San Luis Obispo County Biographies

JAMES TAYLOR

Submitted by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


JAMES TAYLOR, one of the influential and well-to-do ranchers of Cambria, having one 
of the finest ranches in that section. He came to California in 1869, and is a native of 
Scotland, born October 1, 1842. His father, John Taylor, was born in the city of Cork, 
Ireland, January 26, 1810, while his father, Peter Taylor, a Scotchman and a British 
soldier, was stationed in Ireland. The grandfather, Peter Taylor, was promoted as 
Sergeant, which was as high as could be attained in the British army, without buying 
a commission. At the time of the battle of Waterloo, he was a recruiting officer for 
the army. He was born in Scotland, March 28, 1779, and died October 1, 1856. Mr. 
Taylor's father was a Presbyterian elder in the Westminster Church of Los Angeles for 
several years, and held the same office in the church at Cambria, where he died, 
December 7, 1881. Mr. Taylor's mother was Jenette (Crerer) Taylor, a native of 
Perthshire, Scotland. Her father was James Crerer, also a native of Scotland. 

James Taylor, our subject, is the third in a family of six children, viz.: Peter, Lillis, 
James, Ellen, John and Jannet; the last mentioned died May 20, 1860; their mother 
died in Scotland July 6, 1850, and the family came to America in 1851, and engaged in 
farming in Delaware County, New York. It was a timbered farm, but they cleared the 
land and lived there until 1869, when they came to California; the family are settled 
within a few miles of each other. They located Government land in the mountains, 
and engaged in stock-raising; one of the brothers remained at the ranch and looked 
after the stock while others worked out. Mr. Taylor was an excellent sheep-shearer 
and followed that occupation in the season for four years after coming to Cambria;
in that time he sheared 24,000 sheep, and the last year sheared 7,000. Mr. Taylor 
took 120 cows to their ranch in Los Angeles County, and with Robert McFadden 
engaged in making butter and cheese, which they sold in Los Angeles and San Diego. 
In two years he sold out, and, considering San Luis Obispo the best stock county, came 
back and bought 160 acres of land, where he raised stock, potatoes and vegetables, 
which he sold to the quicksilver miners. From time to time he has added to his ranch 
until he now has 640 acres of land, on which he has a dairy, and is raising grain, cattle 
and horses. His specialty in horses is the Norman Percheron, of which he has several 
splendid teams, and is also breeding roadsters. He has among many other fine horses 
a large gray team, which weighs 1,560 pounds each. He has property in many other 
places, and is one of the men who are a credit to any county in which they reside. By 
industry and honesty, for which his country men are noted, he has steadily risen from 
hard and steady work, of which he is not ashamed, to be one of the foremost ranchers 
in this part of the country. 

James Taylor was a volunteer soldier in the civil war; was drafted September 2, 1863, 
at the age of twenty. On finding drafted men could not join the company of their choice, 
he borrowed the money and furnished a substitute; and three months later he, with eight 
of his neighbors' boys, volunteered and joined the Eighth New York Independent Battery, 
stationed then at Yorktown, Virginia, and was in active service in all the raids and en- 
gagements of the Eighth Battery till the close of the war; was discharged June 30, 1865, 
at Norfolk, Virginia. 

Mr. Taylor was married November 18, 1875, to Miss Jennett Mc Dougal, a native of 
Delaware County, New York, and daughter of Archibald and Agnes Mc Dougal, natives 
of Scotland. They have had six children, only three of whom are living, and born in San 
Luis Obispo County, viz. : Jannie, Katie and Archibald. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are members 
of the first Presbyterian Church at Cambria; Mr. Taylor is an elder, and aided in the 
erection of the church edifice. In his political relations Mr. Taylor is a Republican. 

History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties, California  - by 
C.M. Gidney, Benjamin Brooks, Edwin M. Sheridan, Vol I, II.  -Lewis Publ. Co., 
Chicago, 1917.