Samuel Penfield Taylor
Encyclopedia
Samuel Penfield Taylor was an entrepreneur who made his fortune during the California Gold Rush
. He is best known for building the Pioneer Paper Mill, the first paper mill in California. Taylor sailed from Boston Harbor
in a schooner
that he purchased with a group of friends, arriving in San Francisco ten months later.
His first business was a bacon and egg stand on the beach. In 1853, he prospected for gold in Tuolumne County
and used his profits to buy land in Marin County
and enter the paper business.
Samuel Taylor was ahead of his time in producing recycled paper products from rags and old papers that his employees collected from various California cities and in creating the first fish ladder
on the West Coast to help fish swim upstream around the dam near his paper mill. Taylor married Sarah Washington Irving, raised a family of seven boys and one girl, and served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
. Working with other concerned citizens, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor helped stop the importation of Chinese slave girls into San Francisco.
After Samuel Taylor's death in 1886, his wife lost the paper mill and land around it in the Panic of 1893
. In a strange twist of fate, the new owners of the Taylors' land (who refused to allow Sarah Taylor to be buried next to her husband on the family plot) lost the property themselves when it was taken by the State of California in 1945 for non-payment of taxes. The state then created Samuel P. Taylor State Park
.
Taylor is buried on a hill overlooking the former site of the mill. His gravesite was restored in 1997 by Freemasons of San Francisco Oriental Lodge No. 144. Sarah Washington Irving now lies next to her husband on the southwest slope of Barnabe Mountain (near 38.0263°N 122.732°W).
, a Pennsylvanian who signed the Declaration of Independence
, and that Sarah Washington Irving was the favorite niece of writer and poet Washington Irving
. In 2010, however, Judy Coy and George Stevens disputed these claims, providing evidence that Samuel Taylor's grandfather was Captain George Taylor Sr. of Catskill
, Greene County, New York
. Captain George Taylor Sr. was born August 15, 1756 in Glastonbury, Connecticut, the son of John and Mary Taylor, and died in New York City on July 4, 1831. Coy and Stevens further maintain that Sarah Washington Irving Taylor's parents were James W. Irving and Mary Doak of Providence, Rhode Island
and later of Fall River, Massachusetts
(1850 census of Fall River).
There were many Sarahs in Washington Irving's family. His niece Sarah who lived with Irving until his death never married according to officials at his Sunnyside residence
.
There is no record that Samuel P. Taylor ever claimed to be the grandson of the signer of the Declaration of Independence, nor that Sarah Washington Irving Taylor claimed to be the niece of Washington Irving. The earliest known written record of the claim is in Pioneering in Marin County, A Historical Recording by Bertha Stedman Rothwell, dated June 1959.
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. He is best known for building the Pioneer Paper Mill, the first paper mill in California. Taylor sailed from Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
in a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
that he purchased with a group of friends, arriving in San Francisco ten months later.
His first business was a bacon and egg stand on the beach. In 1853, he prospected for gold in Tuolumne County
Tuolumne County, California
Tuolumne County is a county in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,365, up from 54,501 at the 2000 census...
and used his profits to buy land in Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
and enter the paper business.
Samuel Taylor was ahead of his time in producing recycled paper products from rags and old papers that his employees collected from various California cities and in creating the first fish ladder
Fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
on the West Coast to help fish swim upstream around the dam near his paper mill. Taylor married Sarah Washington Irving, raised a family of seven boys and one girl, and served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
. Working with other concerned citizens, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor helped stop the importation of Chinese slave girls into San Francisco.
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
. In a strange twist of fate, the new owners of the Taylors' land (who refused to allow Sarah Taylor to be buried next to her husband on the family plot) lost the property themselves when it was taken by the State of California in 1945 for non-payment of taxes. The state then created Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Samuel P. Taylor State Park is a state park located in Marin County, California. It contains approximately of redwood and grassland. The park contains about of old-growth forest, some of which can be seen along the Pioneer Tree Trail.-History:...
.
Taylor is buried on a hill overlooking the former site of the mill. His gravesite was restored in 1997 by Freemasons of San Francisco Oriental Lodge No. 144. Sarah Washington Irving now lies next to her husband on the southwest slope of Barnabe Mountain (near 38.0263°N 122.732°W).
Genealogy
It has been claimed that Taylor was the grandson of George TaylorGeorge Taylor (delegate)
George Taylor was a Colonial ironmaster and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania...
, a Pennsylvanian who signed the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, and that Sarah Washington Irving was the favorite niece of writer and poet Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
. In 2010, however, Judy Coy and George Stevens disputed these claims, providing evidence that Samuel Taylor's grandfather was Captain George Taylor Sr. of Catskill
Catskill (town), New York
Catskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,775 at the 2010 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park....
, Greene County, New York
Greene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
. Captain George Taylor Sr. was born August 15, 1756 in Glastonbury, Connecticut, the son of John and Mary Taylor, and died in New York City on July 4, 1831. Coy and Stevens further maintain that Sarah Washington Irving Taylor's parents were James W. Irving and Mary Doak of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and later of Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
(1850 census of Fall River).
There were many Sarahs in Washington Irving's family. His niece Sarah who lived with Irving until his death never married according to officials at his Sunnyside residence
Sunnyside (Tarrytown, New York)
Sunnyside is a historic house on 10 acres of grounds alongside the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. It was formerly the home of noted early American author Washington Irving, best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", and is a National Historic...
.
There is no record that Samuel P. Taylor ever claimed to be the grandson of the signer of the Declaration of Independence, nor that Sarah Washington Irving Taylor claimed to be the niece of Washington Irving. The earliest known written record of the claim is in Pioneering in Marin County, A Historical Recording by Bertha Stedman Rothwell, dated June 1959.