Col. James H. Taylor.
A history of Perry county would be far from com- plete if it neglected to say, at least, a few words con- cerning the man, who had, more than any other man, to do with the development of her great mineral re- sources. "Pomp and circumstance" too often at- tract our attention, and we give our honors to less de- serving persons. While on the other hand, there may be within our ranks, people toiling, unobtrusively and alone, whose labors will have greater results and be of more lasting benefit. Perry countians delight in telling about the dashing Sheridan, the versatile and brilliant MacGahan, the scholarly Zahm, the financier Elkins and the statesman, Rusk. But there lies in the New Lexington ceme- tery a man to whose memory every village in southern Perry, every coal mine and every railroad is a living monument. From 1865 to 1868, Col. James H. Taylor prospected over the hills of Perry county. He went from farm to farm, carrying with him an old carpet bag, in which he placed specimens of coal and ore. As he went about digging here and there, and telling some old farmer that a wonderful vein of coal was on his142
farm. he was looked upon as a sort of lunatic---but harmless. He met many a bland smile of incredulity. His knowledge of mineralogy not only served him well in this pursuit but he was also a vigorous writer. As soon as he satisfied himself of the abundance of the mineral wealth, he began to write a series of articles for the Columbus, Cincinnati and New York papers. These attracted wide attention. The result was that capitalists began to be interested. Many discourage- ments attended the early development but when fairly started, the growth was phenomenal. Within ten years the population of the county had doubled. Shaw- nee, Corning, Straitsville and other villages sprang into existence. Furnaces were erected. Mines were opened. Railroads were built. Many of the men interested became millionaires. Among them were Gen. Samuel Thomas,. Ex-Senator Brice, and Ex-Gov- ernor Foster. But the discoverer of all this wealth and its chief promoter never received any financial reward. He and other Perry county associates had 125,000 acres of the best mineral land in the county, but the panic of 1873 came and they went down in the crash and outsiders reaped the harvest. Col. James Taylor was born in Harrison township, this county, May 3, 1825. He descended from ances- tors who had always taken active interest in public affairs. His grandfather had served on the staff of Gen. Monroe in the Revolutionary War. His father fought in the war with Mexico. He, himself, served throughout the Civil War. On the maternal side the blood of Simon Kenton, the celebrated Indian fighter and scout, ran through his veins. He had but limited educational advantages, such as came to most boys of his time. However he was a great student of history.143
This, with a most wonderful memory, made him au- thority on many subjects and eminently fitted him for newspaper work. The last fifteen years of his life were spent as editorial writer for the Ohio State Journal. In 1883 when Henry George was spreading his political theories he published a pamphlet in reply. This had an immense sale and provoked much dis- cussion. He died Jan. 25, 1891. He certainly de- serves to be called one of Perry County's prominent sons.144