Taft family
Encyclopedia
The Taft family of the United States
hails from Cincinnati, Ohio
, with historic origins in Massachusetts
; its members have served Ohio
, Massachusetts
, Vermont
, Rhode Island
, Utah
, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator
(two), U.S. Representative
(two), Attorney General
, Secretary of War
(two), United States Secretary of Agriculture
, President
, and Chief Justice
.
, who was born about 1640 in England
and died in 1725 in Mendon, Massachusetts
. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts
. Robert Taft, Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge
and was then Mendon, Massachusetts, circa 1680. His son, Robert Taft II
, was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen
for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727. A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft. Josiah's widow, Lydia, became "America's first woman voter", when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War
, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I
was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont
circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
. His son, Alphonso Taft
, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University
, where he founded the Skull and Bones
society. He later was Secretary of War
and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft
. Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.
circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts
circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge
, after the King Phillip's War ended. Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen
. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Taft's son, Daniel, a justice of the peace
in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft
, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings. President George Washington visited Samuel Taft
's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England
. President William Howard Taft
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785. The Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
, Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.
Ezra Taft Benson, Sr
, a famous Mormon pioneer
, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge
, in 1832. This family eventually became an American political dynasty
The Taft family of the United States
hails from Cincinnati, Ohio
, with historic origins in Massachusetts
; its members have served Ohio
, Massachusetts
, Vermont
, Rhode Island
, Utah
, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator
(two), U.S. Representative
(two), Attorney General
, Secretary of War
(two), United States Secretary of Agriculture
, President
, and Chief Justice
.
, who was born about 1640 in England
and died in 1725 in Mendon, Massachusetts
. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts
. Robert Taft, Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge
and was then Mendon, Massachusetts, circa 1680. His son, Robert Taft II
, was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen
for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727. A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft. Josiah's widow, Lydia, became "America's first woman voter", when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War
, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I
was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont
circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
. His son, Alphonso Taft
, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University
, where he founded the Skull and Bones
society. He later was Secretary of War
and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft
. Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.
circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts
circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge
, after the King Phillip's War ended. Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen
. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Taft's son, Daniel, a justice of the peace
in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft
, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings. President George Washington visited Samuel Taft
's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England
. President William Howard Taft
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785. The Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
, Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.
Ezra Taft Benson, Sr
, a famous Mormon pioneer
, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge
, in 1832. This family eventually became an American political dynasty
The Taft family of the United States
hails from Cincinnati, Ohio
, with historic origins in Massachusetts
; its members have served Ohio
, Massachusetts
, Vermont
, Rhode Island
, Utah
, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator
(two), U.S. Representative
(two), Attorney General
, Secretary of War
(two), United States Secretary of Agriculture
, President
, and Chief Justice
.
, who was born about 1640 in England
and died in 1725 in Mendon, Massachusetts
. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts
. Robert Taft, Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge
and was then Mendon, Massachusetts, circa 1680. His son, Robert Taft II
, was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen
for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727. A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft. Josiah's widow, Lydia, became "America's first woman voter", when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War
, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I
was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont
circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
. His son, Alphonso Taft
, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University
, where he founded the Skull and Bones
society. He later was Secretary of War
and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft
. Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.
circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts
circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge
, after the King Phillip's War ended. Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen
. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Taft's son, Daniel, a justice of the peace
in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft
, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings. President George Washington visited Samuel Taft
's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England
. President William Howard Taft
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785. The Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
, Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.
Ezra Taft Benson, Sr
, a famous Mormon pioneer
, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge
, in 1832. This family eventually became an American political dynasty
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hails from Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, with historic origins in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
; its members have served Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(two), U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(two), Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
, Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
(two), United States Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
.
Overview
The first known ancestor of the Taft family is Robert Taft, Sr.Robert Taft, Sr.
Robert Taft, Sr., also known as Robert Taft, or Robert Taft I , was the first American Taft and founder of the American Taft Family...
, who was born about 1640 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and died in 1725 in Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
. Robert Taft, Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
and was then Mendon, Massachusetts, circa 1680. His son, Robert Taft II
Robert Taft, 2nd
Robert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
, was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727. A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft
Josiah Taft
-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft. Josiah's widow, Lydia, became "America's first woman voter", when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I
Peter Rawson Taft I
Peter Rawson Taft was President William Howard Taft's paternal grandfather.-Early life and family:Peter was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda Rawson on April 14, 1785 at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont
Townshend, Vermont
Townshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics...
circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
. His son, Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he founded the Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
society. He later was Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.
History
The American Taft family began with Robert Taft, Sr who immigrated to Braintree, MassachusettsBraintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
, after the King Phillip's War ended. Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Taft's son, Daniel, a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft
Josiah Taft
-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings. President George Washington visited Samuel Taft
Samuel Taft
Samuel Taft was born September 23, 1735 at Upton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and died in 1816 at Uxbridge Worcester County, Massachusetts, in his 80th year...
's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785. The Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
, Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.
Ezra Taft Benson, Sr
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
, a famous Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge
Northbridge, Massachusetts
Northbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,707 at the 2010 census. The Northbridge Town Hall is located at 7 Main Street in Whitinsville. The town is now a part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, of the National Park...
, in 1832. This family eventually became an American political dynasty
The first settler: Robert Taft, Sr
- Robert Taft, Sr (c. 1640-1725); The famous Taft family in America developed its roots in Mendon and Uxbridge. Robert Taft, Sr came here from Braintree. The original American Taft homestead was in western Mendon, which later became Uxbridge, and was built by Robert Taft (Sr), the first immigrant, in 1680. Robert Taft Sr. had built an earlier home in 1669, but it was abandoned due to the King Phillip's War. Robert Taft, Sr's descendants are a large politically active family with descendants who are prominent in OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, but live throughout the U.S.A.
