Wednesday, October 19, 2011

George Taylor, a Civil War Casualty?

George Taylor was listed as working in an iron works in Kingston, Ulster County, New York before the Civil War began. The supervisor of the iron works would have been George's wife's uncle, William H. H. Rowe.

There is a George Taylor who enlisted in the 120th New York Infantry, Company H and is shown as "missing" in regimental reports published in the Kingston newspaper. This regiment's soldiers were mostly from Kingston, New York.

In the 1860 PA Census, George's wife, Ellen (Hellen) is shown living with her uncle, William Rowe, in Safe Harbor, PA. He is shown as the iron works supervisor. Ellen is married but no husband for her is shown, neither is her baby, Annie, who in later censuses states she was born in 1859 in Safe Harbor, PA.

One reason why I like George, is that Annie named a son George, although she also had an Uncle George, Ellen's brother. Another reason is that George worked with Ellen's uncle in Kingston at the iron works there.

Ellen's two brothers, James R. Walker and George W. Walker were both in the 120th Regiment out of Kingston. They were in different companies and were both wounded and captured in the Battle of the Wilderness near Spotsylvania, VA and spent time in Andersonville Prison but were paroled.

In the 1865 Kingston, NY state Census, Ellen (really Hellen) is shown with her daughter, Annie, age 6. Hellen is a widow, and they are living with Hellen's mother, Sarah Walker, who is also a widow.

Is George Annie's father and Hellen's husband? What ever happened to George, if that was his name? I will spring for the cost of obtaining this George's military record. Hellen never applied for a widow's pension, nor did George ever apply for a pension. This is strange because Annie certainly was a minor if George died in the war. Hellen's mother, Sarah Rowe Walker, owned property in Kingston, so perhaps Hellen did not need the pension for her daughter or herself.

Things already done:
1. Searched for a marriage record for Hellen/Ellen Walker and Mr. Taylor in Kingston, NY
2. Searched for baptismal record for Annie in PA. She was baptized in Kingston, NY at about age 5.
3. Searched for George Taylor in Ulster Co. State and Federal censuses.
4. Emailed a person who had access to various iron works' records in Phoenixville and possibly Safe Harbor and vicinity with no response.
5. Looked at prisoner lists at Libby and Andersonville prisons. No mention of George Taylor.

Things to do:
1. Find and review the list of workers at the Kingston Iron Works and follow other workers.
2. Study the regimental history of the 120th NY Infantry.
3. Order the military record for George Taylor in Co. H, 120th NY Infantry.  Done. Not my George. 

Update: Annie says her father is Harrison Taylor in the 2nd marriage license application to Thomas W Adams. 

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