Part of an old map of the San Jacinto area from the Texas Revolution

Veteran Bio

Texian Location:  Participant

The Kemp Sketch

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TAYLOR, JOHN N. -- Listed on page 10 of the San Jacinto rolls printed in 1836 as Taylor, given name or initials not shown, a member of Captain Henry Teal's Company. In Comptroller's Military Service Record No. 8911 signed by Wm. Wood, Captain of Company A, First Regiment at Houston on Feb. 1, 1839, it is certified that John N. Taylor enlisted in Captain Sidney Sherman's Company at Newport Kentucky, December 5, 1835 (probably intended for December 18, 1835) and was at Nacogdoches, Texas, February 2, 1836, transferred to Captain Henry Teal's Company of the Regular Army. The following endorsement was made by Thomas J. Rusk.

"I am satisfied of the correctness of the above certificate as I enrolled Taylor who came out with Captain Sherman's Company from Newport, Kentucky, and arrived in Nacogdoches the latter part of January, 1836."

After the battle Mr. Taylor was probably transferred to another company since his name does not appear on page 130 of the army rolls in the General Land Office as a member of Captain Teal's Company when it was mustered June 30, 1836.

The following additional information concerning Mr. Taylor is given in Service Record No. 8911: Jacob Snively, Acting Secretary of War, certified July 26, 1837 that Mr. Taylor enlisted February 26, 1837 and was on March 15 promoted to full Sergeant and had served as such for one month in Captain Thomas Leftwich's Company, Second Regiment of Permanent Volunteers, and that on June 30, 1837 he was a member of Captain Samuel W. Jordan's Company, Second Regiment. The signature of John N. Taylor is in the service record.

John N. Taylor was issued Donation Certificate No. 160 for 640 acres of land May 22, 1838 for having participated in the Battle of San Jacinto. The land was surveyed in Denton County for J. A. Black in 1857.

On page 107 of the Loet (Headright) Book of Harris County in the General Land Office it is shown that Henry Fisher applied to the Board of Land Commissioners for Harrisburg County for the one-third of a league of land due J. N. Taylor as a headright, Mr. Taylor having assigned his rights to the certificate to Mr. Fisher. Mr. Taylor was not present. Hugh M. Swift and John Smith testified that Mr. Taylor came to Texas in January 1836, and served in the army.



Written by Louis W. Kemp, between 1930 and 1952. Please note that typographical and factual errors have not been corrected from the original sketches. The biographies have been scanned from the original typescripts, a process that sometimes allows for mistakes in the new text. Researchers should verify the accuracy of the texts' contents through other sources before quoting in publications. Additional information on the veteran may be available in the Herzstein Library.


Battle Statistics

  • Died in Battle: No
  • Rank: Private
  • Company: Capt. Andrew Briscoe

Personal Statistics

  • Origin: Kentucky
  • Came to Texas: 1836 Jan
  • Donation Certificate: 160