents of the county". At this time the parents of William and Mary Cochran Taylor are unknown.

In 2023 I found a death notice for William in "The Vevay Reveille", Vol. LX, Number 28, Thursday July 12, 1877, pg. 2. It stated that William Taylor had died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. M. Long in Quercus Grove on June 30th and that the body had been brought to Patriot for burial. The "Mrs. M. Long" mentioned in the notice is William's daughter Nancy who married James M. Long and they did indeed live in Quercus Grove. So William Taylor Sr. died on 30 June 1877 in Quercus Grove, Switzerland County, Indiana and his body was brought to Patriot, Switzerland County, Indiana for burial. Unfortunately neither his tombstone, nor that of his wife, survived to the present so at this time we don't know the cemetery in Patriot in which either were buried. Since Mary wasn't mentioned in the death notice, and William was living with his daughter, it's assumed that Mary had preceded William in death. The last time we have record of her is with William in the 1860 census for Posey Twp., Switzerland Co., Indiana. No will or probate for either of them has been found at the courthouse in Vevay, Indiana. However, research is ongoing and I'll update this website as soon as any new information is discovered.   --Wyatt R. Knapp--

Following are the known children of William Taylor and Mary Cochran; all born in Indiana:

1. SARAH A. TAYLOR - born abt. 1821 (New Information!)
2. MARGARET M. TAYLOR - DIED 1865, burial at Patriot Cemetery, Patriot, Switzerland County, Indiana
3. NANCY MARIA TAYLOR - born 8 May 1834
4. ESTHER E. TAYLOR- born abt. 1836
5. JOHN W. TAYLOR - born abt. 1838
6. ZACHARIA TAYLOR - born abt. 1841
7. HARRIET TAYLOR - born abt. 1845
8 . WILLIAM E. TAYLOR- born September 1849

Clicking on any of the above highlighted names will take you to their information.