Taliaferro
Encyclopedia
Taliaferro, Talifero, Tolliver, or Toliver (all ), is a prominent family in the United States
Commonwealth
of Virginia
. The Taliaferros (originally Tagliaferro, ironcutter in Italian) are one of the early families who settled in Virginia in the 17th century. They migrated from London
, where an ancestor had served as a musician in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, but their origins were in northern Italy
.
A legend exists about the name having originated in Roman times in what was called Gaul, which leads many bearers of the name to believe that their ancestors were actually French, not Italian, since Gaul is generally known to be the ancient name for today's France; however Gaul was a term applied to a very wide region that also comprised the whole of northern Italy called Cisalpine Gaul. Tagliaferro is a common surname in northeastern Italy, especially in the area around Venice.
The origins of the Taliaferro name were of interest to George Wythe
, Virginia colonial lawyer and classical scholar, who had married a Taliaferro. Wythe urged his former student and friend Thomas Jefferson
to investigate the name when Jefferson traveled to Italy. Jefferson later reported to Wythe that he had found two families of the name in Tuscany
, and that the family was of Italian origin. Jefferson enclosed his sketch of the coat-of-arms of the Tagliaferro family as reported to him by a friend in Florence, Italy.
of the following persons:
It is the middle name
of the following persons:
It is the first name of the following persons:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Commonwealth
Commonwealth (United States)
Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia....
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The Taliaferros (originally Tagliaferro, ironcutter in Italian) are one of the early families who settled in Virginia in the 17th century. They migrated from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where an ancestor had served as a musician in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, but their origins were in northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
A legend exists about the name having originated in Roman times in what was called Gaul, which leads many bearers of the name to believe that their ancestors were actually French, not Italian, since Gaul is generally known to be the ancient name for today's France; however Gaul was a term applied to a very wide region that also comprised the whole of northern Italy called Cisalpine Gaul. Tagliaferro is a common surname in northeastern Italy, especially in the area around Venice.
The origins of the Taliaferro name were of interest to George Wythe
George Wythe
George Wythe was an American lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." He was a teacher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson. Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence...
, Virginia colonial lawyer and classical scholar, who had married a Taliaferro. Wythe urged his former student and friend Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
to investigate the name when Jefferson traveled to Italy. Jefferson later reported to Wythe that he had found two families of the name in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, and that the family was of Italian origin. Jefferson enclosed his sketch of the coat-of-arms of the Tagliaferro family as reported to him by a friend in Florence, Italy.
Individuals
It is the surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of the following persons:
- Adam TaliaferroAdam TaliaferroAdam Taliaferro , is a former American football player whose recovery from a paralyzing spinal cord injury sustained while playing cornerback for the Penn State Nittany Lions gained national media attention....
, American college football player severely injured during a game - Al TaliaferroAl TaliaferroCharles Alfred Taliaferro , known simply as Al Taliaferro, was a Disney comics artist who used to produce Disney comic strips for King Features Syndicate...
, American comic strip artist - Benjamin TaliaferroBenjamin TaliaferroBenjamin Taliaferro was a United States Representative from Georgia.-Biography:He was born in present-day Amherst County, Virginia in 1750 to an English-Italian family, the Taliaferros, who settled in Virginia in the early 17th century...
, United States representative from the State of Georgia - Booker Taliaferro is what Booker T. WashingtonBooker T. WashingtonBooker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
's mother named him at birth - Edith TaliaferroEdith TaliaferroEdith Taliaferro was a popular Broadway actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was active on the stage until 1935 and she had roles in three silent films. She is best known for her 1913 performance in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...
, American actress - George TaliaferroGeorge TaliaferroGeorge Taliaferro is a former professional American football player. He was the first African American drafted by a National Football League team....
, American football player - Hardin E. TaliaferroHardin E. TaliaferroHardin Edwards Taliaferro was a 19th century Southern American humorist and Baptist preacher. Taliaferro was born near Pine Ridge in Surry County, North Carolina but moved to Tennessee before spending most of his life in Alabama.His most famous work of humor, Fisher's River Sketches and...
, American humorist and Baptist preacher - James TaliaferroJames TaliaferroJames Piper Taliaferro was a US Senator from Florida who served as a Democrat from 1899 to 1911.-Biography:...
, United States Senator from Florida - John TaliaferroJohn TaliaferroJohn Taliaferro was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and librarian from Virginia.-Early life and education:Born on "Hays" near Fredericksburg, Virginia, Taliaferro attended the common schools as a child...
, nineteenth-century politician, lawyer, and librarian from Virginia - Lawrence TaliaferroLawrence TaliaferroLawrence Taliaferro was a United States Army officer best known for his service as an Indian agent at Fort Snelling, Minnesota from 1820 through 1839 and also as an individual who played a part in the saga of the famous African American slave Dred Scott.Taliaferro was born at Whitehall...
