Burt Eddy Taylor, 1877-1947

Burt Eddy Taylor was born in Erie County, Ohio on January 13, 1877, the son of Truman Taylor and his wife, the former Mary Eddy. Burt was descended from the Taylor and House families, who were early settlers of Perkins Township, Ohio. On the passport application pictured below, we find a physical description of Burt Eddy Taylor.

In 1902, Burt Eddy Taylor married Bellevernon Jones in Morgantown, West Virginia. After working for a time at the American Crayon Company, Burt Eddy Taylor became interested in real estate development. Because of the blossoming automobile industry, Mr. Taylor turned his efforts toward Detroit. He developed Brightmoor, Strathmore, and other Detroit subdivisions. In the process of selling properties in the subdivisions,many  neighborhoods had improvements such as water, sewers, streets and sidewalks. Burt Eddy Taylor became well known in real estate circles. Sadly, Burt Eddy Taylor died on in 1947, following complications from influenza. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. A lengthy obituary for Burt Eddy Taylor appeared in the Sandusky Register Star News of March 5, 1947. Mr. Taylor was survived by his widow, a sister, and two children. The Burt Eddy Taylor papers are on file in the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library. According to a kinship report on FamilyTreeMaker, Burt Eddy Taylor is my third cousin three times removed. Burt was descended from Julia House Taylor, while I am descended from the twin brother of Julia, Julius House. Burt Eddy Taylor's life and determination reflects the pioneering spirit of those who went before him. He was truly an amazing individual!