John Cullen Taylor -- Physician

 

John Cullen Taylor was born on February 27, 1868.  According to his death certificate, he was born in the state of Tennessee. His father was listed in some records as Dr. Custer Taylor and in his obituary as J. Crus Taylor. There is no certainty as to his father’s actual name.  His mother was Mary Elizabeth Vinson, a native of Trigg County and a granddaughter of Cullen Thomas.  John’s siblings were Sally Taylor, born in 1890 and married Jasper Cole, and two brothers, William W. Taylor, who was a prominent businessman of Nashville and Dr. James Taylor of Waynesboro, Tennessee whose birth dates are unknown.  His obituary states that he also had three half-sisters and one half-brother whose names and birth dates are also unknown.

John grew up in the Golden Pond community where his father resided and practiced medicine.  John initially studied medicine at the old University of Nashville.  The Directory of Deceased American Physicians indicate that John received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Science’s Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis in 1889. 

After obtaining his medical degree, John returned to Trigg County where he set up his medical practice in the small community of Canton.  Canton ended up being where he practiced medicine for nearly forty years.

Shortly after setting up his practice in Canton, John married Emma Lee Hopson on October 7, 1889.  Emma was born on August 16, 1868 in Trigg County and was the daughter of Joshua R. and Almira “Myra” Moore Hopson.  Joshua was a native of Virginia and Myra was a native of Christian County, Kentucky.  

John and Emma built their home in Canton and John became one of Trigg County’s most popular and prominent physicians as well as being known as a splendid citizen.  He was known to be a very kind and jolly person who showed great interest in his patients and was always ready to be of help to his friends and neighbors.

John and Emma were the parents on one child, a son, Clarence Hopson Taylor, who was born in 1890 in Canton.  Clarence married Virginia Jackson White, a native of Trigg County.  He became a pharmacist and opened his own drug store in Nashville, Tennessee.

John died on Monday evening, May 30, 1927 around nine o’clock in his home in Canton. He had been in poor health for some weeks and had been under the care of several local doctors.  He was 59 years old at the time of his death.  He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Emma died on June 6, 1942 at the age of 73 in Cadiz.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

LINEAGE: (John Cullen Taylor was the son of Custer and Mary Elizabeth Vinson Taylor and the grandson of Thomas Allison and Emeline Thomas Vinson.  Emeline was the fifth child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas.  Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)