Aged 13 yrs
Oldest daughter of Major Cornelius and Catherine Taylor
----------------
Mary "Polly" Deweese Mary Arabella "Polly" Taylor was born in Sep 1829 in
Pablo, Duval Co., FL. She died on 21 Sep 1842 in Enterprise, FL. The cause of death was Typhus fever. She was buried in Taylor Plantation, Enterprise, FL. Mary was born in Sep 1829.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
~Cornelius Taylor / Mary "Polly" Deweese daughter~
But the grave of Mary Arabella ''Polly'' Taylor marks more than the death of a 13-year-old girl. In a historical sense it marks the birth of Enterprise in southwest Volusia County and another chapter in the opening of Florida to settlement.
Polly Taylor's is one of the earliest marked graves south of St. Augustine, according to historical accounts.
On the north shore of Lake Monroe, Enterprise was founded by Polly's father, Cornelius Taylor, a plantation owner and timber agent who brought his family down from north Florida the year before his daughter's death.
Taylor, according to an account in Volusia: The West Side, once was described by a great-great-grandson as standing well over six feet tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds, with red hair, a red beard and a ferocious temper. He had been active in politics since arriving in Florida in 1826 after leaving Illinois three years earlier. Taylor served in the Second Seminole War in about 1836 with Gen. Zachary Taylor, who by some accounts was his cousin.
Many families in pioneer days lost children to diseases, but Polly's death destroyed her father. He began to lose interest in his magnificent house and prosperous plantation, his slaves, the sawmill and gristmill he had started, and his part ownership in a passenger steamboat that ran between Mellonville (now Sanford) and Jacksonville.
With Polly's death, nothing seemed to matter any more.
Her obituary in the Oct. 22, 1842 edition of the St. Augustine News offers a clue to the bond between father and daughter.
Polly was of ''great interest to all who knew her, and to her parents a source of gratitude and joy,'' it stated.
''She had followed them in their pilgrimage in the wilderness . . . partook with delight all of the dangers of the enterprise and looked to the future, bouyant with hope.''
In a published paper on the Cornelius Taylor Plantation, Harold Cardwell, president of the Halifax Historical Society, said Taylor continued to mourn Polly's death and began to think about moving West. In 1945 he moved his family to Palo Alto, Texas, near Brownsville. Four years later he booked passage aboard a steamer bound for California. It sank in the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane.
Taylor's body never was recovered. But the story, like the gravesite of his daughter Polly, is remembered.
Stepping stones lead the frequent classes of visiting school children to the grave. Two headstones -- one about 12 inches high and a larger one brought by ox cart -- mark the site. Sun, wind and rain have worn down the lettering on the stones, making them impossible to read. But according to historical accounts, the inscription on one of the headstones reads:
''Sacred to the memory of our beloved Polly, daughter of C. and C. Taylor, who departed this life of typhus fever Sept. 21, 1842. Age 13 years -- 13 days.''
For 145 years the grave has been preserved and protected by property owners like the Cobbs, who live on the original site of Taylor's house. The house burned down but was rebuilt in 1880.
Their mortgage has long been paid off, but the Cobbs remain loyal to the memory and to the history.
''The mortgage was paid off many years ago,'' said Harold Cobb, a retired Air Force major. ''But as long as we're here, the grave will stay as it is.'' Cardwell said a state burial law that took effect Oct. 1 will help the Cobbs and any future owners protect, Harold Cobb the grave. The law says graves cannot be disturbed except by permission of family descendants, he said.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Oldest daughter of Major Cornelius and Catherine Taylor
----------------
Mary "Polly" Deweese Mary Arabella "Polly" Taylor was born in Sep 1829 in
Pablo, Duval Co., FL. She died on 21 Sep 1842 in Enterprise, FL. The cause of death was Typhus fever. She was buried in Taylor Plantation, Enterprise, FL. Mary was born in Sep 1829.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
~Cornelius Taylor / Mary "Polly" Deweese daughter~
But the grave of Mary Arabella ''Polly'' Taylor marks more than the death of a 13-year-old girl. In a historical sense it marks the birth of Enterprise in southwest Volusia County and another chapter in the opening of Florida to settlement.
Polly Taylor's is one of the earliest marked graves south of St. Augustine, according to historical accounts.
On the north shore of Lake Monroe, Enterprise was founded by Polly's father, Cornelius Taylor, a plantation owner and timber agent who brought his family down from north Florida the year before his daughter's death.
Taylor, according to an account in Volusia: The West Side, once was described by a great-great-grandson as standing well over six feet tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds, with red hair, a red beard and a ferocious temper. He had been active in politics since arriving in Florida in 1826 after leaving Illinois three years earlier. Taylor served in the Second Seminole War in about 1836 with Gen. Zachary Taylor, who by some accounts was his cousin.
Many families in pioneer days lost children to diseases, but Polly's death destroyed her father. He began to lose interest in his magnificent house and prosperous plantation, his slaves, the sawmill and gristmill he had started, and his part ownership in a passenger steamboat that ran between Mellonville (now Sanford) and Jacksonville.
With Polly's death, nothing seemed to matter any more.
Her obituary in the Oct. 22, 1842 edition of the St. Augustine News offers a clue to the bond between father and daughter.
Polly was of ''great interest to all who knew her, and to her parents a source of gratitude and joy,'' it stated.
''She had followed them in their pilgrimage in the wilderness . . . partook with delight all of the dangers of the enterprise and looked to the future, bouyant with hope.''
In a published paper on the Cornelius Taylor Plantation, Harold Cardwell, president of the Halifax Historical Society, said Taylor continued to mourn Polly's death and began to think about moving West. In 1945 he moved his family to Palo Alto, Texas, near Brownsville. Four years later he booked passage aboard a steamer bound for California. It sank in the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane.
Taylor's body never was recovered. But the story, like the gravesite of his daughter Polly, is remembered.
Stepping stones lead the frequent classes of visiting school children to the grave. Two headstones -- one about 12 inches high and a larger one brought by ox cart -- mark the site. Sun, wind and rain have worn down the lettering on the stones, making them impossible to read. But according to historical accounts, the inscription on one of the headstones reads:
''Sacred to the memory of our beloved Polly, daughter of C. and C. Taylor, who departed this life of typhus fever Sept. 21, 1842. Age 13 years -- 13 days.''
For 145 years the grave has been preserved and protected by property owners like the Cobbs, who live on the original site of Taylor's house. The house burned down but was rebuilt in 1880.
Their mortgage has long been paid off, but the Cobbs remain loyal to the memory and to the history.
''The mortgage was paid off many years ago,'' said Harold Cobb, a retired Air Force major. ''But as long as we're here, the grave will stay as it is.'' Cardwell said a state burial law that took effect Oct. 1 will help the Cobbs and any future owners protect, Harold Cobb the grave. The law says graves cannot be disturbed except by permission of family descendants, he said.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Aged 13 yrs
Oldest daughter of Major Cornelius and Catherine Taylor
----------------
Mary "Polly" Deweese Mary Arabella "Polly" Taylor was born in Sep 1829 in
Pablo, Duval Co., FL. She died on 21 Sep 1842 in Enterprise, FL. The cause of death was Typhus fever. She was buried in Taylor Plantation, Enterprise, FL. Mary was born in Sep 1829.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
~Cornelius Taylor / Mary "Polly" Deweese daughter~
But the grave of Mary Arabella ''Polly'' Taylor marks more than the death of a 13-year-old girl. In a historical sense it marks the birth of Enterprise in southwest Volusia County and another chapter in the opening of Florida to settlement.
Polly Taylor's is one of the earliest marked graves south of St. Augustine, according to historical accounts.
On the north shore of Lake Monroe, Enterprise was founded by Polly's father, Cornelius Taylor, a plantation owner and timber agent who brought his family down from north Florida the year before his daughter's death.
Taylor, according to an account in Volusia: The West Side, once was described by a great-great-grandson as standing well over six feet tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds, with red hair, a red beard and a ferocious temper. He had been active in politics since arriving in Florida in 1826 after leaving Illinois three years earlier. Taylor served in the Second Seminole War in about 1836 with Gen. Zachary Taylor, who by some accounts was his cousin.
Many families in pioneer days lost children to diseases, but Polly's death destroyed her father. He began to lose interest in his magnificent house and prosperous plantation, his slaves, the sawmill and gristmill he had started, and his part ownership in a passenger steamboat that ran between Mellonville (now Sanford) and Jacksonville.
With Polly's death, nothing seemed to matter any more.
Her obituary in the Oct. 22, 1842 edition of the St. Augustine News offers a clue to the bond between father and daughter.
Polly was of ''great interest to all who knew her, and to her parents a source of gratitude and joy,'' it stated.
''She had followed them in their pilgrimage in the wilderness . . . partook with delight all of the dangers of the enterprise and looked to the future, bouyant with hope.''
In a published paper on the Cornelius Taylor Plantation, Harold Cardwell, president of the Halifax Historical Society, said Taylor continued to mourn Polly's death and began to think about moving West. In 1945 he moved his family to Palo Alto, Texas, near Brownsville. Four years later he booked passage aboard a steamer bound for California. It sank in the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane.
Taylor's body never was recovered. But the story, like the gravesite of his daughter Polly, is remembered.
Stepping stones lead the frequent classes of visiting school children to the grave. Two headstones -- one about 12 inches high and a larger one brought by ox cart -- mark the site. Sun, wind and rain have worn down the lettering on the stones, making them impossible to read. But according to historical accounts, the inscription on one of the headstones reads:
''Sacred to the memory of our beloved Polly, daughter of C. and C. Taylor, who departed this life of typhus fever Sept. 21, 1842. Age 13 years -- 13 days.''
For 145 years the grave has been preserved and protected by property owners like the Cobbs, who live on the original site of Taylor's house. The house burned down but was rebuilt in 1880.
Their mortgage has long been paid off, but the Cobbs remain loyal to the memory and to the history.
''The mortgage was paid off many years ago,'' said Harold Cobb, a retired Air Force major. ''But as long as we're here, the grave will stay as it is.'' Cardwell said a state burial law that took effect Oct. 1 will help the Cobbs and any future owners protect, Harold Cobb the grave. The law says graves cannot be disturbed except by permission of family descendants, he said.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Oldest daughter of Major Cornelius and Catherine Taylor
----------------
Mary "Polly" Deweese Mary Arabella "Polly" Taylor was born in Sep 1829 in
Pablo, Duval Co., FL. She died on 21 Sep 1842 in Enterprise, FL. The cause of death was Typhus fever. She was buried in Taylor Plantation, Enterprise, FL. Mary was born in Sep 1829.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
~Cornelius Taylor / Mary "Polly" Deweese daughter~
But the grave of Mary Arabella ''Polly'' Taylor marks more than the death of a 13-year-old girl. In a historical sense it marks the birth of Enterprise in southwest Volusia County and another chapter in the opening of Florida to settlement.
Polly Taylor's is one of the earliest marked graves south of St. Augustine, according to historical accounts.
On the north shore of Lake Monroe, Enterprise was founded by Polly's father, Cornelius Taylor, a plantation owner and timber agent who brought his family down from north Florida the year before his daughter's death.
Taylor, according to an account in Volusia: The West Side, once was described by a great-great-grandson as standing well over six feet tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds, with red hair, a red beard and a ferocious temper. He had been active in politics since arriving in Florida in 1826 after leaving Illinois three years earlier. Taylor served in the Second Seminole War in about 1836 with Gen. Zachary Taylor, who by some accounts was his cousin.
Many families in pioneer days lost children to diseases, but Polly's death destroyed her father. He began to lose interest in his magnificent house and prosperous plantation, his slaves, the sawmill and gristmill he had started, and his part ownership in a passenger steamboat that ran between Mellonville (now Sanford) and Jacksonville.
With Polly's death, nothing seemed to matter any more.
Her obituary in the Oct. 22, 1842 edition of the St. Augustine News offers a clue to the bond between father and daughter.
Polly was of ''great interest to all who knew her, and to her parents a source of gratitude and joy,'' it stated.
''She had followed them in their pilgrimage in the wilderness . . . partook with delight all of the dangers of the enterprise and looked to the future, bouyant with hope.''
In a published paper on the Cornelius Taylor Plantation, Harold Cardwell, president of the Halifax Historical Society, said Taylor continued to mourn Polly's death and began to think about moving West. In 1945 he moved his family to Palo Alto, Texas, near Brownsville. Four years later he booked passage aboard a steamer bound for California. It sank in the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane.
Taylor's body never was recovered. But the story, like the gravesite of his daughter Polly, is remembered.
Stepping stones lead the frequent classes of visiting school children to the grave. Two headstones -- one about 12 inches high and a larger one brought by ox cart -- mark the site. Sun, wind and rain have worn down the lettering on the stones, making them impossible to read. But according to historical accounts, the inscription on one of the headstones reads:
''Sacred to the memory of our beloved Polly, daughter of C. and C. Taylor, who departed this life of typhus fever Sept. 21, 1842. Age 13 years -- 13 days.''
For 145 years the grave has been preserved and protected by property owners like the Cobbs, who live on the original site of Taylor's house. The house burned down but was rebuilt in 1880.
Their mortgage has long been paid off, but the Cobbs remain loyal to the memory and to the history.
''The mortgage was paid off many years ago,'' said Harold Cobb, a retired Air Force major. ''But as long as we're here, the grave will stay as it is.'' Cardwell said a state burial law that took effect Oct. 1 will help the Cobbs and any future owners protect, Harold Cobb the grave. The law says graves cannot be disturbed except by permission of family descendants, he said.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Inscription
Sacred to the memory of our beloved Polly, daughter of C. and C. Taylor, who departed this life of Typhus fever September 21, 1842, aged 13 years and 13 days.
Family Members
Advertisement
Advertisement
