A history of Pickford Area Pioneer Families Daniel Morrison

SWEENEY

Owen (Eugene) Sweeney was born in Irerand in 1824. He married Mary Green in Ireland and from there they moved to England. Six children were born to them: Patricia, Mary, Dennis, John, James and Richard. Dennis and Patricia died before they came to this country. Richard and Mary died before reaching adulthood. They came by boat from the Soo, the Northern Bele and landed at Stirlingville where they homesteaded a farm now owned by Sam Ordiway. They came to New York and from there to Sault Ste. Marie.

JOHN SWEENEY married Elizabeth Lynch and they had four children: Mary Ann,Helena,(Nellie, now Mrs. Frank Fallon of Gaylord, who has one son, Francis), Eugene, and William. Eugene married Ada Gray (deceased July 10, 1972) and they had four chlldren: Richard, Aaron, Edith and Ethel. The two boys are still living. Richard married Edna Harrison and they have six children. Connie* married Dale McConkey and their children are Beth, Bobby, Brian, and Carol**. Sharon* married Bill Ryan and their children aR David and ICara**. Jimmy* graduated from high school Jack*, his twin, married Kathy Newell and they have one daughter. Patty* is at home. Aaron married Eleanor Morrow and they have 7 children. Eugene* married Kathleen O'Rourke their children are Joey and Gina Marie**. The other unmarried children are Dennis, Richard, Mary, Cindy and Bobby.

William Sweeney married Ada Wiggins and they had two children. William, Jr., married Elaine Conarty (deceased) of Flint and their sons are Daniel, Bruce, and Larry. Violet married Joe Johnson of Louisiana. They have no children. William is now married to Tillie Jacobson of Rudyard.

TABOR

George A. and Bernice M. Tabor came to Pickford in L89~. Mr. Tabor and Lawtence Lee came up from Elsie, Michigan, with a government contract to carry mail from Pickford to the Soo with Mr. Tabot taking the route from Pickford to the Half-way House at Donaldson, and Mr. Lee taking the other half of the route from there to the Soo. When they came to Pickford, the Tabors had two children, LYLE age 6 and AURA aged 3. At this time the transportation was truly "horse power" and in winter fur robes and heated soapstones kept passengers warm. Eventually Mr. Tabor builta completely covered conveyance. After sometime Mr. Lee opened a store in Dafter and Mr. Tabor kept up the stage route alone.

Mr. Tabor also operated a small grocery in a comer of which Mrs. Tabor made and sold ladies' hats. This store was located in what was once known as the old bank on the south side of Main Street west of the old Cameron Drug Store.

In 1901 IRENE was born. ELSIE was born in 1903 and MIRIAM in 1915. Mr. Tabor bought a 160-acre farm about one and one-half miles north of town and spent many winters working in the lumbering industry in the Upper Peninsula. For a few years the Tabor family lived in a house next to Draper's Garage on Main Street. Still later they moved out to live on the farm.

In the early 20th Century Pickford had no educational facilities beyond 8th grade, so Lyle and Aura had to take state examinations to enter high school at the Soo. Irene and Elsie had to complete the last two years in the Soo. By the time Miriam was ready, Pickford had an accredited High School and she graduated in 1933 in a class of twelve.

Mr. Tabor was Township Supervisor for a few years and walked many miles making assessments. He also operated the county road grader (horse-drawn) and helped put in culvorts and repair roads in the area. In November of 1933, the Tabor family moved to Pontiac where AURA still resides. ELSIE (Mts. T. O. Allen) lives in Berkley, Michigan. MIRIAM(Mrs. Lloyd Mason) lives in Wayne. But Pickford draws them back occasionally to visit old friends.

Mr.Tabor died in February, 1952, at the age of 91. Mrs. Tabor died in 1965 at the age of 93. LYLE died in 1950 at 59 and IRENE in 1965 at 64.

UPDATE 2/22/00: Submitted by Dee Mason [e-mail]

Miriam Bernice Tabor died Sept. 4, 1997 in Wayne, Michigan, being widowed by her husband Lloyd W. Mason who died in 1993. They had five grown children, Lawrence, Dallas, Wenda, Philip, and Tria and 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Miriam had been a teacher before her marriage in Carleton, Mich. and in the Wayne County School system after her marriage. She held one of the last "Life time Certificates for Teaching" from what is now Eastern Michigan University.

