My TAYLOR line begins with gr grandmother, Amanda A. TAYLOR, who was born in 1848, in either Rutherford or Decatur County, TN. Two-year-old Amanda is found along with her family on the 1850 Rutherford County, TN census in the Versailles District where numerous other TAYLOR families lived. On this census her middle initial looks like a "T" or "G" rather than an "A".

Although we know little of Amanda's life, we do know that on December 14, 1870, at age 22, she married my gr grandfather, Isaah Calvin RIGGS, in Decatur County, TN. On the marriage license her middle initial is "A". Marriage bond of $1,250 was posted by Isaah RIGGS and W. H. GRAHAM.

A study of census data indicates that this was a second marriage for Isaah C. RIGGS. On the 1880 Decatur Co., TN Census, 6 District, Isaah and Amanda are shown with 6 children. Unfortunately, the enumerator of this census used only initials for each person. It appears that once again Amanda's middle initial looks like a "T". She is 32 years old with a daughter, M.A., 16; daughter M.C, 8; son S.W., 7, who would have been Sam W.; son S.M., 3, who would have been Silas M.; daugher E.J., 2, who would have been Emma Jane; infant son, 1 month, who would have been Melvin Claude RIGGS, my grandfather. (Credit for determining the names of these children is due solely to RIGGS researcher, Wanda RIGGS KETELHUT, who has tirelessly devoted many years to searching for family records.)