John Taylor family papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 0050

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The John Taylor family papers (1844-1994) are a collection of material reflecting the life and work of John Taylor, third president of the LDS Church, and his descendants, John W. Taylor, Raymond Woolley Taylor, and Samuel Taylor. Included are letters, biographies, research materials, genealogies, articles written by other authors, diaries, journals, and books. Correspondence comprises a major portion of the collection and has been organized within the papers of each individual. Consequently, correspondence will be found throughout the collection. Exceptions to this are letters pertaining to specific subjects, such as Ray's correspondence with publishers and promoters for Uranium Fever and correspondence relating to the posthumous reinstatement of John W. Taylor. All correspondence between Samuel and Raymond Taylor has been consolidated into section six, regardless of subject matter and has been arranged chronologically.

Section one contains the material on John Taylor and The Kingdom or Nothing. The majority of this section includes correspondence during the period of Taylor's presidency in the 1880s, copied by Raymond Taylor from now-restricted files at the Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The letters, in some cases only extracts from the originals, deal with a variety of subjects including official church business, financial matters, divorce among church members, polygamy, letters from individuals outside of Utah requesting information on Mormonism, and personal letters from church members requesting favors, special consideration, and financial aid. There are also letters from John Taylor to his wives and church leaders. Most of the correspondence has been bound into nine letterbooks. The letters have not been arranged chronologically and so the letterbooks lack any concrete organization. Interspersed with the correspondence are articles, speeches, revelations, and other research materials as well as correspondence between Samuel and Raymond Taylor. This latter correspondence has been ignored in Sam's and Ray's consolidated correspondence, Boxes 57-62. Other materials contained in section one include biographical information on Taylor, copies of his revelations, research pertaining to several of his wives, and collected notes dealing with various aspects of the Mormon church during the 1880s, including information on Winter Quarters and the sugar beet industry. The John Taylor materials end with several manuscript versions of The Kingdom or Nothing. Included are numerous revisions and rewrites as well as the final copy-edited manuscript presented to the publishers.

The second section contains the materials collected by Jane Woolley Taylor, wife of John W. Taylor, and includes material on John W. Taylor as well as personal materials of her own. Material pertaining to John W. include correspondence to church and business associates and family members biographical materials, information on business ventures, speeches, and a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Council of Twelve Apostles in 1911 at which John W. Taylor and Matthias Cowley were disfellowshipped for practicing polygamy. Also included are materials pertaining to the efforts of Sam and Ray Taylor to have their father reinstated into the church. Janet Woolley Taylor's materials are of a more personal nature and include correspondence with family and friends, journals of her various trips and of the underground, childhood papers and momentos, writings, invitations and announcements, and financial papers. Of special interest is a bound volume of a series of interviews between Janet Woolley Taylor and Samuel Taylor. Also included are genealogies, biographies and family histories of the extended family including material on the Carruth, Cahoon, and Woolley family members.

Section three contains Samuel Taylor's papers. These include correspondence and interviews with family members and acquaintances of John W. Taylor, which provide additional biographical data on his life. Also included in Sam Taylor's papers in addition to the John W. Taylor material is personal correspondence, several of his writings and magazine articles, and other miscellaneous--research items, including a thesis on Mormonism entitled "Development of Attitudes in Sectarian Conflict: A Study of Mormonism in Illinois in Contemporary Newspaper Sources," by Cecil A. Snider. Two of Samuel's major works are contained in this section of the collection: Family Kingdom and Nightfall at Nauvoo. The former book was researched and written from the 1930s to 1950, and is the story of Jane Woolley Taylor and her polygamous marriage to John W. Taylor. Sam did not intend for the book to be a history of Mormonism and polygamy, but the story of one particular family group. Nightfall at Nauvoo was written many years later during the 1960s and provides a history of the Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois, prior to beginning their migration to the Salt Lake Valley. This section contains correspondence, notes, rewrites, and final versions of each of the books.

