The James Taylor papers contain 5 letters and 2 documents related to Taylor's tenure as paymaster at the United States Army barracks in Newport, Kentucky.
The James Taylor papers consist of the following items:
- January 3, 1809: James Taylor to Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, recommending Captain John Weaver, Kentucky Militia, for a commission in the United States Army
- February 25, 1809: James Taylor to Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, describing the loss of a supply ship carrying grain and corn on the turbulent Ohio River
- November 8, 1809: United States Army Paymaster Robert Brent to James Taylor, regarding the official status of Ensign Gilham and authorizing Taylor to pay army troops traveling past Newport on the Ohio River
- November 11, 1809: James Taylor to Secretary of War William Eustis, reporting the progress of repairs and construction at Newport barracks and discussing reimbursement for related expenses
- September 9, 1810: Captain Joseph Cross, Commanding Officer at Newport, ordering the garrison to refer to the post as Fort Eustis
- August 15, 1811: Colonel John P. Boyd, Commanding Officer at Newport, return for wood, straw, lime, and brick used in construction at Newport barracks
- [Mid-1812]: United States War Department, reconciling expenses incurred by James Taylor and presenting a summary of his expenses for 1811.
The donor has collected, arranged, transcribed, and annotated each document and has written a well-researched collection description.
James Taylor was born in Midway, Virginia, in 1769, the son of a wealthy plantation owner and a first cousin of Zachary Taylor. In 1791, his brother Hubbard founded the town of Newport, Kentucky, where James joined him the following year. James Taylor received a commission as a major in the Kentucky militia in 1800 and three years later persuaded the federal government to establish a fort near Newport. He became the superintendent of local construction and when the barracks were completed, they became a vital recruiting center and staging area for military actions along the western Ohio River. Taylor served with William Hull during the surrender of Detroit and later testified at Hull's court martial. He was promoted to colonel and general and became a wealthy and influential landowner. He and his wife, Keturah Moss Leitch, had 11 children, of whom 4 survived to maturity. James Taylor died in 1854. The Newport barracks continued to be a prominent military installation throughout the 19th century, and today the General James Taylor Park lies on the grounds of the old fort.