Elsie May Tabor died Dec. 31, 1997. She is survived by her son Theodore Allen and 10 grandchildren. She had lived in Oakland County for many years with her husband Ted Allen. Irene Arvilla Tabor Mair's daughter Lillias Krezel lives in Pasadena, Ca. . Irene has three grand-daughters and one great-grandson.

TAYLOR

Patrick Taylor, one of the first settlers in Pickford, came here from Arnprior, Canada, in 1882. He was married in Canada to Jane Allison who was born in Quebec in 1835. He took out homesteads for each of his sons before his death which was 21/2 years after coming here in the fall of 1884.

His wife, Jane Allison Taylor, must be mentioned here because after his death she kept their family together until one by one they gained homes of their own. When a small child she was left fatherless and motherless, but was raised in the good home of friends of the Allison family, the Frank Farrishes of Quebec. She was converted when a mere child to the Church of England faith and lived a truly devoted Christian life. At the time of her marriage to Patrick Taylor she left this church and united with the Methodist Epsicopal Church. Until her death in October, 1911, she lived with her son, John, and family in the old home south of Pickford village.

The following was taken from her obituary from the October, 1911, Pickford Clarion: Grandma Taylor's life has been a blessing to all who knew her. She was a devoted and self-sacrificing mother, her only thoughts being to find favor with her Savior and for the welfare and salvation of her children and alleviation of others' sorrows. Hers was a pure, Christian character, and her thoughts expressed with sincere reverence and sympathy, always gave encouragement to the disheartened. No words can justly portray what her life meant to those with whom she came in contact."

Following are the children of Patrick and Jane Allison Taylor: MARY ANN TAYLOR, botn Jan. 23, 1863, in Amprior, Ontario, she came to Michigan in 1882 at the age of 19. She remembered that they came via the Munuscong, River on a light draft steamer owned and operated by William P. Stirling, the John Auger. On Feb. 18, 1885, Mary Taylor married William H. Gough and to them were bom 10 children: Taylor (deceased), John, Fred, and Frank of Pickford, George (deceased) of the Sault, Lyla (Mrs. P. A. Tate, deceased), Edna (Mrs. John MacInnis, deceesed), Helen Gough, e Thelma (Mrs. Howard Adams), and Mildred (Mrs. Worden Rowse, deceased) all of Pickford. In time their second youngest son, Fred, took over the farm. Mr. Gough died in January, 1943, and a few months later, Mrs. Gough moved to the village of Pickford to live with her youngest son, Frank. Sle died Dec. 23, 1952, at the age of 89 years 11 months. She had been in good health until a few months preceding her death. Her outlook on life was cherry and very optimistic and, like her mother, she was a woman of fine Christian character.

GEORGE TAYLOR was born in Arnprior in October, 1869. He lived most of his life in Pickford, having at one time owned the Emporium Store. He sold his store about 1928 to George Wilson and Ray Askwith. The store burned, but the lot where it stood was still owned by Minnie and George Taylor and they sold it to Jim Watson and Ham Hamilton. The store that Watson and Hamilton built on the lot still stands. Mr. Taylor spent his later years in Florida. He was married in December, 1894, to Miss Minnie Stillwell, a school teacher. They had three sons, Raymond A. Taylor (deceased), Carlyle M. Taylor (deceased), and Huno Taylor of Tallahassee, Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor died at their Florida home in Panama City. She died April 12, 1955, and he died April 6, 1957, at the age of 87.

EDMUND TAYLOR was the youngest child of Patrick and Jane Taylor. Most of his life was spent in Pickford where he worked when a young man as a clerk and later owned and operated a grocery store. He sold out the business to Watson and Hamilton and moved to Chicago. He married Ada Mackie of Sault Ste. Marie and they had six children: Marion Taylor Osborn Moore of Vero Beach, Florida; Glen Taylor of Palo Alto, California; Ronald Taylor of San Jose, California; Gladys ODNeil of Napa Valley, California, Earl Taylor of Muskegon; and Catherine Herrs of Chicago, Illinois.

ELLEN TAYLOR, second daughter of the Taylors, married James McDonald in June, 1899. Their four sons were Lester, Otto, Earl, and Frederick. Early in their marriage they lived in Pickford, but in later years lived in Detroit where Mr. McDonald worked for the U. S. Mail Service. Ellen died some years ago and was preceded in death by her son, Earl. Mr. McDonald is deceased Frederick still lives in Detroit and Lester, a minister, lives in Lake Wales, Florida.