Section four contains the research and writing done by Raymond and Samuel on Uranium Fever. This book represents the first collaborative effort of Sam and Ray Taylor in the writing of a major work. The story of Ray's involvement in mining follows the story of the uranium boom in the four corners area of Utah during the 1950s and 1960s. This portion of the collection contains research information pertaining to uranium mining in general, and more specifically to such people as Stella Dysart, Vernon Pick, Charles Steen, and other individuals involved in the uranium mining business. This section contains research materials, manuscripts, revisions, and some correspondence.

Section five contains Raymond W. Taylor's papers, including a wide variety of materials ranging from personal and business matters to his collection of research materials, histories, and journals pertaining to Mormonism and the Mormon church. His personal letters include correspondence with Utah politicians and statesmen during the 1950s, and general correspondence in conjunction with his search for information and materials pertaining to the history of Mormonism. The research materials collected by Ray Taylor comprise the bulk of this portion of the collection. Miscellaneous research materials pertaining to Mormon individuals and topics include information on Ezra Taft Benson, J. Reuben Clark, fundamentalism within the Mormon Church, the Mormon doctrine forbidding blacks from holding the priesthood, the excommunication of LaMar Peterson, Brigham Young's will and estate, Joseph Smith, William Smith, and the sugar beet industry, among others. Raymond had also acquired a collection of diaries, journals, and histories of individuals connected in some respect with the Mormon church. Included is information on such persons as Abraham H. Cannon, Matthias Cowley, Philip DeLaMare, Levi W. Hancock, Mosiah Lyman Hancock, Joseph Lee Robinson, Eliza R. Snow, Preston Thomas, John Woodhouse, and others. Also included are the L. John Nuttal diaries from 1876 to 1889 and some Nuttal correspondence as well as a volume of the Genealogy of the Dilworth Families in America.

Section six contains the consolidated correspondence of Sam and Raymond Taylor, and in several respects is a valuable part of the collection. The correspondence is arranged chronologically and covers the years from 1936 to Ray's death in 1972. Sam and Ray corresponded on a variety of subjects including personal and business matters, the writing and publication of several of Sam's works, and the research being done by Ray. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of their correspondence is their discussions of Mormonism. Both men offer original and thoughtful insight into their religion and their letters reflect opinions and concerns on a wide variety of church-related topics.

Two oversize items were transferred to the Manuscripts Division map case: the "Projected Development Study of the Church Wells School," compiled by Dee R. Taylor, architect; and "Chart of the Genealogy of the Dilworth Families of America."

Dates

1844-1994

Creator

Taylor, Samuel W. (Samuel Woolley), 1907-1997 (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

JOHN TAYLOR

John Taylor, third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born in Milnthorpe, Westmoreland county, England, on 1 November 1808. The son of James and Agnes Taylor, he was raised according to the principles of the Church of England until he reached the age of fifteen, at which time Taylor joined the Methodist church. He was appointed as a preacher in the church and remained as such until 1829 when he left England to join his family in Toronto, Canada. In 1833 he married Leonora Cannon. While in Toronto, Taylor joined a Methodist society consisting of men interested in the research of the scriptures. During this time Taylor was visited by Parley P. Pratt and was introduced to the teachings of the Mormon church. In 1836, along with several friends, he was baptized into the Mormon faith.

Taylor served as presiding elder in upper Canada until 1838, when he moved to Far West, Missouri, at the request of Joseph Smith. In 1838 Taylor, along with John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards, was called to the a postleship "to fill the places of those who had fallen." While in Missouri, Taylor shared in the persecutions that were beginning to be directed against the Mormons. It was during this time that Taylor earned the title of "the Champion of Right," a name that remained with him throughout his life.

In 1839 Taylor and Wilford Woodruff left for a mission to Great Britain where they preached not only in England, but in Ireland, Scotland, and on the Isle of Man. While in England, Taylor published several pamphlets and tracts in which he proclaimed the doctrines of the Mormon faith and attempted to refute the challenges of other religious leaders. Taylor returned to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1841, where he became active in church duties, publishing the Nauvoo Neighbor and serving as a city councilman and judge advocate of the Nauvoo Legion. It was also during the early 1840s that Taylor entered into the practice of polygamy.

