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JOHN's brother Robert, who had peddled his Hawley, PA, property, planned a long trip for his family of four. Robert was determined to "trie farming in the West." [Robert considered a stop at Hawesville, KY, to see his relatives, knowing it would not be the most direct route to Nebraska and would perhaps take them too far out of their way. We've never yet learned whether the Robert Taylor family actually visited Hawesville.] During that time, a passenger train on the York & Erie railroad ran to Cleveland, where another locomotive left for the Ohio River city of Cincinnati. An 1858 steamboat churning down the mighty stream pulled alongside the riverbank at the landing near Water Street, at the foot of Main Cross Street in Hawesville, KY. Whether William Taylor, Andrew Taylor, William Wishart, or Robert K. Taylor were present in Hancock county at that very time is uncertain. But JOHN and MARY, whom the relocating Robert Taylor family had not seen in five years, and their three youngsters were assuredly there in Hawesville. Robert and Isabella departed Pennsylvania with their children, William and Jennie, and were on their way to a new life in Nebraska Territory. Eventually they alighted at Table Rock, consisting of a single log cabin right on the very frontier of American settlement, and they began to establish a farm outside the little village which was being surveyed and laid out in Pawnee county. Cyrus W. Field had engineered three attempts the previous year to lay a telegraph cable across the Atlantic, but none were successful. In 1858, the cable was strung for the first time without breaking. Messages were sent between the USA and Great Britain, and Field was acclaimed. But shortly afterward, insulation broke down and the cable became irreparably flawed. TRY, TRY AGAIN 'Tis a lesson you should heed, Try, try again; If at first you don't succeed, Try, try again; Then your courage shall appear, For if you will persevere, You will conquer, never fear, Try, try again. Once or twice though you should fail, Try, try again; If at last you would prevail, Try, try again; If we strive 'tis no disgrace, Though we may not win the race; What should you do in that case? Try, try again. If you find your task is hard, Try, try again; Time will bring you your reward, Try, try again; All that other folks can do, Why, with patience, may not you? Only keep this rule in view, Try, try again. A prolonged rainy season extending through spring and summer of 1858 hampered southeast Nebraska crops, with the runoff from saturated ground eventually flooding streams beyond their banks at the beginning of August. The overflow of creeks damaged cabins and brought destruction to the low areas. This strife of nature was followed by a widespread epidemic of sicknesses, reportedly punctuated by the familiar malady of chills and fever. But the settlers still managed to have a big Independence Day celebration in the fledgling village of Table Rock. In New York City on Wednesday, October 27th, in the family home at 33 East 20th Street, a baby boy was born and named after his father. Before 42 years had passed, the son of Theodore and Martha Roosevelt had become President of the USA. Only Robert Taylor's group and 14 other families greeted the New Year of 1859 in the settlement near Table Rock, Nebraska Territory, refusing to be defeated by misfortune. During the previous year and a half, 150 families had come to Table Rock, but 90% were so overwhelmed by challenges that they opted for departure, most returning back to the East. Table Rock and Pawnee had struggled to get their fledgling commercial businesses established, and both communities would do much better as time went on. |
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