was Taylor-8645 merge of two John Taylors correct?

Question

What proof is there that https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Murray-16434 Elizabeth Murray was married to John Taylor, who was born in Ky (or maybe TN) ? John was married to Buelah Anne Smith in Izard County, Arkansas in 1836, so is it probable for him to have married earlier to Elizabeth Murray & had a son David William born & raised in Canada?  

Is this merge accurate? Please, whoever merged the two John Taylor profiles, reconsider & look to see if there is a different John Taylor with Elizabeth & son William later in Canadian census  because 1850 US Census shows wife Buelah & 14 year old son Henry born in Arkansas (1837) & younger son William age 6 born in Arkansas, as the other later children are.  

Also, do any of the other descendants know of any hint in our family of a short marriage or being widowed if Elizabeth died, but then there is no death date nor places lived for her.  Her son David William Taylor was born & died in Canada.  

John married Buelah the next year, 1836, in Arkansas, according to familysearch.  US Census for 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 are available on his Family Search profile with Buelah and children they had together, for each of these decades, in Izard county, Arkansas in the John Taylor household.  https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/L89W-ZSX

Answer 1

Hi Cathy,

It does look like this might have been a mistaken merge, but there are also examples where someone has abandoned a spouse and family in one place and married again (with or without a divorce) and had a second family elsewhere.  One of my great grandfathers did just that.

Perhaps the way to decide for sure, is to see if there are records where the two John Taylor's overlap?  Unfortunately many of the profiles connected in this family group are not sourced or poorly sourced, and that doesn't help.

Answer 2

Hi Cathy

I'm pretty sure you are correct that these are two different men both named John Taylor.

The husband of Elizabeth is probably the John Taylor enumerated in 1851 here:

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1851&op=pdf&id=e002294638

Since he is still in New Brunswick, he can't be the husband of Beulah.

Cheers

Shirlea

Comments

He is still in New Brunswick in 1861.  No signs of wandering!  I'm going to disconnect the existing profile from the New Brunswick family and make a new profile for John who married Elizabeth Murray.

Answer 3

See discussion above.