, United States frontier agent - Lawrence Taliaferro II, Colonel, Culpeper Minute Men, Revolutionary War
- Mabel TaliaferroMabel TaliaferroMabel "Nell" Taliaferro was an American stage, and a silent screen actress, known as the Sweetheart of American Movies...
, American actress - Ray TaliaferroRay TaliaferroRafael "Ray" Taliaferro is an American radio host and liberal political commentator. His early-morning talk show, simply called The Early Show, airs on KGO News Talk 810 in the San Francisco Bay Area.-Broadcast career:...
, American radio host - Charles TaliaferroCharles TaliaferroCharles Taliaferro is an American Philosopher specializing in Theology, Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College and a member of the Royal Institute of Philosophy...
, American Philosopher - Richard TaliaferroRichard TaliaferroRichard Taliaferro was a colonial architect and builder in Williamsburg, Virginia. Among his works is Wythe House, a Georgian-style building that was built in 1750 or 1755. It was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1970...
, Colonial architect in Williamsburg - Walter R. TaliaferroWalter R. TaliaferroLieutenant Walter R. Taliaferro was a United States Army aviator who died in a flying accident...
, American aviator - William Booth TaliaferroWilliam B. TaliaferroWilliam Booth Taliaferro , was a United States Army officer, a lawyer, legislator, and Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, Confederate States of America general - Kay ToliverKay ToliverKay Toliver is a teacher specialising in mathematics education.-Background:Kay Toliver was born and raised in East Harlem and the South Bronx...
, American teacher - Anthony TolliverAnthony TolliverAnthony Tolliver an American professional basketball player who plays for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. He attended Creighton University in Nebraska.-High school and college career:...
, American basketball player - Billy Joe TolliverBilly Joe TolliverBilly Joe Tolliver is a former American football player who played in the National Football League and Canadian Football League for twelve seasons. During this time, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Oilers, Shreveport Pirates, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints...
, American football player - Charles TolliverCharles TolliverCharles Tolliver is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where, as a child, he received his first trumpet as a gift from his grandmother. He attended Howard University in the early 1960s as a pharmacy student, when he decided to pursue music as a...
, American musician and composer - Melba TolliverMelba TolliverMelba Tolliver is an American journalist and former New York City news anchor and reporter. She is best remembered for her defiant stance against ABC owned WABC-TV when she refused to don a wig or scarf to cover up her Afro in order to cover the White House wedding of President Richard Nixon's...
, American journalist - Mose TolliverMose TolliverMose Ernest Tolliver was a disabled African-American folk artist who worked in a primitivist style. He was known as "Mose T", after the signature on his paintings.- Biography :...
, American primitive artist - Toby TolliverToby TolliverToby Tolliver was a character in the "Toby and Susie Show," a long-running show in early 20th-century American traveling theatre.He was largely a Midwest product. His prototype is found everywhere in America, but is most closely identified with the tall corn and cotton country...
, a character in 20th-century American traveling theater - Otis Glenn Tolliver, a tree trimmer and logger who died in about 1950 whose family line can be traced back to northwest North Carolina and whose first verifiable ancestor was John Tolliver
It is the middle name
Middle name
People's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. In Canada and the United States all such names are specifically referred to as middle name; in most European countries they would simply be regarded as second, third, etc....
of the following persons:
- William Taliaferro CloseWilliam CloseWilliam Taliaferro Close was an American surgeon who played a major role in stemming a 1976 outbreak of the Ebola virus in Zaire, the first major outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever in Central Africa, and preventing its further spread...
, doctor from Connecticut - Robert Mercer Taliaferro HunterRobert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter-References:* Patrick, Rembert W. . Jefferson Davis and His Cabinet. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. pp. 90–101.-External links:* – A speech by R. M. T. Hunter before the U.S. House of Representatives, May 8th, 1846...
, former Democratic lawmaker from VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... - Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn, former Democratic lawmaker from TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- John Taliaferro Thompson, former United States Army officer best remembered as the inventor of the Thompson submachine gunThompson submachine gunThe Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
- Booker Taliaferro Washington, 20th century American political leader, educator, orator and author
It is the first name of the following persons:
- Toliver Craig, Jr. – a landowner in Scott and Logan County, Kentucky. He was elected as a representative to the Kentucky state legislature.
- Toliver Craig, Sr.Toliver Craig, Sr.Toliver Craig, Sr., first called Taliaferro Craig, was an 18th-century American frontiersman and militia officer. An early settler and landowner near present-day Lexington, Kentucky, he was one of the defenders of the early fort of Bryan's Station during the American Revolutionary War. It was...
(first called Taliaferro Craig) – an 18th-century American frontiersman and militia officer.
Fictitious characters named Taliaferro, Taliafero, Toliver or Tolliver
- Tolliver Groat – Junior Postman, later Senior Postman and Postal Inspector in Ankh-MorporkAnkh-MorporkAnkh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. As cities go, it is on the far side of corrupt and polluted, and is subject to outbreaks of comedic violence and brouhaha on a fairly regular basis...
, the fictional capital of DiscworldDiscworldDiscworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
, which prominently features in Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's DiscworldDiscworldDiscworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
series of fantasy novels. - Tolliver Lang – the step-brother of the protagonist of The Harper Connelly Mysteries, a series of fantasy mystery novels written by Charlaine HarrisCharlaine HarrisCharlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing mysteries for over twenty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She now lives in southern Arkansas with her husband and three children...
- Roderick Taliaferro, the title character in George Cram CookGeorge Cram CookGeorge Cram Cook or Jig Cook was an American novelist, poet, and playwright. He was a lover of ancient Greece, an idealist who dreamt of spiritual communism....
's first novel, Roderick Taliaferro: A Story of Maximilian's Empire, with illustrations by Seymour M. Stone; published in 1903 by the McMillan Company. - Ben Tolliver – a recurring character in the GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
radio and television series and the protagonist of the episode, "Ben Tolliver's Stud" (ep. 206×11 on television and ep. 166(46) on radio). - Crane Tolliver (Deceased) – a character played by Wiley HarkerWiley HarkerJames "Wiley" Harker , was an american character actor who portrayed Crane Tolliver in the soap opera General Hospital in 1983. He also played Justice Harold Webb in First Monday in October .-External links:*...
on the ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, who was married to Lila Quartermaine before Lila married Edward Quartermaine, who blackmailBlackmailIn common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
ed the Quartermaines, and who murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed Susan Moore. - Cy Tolliver – a character played by Powers BoothePowers BoothePowers Allen Boothe is an American television and film actor. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones and his turn as Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, as well as Vice-President Noah Daniels on 24....
on HBO's Deadwood (TV series)Deadwood (TV series)Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
. - Jeffrey Tolliver – Chief of Police and a recurring character in crime writer Karin SlaughterKarin Slaughter-Personal Life:Karin Slaughter is an American crime writer, whose first novel Blindsighted became an international success, was published in almost 30 languages, and made the Crime Writers' Association's Dagger Award shortlist for "Best Thriller Debut" of 2001.Fractured, the second novel in the...
's Grant County series. - Michael Tolliver – a gardener, who is a recurring character in Armistead MaupinArmistead MaupinArmistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer, best known for his Tales of the City series of novels, based in San Francisco.-Early life:...
's Tales of the City series. - Mister Tolliver - a Genesis (comics)Genesis (comics)Genesis is a fictional character in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a mutant and foe of Cable and Wolverine. He first appeared in a flashback in X-Force #1...
character - Steven Tolliver – owner of a sailing ship line in Cecil B. DeMilleCecil B. DeMilleCecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's 1942 film Reap the Wild WindReap the Wild WindReap the Wild Wind is a serialized story written by Thelma Strabel in 1940 for The Saturday Evening Post, which was the basis for the 1942 film starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Robert Preston, and Susan Hayward, and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, his second picture to be filmed in...
. Steven was played by Ray MillandRay MillandRay Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
and his protagonist was Jack Stuart, played by John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. - Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan - a character in Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's 1888 short story The Man Who Would Be KingThe Man Who Would Be KingFor the 1975 film based on this story, see The Man Who Would Be King "The Man Who Would Be King" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling. It is about two British adventurers in British India who become kings of Kafiristan, a remote part of Afghanistan...
. He was played by Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
in the 1975 film adaptation by John HustonJohn HustonJohn Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
.
Places
The following places are named Taliaferro:- Camp TaliaferroCamp TaliaferroCamp Taliaferro was a World War I flight training center run by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Fort Worth, Texas area. It was named after Walter R. Taliaferro, a U.S. Army aviator who had been killed in an accident....
, Texas, United States, named for Walter R. Taliaferro - Taliaferro County, GeorgiaTaliaferro County, GeorgiaTaliaferro County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,077, making it the least populous county east of the Mississippi River. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 1,884. The county seat is Crawfordville.The spelling of the...
, United States, named for Benjamin Taliaferro - T. C. Taliaferro HouseT. C. Taliaferro HouseThe T. C. Taliaferro House is a historic home in Tampa, Florida. It is located at 305 South Hyde Park. It was built by architects Grable, Weber & Groves in the Classical Revival style in the late 19th century. It represents the height of style from 1875-1899.On October 1, 1974, it was added to...
, Florida, United States - Taliaferro Hall, College of William and MaryCollege of William and MaryThe College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, Virginia, United States
Others
Tolliver can also refer to:- Taliaferro (apple)Taliaferro (apple)The Taliaferro , Robinson or Robertson was a small-sized apple grown at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson. This cultivar appears to be extinct, though some horticulturalists assert that the Highland County cultivar may be related, or even the same cultivar under a different name.Jefferson called the...
, an apple cultivar grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
See also
- First Families of VirginiaFirst Families of VirginiaFirst Families of Virginia were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and along the James River and other navigable waters...