Taylor Osborn (1893 - 1988)

Born 6 Apr 1893 in Harless Branch, Trough Fork, Wayne County, West Virginia, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Isabelle (Toppins) Osborn — married 6 Nov 1919 in Queens Ridge, JohnToppins, Residence, Wayne County, West Virginia, USA

Descendants

Died 24 Dec 1988 at age 95 in Licking Township, Licking County, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Anonymous Osborne [send private message] and Melissa Maynard [send private message]

Biography

Taylor was in the Argonne Forest in W.W.1, he was inducted 28 June 1918 at Kenova, West Virginia, had blue eyes, dark brown hair and 5 ft. 6 inches tall. Sailed from U.S.14 September 1918 and arrived in U.S. 20 July 1919. Paid in full $100.55 at Camp Dix, New Jersey. He spent 2 tours in the Argonne forest in some of the bloodiest fighting. There is a picture of Taylor that was taken at Camp Dix. (Now Fort Dix, which was one of the military post's closed a few years ago) There is a lot of sandy soil around Fort Dix. It made basic training a little more difficult in certain areas, walking, Running and cleaning weapons. His grandson Gary Osborne went through basic training there. Taylor went to school with Fletcher Ramey, his first cousin, who got killed in Belgium during WW1. Taylor hadn't been in Europe very long when Fletcher died.

A hard worker, worked at farming, in coal fields with his brother Wayne, built houses with Robert Osburn (Some still around) also worked in timber the logging industry at times, he was a very religious man and a Reverand in the Baptist faith. I don't believe he ever owned a car. The family bought him a TV one time and Monroe asked him how he liked it. He replied " I only watch the news, the rest of it is foolishness." Taylor bought the land on (Shanty branch) Trough Fork off of the government. It had big timber on it and Taylor's cousin Ramey had a saw mill. He struck up a bargain with them that he would give them the timber for enough saw mill lumber to build a house and barn. The house that they lived in all those years was built from the farm. Monroe's sister Marie tried to buy the place for the family after Taylor passed away but they wanted to much for it. She said Shanty Branch was written on her original birth record. It was next to the one room school house on Trough Fork that emptied into Kiah Creek. The mines were doing well then and I guess they seen dollar signs. The house set empty and was torn down a few years ago. I'm glad I took a picture of it before it was torn down. The family lived in a log house about 1930 according to Edna Osburn Cyfers. She drew a sketch of it as remembered as a young child.

Taylor would walk through the mountains to have church service at different churches. In the late fall of 1922 when Edna & Edgar (twins) were the only children, about a year old, Isabelle wanted to go to her mom and dads house on Queens Ridge. So Taylor hooked up the horse to a sled he had, set Belle and kids on it and wrapped them up good with blankets. They made it to John and Harriette Toppins and decided to spend the night when it got to late. The next morning Taylor went out to hook up the horse and it was dead. John Toppins always kept good horses on the account of his mail route around Dunlow. He had to give Taylor one of his horses so he could go home.

• • Taylor is 13 degrees from Aaron Burr, 3rd Vice President of the United States. https://findagrave.com/memorial/151/Aaron-burr
  • Taylor is 10 degrees from Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of the United States. https://findagrave.com/memorial/544/thomas-jefferson

Burial in Mountain Home Cemetery, Little Harts, Wayne County, West Virginia where he had many, many sermons. There is a picture of Taylor over the alter on the wall in Mountain Home cemetery church.

• Notice how our last name changed. I believe Taylor adopted the version after WW1. Computers are case sensitive to spelling to get results on records. Sometimes you have to use different versions. The census takers used a lot of phonetic spelling.

😁In the family group picture with Henry Osburn, Taylor was in bib overalls in the back row next to Wayne Osburn, great grandfather of Christopher Alvin Stapleton. (Country music artist)

Research Notes

Original Information
Taylor and Isabelles 5th child Henry Osborn died the same day he was born 5 December 1925. I'm sure he was named after Henry Osburn, Taylor's grandpa. Can't find his death date but thinking that it happened close to this time. I finally found Emily's death record, it was under E.C. Osburn. Short for Emily Caroline (Dean) Osburn.

Sources

• WW1 registration, dark blue eyes, light brown hair , medium build, stout, 5 June 1917, Willie Jones Registrar, prevent #3, Wayne County, West Virginia.
• W.W.1 discharge papers Wayne co., W.V. court house
• West Virginia Archives and family
  • 1900 census, Harless Branch of Trough Fork, Wayne County, West Virginia in Household of Thomas Robert Osburn (Harless Branch is next to Mountain Home Cemetery)

• • 1930 census, 15 April 1930, Trough Fork, Wayne County West Virginia. Household;
• Taylor Osborn, age-37 age at marriage 27 (veteran)
• Belle (wife), age-27, age at marriage 17
• Edgar and Edna (twins) age- 8
• Harvey and Hattie (twins) age-6
• Thomas, age-2 1/2
• Polly, age-8 months.

Thomas Osburn and Wetzel with Tennessee "Osborn" Wiley neighbors.

• • 1920 census,Kiahs precinct, Trough Fork, Wayne County, West Virginia. Taylor and Belle were living 2 doors down from Thomas his father on same Census record. Household:
• Taylor Osborn -age 27
• Bell Osborn -age 18

• • 1940 census, 50-11 page 20, Shanty Branch, Trough Fork, Wayne County, West Virginia (next to one room school) see Belle for details of household.

• • National Archives; 1950 census, 12 April 1950, -18, sheet 15 & 16, page 16 & 17, proceeding south along Rt. #10 from Ranger Ridge, 14 mile creek (about 1/2 mile from Rt 37 intersection going South on Rt 10), Lincoln County West Virginia:household:
• TAYLOR Osborn (head) age-57 WV, (cutting timber) was at the bottom of page 16 next to Edgar & Nora Osborn. *Page 17:
• Belle Osborn (wife), age-48 WV.
• Thomas (son) age-22., (cutting timber)
• Relma (daughter), age-18
• Monroe (son), age-16 (farmer)
• Melissa (daughter) age-13
• Marie (daughter) age-11
• Taylor Jr. (Son) age-8. All born West Virginia.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36255659/taylor-osborn: accessed ), memorial page for Rev Taylor Osborn (6 Apr 1893–24 Dec 1988), Find A Grave: Memorial #36255659, citing Mountain Home Cemetery, Wayne County, West Virginia, USA.