John Taylor

  Noted events in his life were:

• source. roz taylor who writes:
John Taylor came to Australia on 2/7/1857 aboard the "Glen Isla" from Scotland. He lived in Hay NSW & Narrabri. He owned farming properties in those areas. He received prizes at local agricultural shows and one of those medallions dated 1886 is in the hands of Roslyn Taylor. He married Helen Grierson in Sydney in 1857 when he was 22 years old. He was married by Alexander Salmon, a Presbyterian Minister. The witness were James Ross and Jessied Horn. He died of cancer of the oesophagus and stomach, marasmus & exhaustion, which he suffered for 12 months. He was attended by his son-in-law, Dr H J W Brennand. He was buried in the general section of Waverley Cemetery in a subterranean vault. No 308/309. Coffil & Company Undertakers, Robert Jackson was the Presbyterian minister and the witnesses were Patrick Shes Green & Charles Shellsell. His death was registerd at St Leonareds on 19/6/1907. Probate no 40069 series 4. The phone number 1905,1910,1915 was 464. On
arrival in Sydney he built 3 houses in Elizabeth but they have been demolished in 1998. He also built the New York Hotel in Union St Ultimo which is owned by the Star City Casino and is listed as a heritage building and will not be demolished.

JOHN TAYLOR 1834-1907 John Taylor was born at Aird, County Antrim, Ireland. The second son of Samuel and Mary Ann (nee Wilson). His father was a farmer and it is unknown if he owned the land or just leased it. Samuel Taylor died approx 1850, and Mary Ann being left with a family of small children decided to return to Glasgow as it is assumed that she had family there. She made a decision that all her children would be trained in a trade or profession, and John became a builder. John emigrated to Australia aboard the "Glen Isla" arriving in Sydney 1857. Aboard the same ship was Helen Grierson, whom he married in September, 1857. It is unknown if they met on board or before they left Scotland. It is highly likely that they met on board as Helen came from Rothesay some distance from Glasgow. They had a family of 4 sons and six daughters, three sons followed in their father's footsteps by becoming pastoralists, one son died at the age of 7 years. The daughter's all married and lived what would seem happy and productive lives. During the year that John lived in Sydney, it is known that he built the New York Hotel at Pyrmont which has been listed (yr 2000) as a National Heritage Building. The hotel is on the corner of Edward and Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Pyrmont. However the hotel had a second story added in 1932, but the ground floor is as it would have been built in 1857. The Hotel is now owned by The Star City Casino which was closed to trade in July 2000, but according locals operated from the time it was built until yr 2000. He also built 4 houses in Elizabeth Street, but unfortunately they no longer exist.He also built the "Frisco" Hotel at Woolloomoolloo and the Angel Hotel in Pitt St, Sydney. However he had his sites on the country and took a job on a station on the Lower Macquarie, taking with him a young Scottish wife. There he got his first insight into colonial life, rising quickly to the position of overseer, and afterwards gaining promotion to Illawa station, near Hay, where he remained eight years in the one employment. He had, when he gave up this position, 90,000 sheep under his care, all shepherded, as there were no fences in those days. In 1868, through the confidence of a bank manager friend, who promised to finance any purchase he decided to make , he launched out on his own account by purchasing Hunthawang station, a crown leasehold of 375,000 acres on the Lachlan River. Three months later he added to this, the purchase of South Merrowie, another property of 160,00 acres, on which the town of Hillston,called Redbank in those days, stands today. In three years having done well, he sold out and came to Sydney to educate his children. After two years in the city the interior again tempted him and he purchased Carwell and Mobala stations near Coonamble, also Wirrah station on the Barwon, Kidgar station on the Castlereagh, Dobikin Station near Narrabri, Glenalvon near Murrurundi and Tourable station near Gunnedah. In all his property workings he actively superintended everything that was done - he and his wife remaining habitually on the holdings, personally looking after interests and working as hard as any of their employees. He retired in 1888 to enjoy the fruits of his labours. He gave two of his sons co jointly his Dobikin Station, not as a gift but to be paid off at a certain sum, thus encouraging in them the same habits of thrift that had actuated him in his own career. He gave to his son John,Glenalvon and eventually moved to Greenwich in Sydney and lived until his death in 1907 at "Rothsay" in Greenwich Road. He lived in Australia for 50years and achieved a great deal in his lifetime. He was reported to be a man of much kindness but stern if he had to be. He was a very well respected man in the community and known by all for his experttise in business. In 1893 he built a huge Wool Store in Pyrmont which still stands today a huge imposing building taking up a whole block of land. The building has been listed as a Heritage building and now houses offices, but on visitng the building one can see the workings of the store and imagine how the wool left and stored ready for for sale. In 1905 he built a church for the members of the congregation of Greenwich and to the memory of his beloved daughter, Margaret, who died in 1905, her face being the centre point of the front stained glass window. The church in Greenwich Road, is just down the road from his home "Rothsay" 100 Greenwich Road, Greenwich. The Church had its first service 4 November 1905.

• connection. ⁴⁶⁸ Robyn & Phillip Hoare are linked to me in this way:

Robyn Taylor (c1950) married Phillip Hoare (c1950)
Her father was Donald Taylor (1905)
His father was Samuel Taylor (1858)
His father was John Taylor (1834) & he also had John Taylor (1866)
He had Samuel Taylor (1907)
He had Samuel Taylor (c1940) who married Roz Jones) (1942)
Her father is Alan Jones (1901) who married Florence Paul (1910)
Her father is William Paul (1872) who married Alice Webber (1875)
Her father was George Webber who married Orienta Dawes (1838)
Her father was George Dawes (1802)
His father was Aaron Daws & he also had Edward Bannister Dawes (1813)
He had James Dawes (1843)
He had Annie Florence Dawes (1873) who married Arthur Augustus Bray (1869)
They had Robert Alfred Bray (1920)
He had Robert Arthur Bray (1947) who married me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

John married Helen Grierson, daughter of Alexander Grierson and Helen McKellar, on 18 Sep 1857 in 22 Lower Fort St, Sydney, NSW Australia. (Helen Grierson was born on 1 Mar 1836 in Ardentinny, Argyle Scotland and died in 1928 in "Hazeldean", 2 Seaforth St, Bexley, Sydney, NSW Australia reg no:6586.)