On NC 89 at the intersection of Pine Ridge Road stands a solitary highway marker often overlooked as cars pass by. The name inscribed on the marker is Hardin Taliaferro, a name all but forgotten today but one which holds quite the significance for the county if one digs into history.
The Taliaferro, pronounced Tolliver, family has a long history in Surry County. Originally of Italian descent (the name Taliaferro is derived from the Italian word for iron cutter, taglierina di ferro), the family can trace its lineage in England back to 1060, with William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. They came to Virginia in 1645 and settled in Surry County in 1779.
There is a strong connection of friendship and intermarriage between the Taliaferro and Franklin families. Dr. John Taliaferro moved from Virginia with his friend Bernard Franklin in 1779. Both men had sizable landholdings along the Fisher River. Their sons, Jesse Franklin and Richard Taliaferro, were ardent Patriots during the American Revolution and close friends like their fathers, and fought together at the battle of Guilford Courthouse, where Richard died. Shadrach Franklin, another son of Bernard, married Judith Taliaferro, daughter of Dr. John Taliaferro.
In conjunction with last week’s article about the Edwards-Franklin House (A life of its own, Jan. 24) Meshack Franklin was Jesse’s brother and an avid reader like his father, Bernard, who had little formal education but had amassed a library which he passed to Meshack upon his death. Meshack left a library to his children as well; some of which he inherited from his father-in-law, Gideon Edwards. Hardin Taliaferro called Meshack “the only well-educated man in the community” and it was Meshack who answered any literary questions that arose.
Born in 1811, Hardin “Skitt” Taliaferro was the son of Charles Taliaferro and Sallie Burroughs. Growing up, he worked in a local grist mill and eventually learned the art of tanning. In 1829, he moved to Tennessee to live with his brother and became immersed in the Baptist ministry, to which he was ordained in 1834.
In 1835, Hardin and his family moved to Alabama. The years between 1845- 1856 saw the growth and development of Taliaferro’s religious writings, which were published in various newspapers. In the summer of 1857, he returned to Surry County and began the composition of Fisher’s River Scenes, his memoirs of the places and people who lived there.
For historians and those who study literature, his work is a veritable goldmine of information. It gives insight on the geography, settlement, social life, and families along the river as well as serves as a fine example of American humor (a more well-known and later humorist being Mark Twain) and illustrating the dialect of the area.
However, Taliaferro’s depictions of residents weren’t very flattering and he used their real names, upsetting many and embarrassing most. In 1859, Fisher’s River Scenes was completed and published with 13 steel engravings of illustrations by Harper and Brothers of New York. After its publication it received little notice but was rediscovered in 1934 by folklorist R.S. Boggs. In 1937, historian Guion Johnson used the work to help portray rural life in her book, Ante-Bellum North Carolina: A Social History.
The North Carolina General Assembly created the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program in 1935. The operation of the program is a cooperative effort among state agencies and the advisory committee is comprised of ten college or university faculty members who are experts in aspects of state history. The goal of the markers is to instill an interest in the state’s history. There are more than 1,600 markers throughout the state today. The Hardin Taliaferro historical marker was established in 1993 and is one of eight markers in the county. The marker reads: “Hardin Taliaferro 1811-1875 Humorist, minister, and editor. Wrote Fisher’s River Scenes (1859), a collection of folk tales with local settings. He was born 2 miles N.W.”
It’s amazing what you can find when you dig into history!
Justyn Kissam is the Director of programs and education at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Originally from Winston-Salem, she has moved around the state for her education and public history work until settling in Mount Airy. She can be reached at 336-786-4478 x 228 or jnkissam@northcarolinamuseum.org
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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