A Royal Family by Jaris Taylor Elkins

What a lucky day this is for my Taylor family everywhere! In 1998, I took a trip with friends to do some mountain biking at the famed mountain biking mecca, Moab, Utah. Just before this trip, I had started to catch the "Spirit of Elijah," so I decided to do some family research while visiting. My dad had served briefly as a Mormon missionary in Moab during his mission in the Western States Mission (1960-62), and met Taylor family members who were not LDS in Moab who informed him that we were definitely related. Principal among these was editor of the local Moab newspaper, Sam Taylor. So, with this information in my mind, I decided to visit the Moab Times-Independent. As will not surprise anybody who knows him, Sam was there working at 10am on a weekday morning and went out of his way to greet me and asked if he could be of any help. I said, "My name is Rob Taylor, I'm a distant relation of yours and I'm only in town for a day and would like to visit some Taylor history sites." He took off his glasses and asked, "Well are you a descendant of Norman Taylor then?" To which I responded, "Yes." "Well then, you're going to want to see some of the original homes built here in town, all by the Taylor's [Taylor Ranch House], then visit the Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum right here in town [DUP Museum Moab], and probably finish up by visiting the old pioneer grave site [Norman Taylor grave site]." He then grabbed a map which he gave me and penciled in each of the locations and told me exactly where to go and who to see (even giving me the name and telephone number of the museum curator just in case it was closed; which it was). I thanked Sam and exited the newspaper, happy to know that a relative had given me the information I needed for a brief but successful day of family tree hunting there in Moab. Only years later, did I learn more about the man I had met that day while reading his obituary (he looked a lot like his photo here, only much older when I met him): Sam Taylor's obituary 2010.

At the DUP museum, I came across a HUGE book in blue binding called "A Royal Family," written by Jaris Taylor Elkins. It had everything and anything you would ever want to know about the Taylor family from 1840 to 1950. I was so excited to find it that I wrote down Jaris's contact information and determined to get in touch with her to see if she would sell me a copy. No sooner did I get home from my trip, than I did just that. I called Jaris and she said she still had a few copies left, so I mailed her a check and got a copy of the book. A few years later, another Taylor cousin, Myron Taylor, copied the book into pdf format and posted it to my family website at myfamily.com. Today I am posting it here, along with Jaris's photo. Jaris and I corresponded for the next couple of years until she passed away in 2000 at the age of 66. [Jaris Taylor Elkins]

As promised here is her book: A Royal Family

Thanks Jaris and all of my Taylor cousins who continue to share and amaze with their time and talents. I feel very blessed to have access to such great primary sources and research from which hopefully I can build on and carry the torch forward! I am proud to be a Taylor from the Western states like many of you out there!