The Shelby Museum Of History
 
Recorders of Shelby Pictorial History
 
 
 
 
 
Early Shelby Photographers and their Photographs
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zachary Benjamin Taylor (1868 - 1873)
 
 
 
The Taylor & Smith Era
 
 
 
Frederick H. Smith was born in Oxford, England in 1849. He came with his parents to Canada in about 1853. In 1861 his father Thomas passed away and at age 12, Frederick was "on his own" and chose to work in a photo studio that was located close to Niagara Falls. He came to Shelby, Ohio in about 1867 - 1868. He almost immediately went into business at 23 East Main Street, the present location of the Shelby Museum. He partnered with Zackary "Jack" Taylor and operated a combination book store and photography studio. Jack ran the book store while Fred worked in his studio.
 
 
Since writing the above, we have been contacted by Debbie Alis who lives in Idaho and is a descendant of Zachary and Harriett Gettle Taylor through their daughter Nellie Taylor Wertheim. Debbie has added much information about Zachary and has allowed us to get to "know" the family.
 
 
Zachary was born Zachariah Benjamin Taylor, the oldest child of Bradley Benjamin and Abigail Taylor on December 14, 1848. Zachary's grandfather John Taylor was born in Greene Co., Pa. He and his wife Mary Eakin Taylor moved from Greene County to Weller Township, Richland County by late 1819, where they would raise a family of eight children with Zachary's father being the fourth child. It was probably at his grandparent's farm, just a few miles west of Olivesburg, Ohio that Zachary was born. Grandmother Mary Eakin Taylor passed away in 1861 and Grandfather John then married Rachel Carnahan. John and Mary Eakin Taylor are buried at the Shenandoah Cemetery.
 
Zachary's father Bradley was a "merchant" in Plymouth, New Haven Twp., Huron County, Ohio in 1850 and by 1860 he was a "stock dealer". Zachary served in the Civil War being less than 16 years old when he enlisted. He served in Co. A - 12th O. V. C. where Franklin A. DuBois was a captain. Returning home after the end of his service in the army, he found his family still living in Plymouth with his father being a "speculator" in 1870. Sometime prior to 1867 Zachary Taylor came to Shelby and became partners first with Gus Longe "Longe & Taylor" and then Fred Smith, "Smith & Taylor", It was shown in the Augustus Longe section that the "Longe & Taylor" partnership was dissolved in Feb. of 1868 and it appears that "Taylor & Smith" began almost immediately, if not before.
 
 
 
 

 
 
The two ads (above) are from the Shelby Independent News. The one on the left ran in November, 1868 and the other, December, 1869. In June of 1870, Fred and Zackary were living in George Kline's Hotel Shelby (now located at the SW corner of Main and Mansfield Ave.) with Zackary listed as a "Books and Stationery Dealer" and Fred as a "Photographer". Soon after this the business moved to the area of the Brickley Block.
 
 

Picture courtesy of the Shelby Museum
 
Above is a Taylor & Smith picture labeled August 1873 of Jeffery Beverstock. J. A Beverstock was born in 1813 in Vermont. In 1880 Jeffery and Sarah Beverstock owned farm property and lived on Euclid Ave. in Shelby. Euclid Ave. became Wilson Ave. and much of the farm property they owned was sold by Sarah Beverstock to Henry Wentz, Francis Brucker, and Jacob Leighty to become what is now the Grand Boulevard. While the photo is labeled 1873, the construction of the picture would seem to indicate that it was taken earlier and perhaps labeled at a later date with the proper information for Jeffery Beverstock. (He would have been 60 in 1873.)
 
 
 
 

Picture courtesy of the Shelby Museum
 
These Taylor & Smith pictures are typical of the CDV format (approximately 2.5 by 4.2 inches) mentioned previously in the Mary Madden discussion. Notice how the label on the back of this picture differs from that on the Beverstock picture. George Owings in 1870 was an apprentice blacksmith to Harrison Mickey who owned a blacksmith shop in downtown Shelby. This picture appears to have been taken at a date later than the Beverstock picture.
 
 

Picture courtesy of the Shelby Museum
 
 
Notice the label on the back of this CDV also differs from the above earlier Taylor & Smith pictures. Due to the ornateness of the labeling and the statement concerning duplication, this appears to be the latest of the 3 pictures displayed above. Henry Conly has not yet been identified in our Shelby information. If you have facts about Henry or his family, please contact the Shelby Museum.
 
 
In December of 1870 Fred married Sarah C. Dickie, a daughter of Moses and Ruth Brown Dickie. In 1871 Jack Taylor wed Harriett Gettle a daughter of William and Mary Gettle. Sometime after 1874, Jack and his new wife moved to Cardington, Morrow Co., Ohio and by 1880 he became established there as a "Miller and Grain Dealer". It was in Cardington that "Z. Taylor" received his portion of a final distribution from his Grandfather John Taylor's will in July of 1879.
 
 
In 1900 Zachary and his family of four were living in Toledo, Ohio where he was treasurer of a Toledo building company. By 1920 he was still living in Toledo, serving as a bookkeeper for a local sugar company. His two children are now married and have left the household. Nellie has gone with her husband to New York and Frederick (possibly named for his old partner Fred Smith) has a job in Los Angeles, Ca. as a telegraph operator for the R. R. Hattie has passed away and Zachary will marry again in about 1923 to Mary McCarty of Ashland, Ohio. Also by 1900 his parents Bradley and Abigail Taylor have moved to Riverside, California where his father worked as a carpenter. Bradley Taylor died in 1906 and his mother Abigail passed away in 1925. They are both buried in Riverside, California.
 
Thank you Debbie Alis for all your contributions and giving us these extra details of Zachary's life.
 
 
 
In 1930, Zachary and Mary are living at 617 Claremont Ave. in Ashland, Ohio. Zachary will pass away in 1936 at the age of 88 and Mary 5 years later. They are both buried at the Ashland Cemetery.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 December 14, 1848 - May 25, 1936

August 16, 1854 -  July 6, 1941
 
 
 
 
 
 
If you have questions or if you would like more information, please contact :
 
The Shelby Museum of History
23 East Main Street
Shelby, Ohio 44875
 
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