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Don McKinney's GAYLOR Notes

These notes were compiled from material gathered by personal research & correspondence, ongoing since 1980. Other than individuals mentioned in the narrative, I am especially grateful to the following "cousins" whose records, photographs, stories & oral traditions, along with my own, helped us all gain a better understanding of our Gaylor family heritage. Whenever these notes are shared with others for display on the internet or in correspondence with other interested individuals, it will be appreciated that proper genealogical etiquette be observed, acknowledging the compiler. Any "legitimate" additions or corrections, etc. will also be greatly appreciated. - - - - -

Ann Corum, Hazel Green, AL, descendant of Rev James Fletcher Gaylor

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JOHN GAYLOR was born about 1798 in North Carolina & was the son of Revolutionary War veteran JAMES GAYLOR (b: 1754 NC). They settled in Jackson Co GA (later became Gwinett Co) around 1815 where the father James married his 2d wife, Margaret "Peggy" Matthews. In 1819, while still in Jackson County, John married SARAH DOWNEY, (b 1804 SC), daughter of Joseph & Elizabeth Downey. John & Sarah, as well as their parents, all resided in Gwinett Co GA in 1820. However, John & Sarah moved to TN (unknown county) during the early 1820's, Franklin Co IL during the late 1820's & back to TN during the late 1830's. They moved to Cherokee Co AL & Floyd Co GA area about 1839, where John's father James had brought his 2d family during th 1830's.

John & family resided in Meriwether Co GA from 1845-1850 but moved on to Coosa Co Al in 1850. Administration record below for this John, deceased in Nov 1853 Coosa Co AL Emeline & John Jr were the 2 oldest born during the early 1820's. This administration record (listing these heirs) was established in Dec 1853 soon after John Sr's death, however, the final settlement was in Jan 1856, after the presumed death of John Jr. It is quite probable that the court did not know about the death of son John Jr, who was was probably residing or enroute to Barry Co MO when he died. All children (except John) and their families were found with or near their parents in 1850 Meriwether Co, GA census and 1860 Coosa Co AL census. Son JOHN JR could not be found anywhere in GA, AL or TN on any record, census, marriage, land, etc. No other John Gaylor of the right age can be found anywhere, except our John, born 1822, who was in Jackson Co TN in 1850 & Marion TN during the early 1850's. Marion Co TN is very near the Cherokee Co AL/Floyd Co GA area where John Sr once resided and many relatives still resided.

It is probable that son John Jr (born 1822) went back to TN, probably near McMinnville, Warren County, where he lived as a child & later as a teenager, to be with sweetheart Martha Simpson. This would have been soon after he returned with his parents to Cherokee County, Alabama from the Tennessee area. The specific county in TN where John Sr & Sarah resided during the 1820's and 1830's is not known, since they resided there on 2 separate occasions between census years. Census records of 1830 IL & 1840 AL for John & Sarah indicate a son in the same age category as John who married Martha. Also, John does NOT fit age-wise on 1830/40 census with other Gaylor families of TN & AL.

John & Martha (Simpson) Gaylor named their daughter, SARAH MATILDA, probably after both of her grandmothers, Sarah Downey Gaylor & Matilda Simpson. They also named their son ANDREW JACKSON "JACK" GAYLOR. John (born 1822) would have lived in Cherokee Co AL during the early 1840's when he was a young man and would have known his uncle Andrew James Gaylor & grandfather Joseph Downey well. His grandfather Downey was close to 100 years old when he died during the 1840's. However, John Jr's paternal grandfather James Gaylor died when he was a child residing in TN/IL.