- Robert Taft IIRobert Taft, 2ndRobert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
; was born in 1674 to Robert Sr, and Sarah Taft at Braintree. He grew up in the western part of Mendon in what later became Uxbridge. He became a founding member of the Uxbridge Board of SelectmenBoard of selectmenThe board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
in 1727. Robert Taft, 2nd, may have been the first American Taft to hold a political office in the Taft family Dynasty. His descendents included a Governor of Rhode Island, Royal Chapin Taft, a United States Senator from Ohio, Kingsley Arter Taft, and a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson II, among others.
America's first woman voter and her descendants
- Lydia Chapin TaftLydia TaftLydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
; Noteworthy among early Uxbridge residents was Lydia Chapin Taft, a Mendon native by birth, who voted in three official Uxbridge town meetingTown meetingA town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
s, beginning in 1756. She was the widow of Robert Taft Sr's grandson, Josiah TaftJosiah Taft-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, who had served in the Colonial Legislature. Josiah was the son of Daniel Taft of Mendon. Taft was America's First Woman Voter. This is recognized by the Massachusetts legislature. Her first historic vote, a first in Women's suffrageWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, was in favor of appropriating funds for the regiments engaged in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. - Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.Bezaleel Taft, Sr.-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
, Lydia's son, held the rank of Captain in the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and answered the Battle of Lexington and Concord Alarm on April 18, 1775, while Lydia looked on. He went on to become a prominent Massachusetts legislator, and State SenatorState SenatorA state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
. At least 12 soldiers with the surname of Taft served in the Revolutionary War from the town of Uxbridge. Many more Tafts from throughout the former colonies also served in the War of Independence. - Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Jr, the son, followed a legislative career in the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General CourtThe Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, the state Senate, and the State Executive Council. - Elmshade- Bezaleel Taft, Jr, and five generations of influential Taft's lived in a historic home known as Elmshade which was a gathering place for Taft family reunions, and which is now on the National Historic Register. Young William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and his father, Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, Secretary of War and founder of Skull and BonesSkull and BonesSkull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
at YaleYALERapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, visited this home on a number of occasions. - George Spring Taft, Bezaleel Jr's son, was the county prosecutor, and Secretary to U.S. Senator, George Hoar. George Spring Taft also lived at Elmshade.
- The tradition of public service continued for at least five generations in this Massachusetts branch of the Taft family. The "Life of Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
by Lewis Alexander Leonard", on Google Books, is a particularly rich source of the history of the Taft family origins in Massachusetts.
- Other local Tafts Other local Tafts in political service in the Massachusetts legislature included Arthur M. Taft, Arthur Robert Taft, and Zadok Arnold Taft. Royal Chapin Taft, originally from Northbridge, became the Governor of Rhode Island. The number of Tafts in public service across American was extraordinary including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, and other states.
A Presidential visit
- First President's visit; Samuel Taft was an American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
soldier, father of 22, an Uxbridge farmer and tavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
keeper. President George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
stayed at the Samuel Taft Tavern in November 1789, during the founding father's inaugural trip through New England.
The Taft family of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hails from Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, with historic origins in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
; its members have served Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(two), U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(two), Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
, Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
(two), United States Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
.
Overview
The first known ancestor of the Taft family is Robert Taft, Sr.Robert Taft, Sr.
Robert Taft, Sr., also known as Robert Taft, or Robert Taft I , was the first American Taft and founder of the American Taft Family...
, who was born about 1640 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and died in 1725 in Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
. Robert Taft, Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
and was then Mendon, Massachusetts, circa 1680. His son, Robert Taft II
Robert Taft, 2nd
Robert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
, was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727. A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft
Josiah Taft
-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft. Josiah's widow, Lydia, became "America's first woman voter", when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I
Peter Rawson Taft I
Peter Rawson Taft was President William Howard Taft's paternal grandfather.-Early life and family:Peter was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda Rawson on April 14, 1785 at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont
Townshend, Vermont
Townshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics...
circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
. His son, Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he founded the Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
society. He later was Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.
History
The American Taft family began with Robert Taft, Sr who immigrated to Braintree, MassachusettsBraintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
, after the King Phillip's War ended. Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Taft's son, Daniel, a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft
Josiah Taft
-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings. President George Washington visited Samuel Taft
Samuel Taft
Samuel Taft was born September 23, 1735 at Upton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and died in 1816 at Uxbridge Worcester County, Massachusetts, in his 80th year...
's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785. The Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
, Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.
Ezra Taft Benson, Sr
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
, a famous Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge
Northbridge, Massachusetts
Northbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,707 at the 2010 census. The Northbridge Town Hall is located at 7 Main Street in Whitinsville. The town is now a part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, of the National Park...
, in 1832. This family eventually became an American political dynasty
The first settler: Robert Taft, Sr
- Robert Taft, Sr (c. 1640-1725); The famous Taft family in America developed its roots in Mendon and Uxbridge. Robert Taft, Sr came here from Braintree. The original American Taft homestead was in western Mendon, which later became Uxbridge, and was built by Robert Taft (Sr), the first immigrant, in 1680. Robert Taft Sr. had built an earlier home in 1669, but it was abandoned due to the King Phillip's War. Robert Taft, Sr's descendants are a large politically active family with descendants who are prominent in OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, but live throughout the U.S.A.
- Robert Taft IIRobert Taft, 2ndRobert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
; was born in 1674 to Robert Sr, and Sarah Taft at Braintree. He grew up in the western part of Mendon in what later became Uxbridge. He became a founding member of the Uxbridge Board of SelectmenBoard of selectmenThe board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
in 1727. Robert Taft, 2nd, may have been the first American Taft to hold a political office in the Taft family Dynasty. His descendents included a Governor of Rhode Island, Royal Chapin Taft, a United States Senator from Ohio, Kingsley Arter Taft, and a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson II, among others.
