Taylor Family Visits
On June 9 the Museum hosted seventeen individuals attending the Taylor Family Reunion in Orange County. Most were from out-of-state, as far away as Missouri, Connecticut, and Australia. Led by Steve Taylor, they traveled to visit the Taylor sites in Caroline and King and Queen counties. Their ancestor James Taylor I held early colonial land patents in the county. His son Col. James Taylor was a surveyor, large land owner and served in various leadership capacities. He was one of the travelers on colonial Gov. Spotswood’s “Knights of the Golden Horseshoe” expedition to find a passage over the Blue Ridge mountains. His descendants attended the renown Donald Robertson school near Newtown. He was the great-grandfather of two presidents, James Madison and Zachary Taylor. The 1715 sundial given by Col. James Taylor to colonial Apple Tree Church, located near St. Stephens, is on display at the Museum, a exhibit funded by the Taylor family. In the King and Queen County Circuit Court building a tablet donated by the Taylor family to honor their ancestors is displayed.