His residence in Nevada dates from 1866, at which time he took up his abode in Austin. He was born in the town of Mexico, Maine, on the 19th of May, 1832, and is of English ancestry, the family having been founded in New England at a very early epoch in its development. His paternal grandfather was a colonial patriot in the war for independence, and passed through all the sufferings of the memorable winter of Valley Forge, where the troops were so near starvation that the soldiers considered horse meat the best food they had ever tasted.

George W. Taylor, the father of O. F. Taylor, was born in Belfast. Maine, married Miss Abigail Becon, and they became the parents of six children. He attained the advanced age of seventy-five years, and his wife's death occurred at the age of seventy-three years. O. F. Taylor is the only member of the family in Nevada. He had one brother, John L. Taylor, who enlisted as a private in the Eighth Maine Volunteer Infantry and was wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor; he served throughout the entire struggle to preserve the Union and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in recognition of his valor. Another brother, Alonzo M. Taylor, served on the schoolship Sabine throughout the Civil war.

In the schools of Bangor, Maine, O. F. Taylor was educated, spending his youth in that city. In 1851 he removed westward to Iowa, and in 1852 went to California, crossing the plains with oxen. He spent the winter at Salt Lake City and then continued on his way to California in the spring, settling at Grizzly Flats, Eldorado county, where he engaged in placer mining, but was never very successful in mining. He continued, however, in that work until 1861, after which he engaged in teaching school at Grizzly Flats and at Oak Grove for five years, giving good satisfaction as a teacher. In 1866 he went to Austin, Nevada, where he was engaged in mining for two years, and then returned to his native state to visit his aged parents and other relatives. He had been absent for fifteen years, and the reunion was a most happy one.

On returning to Nevada Mr. Taylor engaged in teaching school in Lander and Nye counties, continuing there and in Eureka for some time. He also opened a store in Ione, Nye county, but afterward removed his stock to Grantsville, where he engaged in selling goods until the town became depopulated, when, in 1883, he removed to Hawthorne. For the past twenty years he has carried on a good business here, dealing principally in dry-goods and notions.

There are many elements in his character that are most worthy of emulation. He is a citizen of high moral worth and holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1901 he took the Chautauqua course and was graduated, showing the strength of his intellect even at an advanced age. A lover of pictures and flowers, his taste in this direction is shown by the beautiful plants which grow in his windows and the bouquet which is usually seen in his store. He is a strict temperance man, and in politics is a Republican, but has never desired office. In educational matters he has ever taken a deep and helpful interest, has served on the school board and has been a member of the board of school examiners during his residence in Hawthorne. He has also served as Sunday-school superintendent, and thus promoted the moral development and growth of the young. He has taken pleasure in literary work, and has written considerable poetry, mostly of a humorous character, which has been published in some of the best periodicals of the west. It has often been his purpose to teach a good lesson through a humorous writing. His own sense of humor is highly developed and makes his a nature that throws around it much of the sunshine of life. He is unmarried.

Source:
A History of the State of Nevada: Its Resources and People
By Thomas Wren, Lewis Publishing Company
Published by The Lewis publishing company, 1904