America's first woman voter and her descendants
- Lydia Chapin TaftLydia TaftLydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
; Noteworthy among early Uxbridge residents was Lydia Chapin Taft, a Mendon native by birth, who voted in three official Uxbridge town meetingTown meetingA town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
s, beginning in 1756. She was the widow of Robert Taft Sr's grandson, Josiah TaftJosiah Taft-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, who had served in the Colonial Legislature. Josiah was the son of Daniel Taft of Mendon. Taft was America's First Woman Voter. This is recognized by the Massachusetts legislature. Her first historic vote, a first in Women's suffrageWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, was in favor of appropriating funds for the regiments engaged in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. - Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.Bezaleel Taft, Sr.-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
, Lydia's son, held the rank of Captain in the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and answered the Battle of Lexington and Concord Alarm on April 18, 1775, while Lydia looked on. He went on to become a prominent Massachusetts legislator, and State SenatorState SenatorA state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
. At least 12 soldiers with the surname of Taft served in the Revolutionary War from the town of Uxbridge. Many more Tafts from throughout the former colonies also served in the War of Independence. - Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Jr, the son, followed a legislative career in the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General CourtThe Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, the state Senate, and the State Executive Council. - Elmshade- Bezaleel Taft, Jr, and five generations of influential Taft's lived in a historic home known as Elmshade which was a gathering place for Taft family reunions, and which is now on the National Historic Register. Young William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and his father, Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, Secretary of War and founder of Skull and BonesSkull and BonesSkull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
at YaleYALERapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, visited this home on a number of occasions. - George Spring Taft, Bezaleel Jr's son, was the county prosecutor, and Secretary to U.S. Senator, George Hoar. George Spring Taft also lived at Elmshade.
- The tradition of public service continued for at least five generations in this Massachusetts branch of the Taft family. The "Life of Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
by Lewis Alexander Leonard", on Google Books, is a particularly rich source of the history of the Taft family origins in Massachusetts.
- Other local Tafts Other local Tafts in political service in the Massachusetts legislature included Arthur M. Taft, Arthur Robert Taft, and Zadok Arnold Taft. Royal Chapin Taft, originally from Northbridge, became the Governor of Rhode Island. The number of Tafts in public service across American was extraordinary including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, and other states.
A Presidential visit
- First President's visit; Samuel Taft was an American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
soldier, father of 22, an Uxbridge farmer and tavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
keeper. President George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
stayed at the Samuel Taft Tavern in November 1789, during the founding father's inaugural trip through New England.
November 8, 1789.
- Sir:
- Being informed that you have given my name to one of your sons, and called another after Mrs. Washington's family, and being moreover very much pleased with the modest and innocent looks of your two daughters, Patty and Polly, I do for these reasons send each of these girls a piece of chintzChintzChintz is glazed calico cloth printed with flowers and other patterns in different colours. Unglazed calico is called "cretonne". The word Calico is derived from the name of the Indian city Calicut to which it had a manufacturing association.-History:Chintz was originally a woodblock printed,...
; and to Patty, who bears the name of Mrs.WashingtonMartha WashingtonMartha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
, and who waited more upon us than Polly did, I send five guineas, with which she may buy herself any little ornamentOrnamentAn ornament is something used for decoration.Ornament may also refer to:*Christmas ornaments, an ornament hung from a Christmas tree*Ornament , purely decorative elements in architecture and the decorative arts*Ornament *Ornamental plant...
she may want, or she may dispose of them in any other manner more agreeable to herself. As I do not give these things with a view to having it talked of, or even to its being known, the less there is said about the matter the better you will please me; but, that I may be sure the chintz and money have got safe to hand, let Patty, who I dare say is equal to it, write me a line informing me thereof, directed to 'The President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
at New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.' I wish you and your family well, and am,
- etc. Yours,
- George Washington
The Taft family of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hails from Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, with historic origins in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
; its members have served Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(two), U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(two), Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
, Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
(two), United States Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
.
Overview
The first known ancestor of the Taft family is Robert Taft, Sr.Robert Taft, Sr.
Robert Taft, Sr., also known as Robert Taft, or Robert Taft I , was the first American Taft and founder of the American Taft Family...
, who was born about 1640 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and died in 1725 in Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
. His wife Sarah was born in England, too; they married in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
. Robert Taft, Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
and was then Mendon, Massachusetts, circa 1680. His son, Robert Taft II
Robert Taft, 2nd
Robert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
, was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727. A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft
Josiah Taft
-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft. Josiah's widow, Lydia, became "America's first woman voter", when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I
Peter Rawson Taft I
Peter Rawson Taft was President William Howard Taft's paternal grandfather.-Early life and family:Peter was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda Rawson on April 14, 1785 at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont
Townshend, Vermont
Townshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics...
circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
. His son, Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he founded the Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
society. He later was Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.
History
The American Taft family began with Robert Taft, Sr who immigrated to Braintree, MassachusettsBraintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
, after the King Phillip's War ended. Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Taft's son, Daniel, a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft
Josiah Taft
-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, later of Uxbridge, who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft
Lydia Taft
Lydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings. President George Washington visited Samuel Taft
Samuel Taft
Samuel Taft was born September 23, 1735 at Upton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and died in 1816 at Uxbridge Worcester County, Massachusetts, in his 80th year...
's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785. The Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
, Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.
Ezra Taft Benson, Sr
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
, a famous Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge
Northbridge, Massachusetts
Northbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,707 at the 2010 census. The Northbridge Town Hall is located at 7 Main Street in Whitinsville. The town is now a part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, of the National Park...
, in 1832. This family eventually became an American political dynasty
The first settler: Robert Taft, Sr
- Robert Taft, Sr (c. 1640-1725); The famous Taft family in America developed its roots in Mendon and Uxbridge. Robert Taft, Sr came here from Braintree. The original American Taft homestead was in western Mendon, which later became Uxbridge, and was built by Robert Taft (Sr), the first immigrant, in 1680. Robert Taft Sr. had built an earlier home in 1669, but it was abandoned due to the King Phillip's War. Robert Taft, Sr's descendants are a large politically active family with descendants who are prominent in OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, but live throughout the U.S.A.
- Robert Taft IIRobert Taft, 2ndRobert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
; was born in 1674 to Robert Sr, and Sarah Taft at Braintree. He grew up in the western part of Mendon in what later became Uxbridge. He became a founding member of the Uxbridge Board of SelectmenBoard of selectmenThe board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
in 1727. Robert Taft, 2nd, may have been the first American Taft to hold a political office in the Taft family Dynasty. His descendents included a Governor of Rhode Island, Royal Chapin Taft, a United States Senator from Ohio, Kingsley Arter Taft, and a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson II, among others.
