Florence Eva Taggart (1878 - 1899)

Born 1878 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 6 Jan 1899 at about age 21 in Gulf of Mexico

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Biography

Florence was born in 1878 to Thomas Taggart and Eva Bryant.

She passed away in 1899.

The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana) 15 May 1899, Mon, page 8

THAT OF MISS TAGGART

THE MAYOR IDENTIFIES THE BODY FOUND AT CHANDELEUR ISLAND.

It Will Be Taken to New Orleans To-Day—Story of the Paul Jones.

Just four months after the sad news of the loss of the naphtha launch Paul Jones reached Indianapolis the identification of the body of Miss Florence Taggart, the beautiful daughter of Mayor Taggart, was made by the father. A week or so ago there was found on Chandeleur island, on the gulf coast, a body that had been cast up by the sea, and, though the waters had done much to efface the features of this beautiful girl, it seem that the mayor and Mrs. Taggart found sufficient evidences to satisfy themselves that the body was that of their first born, for last night the Associated Press bore this brief message from New Orleans:

"Mayor Taggart, of Indianapolis, who went down to Chandeleur Island to view the body of the young woman found buried there, identified it as his daughter who was lost in the wreck of the Paul Jones. The body will be brought to the city to-morrow."

It was Sunday, May 15, exactly four months ago yesterday, that Mayor Taggart was called up by telephone by the Journal early in the morning and informed of the distressing report which had just been received intimating that the Paul Jones, on which Miss Taggart and a number of school friends were aboard for a pleasure cruise, had been sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. Wreckage had been found near Pensacola, and this, coupled with the fact that nothing had been heard of the launch for a week, caused great fears along the gulf coast for the vessel's safety. Shortly after the launch, which had gone down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers from Louisville, left New Orleans to enter the gulf and skirt the winter resorts along the Mississippi coast a northeast gale began to rage. The owner of the launch, Mr. Lawrence Jones, of Louisville, believed the craft had been able to breast the storm or that it had taken refuge in some out-of-the-way inlet and would be heard from later. Col. William Yocum, of St. Louis, had borrowed the launch from his friend, Mr. Jones, and had on board as his guests besides his daughter, Miss Florence Yocum, Miss Marjorie Woodland, of Chicago, and Miss Taggart. The ultimate destination of the launch was Bellalre, Fla. Mr. Jones and Mayor Taggart early that Sunday morning telegraphed to every accessible point along the gulf coast, and the next week found them making a search in person along this coast. Senator Fairbanks procured the assistance of the government and a revenue cutter was detailed to assist in the search.

For a long time there was no clew to the whereabouts of the vessel, but by and by part of a hull, recognized as that of the Paul Jones, was washed ashore, and then came the report of the finding of a pair of stockings with Miss Taggart's initials on them. All this uncertainty added a great deal to the distress in the Taggart family. Experienced shipbuilders along the coast were satisfied from an examination of the hull which washed ashore that the boat had been wrecked by an explosion, and that none of the people aboard would ever be seen alive again.

Several weeks ago Mayor Taggart decided to take his wife down to the gulf coast that she might view the locality where her daughter met such an untimely end. A few days afterwards the finding of a body on Chandeleur island was reported, and this hastened the trip. At the time the mayor left here it was thought that the body was more probably that of Miss Yocum than of Miss Taggart. After finding it the sailors who came upon it buried it. Chandeleur island is off the Mississippi coast, directly south of Biloxl and about seventy miles on a direct line east of New Orleans. It is presumed the remains will be brought to this city for interment.

Sources

• Findagrave profile