Grace Taylor was the older of John Cook Taylor and Sarah Ramsey’s two daughters. She was born 27 August 1886 in Mt. Vernon in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, and lived there most of her life.¹Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Our Family History” (KY, Loyall, 1969-1977), scanned copy of fill-in-the-blanks family history privately held by Linda F. McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY; Linda is Emma’s granddaughter.

Gracie was five years old when her mother died in 1892.²Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Our Family History” (1969-1977); p. 14, Gracie born 27 Aug 1887; p. 51, Sally Ramsey Taylor’s died 12 Feb 1892. Her father remarried two and a half years later, but that marriage did not last long.³Rockcastle Co., KY, Marriages, 48, 268-269, Taylor-Warren, 1897; Rockcastle Co. Clerk, Mt. Vernon. He remarried again in 1900, when Gracie was thirteen years old and the bride, Emma Jane Owens, was seventeen.⁴Rockcastle Co., KY, Marriages, 9: 23, Taylor-Owens, 1900; Rockcastle Co. Clerk, Mt. Vernon. Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Our Family History” (1969-1977); p.12, Emma born 16 Apr 1882.

Gracie never married nor had children.⁵Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Memoir” (KY, Loyall, 1977), privately held by Faye Hopkins McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY; Faye is Emma’s daughter. She was once engaged to a man who lived in Wildie in Rockcastle County. But she got upset about something and broke the engagement.⁶Uta Faye Hopkins McCauley, daughter of Elmer D. Hopkins and Emma E. Taylor, mother of author.

When Gracie was twenty-three years old, she had malaria. By 23 July 1909, she was improving after having been very sick.⁷“Personal,” Mt. Vernon (KY) Signal, 23 Jul 1909, p. 3, col. 1; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 Dec 2021).

On 17 August 1917, Gracie, her sister Emma, and their cousin Lena were involved in an accident on Dixie Highway near Mt. Vernon. They were returning from a funeral when a car scared the horse pulling their buggy. All three were thrown under the buggy, and the horse dragged it a short distance. The buggy was torn to pieces, but Gracie, Emma, and Lena were not seriously hurt and the horse only had scratches.⁸No title, Mt. Vernon (KY) Signal, 24 Aug 1917, p. 3, col. 4; digital image, Chronicling America (https://www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 24 Jul 2012), Historic American Newspapers.

Gracie worked in Dr. Pennington’s office and also at the bus station in Mt. Vernon. From March 1937 to September 1941, she lived with her sister Emma in Loyall, Kentucky, to keep house and care for Emma’s children while Emma worked as postmaster.⁹Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Memoir” (1977).

Other than the time with Emma’s family, Gracie lived with John and Emma Jane until John died in 1953. Gracie and Emma Jane continued living together for the rest of Gracie’s life.¹⁰Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Memoir” (1977).

Gracie died of pneumonia on 25 September 1961 at the Rockcastle County Baptist Hospital in Mt. Vernon.¹¹KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, death certificate no. 20336 (1961), Gracie Taylor; Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort. Reverend Gene Kearns officiated her funeral on 27 September at First Christian Church.¹²“Miss Grace Taylor Buried At Mt. Vernon,” Mt. Vernon (KY) Signal, 28 Sep 1961; microfilm of Mt. Vernon Signal, Rockcastle County Public Library, Mt. Vernon. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery next to her father.¹³Elmwood Cemetery (Mt. Vernon, Rockcastle Co., KY), Gracie Taylor marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 20 Mar 2003.