My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Greene County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

* * * *

J. R. Taylor, ex-editor of the Paragould Press, was born in Williamson County, Tenn., in 1854, and was left an orphan at two years of age. He spent his boyhood days in Humphreys County, Tenn., receiving an ordinary common-school education, and having no means by inheritance, was obliged to start out at an early age to support himself. He worked for wages on a farm six years, and in 1874 went to West Tennessee, where he spent five years teaching in the common schools of Obion, Gibson and Madison Counties. He was elected to the Academic Chair in Odd Fellow’s College, at Humboldt, but failed to receive notice of such election in time to accept the position. He commenced the newspaper business at Bell’s Depot in 1880, and published a paper at Dyersburg one year. He was married in January, 1882, to Miss Lucy White, of Jackson, Tenn., and in March, 1883, he moved to Jonesboro, Ark., where he established the Jonesboro Democrat. He was elected mayor of that city in 1886, and resigned the editorship of the Democrat. Before the term of mayor had expired he bought the Paragould Press, and moved to Paragould. In December, 1888, he sold the Press to W. A. H. McDaniel, and established the Greene County Record in May, 1889. He was a candidate for State senator in 1888, but withdrew from the race in favor of Hon. B. H. Crowley, an old citizen and politician, it appearing that his age, long residence and prominence with the people during the war, and just afterward, made him a probably stronger leader of the Democratic party. Mr. Taylor served as clerk of the senate judiciary committee of the last legislature, and reported senate proceedings for the Daily Gazette. He is a practical printer and journalist, and a stanch Democrat, but the unflinching foe of monopoly. He read law but has never entered the practice. Having consolidated the Record with the Press, he is now exclusively in the line of book and job printing, having the only exclusive job printing establishment in Northeast Arkansas.

* * * *

This family biography is one of 120 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Greene County, Arkansas published in 1889.  View the complete description here: Greene County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Greene County, Arkansas family biographies here: Greene County, Arkansas Biographies

Use the links at the top right of this page to search or browse thousands of other family biographies.