America's first woman voter and her descendants
- Lydia Chapin TaftLydia TaftLydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
; Noteworthy among early Uxbridge residents was Lydia Chapin Taft, a Mendon native by birth, who voted in three official Uxbridge town meetingTown meetingA town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
s, beginning in 1756. She was the widow of Robert Taft Sr's grandson, Josiah TaftJosiah Taft-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, who had served in the Colonial Legislature. Josiah was the son of Daniel Taft of Mendon. Taft was America's First Woman Voter. This is recognized by the Massachusetts legislature. Her first historic vote, a first in Women's suffrageWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, was in favor of appropriating funds for the regiments engaged in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. - Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.Bezaleel Taft, Sr.-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
, Lydia's son, held the rank of Captain in the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and answered the Battle of Lexington and Concord Alarm on April 18, 1775, while Lydia looked on. He went on to become a prominent Massachusetts legislator, and State SenatorState SenatorA state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
. At least 12 soldiers with the surname of Taft served in the Revolutionary War from the town of Uxbridge. Many more Tafts from throughout the former colonies also served in the War of Independence. - Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Jr, the son, followed a legislative career in the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General CourtThe Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, the state Senate, and the State Executive Council. - Elmshade- Bezaleel Taft, Jr, and five generations of influential Taft's lived in a historic home known as Elmshade which was a gathering place for Taft family reunions, and which is now on the National Historic Register. Young William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and his father, Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, Secretary of War and founder of Skull and BonesSkull and BonesSkull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
at YaleYALERapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, visited this home on a number of occasions. - George Spring Taft, Bezaleel Jr's son, was the county prosecutor, and Secretary to U.S. Senator, George Hoar. George Spring Taft also lived at Elmshade.
- The tradition of public service continued for at least five generations in this Massachusetts branch of the Taft family. The "Life of Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
by Lewis Alexander Leonard", on Google Books, is a particularly rich source of the history of the Taft family origins in Massachusetts.
- Other local Tafts Other local Tafts in political service in the Massachusetts legislature included Arthur M. Taft, Arthur Robert Taft, and Zadok Arnold Taft. Royal Chapin Taft, originally from Northbridge, became the Governor of Rhode Island. The number of Tafts in public service across American was extraordinary including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, and other states.
A Presidential visit
- First President's visit; Samuel Taft was an American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
soldier, father of 22, an Uxbridge farmer and tavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
keeper. President George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
stayed at the Samuel Taft Tavern in November 1789, during the founding father's inaugural trip through New England.
November 8, 1789.
- Sir:
- Being informed that you have given my name to one of your sons, and called another after Mrs. Washington's family, and being moreover very much pleased with the modest and innocent looks of your two daughters, Patty and Polly, I do for these reasons send each of these girls a piece of chintzChintzChintz is glazed calico cloth printed with flowers and other patterns in different colours. Unglazed calico is called "cretonne". The word Calico is derived from the name of the Indian city Calicut to which it had a manufacturing association.-History:Chintz was originally a woodblock printed,...
; and to Patty, who bears the name of Mrs.WashingtonMartha WashingtonMartha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
, and who waited more upon us than Polly did, I send five guineas, with which she may buy herself any little ornamentOrnamentAn ornament is something used for decoration.Ornament may also refer to:*Christmas ornaments, an ornament hung from a Christmas tree*Ornament , purely decorative elements in architecture and the decorative arts*Ornament *Ornamental plant...
she may want, or she may dispose of them in any other manner more agreeable to herself. As I do not give these things with a view to having it talked of, or even to its being known, the less there is said about the matter the better you will please me; but, that I may be sure the chintz and money have got safe to hand, let Patty, who I dare say is equal to it, write me a line informing me thereof, directed to 'The President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
at New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.' I wish you and your family well, and am,
- etc. Yours,
- George Washington
- – Letter to Mr. Samuel Taft, written from Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, ConnecticutHartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
on November 8, 1789
Mendon-Uxbridge connections to the Ohio Tafts, Presidential ancestors
President William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft IPeter Rawson Taft IPeter Rawson Taft was President William Howard Taft's paternal grandfather.-Early life and family:Peter was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda Rawson on April 14, 1785 at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
, was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and grew up there. His father Aaron moved to Townshend, VermontTownshend, VermontTownshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics...
, because of the difficult economy, when he was fifteen. The story is told that Peter Rawson, walked a cow all the way from Uxbridge to Townshend, a distance of well over 100 miles. The "Aaron Taft house" is now on the National Historic Register. Peter Rawson Taft I became a VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
legislator and eventually died in Hamilton CountyHamilton County, OhioAs of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
, Cincinnati, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Peter Rawson Taft's son, Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
, founded Skull and BonesSkull and BonesSkull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
at YaleYALERapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, served as U.S. Secretary of War, and his son William Howard became the U.S. President. The ancestry of U.S. presidents, traces to Uxbridge and Mendon more than once, including the current U.S. President and Vice President. President Taft, a champion for world peace and the only president to also serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court returned to Uxbridge for family reunions. He remarked as he stepped off the train there on April 3, 1905, "Uxbridge,... I think I have more relatives here than in any town in America". Young William Howard Taft had made other trips to Uxbridge, and Bezaleel Taft, Jr's home, "Elmshade", in his earlier years. It was at "Elmshade" that young William Howard Taft likely heard his father, Alphonso Taft, proudly deliver an oratory on the Taft family history and the family's roots in Uxbridge, and Mendon, circa 1874. President Taft stayed at the Samuel Taft tavern when he visited Uxbridge, as did George Washington 120 years earlier. The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
recorded President Taft's visits to his ancestral homes in Mendon and Uxbridge during his Presidency. William Howard Taft, as a young boy, spent a number of summers in the Blackstone ValleyBlackstone ValleyThe Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution...
in Millbury, MassachusettsMillbury, MassachusettsMillbury is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,261 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.-History:...
, and even attended schools for at least a term in that nearby town.
