John Taylor (captain)

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Colonel John Taylor was a Loyalist officer of the 1st Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers during the American Revolution.

In 1770, Taylor graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). A year later he became a tutor of Queen's college (now Rutgers University).^[1]

As a Lieutenant, Taylor was stationed at Sandy Hook.^[2] He later became Colonel of the Fourth Regiment, Hunterdon County Militia and by 1779 he was commissioned in the state Militia, also as a Colonel. ^[1]

There were several John Taylor's in New Jersey at the time of the Revolution. The Capt. John Taylor initially referred to is actually the result of comingling three different John Taylor's who lived in New Jersey during the Revolution. All three served their country according to their concience.

The John Taylor that defected to the Loyalists Army in New York joined his brother who had been the Colonel of a Militia Regiment in New Jersey at the start of hostilities. He was not a Captain.

The John Taylor born in 1700 was the son of Jacob Taylor and Rachel Potter of Princeton. This John Taylor was a Captain in Neilson's minutemen, and eventually rose to the rank of Lt. Col. in the Middlesex Militia before resigning his commission to return to teaching at what is now Rutgers.

John Taylor of the 4th Hunterdon, started as a Captain, and rose through the ranks within the 4th Hunterdon, to the rank of Colonel. He spent a 3 month period as Colonel of a joint Hunterdon/Burlington County Regiment of Artillery. After the Revolution, Congress passed a bill promoting all officers, who were actively serving at the end of hostilities, one rank. Thus he is sometimes referred to as Gen. John Taylor. He was a farmer and miller, and used his mill to provide flour to the Revolutionary Army. Remnants of his mill are still preserved by the Readington Historical Society.

The services to their country contributed by Lt. Col. John Taylor (the professor) and Col. John Taylor (the miller) were numerous. Confusion and mixing of the records of these two gentlemen was noted by Dr. Race, in his treatise, "The Two Col. John Taylor's" Even Dr. Race and the writers to the New Jersey Historical Society Publication managed to be confused by the co-mingling of some of the facts, however with the internet access to some of the Revolutionary War documents, modern day researchers have been able to straighten out some of the confusion.

Misprint. Lt. Col John Taylor (the professor) was born in 1751, not 1700 as previously stated.

[edit] References

History of the 1st New Jersey Volunteers

The History of Rutgers University.

The Bogart Letters

Stryker's Revolutionary War Officers and Soldiers of New Jersey

New Jersey State Archives, Correspondence between Lt. Col. John Taylor and Gov. Livingston

New Jersey Historical Society Quarterly 1913 - 1919