The John Taylor-Margaret Jane Mason Branch

John Taylor (1821-1895) was the first-born child of John Taylor (1796-1847) and Mary Clarke (1798-1883). Born in Snettisham, Norfolk County, England, John was 15 years old when he immigrated to Canada with his parents, settling in Pickering Township in Upper Canada. Upper Canada later became known as the Province of Ontario in 1841. 

John Taylor (1821-1895). Son of John Taylor and Mary Clarke. Photo from the collection of Barbara Dawn (Agnew) Miller.

In 1846, John Taylor (1821-1895) married Margaret Jane Mason (1826-1879), known as Jane.

John Taylor and Margaret Jane Mason moved from Pickering Township to Usborne Township near Exeter, Ontario around 1855. They settled on Lot C, Concession 9. 
 

John Taylor and Margaret Jane Mason settled in Usborne Township around 1855. You can see the see the name "Jno Taylor" (short for John Taylor) in the centre of the image, above. Later, his son William Taylor (1850-1918) would live on the adjoining property as you can see by the name "Wm. Taylor" below John's name. 

John Taylor would have had to clear the land of trees on the property, using the wood to build a log house and a barn. Most log houses of that time in Usborne Township were about 16 feet by 24 feet in size with two floors. The house would have been crowded with John, his wife, Jane and four children. More children would follow. Their last child was born in 1866. Jane Mason had given birth to 12 children although only 10 of those children survived until adulthood. 

The family's hard work paid off. The 1861 Census shows that the land had yielded good crops spring wheat, peas, oats and potatoes, hay, grass seed, as well as wool and flannel. The John Taylor family had oxen and cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. They had also produced 200 pounds of butter and five barrels of pork.  

The first crossroads north of the Taylor property was known as the "Zion Corner." 

A log school S.S. No. 7, Usborne Township was built on the southwest corner of the Zion Corner crossroads in 1856. The Taylor children walked 3/4 of a mile to attend classes at this school. The log school was replaced by a brick school in 1870 at the southeast corner of the crossroads. S.S. No. 7 closed in 1964 and was demolished.

The log school built in 1856 was replaced by this brick school in 1870. Some Taylor descendants are shown in this class photo of 1886-1887. 

S.S. No. 7 Usborne Township was also used for church services of the Zion Bible Christian Church until a new church was built near the northwest corner of the crossroads, nine years later in 1865. At some point, it was renamed Zion United Church.

Today, the address of the church is 41592 Park Road, R.R. #1, Granton, Ontario, near the intersection of Park Road and the Hern Line.

Zion United Church as it looked in 2013. Across the road from the church, you can see some of the headstones from Zion Cemetery where many members of the Taylor families are buried. This church and the cemetery are just one crossroads north of the John Taylor-Margaret Jane Mason homestead.

All the hamlets and villages in the area were quite small. The nearest town of any size to the Taylor property was Exeter, about 10 miles away. Roads were primitive back at the time when John Taylor and Jane Mason settled in Usborne Township. It's doubtful that they hitched up their horse and buggy in the summer or their horse and cutter/sleigh in the winter to go into town on a regular basis. They had to be fairly self-sufficient to get by in those early days.

THE 12 CHILDREN OF JOHN TAYLOR (1821-1895) & MARGARET JANE MASON:

John W. Taylor (1847-1933) married Mary Case, and later Charlotte Howard Braden Shinner. 

William Taylor, known as Bill (1850-1918) married Mary Elizabeth Bennett.

Sarah Taylor (1851-1851). Infant death. 

Robert Taylor,known as Bob (1852-1934) married Eliza Ann Harrison. 

Mary E. Taylor (1854-1913) married Charles Thomas Brooks.

James Taylor, known as Jim (1856-1920) married Emma Guest.  

Hannah Taylor (1857-1933) married Sidney Andrew Cook. 

Emily Taylor (1858-1914) married George Thomas. 

Thomas Mason Taylor (1859-1874). Died age 15. 

Margaret Jane Taylor, known as Maggie (1861-1929) married Albert George Pearson. 

Andrew Taylor, known as Andy (1862-1931) married Rebecca Jones. 

Elizabeth Taylor, known as Lizzie (1866-1947). Single, no children.

I'll write more about the children of John Taylor and Margaret Jane Mason in future posts.

John Taylor's wife, Margaret Jane Mason died 2 December 1879, age 53. John never remarried. At some point, possibly in 1883 when his son Bob took over the farm, John Taylor moved to Exeter, and it's likely that some of his children moved there with him. In 1883, Exeter was a thriving town with a population of close to 2,000. His unmarried daughter, Lizzie continued to keep house for him until he died.

John Taylor (1821-1895) died 7 November 1895, age 74. He is buried in Zion Cemetery, near the Taylor property. He shares a plot with his wife, Margaret Jane Mason and their son Thomas Mason Taylor.

Headstone in Zion Cemetery for John Taylor, his wife, Margaret Jane (Mason) Taylor, and their son, Thomas Mason Taylor. Photo by his great-great-granddaughter, Mary Jane Culbert.

John Taylor's obituary. Source: Exeter Times, 14 November 1895.

According to his obituary, John Taylor was of a quiet disposition, intelligent and public spirited, and was esteemed by a large circle of friends.  

Very little is known about John Taylor's wife, Margaret Jane (Mason) Taylor. It's said that she was born in Londonderry, Ireland but I haven't yet found her birth registration to verify this. Considering that she gave birth to 12 children and raised a family in challenging pioneer conditions, it's a shame that more isn't known about this woman. Even in death, she was granted a brief death notice in the newspaper rather than a full obituary like the one above for her husband. Anyone who knows more about Margaret Jane (Mason) Taylor, please contact Mary Jane Culbert at this address: