Biography of William Mitchell Taylor, St Francis County, AR

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 19 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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1954 St. Francis County History-During the early history of St. Francis County,
Taylor's Creek, which later developed into Colt when the Iron Mountain railroad
was constructed through that area, was widely known because it was on the famous
Military Road. Taylor's Creek got its name from W. Mitchell Taylor, one of the
first settlers about where Colt is now. He was born in Franklin Co., N.
Carolina, in 1804. He moved to St. Francis county in 1826. He built a large log
house on what is known as the Blaylock Place, one mile south of Colt, now owned
by Fred McCollum, Sr. The house was built of hand hewn poplar logs, cut on his
place and hewn with a whipsaw and put together with wooden pegs filled between
the logs with small pieces of wood, mud, and mortar. The stage coach traveling
the Military Road with the mail stopped there to change horses. Mr. Taylor
married Nancy Casbeer in 1827 and had 14 children. After her death he married
Mrs. Mary Temp'e in 1852 and had six children. He also had two step children. He
had an exceptionally brilliant mind and made many trips by horseback to Little
Rock to transact business for friends and relatives. He owned about 1500 acres
of land, extending down to Dark Corner. When one of his children married, he
gave them their choice of 80 acres of land or one thousand dollars. He built the
school house and church, non-denominational, known as Oak Hill. The church was
constructed of lumber made by his whipsaw. The seats were poles, cut flat on one
side with pegs for legs. Mr. Taylor was eighty at the time of his death, Dec.
11, 1884. His surviving descendants include six grandchildren, 23 great
grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. This
information was compiled by Mrs. P. S. Stapleton, great granddaughter of Mr.
Taylor's. As mentioned above the present town of Colt at the north end of St.
Francis County on Highway 1 and the Missouri Pacific, was established in 1882,
when the old Iron Mountain Railroad put a station there. It was called Colt
Station for the railroad conductor of that name who built the railroad through
that section of the county. Numerous residents at that time thought the new town
should be called Taylor in honor of Mitchell Taylor, but he asked them to name
it for the railroad contractor. The town of Colt was incorporated in 1916. At
the time Colt was incorporated it had two cotton gins, six general stores, one
drug store and two saw mills. In 1954 Colt now has two stores, one filling
station and one gin. The town has two churches, Methodist and Baptist. (PIONEER)


SOURCE:
HISTORY of ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, ARKANSAS, 1954 - Robert W. Chowning

Copyright, with Permission: Weston McCollum Lewey, Publisher
-Times Herald Publishing-Forrest City, Arkansas