In 1844 Taylor was present in the Carthage jail with Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Willard Richards, when the jail was entered by an armed mob. Both Joseph and Hyrum were killed in the shooting, and Taylor was severely wounded. Following the death of Joseph Smith, Taylor remained active in church affairs, helping in the completion of the Nauvoo Temple and assisting in the move from Nauvoo to Winter Quarters in 1846. From there he left on a second mission to England where he remained until the following spring. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 with a company of British converts and remained for two years, helping in the building of Salt Lake City. In 1849 he left for a mission to France, where, in addition to preaching Mormon doctrine; he also published pamphlets and magazines, supervised the translation of the Book of Mormon into French and German, and helped to organize several branches of the church in France.

While in France, Taylor made the acquaintance of Philip DeLa Mare, a French convert. Together they attempted to bring to Utah the knowledge and machinery of the sugar beet industry of France and establish such an industry in the Salt Lake Valley. The sugar-making processes in Utah, however, proved to be a failure.

In 1854 Taylor presided over the church in the eastern United States, where he published The Mormon, a newspaper designed to answer the attacks of an anti-Mormon press. In 1857 the Utah War and the threat of invasion by Johnston's Army necessitated the return of Taylor to the Salt Lake Valley where he was active in both church and civil government. He helped to organize and regulate church affairs and served in such capacities as a member of the Utah legislature, speaker of the House, and as a probate judge in Utah county.

At the time of Brigham Young's death in 1877, Taylor was president of the Twelve Apostles and in October 1880, was sustained as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As church president, Taylor is most remembered for his stand in defense of polygamy and against federal laws designed to outlaw and eliminate the practice of plural marriage in Utah. With the passage of the Edmunds Act of 1882 and the Edmunds-Tucker Act in 1887, Taylor, to avoid persecution, lived alone at his home, the Gardo House, while his wives kept separate residences, and finally was forced to go into hiding. His last public appearance was in 1884 and all church business from then on was conducted through correspondence and private meetings with trusted church officials. John Taylor died in exile on 25 July 1887.

JOHN W. TAYLOR

John W. Taylor, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, was the son of church President John Taylor and Sophia Whittaker Taylor. He was born 13 May 1858 in Provo, Utah, his parents having fled from Salt Lake City in anticipation of an invasion from Johnston's Army. The family returned to Salt Lake City, where John W. was raised until he reached the age of twenty-five, when he married and moved with his wife to Idaho. While in Utah, he worked at farming and at his father's saw mill and at the same time was highly active in church affairs. While still in his teens, he had completed a mission to the Southern States, been ordained a deacon, then an elder, and subsequently was chosen counselor to Edward W. Davis, of the Elders Quorum. He also taught Sunday School and had an unusually good rapport with the children whom he instructed.

In his early twenties John W. was employed as a penman for the Deseret News and was considered to be among the best in the country. In 1880 in the company of his boyhood companion, Matthias F. Cowley, he served a mission to the Southern States. After returning to Utah John W. was chosen to fill a vacancy in the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the ensuing years he served his church in a number of capacities, traveling to Mexico, Canada, and Colorado to establish missions and branch churches.

One of the overriding principles in John W. Taylor's life was his belief in the practice of plural marriage. Having been raised in a polygamous household and under the strong influence of his father, who was adamant in his belief in plural marriage, John W. took a total of six wives during his lifetime, his third wife, Nettie, being the mother of Samuel and Raymond Taylor. These wives were married following the 1890 Manifesto and consequently were in violation of not only civil but church law. For his wives, life was made difficult not only by the strain of a plural marriage, but by having to live underground, as their marriages, by necessity, had to be kept secret from both the government and church authorities. In addition, John W., while possessing both charm and enthusiasm, lacked sound business sense and his wives generally had to support themselves and their children.

In 1911 John W. Taylor and Matthias F. Cowley were tried before a meeting of the Council of the Twelve, Taylor being excommunicated and Cowley being deprive of his priesthood. John W. Taylor died in 1916, but in the mid-1960s his two sons, Samuel and Raymond Taylor, with the support of other family members, succeeded in having their father posthumously reinstated in the church.