FRANK H. TAYLOR was the fourth child and third son of the family, born Dec. 17, 1866. He did not come to Pickford in 1882 with his family, but stayed in Arnprior to finish high school. He married Martha Ellen Salkeld Mar. 6, 1889, in Goderich, Ontario. He was in business most of his life in Pickford, having organized the Pickford Telephone Company. He retired to do missionary work in his community at the age of 71. His last years were spent in Berkeley, California. where he owned a home. He died Sept. 21, 1955. Mrs. Taylor died May 19, 1935. They had 7 children: Alma (Mrs. D. W. Brownlee of Berkeley, California), Lela Tane Taylor (deceased), Herbert J. Taylor of Chicago, Percy E. Taylor of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, F. Harold Taylor of Pickford, Ferne (Mrs. J. D. Hatson of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), and Helen (Mrs. D. W. Butner of San Angelo, Texas). Mr. Taylor was the third supervisor of Pickford and platted four additions to C. W. Pickford's original platt of the village of Pickford. Three of the streets, John, Elmo, and Harold, bear the second names of his three sons.

FRED TAYLOR was born in Arnprior in 1872. He attended school in Pickford and wotked as a clerk until he went into business for himself. He started a hardware business which grew and at the time of his death was taken over by his son and business partner, William Aldten Taylor. He married Etta lrene Best, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Best, early pioneers of Pickfotd from Goderich, on June 25, 1902. They had two sons, FrePerick (who died in 1921 at the age of 14) and William Aldren (born May 13, 1913). Both Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were active workers in the Pickford Methodist Church.

ANDREW TAYLOR, eldest son, came with his parents to Pickford in 1882. He was a stone mason by trade and worked on the lock construction in the Sault. He was Pickford's fitst Postmaster. He married Miss Millie Earl, first teacher of the organized Pickford School. Andrew was noted for his humor and colloquial stories. They had four children: Alice, a retired teacher now living in South Carolina; Jean Taylor Sinclair of Clearwater, Florida; Waldon Taylor of Tampa, Florida; and Harry Taylor, deceased.

JOHN A. TAYLOR was born Aug. 17, 1861, in Arnprior. After coming here with his parents, he remained and began farming when a young man. He farmed most of his life and later took over the original Taylot homestead where he continued to live until his death in 1935. He married Mary McKee (born July 12, 18~2) in Donaldson, Oct. 11, 1899. Fred Taylor, his brother, and Suzie McKee, Mary's sister, who later married Ephraim Sawyers, were their attendants. The Rev. W. J. Passmore married them. They were both active members and workers in the Methodist Church They had three children, Clifford, Jennie(Mrs. Clayton T. Morrison), and Russell who died in infancy. Mary Taylor died in 1938.

Clifford, John's son, married Olive Rye and had three children. Vern is deceased. Kathleen is Mrs. Duane Graham of the Sault and has five sons, Gary, Thomas, Daniel, David and Douglas*. John married Cynthia Cox, lives in Alpena and has Cheryl and Christopher*. Jennie (Mrs. Morrison) has three daughters. Audrey married James K. Norton of Pontiac and they have five children: James, Kathleen, Thomas, Bryce, and Joseph*. Dorthea married Webster R. Callway, Burbank, California and they have four children: Ray, Kevin, Rayna, and Karen*. Ernest married June Peffers of Pickford and they are the parents of Steven, Marcia, Neal, and Joseph.

Frank Harold Taylor, son of FRANK H., SR., married Genevieve Patrick and they have three children. Frank H. III married Sara Arnold of Birmingham, Michigan and they have four children:Kathryn, Curtis, Carol,and Sara*. David P.of Berkeley, California, married Christine Andreae of Birmingham, Michigan and they have four children: Tracey, David, Andreae, and Frank Harold IV*Jane Allison married Franklin W. Andreae II of Ann Arbor and they have two children, Franklin W. III and Ashley Taylor*. (Frank H. III lives in Cedarville).

W. Aldren Taylor, son of FRED TAYLOR, married Jean Patrick and they have two children.

Richard H. married Marcia Bacon and they live in Flint. Bruce CÄ is a captain in the Air Force, married t~'Suzanne Allen. arr

Percy E. Taylor, another son of FRANK H., married Ethel Clark of Sault Ste. Marie and they have two children. Dr. Clark E. Taylor married Vera McDonald of Pickford and they have five children: Dennis, PamelaJoai;J-~lickie, Mark, and Angela*. Jacqueline married Stephen P. Upjam, Jr. of Mount Vernon, Ohio, and their children are Stephen III and Stephanie*.