Patrick County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....Rorrer, John Taylor May 2, 1878 - November 22, 1961
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ron Martin cindyandron@bellsouth.net May 14, 2022, 9:19 am

Author: Ron Martin

  The path and life of John Taylor Rorrer mainly centers around the 
Dodson/Goblintown communities of Patrick County, it also passes through several 
other counties in Virginia as well as possibly West Virginia.   Also several 
aspects of his life are somewhat mysterious and left to folklore.
  He was born on May 2, 1878 in a very remote area of Patrick County to Henry 
Lee Rorrer and Sarah Ann Sallie Bryant.  Like many young men of his era, he 
grew up working on the family farm as many families were totally dependent on 
the crops they grew for survival.
  On Christmas Eve 1903, he married Fannie Matilda Bryant, the daughter of Civil 
War veteran John Wesley Bryant and Judith Cox Bryant who resided on the cool 
waters of Puppy Creek in the Dodson community of Patrick County.  They also 
began farming the land near her homeplace.
  On June 6, 1906, their first daughter Ila Elsie was born and in 1909, they 
welcomed Edna Nina to the family.   Their first son Harold Oakley was born in 
1912 and Nellie joined the family in 1915.  According to Harold Rorrer before 
his death, he indicated that he was a twin.   At the time that Nellie was born, 
her birth certificate revealed that John and Fannie also had two other kids 
during the early years of their marriage but thus far, the identity or gender of 
those two children have not been located.  It is thought that they died possibly 
at birth.  The birth certificate revealed that this was the mother's sixth birth 
but only four were living.
  In 1918, Taylor was working for John B. Gurensey which was located in 
Fayerdale which was a thriving little community at that time.   Also during 
1918, they had a set of twins.   One son died on the same day that he was born 
and the other son died three days later.   Both are buried near their homeplace 
at the time in the John Wesley Bryant Cemetery.  
  In 1921, Jessie Clifford Rorrer was born in March but later in the year, 
Nellie passed away in September.  Evidently she had swallowed a sharp instrument 
and basically she bled to death.  She is buried in the John Wesley Bryant 
Cemetery as well.
  Around 1922, Taylor along with Shady Turner and Bunyon Hall dug the well that 
supplied the water for Heidelbach School which was built to educate the many 
kids in the nearby communities.  The teachers resided upstairs in the school and 
needed water along with water for the students.
  In 1923 after the death of Fannie's father John Wesley Bryant, Taylor and 
Fannie sold the property to her sister, Lila Elizabeth Bryant Martin for the sum 
of $500.  
  In 1928, he testified on behalf of the defense in what was a huge murder trial 
that made headlines across the entire country when William Ernest Shelton, Ora 
Turner, and Frank Chaney were tried for the murder of two brothers, Maynard Cox 
and David Davie Cox in a wild shootout that later spawned a book written by 
Elmer Haynes called The Fayerdale Tragedy.   Turner Jack Hall was also killed 
in the wild shootout but he was killed by the Cox brothers.
  By 1930, the family had moved to a beautiful two story home which they 
remained for the rest of their lives on a hill on the left just as you turn onto 
Goblintown Road off Iron Bridge Road in Patrick County.   By this time John 
Taylor was working at a lumber mill which was plentiful in Patrick County at 
that time.  His son Harold as well as his son in law Grady Temple Thomas who 
married Edna worked in the lumber mill as well.   In 1950, apparently Taylor was 
no longer working but still farming the land.
  It should be noted that even though the census records for this time periods 
of his life do not reflect a tremendous amount of movement outside of the 
Dodson/Goblintown area of Patrick County, family members paint a somewhat 
different picture.   It has been told that the family resided in the Oak Level 
area of either Henry or Franklin County area of Virginia as well as they resided 
in the Bull Mountain section of Patrick County.  Furthermore it is believed that 
John Taylor actually worked in the coal mines in West Virginia some during these 
time periods as well.   
  Family members also believe that other children were born to the couple 
including a set of twins.  It is thought there are children buried in the Oak 
Level area as well as possibly in a cemetery located near Bull Mountain.   The 
birth certificates and death records were not well maintained in that area of 
Virginia during their lifetime.
  He passed away on November 22, 1961 at Martinsville General Hospital after a 
battle with lung cancer.   He was buried at the Goodwill Church Cemetery which 
is now called the Foley-Rorrer Cemetery.


Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/patrick/photos/bios/rorrer15nbs.jpg



This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/vafiles/

File size: 5.3 Kb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photo has been resized/compressed for use in the USGenWeb Archives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~