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1815 - Jackson Co GA(Marriage Record) JAMES GALOR married PEGGY MATTHEWS (Peggy is nickname for MARGARET) (Note: This is the Rev War vet & 2d marriage for both; Andrew James Gaylor (b:1816) was their first son and John Gaylor (B:1798, of Coosa Co AL) was a probable step-son of Margaret)

1817 - Jackson Co GA (Tax List) JAMES GAYLOR (Rev War vet from NC) Prob father of John Gaylor JOSEPH DOWNEY (Rev War vet from SC) Father of Sarah Gaylor, wife of John Gaylor

20Jan1819 - Jackson Co GA (Marriage Record) JOHN GAYLOR(b:1798) married SARAH DOWNEY(b:1804)

1820 - Gwinett Co GA (Fed

eral Census) MARGARET GAILOR, b:1776-1794 (Males 110000/Fem 21110) (Note: Margaret "Peggy" Matthews, mentioned above, who married Rev War vet JAMES GAYLOR in Jackson Co GA in 1815. Husband James was in prison during this census (See below). She was mother of Andrew James Gaylor (b:1816) & probable step-mother of John Gaylor (b:1798 of Coosa Co AL)

1820 - Gwinett Co GA (State Prison) JAMES GAYLOR, Age 66, NC, 5ft 6 1/2 in, Fair, Eyes Grey, Hair Grey; 1 year sentence for cattle stealing.

1820 - Gwinett Co GA (Federal Census) JOHN GAILOR, b:1798 (Males 000100/Fem 10100) 1 in Agri (Note: John, Sarah & family moved to TN, during 1820's)

1820 - Gw

inett Co GA (Federal Census) JOSEPH DOWNEY (Males 020001/Fem 21011//3 in Agri (Note: Sarah Gaylor's father)

1830 - Gwinett Co GA (Federal Census) JOSEPH DOWNIE (Males 110020001/01111001) Pg 310 (Sarah Gaylor's father) BRITTON MEEKS (Males 001000001/00000001) Pg 333 (Sons Hosa&Redding later married John & Sarah Gaylor's daughters) ARICHIBALD MEEKS LITTLEBURY MEEKS BLANY MEEKS (Note: Rev War vet James Gaylor & family were in the Cherokee country of NW GA where there was no census in 1830. This land legally opened up for settlement in 1832 with James being an "Intruder".)

1830 - Franklin Co IL (Federal Census) pg 95 JOHN GAYLER 21001-12001 Note: John & family had moved from TN to IL about 1829. A few years later, they returned to TN. Evidently, John's probable father, James Gaylor & half-brother Andrew James Gaylor (and Margaret) left Gwinett Co & settled in the Cherokee lands of NW GA near Cave Spring before it was officially opened for settlement. James Gaylor signed an Oath of Allegiance in 1831 which supposedly authorized his settlement in that area. This area opened up and became a part Floyd Co GA in 1832. John Gaylor's wife Sarah's parents Joseph & Elizabeth Downey also moved during the 1830's from Gwinett Co to Cave Spring as did Britton Meeks & his family.

1840 - Cherokee Co AL (Federal Census) pg 117 JOHN GAYLOR(3201001-1300001) (3 in Agri///1 Can't read/write) (Note: John & family had returned to GA/AL area from TN about 1839. John's probable half-brother, Andrew James Gaylor was just across the state line in Floyd Co GA. Andrew & family soon moved back across to Cherokee Co AL. John & Sarah's future sons-in-law, Hosa & Redding Meeks were living with their father Brittain Meeks, next door to Andrew James Gaylor in Floyd Co GA during this 1840 census)

1840 - Cherokee Co AL (Federal Census) JOS. DOWNEY (Males 0000110001/Fem 0100000001) pg 144 (Joseph Downey died in 1843 and his widow Elizabeth moved back to Floyd Co GA)

1840 - Floyd Co GA (Federal Census) Dist 829 near Cave Spring A.J. GALOR (Male 100110/Fem 00010001) (Probable half/brother of John Gaylor, born 1798)

1840 - Troup Co GA (Federal Census) Dist 698 near Mountsville THEOPHILUS GAYLOR (Probable brother of John, b:1798) JAMES H. GAYLOR (Son of Theophilus) (Theophilus moved from Gwinett Co to Troup Co GA during the 1830's)

