Lanier, Hankins, Hopkins & Taylor Families

• Born: 25 December 1863, Renfro Valley, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹²⁴
• Marriage (1): Sarah A. "Sally" RAMSEY on 8 June 1885 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹²²
• Marriage (2): Margaret Frances "Fannie" WARREN on 22 August 1894 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky ²⁰⁴
• Marriage (3): Emma Jane "Emmie" OWENS on 16 January 1900 in Freedom, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ^2,189
• Died: 7 September 1953, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky at age 89 ^124,125
• Buried: 9 September 1953, Elmwood Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ^124,126

  Death Notes:

John died at his residence on W. Main Street in Mt. Vernon.

  More Information:

• Residence: 1863 to 1900, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. John was born and raised in the Renfro Valley area and lived in Rockcastle County all of his life.

It is unknown exactly where in Rockcastle County John lived during his 1st two marriages. During his 1st marriage he probably lived in the Renfro Valley/Mount Vernon area. He apparently lived in the Level Green area (which is near the Pulaski County line on Hwy 461) at least part of the time during his 2nd marriage based on references in the Mount Vernon Signal in 1897.

• 1870 United States Federal Census, James F. Taylor household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ⁵⁸: John was living with his parents. He was listed as John M. C. Taylor, age 6, born in Kentucky.

• 1880 United States Federal Census, James F. Taylor household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ⁶⁸: John was living with his parents. He was listed as John Taylor, son, age 17, born in Kentucky.

• Newspaper Clipping: Mt. Vernon Signal in 1897 in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ²³² The following clips were published on the date indicated:
9 Jul 1897: J.C. Taylor is blacksmithing near Level Green.
30 Jul 1897: John Taylor the Level Green blacksmith traded a horse for an old gun, a sow, two chickens and five hounds.
10 Sep 1897: John Taylor, the Level Green blacksmith has swapped his five hounds to a $20 gold watch.

• 1900 United States Federal Census, John C. Tayler [sic] household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹⁵: John and Emma Jane were living in Mt. Vernon with his daughter, Gracie and Susie. John was listed as a blacksmith, age 35, born Dec 1864 in Kentucky.

• Occupation: John worked as a blacksmith & farmer. ²³³ His blacksmith shop was in Mount Vernon on the street behind Main Street (behind Cox's Hardware). He sold the blacksmith shop sometime between 1920 - 1930 and bought a farm at Buckeye.

• 1910 United States Federal Census, John C. Taylor household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹⁶: John and Emma Jane were living in Mt. Vernon with children; Gracie, Susie, Emma and Hartford. John was listed as a blacksmith, age 50, married 3rd time for 11 years, born in Kentucky.

• 1920 United States Federal Census, John Taylor household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹⁸: John and Emma Jane were living with their children, Emma, Hartford and Anna Rose and his daughter, Gracie. He was listed as a blacksmith (owned his shop), age 56, born in Kentucky. [Photo: Anna Rose and John on their front porch at W. Main Street in Mt. Vernon.]

• Newspaper Clipping: Mt. Vernon Signal on 26 March 1920 in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ²³⁴ Messrs John C. Taylor and Ernest Smith received the Entered Apprentice degree in Ashland Lodge 640 F & A on last Monday night.

• 1930 United States Federal Census, John Taylor household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹⁹: John and Emma Jane were living with their daughter, Anna Rose and his daughter, Gracie. He was listed as age 67, born in Kentucky.

• Hobbies: John enjoyed playing the fiddle and singing. (Photo: John with his fiddle in his front yard at Buckeye.) ¹¹⁰

• 1940 United States Federal Census, John C. Taylor household, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ²⁰: John and Emma's location in Rockcastle County is not identified in the census but they were living at Buckeye. Daughters Anna Rose and Gracie were shown in the household. John was listed as age 78, born in Kentucky, no occupation. He completed the 8th grade.

• Photo: John, ca 1940, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. In his front yard at Buckeye.

• Photo: ca. 1945, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. John (right) with his brother, Bob, at the Buckeye farm.

• Photo: John, late 1940's, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. In a neighbors garden on West Main Street (1st Christian Church in the background).

• Photo: John, Rockcastle County, Kentucky.

• Photo: App & John, ca. 1951, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. At John's house on West Main Street.

• Obituary: Published in the Mt. Vernon Signal on 10 September 1953 in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. ¹²⁵ JOHN C. TAYLOR DIES: John Cook Taylor was born in Rockcastle County, Kentucky on December 24, 1863. He was the son of the late James Taylor and Margaret Ramsey Taylor. He passed away at his home in Mount Vernon on Monday, September 7, 1953.

He leaves to mourn his passing, his wife, Mrs. Emma Owens Taylor, two sons, Wm. R. Taylor of Lawrence, Kansas, H. C. Taylor of Chicago, Ill., four daughters, Gracie Taylor and Mrs. Susie Krueger of Mount Vernon, Mrs. Emma Hopkins of Loyall, Ky., Mrs. Anna Rose Chestnut of Detroit, Mich., 10 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren, one brother, App Taylor, Buechel, Ky and one sister, Mrs. Nannie Harrison of Mount Vernon and a host of other relatives and friends.

Mr. Taylor was a member of the Mount Vernon Christian Church.

Funeral services were held at 2 P.M. Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1953 at the Mount Vernon Christian Church with interment in Elmwood Cemetery. Bro. Geo. Long officiated. Arrangements were by the Cox Funeral Home.

Active pallbearers: J. G. Machal, Dave Noe, Ivory Anglin, Eevrett Chaney, Bill Coffey, Craig Denny, Clyde Barnett, Billy Herald Owens.

