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Good morning Louise,
Thanks for the note. Unfortunatly I don't have much more on the Taylor family; but would very much appreciate any thing that you might find out.
I am including a newspaper article that I think you might like to read. Once again, I am indebted to Phyllis Ratjen and Mary Jo Smith for the information.
Thanks again, and I will keep you on my list if I find anything on the Taylor family.
Deloris
(This is from the book: “Descendants of Solomon Kessinger”
114
NEWSPAPER CLIPPING—NO NAME OF NEWSPAPER—NO DATE <B5a-IOa-2>
"KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR"
Mrs. Lissie Kasinger (Mallissa Taylor) may not have the
Most descendents of anyone in Delta county, but she believes
there aren't very
many mothers who can equal her record. She expects to
receive Mother's day greetings -from many of her 10 children,
76 grandchildren, 137 great-grandchildren, and perhaps even
from her two great-great-grandchildren. She has lost only
three of her family of 15 children.
Several of her children living in other states visit her
each year and they usually send her nice gifts for Christmas,
on her birthday and for Mother's day. The crocheted purse in
the picture was one of her recent gifts. (Not shown here.)
Lissie was born near Mountain Home, Ark., March 29 1874 to
James and Martha Taylor. She was the third from the youngest
in a family of 12 children. The Taylor family farmed 160
acres, raising cotton, cane, corn and sweet potatoes. Every
fall her father put around 300 sacks of sweet potatoes in a
natural cave, where they kept in perfect condition all
winter. In the spring they were sold for "seed." Unlike the
Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes are placed in hot-beds to
raise slips. A dozen of these slips may be raised from just
one potato. Lissie recalls the back-breaking work of setting
out the slips in the spring.
They were spared the job of irrigating as there was
usually plenty of rain to mature their crops. The family
always raised their own meat and a big garden. It seemed
that about all they needed to buy was sugar, salt and coffee.
They even raised corn and wheat which was ground in nearby
mills for their flour and meal.
Mountain Home is situated in beautiful mountainous country
as the name would imply. The hills then abounded with
hickory, walnut trees and hazelnut bushes, and blackberries,
strawberries and some wild grapes. It is now rated as a good
fruit producing area, with many kinds of fruit raised
commercially.
Lissie's father was a farmer, a minister of the Church of
Christ and also freighted from the nearest railroad. Her
earliest recollection is an event that happened when she was
three years old. Her father had hired several men to butcher
some hogs one day. Her sister Rebecca, who was two years
older than she, had gotten cold, perhaps watching the men at
work or playing outdoors. She came in the house to get warm
by the fireplace. In trying to get warm all around she
backed up too close to the fire and caught her dress on fire
and was burned to death.
The Taylor children walked two miles to the school at
Mountain Home. There were about 40 children who attended
this one-room school. Lissie always loved school. She
always received good grades and never got a scolding from any
of her teachers.
115
Her first teacher was an elderly lady, by the name of Mrs.
Strickland. Lissie remembers her especially as she took such
an interest in the little folks. She would even play little
games with them at noon and recesses. One of her teachers
was John Dew. His son now lives in Brand Junction.
The main sport at school for all the children was jumping
rope. At least that is what they called it, but they went
down by the creek and found grape vines which they cut into
different lengths for all kinds of "rope" jumping. There was
a large school yard, with a croquet yard on one side.
Nearly every Friday afternoon was spent in spelling
matches. Sometimes neighboring schools would come to spell
with them. Lissie remembers that their seats at school were
long benches made of a split log, hewed smooth on top, with
large wooden pegs set in for legs. They had no backs on the
benches, and there were no desks. Children nowdays can
hardly imagine writing on a slate, held on their laps. There
was only one table in the entire room and there were no
blackboards.
Sunday was always a busy day at the Taylors. The family
nearly always attended church in the morning and in the
afternoon 25 or 50 young folks would gather for a singing
school. They usually met at the Taylor home and the Rev.
Taylor would teach the singing. They always sang without an
organ from the old Christian Harmony hymn book.
Lissie and William Thomas (Willie) Kasinger attended
school a year together before they were married June 9, the
year she was 16.(A polite way of saying that she was 15 years old.)
A crowd of about 50 of their friends came
to his parents' home after church to attend their wedding.
The newlyweds lived with his parents that summer, but moved
to themselves in the fall.
They moved 15 or 20 times during the 52 years of their
married life, Willie would swap farms like some people trade
horses. She says she never did like to move, but never said
a word about a trade. She figured it was his job to make the
living for the family and she was ready to go with him
wherever he thought best. It always seemed to her that they
"bettered themselves" by the trades.
Earl Watts and family, former Cedaredge residents, made a
trip to Arkansas and became acquainted with the Kasinger
family. He, too, was a trader and they soon made a deal..
Watts had a chance to look over the Kasinger property, but on
the part of the Kasingers it was a case of trade "sight
unseen." The families even traded furniture.
Lissie always liked their place north of Cedaredge, but
after a snowfall of three feet the first winter, Willie
declared, "I wouldn't stay here if they would give me the
whole country."
They made a trip back to Arkansas and later sold their 20
acres to Mrs. Shepherd. They lived several years at Elm
Springs where he worked at a canning factory owned by three
old maids.
After Willie died Lissie and her children who were still
at home returned to Cedaredge to be near some of the other
116
children who had married and were making their home here.
Except for several trips to California she has made her home
here since that time.
She did a lot of embroidery work until her eyesight began
to fail. One of her favorite patterns was to "work" a deer
head pattern that was stamped on certain brands of flour
several years ago. She almost lost her eyesight for a while,
but now can read big headline words and can see enough to do
her housework as she lives by herself. She can still do some
hand work, she makes rugs by crocheting with rug yarn over
strips of new material. The colors of the yarn makes the
rugs very gay. During the past year, she has made 10 rugs—
one for each of her children and some extra ones.
One of her prettiest pieces she made into a red, black and
white saddle blanket for one of her grandsons. She made it
long enough to come down below the saddle and she even put
fringe on the bottom. The grandson put his new saddle
blanket on his registered horse under his fancy saddle to
ride in a parade. After the affair was over he told her he
didn't like the new blainket. She was dumbfounded until he
explained. "Everyone kept saying, 'Where did you get that
blanket,' and they didn't pay a bit of attention to me and my
horse."
Lissie has only been back to Mountain Home to visit once
since they moved away years ago. It would be a real
homecoming to her as she doesn't have relatives there just
by the dozens, but literally by the hundreds. A brother and
sister who settled there each had 15 children who have
married and live close by, besides the other brothers' and
sisters' families.
Her children who are still living are John of Marionville,
l*to.; Jim of Arkansas; Don of Cedaredge; Isaac of Pueblo; and
Mrs. Nell Benton of Grand Junction. Four of her daughters
live in California: Mrs. Flora Burhus at Ontario; Mrs. Ada
Bunter at Upland; Mrs. Myrtle Messick at Azuza; and Mrs.
Daisy Durfee at Oroville.
Our thanks -to Shirley Steinie for sending this clipping. We
really appreciate it, Shirley.
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