1850 - Meriwether Co GA (Federal Census) 59th Division/Greenville/Pg 394 JOHN GALER, b:1798/NC Sarah b:1804 SC (Wife) JamesF 21 IL/JosephJ 19 IL/ Sarah 16 IL/GeorgeW 11 TN/Margaret 9 AL/Mary 6 AL (Note: Sons John, b:1822 & William b:1825 were not found in the area. These neighbors listed below were daughter Emeline, Nancy & Elizabeth & their families. Soon after this census, in 1850, they all moved to Coosa Co AL.)

MEEKS, EMELINE B:1822/28/GA Hosa/32/NC (Husband) FrancisM7GA/Brittain6GA/John/SarahC1GA Brittain Meeks/86/NC (Emeline's father-in-law, a Rev War veteran)

McDANIEL, NANCY B:1828 TN/22 Andrew/35/GA (Husband) William 8 GA/Elizabeth 7 GA/Mary5 GA

MEEKS, ELIZABETH B:1825/25/GA Redding/39/GA/Smith (Husband) JohnM5GA/WmL3GA/Archibald1/Lucinda6 GA

(Note: John's half-brother Andrew James Gaylor was still in Floyd Co GA/Cherokee Co AL area during this time.)

1850 - Floyd Co GA (Federal Census) 30th Sub Div near Cave Spring A.J. GALOR, 34, born GA, Farmer, $700 real estate Elizabeth 29, born SC (Wife Elizabeth Deal) Francis M 12, Mary 8, William 7, Robert H 4, Margaret 2 MARGARET GALOR 69, born SC (Mother of Andrew) (Note: John Gaylor's probable half-brother & son of Rev War vet James Gaylor)

As mentioned above, John & Sarah moved to Coosa Co AL where John died in Nov 1853. Widow Sarah & all the children (except son JOHN), with their families, lived with or near their mother during this 1860 census. During the 1860's, Sarah was probably dead & daughter Elizabeth Meeks & family moved to Cunningham Station (near Cave Spring) in Floyd Co GA near where John's half-brother Andrew James Gaylor's son William J. (b:1844) resided. Also, John & Sarah's son William (b:1827) moved to Melville (now Lyerly), Chatooga Co GA near where another of Andrew James' sons, Robert H. (b:1846), resided. This was in extreme southern Chatooga County near the Floyd County line.

This half-brother Andrew, wife & younger children were just across the state line in Cherokee County, AL. Andrew's mother, MARGARET (b:1781-83 SC) was living with the family during 1850/60/70 census years. This area of AL was just across the state line, above the Coosa River and east of Gaylesville (Township 9, Range 11E) in a small rural place called Farill. This is very near where Chatooga & Floyd counties GA join, so they all lived in the same general area. Elizabeth Meeks & family also went across the line to Cherokee Co AL and are listed in 1870/1880 census records of that county (Township10, Range 11E). Cherokee Co AL is where John & Sarah(Downey) Gaylor resided during the 1840 census (see above) and evidently there was a strong family connection to that area of NE AL/NW GA from the 1830's through the 1890's. It seems that when some family members drifted to other areas from time to time, many returned.

14 Dec 1853 - 18 Feb 1856 Coosa County, AL (Orphans Court Minutes, Book 3) Estate of JOHN GAYLOR, widow Sarah GAYLOR made admnx, bond for $1000, appraisers: Michael Peavey, Willis Spear & John D. Letcher. Heirs: Sarah Gaylor (Widow) Emeline(wife of Hosea Meeks), JOHN GAYLOR, Elizabeth (wife of Reddin Meeks), Nancy (widow of Andrew McDaniel), James F. Gaylor, Joseph Gaylor, Sarah Gaylor, Mary Ann Gaylor, William Gaylor, George Gaylor.

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