RAYMOND WOOLLEY TAYLOR

Raymond Woolley Taylor, developer, author, and entrepreneur, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 18 April 1904. The son of John W. and Janet Woolley Taylor, and the grandson of John Taylor, Raymond grew up in a polygamist home during a time when plural marriages were considered to be outlawed by both church and civil authorities. Though his father was a somewhat remote personage during his childhood and died while Raymond was still young, the influence of his father and his unique home situation colored his interests and many of his ambitions later in his life.

Raymond Taylor was married to Annie Randall from 192 3 until her death in 1969. In 1970 he married Ruth Fors, with whom he had worked while researching the John Taylor biography.

During his lifetime Taylor worked in a number of jobs and occupations, but always was a promoter. Even while engaged in his own business matters, he was also active in helping his brother, Samuel, to promote his writings. During the 1930s and 1940s Raymond was a clothing merchant in Spanish Fork, Utah. In the 1950s he entered the real estate business in Provo and became involved in uranium prospecting in southern Utah. During the same time he established the Consumer's Water Agency, organized to promote the sale of land in southern Utah. Taylor was also involved in local politics during the 1950s, serving at one time as the county chairman of the Republican Party. He was a county jailer during the 1960s, ran for county sheriff and lost, and at the time of his death was a Utah County peace officer.

Raymond Taylor had always had an interest in history, and particularly the history of Utah and the Mormons. Though he was a writer and wrote many articles and speeches, his primary talent lay in research. Ray did the major portion of the research and wrote rough drafts for the two books on which he and Samuel worked together. Raymond not only did most of the research for Uranium Fever and The Kingdom or Nothing, but also made a substantial contribution in researching material for the biography of their parents, Family Kingdom. In addition Raymond arranged the promotion and publicity not only for these books, but for many of Sam's other works as well.

Raymond had an almost insatiable desire for writing and research and spent the latter years of his life gathering material not only for the John Taylor biography, but on all aspects of Mormon history. This research produced such articles as "The Lesser Known Wives of John Taylor," and "The Legend of the Friends to the Martyr," the story of the secret "Black Sticks" organization, and others. Taylor belonged to such historical and literary associations as the Utah State Historical Society, the Utah Westerners, and the Utah League of Writers. Raymond died on 10 December 1972 of cancer.

SAMUEL WOOLLEY TAYLOR

Samuel Woolley Taylor was born on 9 February 1907 in Provo, Utah. The author of numerous books, articles, and screenplays, he began writing while attending Brigham Young University in Provo and has continued to write ever since. In 1934 he married Elizabeth Gay Dimick of Redwood City, California.

During World War II Taylor served in the United States Air Force (1942-1945) where he was able to continue his writing career. As a member of the Public Relations Office in Europe, he served as chief of the magazine section and wrote periodical material for both American and European publications. In addition he did the writing for General Arnold's annual Air Force Reports to the Secretary of War from the European Theater of Operations.

As a professional writer Taylor authored many magazine articles in addition to published books and screenplays. His stories range from westerns and mysteries to biographical and historical writings. Many of his articles have appeared in nationally known magazines, such as Colliers, Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, Argosv, and Holiday. Many of his stories have been selected for anthologies or adapted to radio, television, or motion picture use. Among these are "The Man with My Face," and "The Absent Minded Professor" produced by Walt Disney.

Several of Taylor's stories were subsequently published as books. Perhaps foremost of these is "I Have Six Wives," which later became the basis for Family Kingdom, the story of the polygamous marriage of his parents, and his father's five other wives. Another such story was a serial, "The Mysterious Way," which later became Heaven Knows Why.

Sam Taylor's collaborative efforts with his brother, Raymond, began with the research and writing for Uranium Fever, which grew in part from the screenplay called "Uranium Story," by Sam Taylor. During the 1970s they began work on another book, a biography of John Taylor, The Kingdom or Nothing. Raymond died before the book was completed. Though the writing was based on Raymond's research, the biography was subsequently published under Sam's name.