A Mormon apostle
Ezra Taft Benson Snr.Ezra T. BensonEzra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
, (to distinguish him from his famous great grandson, Ezra Taft Benson Jnr.Ezra Taft BensonEzra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
), a Mendon and Uxbridge native, is famous as a key early apostle of the LDS Church, the MormonsMormonsThe Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
. His own autobiography states that he lived in Uxbridge between 1817–1835, or about 17 years, after his mother, Chloe Taft and father, John Benson, moved to a farm there. Young Ezra married Pamela Andrus, of Northbridge, on January 1, 1832, at Uxbridge. He had moved in with his family in an Uxbridge center Hotel in 1827. He and Pamela lived here in the 1830s, had children, and had a child who died, which is recorded in the Uxbridge Vital Records. He later managed and owned the hotel in Uxbridge Center before investing in a cotton mill at Holland, MassachusettsHolland, Massachusetts-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Holland is bounded on the east by Sturbridge; on the south by Union, Connecticut; on the west by Wales; and on the north by Brimfield. Holland is equidistant...
. He moved to Holland Mass in 1835. He later moved to IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and became a Mormon apostle. Ezra joined the LDS Church at Quincy, IllinoisQuincy, IllinoisQuincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
in 1840, entered plural marriages, marrying seven more wives after Pamela. He was called to the Quorum of the Twelve ApostlesQuorum of the TwelveIn the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve was one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., and patterned after the twelve apostles of Christ In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the...
by Brigham Young in 1846, a high post within the LDS Church. He had eight wives and 32 children. He was a Missionary to the Sandwich IslandsHawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, also known as HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He served as a Representative to the Utah Territorial Assembly. He died in OgdenOgden, UtahOgden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, in 1869.
Tafts in the Blackstone Valley's industrialization
Benjamin Taft started the first ironIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
forgeForgeA forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
in the IronstoneIronstone, MassachusettsIronstone is an historic village in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. It derived its name from plentiful bog iron found here which helped Uxbridge to become a center for three iron forges in the town's earliest settlement. Ironstone today is known as South Uxbridge...
section of Uxbridge in 1734 There was good quality "bog iron ore" here. Caleb Handy added a triphammer, and scythes and guns were manufactured here before 1800. The Taft family continued to be instrumental in the early industrialization of the Blackstone Valley including mills built by a 4th generation descendent of Robert Taft I, the son of Deborah Taft, Daniel DayDaniel DayDaniel Day was an American pioneer in woolen manufacturing.-Family:Daniel Day was born in Mendon, MA and was the son of Joseph Day and Deborah Taft...
in 1810, and his son in law, Luke TaftLuke TaftLuke Taft was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens in 19th century New England.-Family:...
(1825) and Luke's son, Moses TaftMoses TaftMoses Taft 2nd was born at Uxbridge, Massachusetts. He was significant as an early American Industrialist and financier in the historic Blackstone Valley, and a member of the famous Taft family.-Birth parents and family:...
in (1852). These woolen mills, some of the first to use power looms, and satinets, ran 24/7 during the Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
producing cloth for U.S. military uniforms. In 1855, 2.5 Million yards of cloth was produced in the mills of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is the center of the Blackstone ValleyBlackstone ValleyThe Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution...
, the earliest industrialized region in the United States. It is part of the John H. Chaffee, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage CorridorBlackstone River Valley National Heritage CorridorThe John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Corridor dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, including mill towns stretching across 24 cities and towns near the river's course in Worcester County, Massachusetts and...
. Samuel SlaterSamuel SlaterSamuel Slater was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", or the "Father of the American Factory System" because he brought British textile technology to America. He learned textile machinery as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British...
, who built his mill in (1790), at Pawtucket, Rhode IslandPawtucket, Rhode IslandPawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
, on the Blackstone River, was credited by President Andrew JacksonAndrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
as the father of America's industrial revolutionIndustrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
Mayor Henry Chapin: an Uxbridge "Taft" story
In 1864, Judge Henry ChapinJudge Henry ChapinHenry Chapin was a judge, a state legislator, and a three-term mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts.-Early life and career:...
, a three term Worcester MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, and Chief JudgeChief judgeChief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...
, quoted a well known Uxbridge story as follows: A stranger came to town, met a new person and said, "Hello Mr. Taft". Mr Taft said, "How did you know my name?" The stranger replied, "I presumed that you were a Taft, just like the other 12 Tafts I have just met!". This story was repeated in a poem form by Mayor Chapin, at a famous Taft family reunion here, recorded in the Life of Alphonso Taft. A young future President, likely heard this.
Family tree
Prominent members of the Taft family include:
Note that Lorado Taft, the sculptor, is included. He is not a political figure; he is only included because his daughter, Emily Taft Douglas, was a U.S. Representative.
- Robert TaftRobert Taft, Sr.Robert Taft, Sr., also known as Robert Taft, or Robert Taft I , was the first American Taft and founder of the American Taft Family...
(1640–1724), the immigrant
Descendants of Joseph Taft
- Joseph Taft (1680–1747), son of Robert Taft
- Peter Taft (1715–1783), son of Joseph Taft
- Aaron Taft (1743–1808), son of Peter Taft
- Peter Rawson Taft IPeter Rawson Taft IPeter Rawson Taft was President William Howard Taft's paternal grandfather.-Early life and family:Peter was born to Aaron Taft and Rhoda Rawson on April 14, 1785 at Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Aaron Taft House in Uxbridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
(1785–1867), son of Aaron Taft: member of the Vermont legislature- Alphonso TaftAlphonso TaftAlphonso Taft was the Attorney General and Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant and the founder of an American political dynasty. He was the father of U.S...
(1810–1891), son of Peter Rawson Taft I: U.S. secretary of war (1876), U.S. attorney general (1876–1877); married first to Fanny Phelps, and second to his cousin Louisa Maria Torrey (see below)- Charles Phelps Taft ICharles Phelps TaftCharles Phelps Taft I was an American lawyer and politician.-Biography:He was born on December 21, 1843 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alphonso Taft, and his brother was President William Howard Taft....
(1843–1929), son of Alphonso Taft: U.S. representative (1895–1897), publisher (Cincinnati Times-Star), U.S. representativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, owner of the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
until 1916 - Peter Rawson Taft II (1846–1889), son of Alphonso Taft, brother of Charles Phelps Taft I and half brother of William Howard Taft. He married Annie Matilda Hulbert.
- Hulbert Taft Sr.: (1878–1959), son of Peter Rawson Taft II: Publisher, associate editor, and reporter for the Cincinnati Times Star.
- David Gibson Taft (1916–1962), son of Hubert Taft Sr. and brother of Hulbert Taft Jr.: Businessman, Vice-Chairman of the board of Taft Broadcasting Company. Served as Executive Vice President of Radio Cincinnati, Taft Broadcasting's predecessor. In 1955 he was made manager of WKRC-TV. WWII served as captain in the US Army and liaison officer for General Joe Stillwell.
- Hulbert Taft Jr., son of Hulbert Taft Sr.: Broadcaster (Taft BroadcastingTaft BroadcastingThe Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
)- Dudley S. Taft Sr.: businessman, President and Board Chairman of Taft Broadcasting, CinergyCinergy-History:Cinergy was created on October 24, 1994, from the merger of the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company and Kentucky subsidiary Union Light, Heat & Power with Plainfield, Indiana–based PSI Energy ....
, Tribune Co.- Dudley S. Taft Jr.: BluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician, Sweetwater guitarist, Second Coming guitarist, Dudley TaftDudley TaftDudley S. Taft is an American musician. Taft is a blues musician that also was a songwriting member of Seattle band Sweet Water and member and chief songwriter of Seattle, Washington based rock band Second Coming....
Band, Co-wrote "Unknown Rider" for 1999 film The Sixth SenseThe Sixth SenseThe Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear , a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him... - Thomas Woodall Taft: actor, writer, businessman, Founder of Southern Star Interactive.
- Dudley S. Taft Jr.: Blues
- Dudley S. Taft Sr.: businessman, President and Board Chairman of Taft Broadcasting, Cinergy
- Hulbert Taft Sr.: (1878–1959), son of Peter Rawson Taft II: Publisher, associate editor, and reporter for the Cincinnati Times Star.
- William Howard Taft IWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
(1857–1930), son of Alphonso Taft: U.S. president (1909–1913), U.S. chief justice (1921–1930), U.S. secretary of war (1904–1908)- Robert Alphonso Taft IRobert TaftRobert Alphonso Taft , of the Taft political family of Cincinnati, was a Republican United States Senator and a prominent conservative statesman...
(1889–1953), son of William Howard Taft I: U.S. senator from Ohio (1939–1953)- William Howard Taft IIIWilliam Howard Taft IIIWilliam Howard Taft III was the grandson of William Howard Taft and served as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Ireland from 1953 to 1957. His task was made easier by the fact that John A. Costello, Taoiseach 1954-57 was a personal friend; Taft described Costello as "pleasant and unassuming"...
(1915–1991), son of Robert Alphonso Taft I: ambassador to Ireland- William Howard Taft IVWilliam Howard Taft IVWilliam Howard Taft IV is an attorney who has served in the United States government under several Republican administrations. He is the son of William Howard Taft III and the great-grandson of U.S. President William Howard Taft....
, son of William Howard Taft III: chief legal adviser to the U.S. Department of StateUnited States Department of StateThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
- William Howard Taft IV
- Robert Taft (Jr.)Robert Taft, Jr.Robert Taft Jr. was a member of the Taft political family who served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971. He also served as a U.S. Senator between 1971 and 1976....
(1917–1993), son of Robert Alphonso Taft I: U.S. senator from Ohio (1971–1977)- Robert Alphonso Taft IIBob TaftRobert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II is an Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the 67th Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007. After leaving office, Taft started working for the University of Dayton beginning August 15, 2007.-Personal background:Taft...
(1942-), son of Robert Taft (Jr.): governor of Ohio (1999–2007) - Hope Taft (1944-), delegate to the Republican National Convention 2004. Wife of Robert Alphonse Taft II.
- Robert Alphonso Taft II
- Horace Dwight Taft (1925–1983), son of Robert Alphonso Taft I: physics professor and Dean of Faculty at Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
- William Howard Taft III
- Charles Phelps Taft IICharles Phelps Taft IICharles Phelps Taft II was a U.S. Republican Party politician and member of the Taft family. From 1955 to 1957, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like other members of his family, Taft was a Republican for the purposes of state-wide elections. However, when running for municipal office in...
(1897–1983), son of William Howard Taft I: CharteriteCharter PartyThe Charter Party of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, is a minor political party. The party is Cincinnati's third party. Members of this party are called "Charterites."-History:...
Cincinnati mayor (1955–1957), Cincinnati city council member (1938–1942), Hamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor (1927–1928), candidate for governor of Ohio (1952), candidate for Republican nomination for Ohio governor (1958)- Seth Chase Taft ISeth TaftSeth Chase Taft is an American politician of the Republican party. He is the grandson of President William Howard Taft and the son of Cincinnati, Ohio, mayor Charles Phelps Taft II and Eleanor Chase Taft, whose father ran the Waterbury, Connecticut Clock Company. Taft had five sisters and one...
, son of Charles Phelps Taft II: Candidate for Ohio Senate (1962); candidate for mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (1967); candidate for Republican nomination for governor of Ohio (1982) - Peter Rawson Taft III, son of Charles Phelps Taft II; United States Assistant Attorney General Department of Justice; married to Diana Todd
- Seth Chase Taft I
- Robert Alphonso Taft I
- Henry Waters Taft (1859–1945), son of Alphonso Taft: candidate for justice of New York Court of Appeals (1898); New York delegate to Republican National Convention (1920, 1924); named partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (from 1919)
- Walbridge Smith Taft (1885–1951), son of Henry Waters Taft: Candidate for U.S. representative from New York
- William Howard Taft II (1887–1952), son of Henry Waters Taft.
- Horace Dutton TaftHorace Dutton TaftHorace Dutton Taft was an American educator, and the founder of The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, United States.He was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, the younger brother of William Howard Taft of the powerful Taft family...
