William Oscar Taylor

He was the oldest of 13 children. He and his younger sister Velma were responsible for taking care of them when their parents would leave for town and spend the week-end visiting friends. I have often wondered how they fed them! He joined the Marines in World War I and ended up on the Beaches of Normandy. His uniform is presently in the Tulare County Historical Museum. I remember hearing him talk about having to sleep in a five foot deep trench after it had been raining. The commander would make them unroll their sleeping bags and lay them down in the water and sleep in them, how awful. I have a picture of him and two fellow Marines visiting the town. I'm so grateful he made it home, a lot of men didn't. He returned home in 1919 and married my mom (Beulah May Cary) on August 27th of that year. He tried farming in Kentucky, growing tobacco. Then he went to Glasgow, Montana and tried homesteading, and that didn't work out. So in 1926 they moved to California ...When he first got to California he worked for other people. Eventually he was able to buy 60 acres of land by the Southern Pacific Railroad on the North side of Ave 352, Visalia Ca. He was a hard working man up early every morning and out till dark. He liked to be around people and loved to talk and share story's. He was always there if someone needed help....