Honorary pall bearers were W. T. Davis, Joe Matt Craig, Tom O'Mara, Jim Meadows, Wash Hilton, Felix Bowman, Luther Peyton, C. C. Cox, Irvin Denny, Leonard Langford, O. D. Bryant.

• Grave Marker: John C. & Emma J. Taylor, Elmwood Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. ¹²⁶

John married Sarah A. "Sally" RAMSEY, daughter of Goldman P. RAMSEY and Serena GREEN, on 8 June 1885 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.¹²² (Sarah A. "Sally" RAMSEY was born ca. 1868 and died on 12 February 1892 in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ².)

• Marriage Bond: 8 June 1885, John C. Taylor and S. A. Ramsey, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ¹²⁷ Principal: John C. Taylor; Surety: Andrew Baker.

• Wedding Ceremony: 8 June 1885, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. John and Sally were married at the home of James Baker. Andrew Baker was the surety and Andrew & James Baker were the witnesses. P. J. Hiatt officiated the ceremony.

[John and Sally were 2nd cousins. James Baker was the husband of Nannie Lair who was Sally's 1st cousin and John's ½ 1st cousin. Andrew Baker was the husband of Ella Ramsey who was John's 1st cousin and Sally's 2nd cousin.] ¹²⁸

John next married Margaret Frances "Fannie" WARREN, daughter of Fieldon WARREN and Jane, on 22 August 1894 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.²⁰⁴ The marriage ended in divorce. (Margaret Frances "Fannie" WARREN was born in March 1876 in Kentucky,⁴³ died aft. 1930 in Kansas and was buried in Kansas.)

• Wedding Ceremony: 22 August 1894, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. John and Fannie were married at the home of her father, Feldon Warren. John Alexander performed the ceremony and witnesses were M. W. DeBoard and H. F. Warren. ²⁰⁴

• Divorce: John and Fannie were divorced bef. 1900 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.

John next married Emma Jane "Emmie" OWENS, daughter of Madison Crawford "Matt" OWENS and Cecilia "Celia" OWENS, on 16 January 1900 in Freedom, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ².^,189 (Emma Jane "Emmie" OWENS was born on 16 April 1882 in Freedom, Rockcastle County, Kentucky,¹⁹¹ died on 17 March 1968 in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ^191,192 and was buried on 19 March 1968 in Elmwood Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ^126,191.)

• Wedding Ceremony: 16 January 1900, Freedom, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. John & Emma Jane were married by H. T. Williams at the home of her parents, Matt and Celia Owens. Witnesses were Dora Cummins [Emma Jane's 1st cousin - Ardora Owens Cummins] and Laura Owens [also probably a relative of the bride but relationship unknown].

View Marriage Certificate ¹⁸⁹

• Residence: 1900, West Main Street, West Main Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. In 1900 John & Emma Jane lived in Mount Vernon on West Main Street [near the intersection of Fairground Hill, which current maps list as Old Somerset Road]. Thieir house was the 1st house to the east [toward town] from the top of the hill on the south side of the street. Their daughter, Emma, was born in this house.

• Residence: 1905, East Main Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. In 1905, they moved to a 2 story house in the center of town in Mount Vernon [on East Main St. near Elmwood Cemetery - around what is now Gregory's Law Office].

• Photo: Taylor Family, 1906, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Front: Emma Jane, John holding Hartford; Back: Susie, Gracie and Emma.

• Residence: 1911, West Main Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. About 1911, they moved back to West Main Street but to a different house. (According to Emma, they moved "back up near where I was born". I believe [based on memories of what I was told as a child] this house was across the street and down the hill a little from the house where Emma was born.)

• Residence: aft. 1911, Crawford Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Sometime after 1911, John & Emma Jane moved into a house behind what is now the Rockcastle County Board of Education Building. That house burned down while they were living there. [It is unclear if the street name at that time was Crawford but that is the current name.]

• Residence: bef. 1920, West Main Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. When their house on Crawford Street burned down, they moved in with daughter, Susie Krueger, and her family on West Main Street for a while then moved in to one of the brick duplexes down the street from her house that were owned by someone in Susie's husband's family. By 1920, they had apparently moved into the duplex because the census lists them next to Susie's family but indicates the two families were living in separate dwellings. [Photo: John with the duplex in the background.]

• Residence: bet. 1921 and 1930, Buckeye, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Sometime between 1921 & 1930, John sold the Blacksmith Shop and bought a small farm in the Buckeye area outside of Mount Vernon.

The 1930 census shows John & Emma Jane living on "Dixie Hwy" which was apparently the Buckeye Road.

• Residence: 1930's, West Main Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. In the early 1930's they left that farm & moved in with John's daughter, Susie Krueger & her family in their 2 story brick house on West Main St.

• Residence: 1930's - 1940's, Buckeye, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Later in the 1930's, their son-in-law, Elmer Hopkins, bought a farm at Buckeye (near the farm where they had previously lived) and they moved to this farm. They lived there until the mid to late 1940's.

• Photo: Emma Jane & John, ca. 1945, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. At their farm at Buckeye.

• Residence: late 1940's - 1968, West Main Street, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. After the 2nd farm, they moved back to West Main St. (not sure of the year but it was in the mid to late 1940's). By this time, Elmer had bought the brick house on West Main St. where John & Emma Jane had lived in 1920 along with a 2nd identical house next door. The "bricks" were two family duplex type houses. John & Emma Jane lived there until each of their deaths.

• Family Reunion: ca. 1951, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Photo taken during a visit from John's son, Bill. Bill lived in Kansas but visited about every year starting in the 1930's. From left: Marie, Bill, John, Anna Rose, John, Susie & Elmer.

• Photo: John & Emma Jane, early 1950's, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Standing in front of their house on West Main Street (1st Christian Church in background).

  Marriage Notes:

Click here for more photos of John & Emma Jane and their family.