I (1861–1943), son of Alphonso Taft: author, founder of The Taft SchoolThe Taft SchoolThe Taft School is a private, coeducational prep school located in Watertown, Connecticut, USA. The school was founded by Horace Dutton Taft in 1890. It has 570 students, about 470 of whom live on the campus. Taft is a member of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization...
in Watertown, Connecticut
- Charles Phelps Taft I
- Alphonso Taft
- Peter Rawson Taft I
- Aaron Taft (1743–1808), son of Peter Taft
- Peter Taft (1715–1783), son of Joseph Taft
Descendants of Robert Taft II
- Robert Taft IIRobert Taft, 2ndRobert Taft, 2nd, also known as Robert Taft II, 1674-1748 was born in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts; he died at age 74 at Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts-Birth:Robert Taft, 2nd, is an early American pioneer...
(1674–1748), son of Robert Taft, Founding Board of SelectmenBoard of selectmenThe board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
, Town of Uxbridge, MassachusettsUxbridge, MassachusettsUxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
- Robert Taft III (1697–1777), son of Robert Taft II
- Robert Taft IV (1724–1787), son of Robert Taft III
- Lovett Taft (1756–1837), son of Robert Taft IV
- Aurin Post Taft (1788–1861), son of Lovett Taft
- Frederick Lovett Taft I (1811–1869), son of Lovett Taft
- Newton Archibald Taft (1843–1890), son of Frederick Lovett Taft I
- Frederick Lovett Taft IIFrederick L. TaftFrederick Lovett Taft, II was a judge in Ohio. He was the son of Newton H. Taft and Laura Humphrey, and the father of Kingsley Arter and Charles Newton Taft. Frederick L...
(1870–1913), son of Newton Archibald Taft- Kingsley Arter TaftKingsley A. TaftKingsley Arter Taft was an American politician and distant relative of Ohio's more famous Taft family. He served as chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and also served briefly as a United States Senator. Kingsley's father, Frederick Lovett Taft, II was also a noted figure in the Ohio legal...
(1903–1970), son of Frederick Lovett Taft II: U.S. senator, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court- David Taft, son of Kingsley Arter Taft: COO of Landec Corp., trustee of Kenyon CollegeKenyon CollegeKenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
- Sheldon A. Taft, son of Kingsley Arter Taft: candidate for Ohio Supreme Court judgeship
- David Taft, son of Kingsley Arter Taft: COO of Landec Corp., trustee of Kenyon College
- Kingsley Arter Taft
- Frederick Lovett Taft II
- Newton Archibald Taft (1843–1890), son of Frederick Lovett Taft I
- Frederick Lovett Taft I (1811–1869), son of Lovett Taft
- Aurin Post Taft (1788–1861), son of Lovett Taft
- Lovett Taft (1756–1837), son of Robert Taft IV
- Robert Taft IV (1724–1787), son of Robert Taft III
- Israel Taft, son of Robert Taft II
- Jacob Taft, son of Israel Taft
- Jacob Taft, son of Jacob Taft
- Orsmus Taft, son of Jacob Taft and his 1st cousin once removed, Mary Taft
- Royal Chapin TaftRoyal C. TaftRoyal Chapin Taft was a US politician and businessman, whose most distinguished post was that as the 39th Governor of Rhode Island, an office he held from 1888–1889...
, son of Orasmus Taft; Governor of Rhode Island (1888–1889)
- Royal Chapin Taft
- Orsmus Taft, son of Jacob Taft and his 1st cousin once removed, Mary Taft
- Eastman Taft, son of Jacob Taft
- Chloe Taft, daughter of Eastman Taft and his 2nd cousin, Hannah Taft
- Ezra Taft Benson IEzra T. BensonEzra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
, son of Chloe Taft; Mormon apostle and Representative to the Utah Territorial LegislatureUtah TerritoryThe Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
- George Taft Benson I, son of Ezra Taft Benson I
- George Taft Benson II, son of George Taft Benson I
- Ezra Taft Benson IIEzra Taft BensonEzra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, son of George Taft Benson II; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Leader of the LDS Church 1985-94- Bonnie Amussen Benson, daughter of Ezra Taft Benson II
- Mark Benson Madsen, son of Bonnie Amussen Benson, Utah State SenateUtah State SenateThe Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...
2002-current
- Mark Benson Madsen, son of Bonnie Amussen Benson, Utah State Senate
- Mark A. Benson, son of Ezra Taft Benson II
- Steve Benson, Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning cartoonist
- Steve Benson, Pulitzer Prize
- Bonnie Amussen Benson, daughter of Ezra Taft Benson II
- Ezra Taft Benson II
- George Taft Benson II, son of George Taft Benson I
- George Taft Benson I, son of Ezra Taft Benson I
- Ezra Taft Benson I
- Chloe Taft, daughter of Eastman Taft and his 2nd cousin, Hannah Taft
- Jacob Taft, son of Jacob Taft
- Huldah Taft, daughter of Israel Taft
- Chloe Daniel, daughter of Huldah Taft
- Anna Davenport, daughter of Chloe Daniel
- Samuel Davenport Torrey, son of Anna Davenport
- Louisa Maria Torrey, daughter of Samuel Davenport Torrey; married to her 4th cousin twice removed, Alphonso Taft (see above)
- Samuel Davenport Torrey, son of Anna Davenport
- Anna Davenport, daughter of Chloe Daniel
- Chloe Daniel, daughter of Huldah Taft
- Jacob Taft, son of Israel Taft
- John Taft, son of Robert Taft II
- Jesse Taft, son of John Taft
- Hannah Taft, daughter of Jesse Taft, married to her 2nd cousin, Eastman Taft (see above)
- Mary Taft, daughter of John Taft, married to her 1st cousin once removed, Jacob Taft (see above)
- Jesse Taft, son of John Taft
- Robert Taft III (1697–1777), son of Robert Taft II
Descendants of Daniel Taft
- Daniel Taft, son of Robert Taft, Massachusetts General Court, Colonial Legislature
- Daniel Taft II, son of Daniel Taft
- Nathan Taft, son of Daniel Taft II
- Zadok Lovell Taft, son of Nathan Taft
- Don Carlos Taft, son of Zadok Lovell Taft
- Lorado Zadoc TaftLorado TaftLorado Zadoc Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Taft was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1860 and died in his home studio in Chicago in 1936.-Early years and education:...
