Biography of E.H. Taylor, pages 942 / 943 / 944. History of De Kalb County, 
Indiana.  Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

E.H. Taylor, one of the most prominent men in Union Township, was born in 
Stark County, Ohio, Dec. 19, 1818.  His father, John Taylor, was a native of 
England, and came to America with his parents when a child, and was reared 
and educated in Somerset County, Pa.  He married Margaret Shaffer, of  
German descent, and soon after moved to Stark County, Ohio, where he worked 
at this trade (carpenter), and opened a farm in the new country.  He 
subsequently sold his farm in Stark County, with the intention of moving 
West, but, not liking the country, bought land in Summit County, Ohio, where 
he lived ten years, and in 1847moved to De Kalb County, Ind.  He was a local 
preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church, and a man whose opinion was 
always valued on matters of interest to the public.  He was a Justice of the 
Peace twenty consecutive years, and his advice was always to have “peace” 
with as little strife as possible.  The wife of his youth died in Stark 
County, Ohio, in 1833.  They had a family of ten children, nine of whom 
are living.  In 1835 Mr. Taylor married Elizabeth Stokely, widow of Joseph 
Stokely.  She had a family of three children.  Mr. Taylor died in 1870, 
and Mrs. Taylor in 1861.  The subject of our sketch was reared on a 
pioneer farm and received his education in the primitive log-cabin school-
houses. As soon as old enough his services were required on the farm, and 
he was able to attend school only at intervals. In the spring of 1847 he 
left Ohio and started with teams for De Kalb County, Ind.  There were no 
bridges, and the mud made the roads almost impassable the greater part of 
the way.  He bought eighty acres of heavily timbered land in Franklin 
Township, and after getting it to a state of cultivation bought 192 acres 
more, making one of the best farms in the township.  He followed 
agricultural pursuits, and also dealt extensively in stock, selling to the 
Government from the time of the war till 1877.  In 1870 he built a 
residence in Waterloo, and is now living a quiet life, enjoying the fruits 
of his many years of hard labor.  In politics Mr. Taylor was first an old-
line Whig and subsequently a member of the Republican party.  He has held 
several local offices of trust, such as Assessor, Collector, etc., and in 
the fall of 1858 was nominated County Treasurer, but was defeated by sixty-
nine votes, his opponent being a Republican, running on and Independent 
ticket.  In 1859 he was nominated County Clerk, but was defeated by four 
votes.  In 1874 he was nominated by the Republican party as Representative 
of the Legislature and was elected by four votes, but was defeated by fraud 
of one of the board. Mr. Taylor was married in the spring of 1843 to 
Elizabeth Smith, a native of Akron, Ohio.  They had a family of six 
children, but two of whom are living---Frances, wife of James A. Matson, 
of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Florence E., wife of Jasper Waterman, of 
Waterloo. Mrs. Taylor died Feb. 2, 1882. She was a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, and a most estimable woman.

Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com