Gen. James Taylor, V

Info added per DAR's "Lineage Book of the Charter Members" by Mary S Lockwood and published 1895

His early education was by private tutor, and later he attended the Rappahannock Academy.

The Taylor family had two cousins, James Madison (4th President) and Zachary Scott Taylor (12th President), who later became presidents of the United States.

James lived at a farm in Fayette county near Bryans's station. He married Keturah in December 1790.

James Taylor, the son of James Taylor Senior and Ann Hubbard, was born April 19, 1769, in Midway, Caroline County, Virginia. In 1780 James Taylor Jr. and his brother, Hubbard Taylor came to Campbell County to survey the Muse patents. On May 3, 1793, James Jr. came to Campbell County to live and supervise the sale of his father’s land. His father gave him 500 acres. He also brought three of his slaves, Moses, Humphrey and Adam and an English Army deserter, Robert Christy and his family. His slaves built several small log cabins on the Campbell County side of Licking River, cleared 16 acres of ground and planted corn.

In 1794 he served as lawyer and executor of David Leitch’s estate and married his widow, Keturah Moss Leitch, on November 15, 1795. This marriage united the two largest landholders in the area, and together they owned most of what is known today as Newport, Bellevue, Southgate, Wilder, Fort Thomas, Highland Heights, Cold Spring, and Alexandria. He and Keturah had eleven children, four of whom lived past infancy.

In 1803, James, acting on behalf of his father, donated 2 acres of land at Fourth and York streets on which to build a court house and jail. Another 2 acre site was donated in 1799 at Fourth and Monmouth Streets on which the Newport Academy, the first school was built. He was instrumental in having the Federal Government move its Western Arsenal from Fort Washington to Newport in 1803. He donated 5 acres on which to build the Army post and was chosen to supervise its construction.

The City of Newport was incorporated February 24, 1834 and had been named by Hubbard Taylor, James' brother, in honor of Christopher Newport, the English mariner who was Captain of the first ship bringing English settlers to Jamestown, Virginia. John B Lindsey was the first mayor and James appointed six trustees: Thomas Kennedy, Washington Berry, Henry Brasher, James McClure, Thomas Lindsey, and Daniel Duggan. Nathan Kelly was appointed Campbell County Sheriff and James was the first Clerk of Courts.

In addition to operating ferries across both the Ohio and Licking Rivers, James helped start the Newport State Bank in 1818, operated saw and grist mills, ran a tanning business, and invested in the Newport Manufacturing Company which made "Kentucky Jeans". He was part owner of the salt works at Grant’s Lick, attained the rank of Brigadier General in the Kentucky Militia during the War of 1812, was paymaster and quartermaster for the Northwest Armed Forces, trustee of the Newport Academy and helped layout the route for U.S. 27, then called the Newport to Cynthiana Turnpike. In his spare time, he liked to hunt buffalo and search for fossils at Big Bone Lick.

When his friend David Leitch died in November 1794, Taylor was named executor of his estate and a year later married Leitch’s widow, Keturah Moss Leitch. James and Keturah Taylor had 11 children, but only 4 survived to maturity. In 1798 Taylor donated land for the establishment of the Newport Academy, the first public school in the Cincinnati area. He also donated another two-acre tract in Newport on Fourth St., between York and Columbia Sts., for construction of a court house and jail.

During a storied lifetime, James Taylor Jr. operated ferries across both the Ohio and the Licking rivers, helped to found banks such as the Newport Bank, invested in the mammoth Newport Manufacturing Company, operated saw- and gristmills along the Licking River, was part owner of a salt-works at Grants Lick, Ky., ran a tanning business, and in his spare time was known to collect fossils and hunt buffalo at Big Bone Lick in Boone Co. During Zachary Taylor’s run for the presidency in 1848, election officials came to the bedside of the dying James Taylor Jr. to record his vote.

When James died November 7, 1848, he owned property in 26 Ohio Counties, 60,000 acres in Kentucky and had a net worth of four million dollars. His last official act was to cast his vote for his cousin, Zachary Taylor for President. He was near death at the time and election officials came to his bedside, to record his vote. After casting his ballot, he was quoted as saying, "I have fired my last shot for my country". He died several hours later. [1]

James Taylor was born in Carolina County Virginia in 1769, the son of James Taylor who served as a lieutenant colonel with the Virginia state militia during the Revolutionary War. As a result of his father's military service, the son was given 2500 acres of land including part of what is Newport, Bellevue, Dayton and Ft. Thomas. In 1792 the younger Taylor moved to Kentucky settling in what is now Newport.

He is credited with helping lay out the route of the Newport to Lexington turnpike, US 27, exploring the fossils at Big Bone Licks, and persuading the government to locate a major Army barracks in Newport. Taylor was quartermaster and paymaster of the Northwest Army during the War of 1812. As payment, Taylor had to dip into his own funds to pay for supplies. This later triggered lengthy disputes between Taylor and the federal government. He died November 14, 1848.

[1] General James Taylor Mansion, Newport,KY