TAYLOR FAMILY
The following bio was taken from page 405 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.
Transcribed by Claudia Schuster
Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator
The grandparents of Bertha Lee Gee, who lives in the western part of Rusk County, were Jordan and Rachel McCord Taylor. Rachel Nancy McCord Taylor was born a slave in Pontotoc, Mississippi on September 7, 1843. Her mother was Jamima McCord; and her father, David McCord, was a preacher. The McCords came with their slaveowners to Texas in the early 1850’s when Rachel was eight. The McCords and their slaveowners came as refugees from the beginnings of the Civil War. They ferried across the Mississippi and, in a wagon train with several other families, came to the East Texas area, about six miles west of Henderson, where they settled on a section of land known as the Lewis Davis Plantation.In Rachel’s day the young people used to have cornshuckings at a place called the Barnfield near what is Mt. Hope. After the shucking, the shucks were given to the cattle. The young people also enjoyed such pleasures as candy pulling. It was at one of these cornshuckings that Rachel met her husband-to-be, Jordan Taylor.
Jordan’s exact birthdate is unknown. His parents were Jim and Judy Beck, the slaves of a Cameron family who came to Texas from Memphis, Tennessee. Jordan was given to the Cameron’s daughter Sarah as a wedding gift upon her marriage to Ben Johnson. For this reason Jordan was often referred to as Jerry Johnson. This discrepancy probably resulted in his selection of Jordan Taylor as his freed man’s name. Ben Johnson did not have a farm; therefore, he hired out Jordan and his other slaves to work on other farms. As a result, they came to be known as "Johnson’s free ‘niggers’ ".
The exact date of Rachel and Jordan’s up housekeeping after their marriage. She remained with the McCords while he worked in Henderson. It was not until after the belated announcement of the emancipation of the slaves in Texas that Rachel was able to steal away from the plantation, concealed in the darkness and burdened with her child, a niece, and a nephew, to join her husband in Henderson.
Rachel and Jordan eventually established a farm home located on the western Rusk County site that is the present home of Mrs. Bertha Lee Gee. There they raised eight children to adulthood. These included in order of birth: Harriet, Stephen, Mary Eliza, Ida, Mandy Adaline, Frances Jane (the mother of Mrs. Gee), Virginia and Jordan, Jr.
The majority of Rachel and Jordan’s family scattered from the homeplace to establish families and home of their own. Frances Jane remained on the farm to raise her three children: Ellie Mae, William Heth, and Bertha Lee. Her youngest, Bertha Lee, did likewise.
On April 18, 1937, Bertha Lee married Orin Gee of Smith County, Texas. There on the same homestead that Rachel and Jordan established Bertha Lee and Orin raised their six children: Mary Alice, Gene Paul, Lawrence Henry, Johnny, Frances Ann, and Sharon Donna. Scattered around East and Central Texas, this fourth generation is continuing the Taylor Heritage.
As told to Frances Gee by Frances Jane Taylor