, son of Don Carlos Taft; sculptor- Emily Taft DouglasEmily Taft DouglasEmily Taft Douglas was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of Illinois. She served as a U.S. Representative at-large from 1945 until 1947 and was married to U.S. Senator Paul Douglas from 1931 until his death in 1976...
, daughter of Lorado Taft; Congresswoman, U.S. representative
- Emily Taft Douglas
- Lorado Zadoc Taft
- Don Carlos Taft, son of Zadok Lovell Taft
- Zadok Lovell Taft, son of Nathan Taft
- Nathan Taft, son of Daniel Taft II
- Josiah TaftJosiah Taft-Early life:Josiah was born on April 2, 1709, at Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel and Taft, and the grandson of the first American Taft, Robert Taft, Sr. Josiah's father Daniel, had been a local "squire" and Justice of the Peace...
, Massachusetts General Court, Legislature-married to Lydia TaftLydia TaftLydia Chapin was the first known legal woman voter in colonial America. This occurred in the New England town Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, MA Massachusetts Colony.-Early life:...
, America's First Woman Voter- Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.Bezaleel Taft, Sr.-The Honorable Bezaleel Taft, Sr.'s home:Today Honorable Bezaleel Taft's home is known as "Hon. Bazaleel Taft House" and is listed on the National Historic Register. It has the Georgian architecture style, as does his son's home nearby, Elmshade. Both homes were well known in the Taft family for...
Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General CourtThe Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, Legislature- Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Jr Massachusetts General Court, Legislature,
- George Spring Taft, Secretary for U.S. Senator George Hoar
- Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Jr Massachusetts General Court, Legislature,
- Hon. Bezaleel Taft, Sr.
- Daniel Taft II, son of Daniel Taft
Collins Family
The related Collins family tree:
- Ela CollinsEla CollinsEla Collins was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
(1786–1848), New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Assemblyman 1815, U.S. Representative from New York 1823-1825. Father of William Collins.- William CollinsWilliam Collins (representative)William Collins was a United States Representative from New York. He was born in Lowville on February 22, 1818. He was the son of Ela Collins, a prominent politician from the State. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice there. He served as district attorney for Lewis...
(1818–1878), U.S. Representative from New York 1847-1849. Uncle by marriage of William Taft.
- William Collins
Lippitt Family
The related Lippitt family tree:- Christopher LippittChristopher LippittChristopher Lippitt was a prominent Revolutionary War officer and founder one of the earliest textile mills in Rhode Island.-Early life:...
(1744–1824) Revolutionary War officer, legislator, manufacturer - Henry LippittHenry LippittHenry Lippitt was the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island from 1875 to 1877.-Family:Lippitt was the son of Warren Lippitt and Eliza Lippitt, married to Mary Ann Balch. He was the father of Charles Warren Lippitt, another Rhode Island Governor, and the father of Henry F. Lippitt, a U.S...
(1818–1891), Governor of Rhode Island 1875-1877. Father of Charles W. Lippitt and Henry F. Lippitt.- Charles W. LippittCharles W. LippittCharles Warren Lippitt was an American politician and the 44th Governor of Rhode Island.-Early Life and Family:...
(1846–1924), Governor of Rhode Island 1895-1897. Son of Henry Lippitt. - Henry F. LippittHenry F. LippittHenry Frederick Lippitt was a United States Senator from Rhode Island. Born in Providence, he attended private schools, graduated from Brown University in 1878, and entered the cotton manufacturing business. He was director of a bank and of several mill insurance companies, and was vice president...
(1856–1933), U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1911-1917. Son of Henry Lippitt and brother-in-law of President William Taft.
- Charles W. Lippitt
Chafee Family
- John ChafeeJohn ChafeeJohn Lester Hubbard Chafee was an American politician. He served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as the Secretary of the Navy, and as a United States Senator.-Early life and family:...
(1922–1999), Rhode Island State Representative 1957-1963, Governor of Rhode Island 1963-1969, U.S. Secretary of the Navy 1969-1972, candidate for U.S. Senate from Rhode Island 1972, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1976-1977. Grandnephew of Henry F. Lippitt.- Lincoln ChafeeLincoln ChafeeLincoln Davenport Chafee is an American politician who has been the 74th Governor of Rhode Island since January 2011. Prior to his election as governor, Chafee served in the United States Senate as a Republican from 1999 until losing his Senate re-election bid in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon...
(1953-), Mayor of Warwick, Rhode IslandWarwick, Rhode IslandWarwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
1992-1999; U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1999-2007; Governor of Rhode Island 2011-present. Son of John Chafee.
- Lincoln Chafee
Others
- Thomas WilsonThomas Wilson (Minnesota)Thomas Wilson was an American lawyer, Minnesota congressman and state legislator, associate justice and the 2nd chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court....
(1827–1910), delegate to the MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Constitutional Convention 1857, District Court Judge in Minnesota 1857-1864, Justice of the Minnesota Supreme CourtMinnesota Supreme CourtThe Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota and consists of seven members. The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside of the region who were appointed by...
1864-1865, Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court 1865-1869, Minnesota State Representative 1880-1882, Minnesota State Senator 1880-1882, U.S. Representative from Minnesota 1887-1889, candidate for Governor of Minnesota 1890. Grandfather-in-law of Robert A. Taft. - John W. Herron, delegate to the Ohio Constitutional Convention 1873, U.S. Attorney in Ohio 1889-1894. Father-in-law of William Taft.
- Paul DouglasPaul DouglasPaul Howard Douglas was an liberal American politician and University of Chicago economist. A war hero, he was elected as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois from in the 1948 landslide, serving until his defeat in 1966...
(1892–1976), Chicago, Illinois Councilman; candidate for U.S. Senate from Illinois 1942, U.S. Senator from Illinois 1949-1967. Husband of Emily Taft Douglas.
External links
- Robert Taft
