In April 1905, a calendar featuring Hartford, Connecticut, abbreviated Conn., hung on the wall in John and Emma Jane Taylor’s house. When their son was born on 11 April, John looked at the calendar and named his son Hartford Conn.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; p. 14, Hartford’s birthdate. Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, daughter of John Cook Taylor and Emma Jane Owens, maternal grandmother of author; story about the calendar and Hartford’s name.

Hartford graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1923. He worked for several years as a Post Office clerk before taking a job as bookkeeper at Peoples Bank in Mt. Vernon about 1927.²“Hartford C. & Betty (Mulliner) Taylor,” Mt. Vernon (KY) Signal, date unknown, original clipping saved by Betty Mulliner Taylor. He was also a musician. Hartford, along with friends Karl Davis and Doc Hopkins, could often be found playing music in Davis’s barn or John Taylor’s blacksmith shop.³Doc Hopkins and Karl and Harty of the Cumberland Ridgerunners: Mountain Ballads and Home Songs, (M. M. Cole Publishing, Co., Chicago, IL, 1936).

Hartford married Elizabeth Josephine “Betty” Mulliner, daughter of Walter E. Mulliner and Edna E. Philbrick, on 9 Nov 1928 in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois.⁴Marriage Certificate, Hartford Conn Taylor and Betty Josephine Mulliner, 9 Nov 1928, Knox County, IL; original privately held by W. H. Taylor; scanned copy provided to Linda F. McCauley, 2003. “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 7 Jan 2022), Betty Mulliner Taylor, SSN 319-32-5374; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007; parents names. Betty’s parents hosted the afternoon wedding at their home at 409 West North Street in Galesburg. The house was decorated with ferns and yellow chrysanthemums, with yellow as the general color scheme.⁵“Betty Mulliner, Hartford Taylor, Married Friday,” unidentified newspaper, probably in Galesburg, IL, date unknown, original clipping saved by Betty Mulliner Taylor.

Betty was born on 21 Nov 1905 in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois.⁶“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” Betty Mulliner Taylor, SSN 319-32-5374. She attended Langdon School in Mt. Vernon, where she met Hartford. Betty had worked at Langdon as office secretary for two years at the time of their wedding.⁷“Hartford C. & Betty (Mulliner) Taylor,” Mt. Vernon Signal, date unknown.

Hartford and Betty lived in Mt. Vernon in the early years of their marriage.⁸“Betty Mulliner, Hartford Taylor, Married Friday,” unidentified newspaper, date unknown. In 1929, Doc recruited Karl and Hartford to form the Kentucky Krazy Kats. They appeared on local radio and toured with a semi-pro basketball team, playing music during intermission; they also performed on WHAS radio in Louisville, Kentucky.⁹Charles K. Wolfe, Classic Country, Legends of Country Music (New York, New York: Routledge, 2001); p. 110.

In 1930, Hartford and Betty moved to Chicago where he, along with Karl and Doc worked for WLS radio. The three of them joined some other musicians to form the Cumberland Ridge Runners. Hartford and Karl were initially called the Renfro Valley Boys but later changed to Karl and Harty. They performed on WLS’s National Barn Dance and recorded for the American Record Corporation label. They had hits with songs like “I’m Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail”, “The Prisoner’s Dream” and “Kentucky”. In 1937, Karl and Harty joined the WJJD Suppertime Frolic but returned to WLS in 1947. They amiably dissolved their partnership in 1951.¹⁰Paul Kingsbury, editor, The Encyclopedia of Country Music, compiled by staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998); p 121 & 275. Hartford later worked as a toll booth operator in Chicago.¹¹“Hartford C. Taylor Buried in Illinois, Mt. Vernon (KY) Signal, 31 Oct 1963; microfilm of Mt. Vernon Signal, Rockcastle County Public Library, Mt. Vernon.

Hartford and Betty had two children. Their daughter, Betty Conn, was born on 22 August 1929 in Mt. Vernon.¹²“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 7 Jan 2022), Betty Conn Taylor, SSN 346-22-6808; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007. Their son was born a few years later after they moved to Illinois.¹³Name and personal information withheld for privacy.

Hartford died of a stroke on 17 October 1963 at St. Theresa Hospital in Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois. His funeral was held on 20 October at Strang Funeral Chapel with Rev. Corell Hart, pastor of the Wildwood Presbyterian Church, officiating. He was buried in Millburn Cemetery in Waukegan.¹⁴“Hartford C. Taylor Buried in Illinois, Mt. Vernon Signal, 31 Oct 1963. Betty died on 19 February 2002 in Knoxville, Knox County, Illinois and was also buried in Millburn Cemetery.¹⁵“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” Betty Mulliner Taylor, SSN 319-32-5374; death date. Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com : viewed 7 Jan 2022), memorial 146344761, for Betty Mulliner Taylor, (Millburn Cemetery, Wadsworth, Lake County, IL), no image, information from obituary published 21 Feb 2002, Peoria Journal; location of death and burial.

Betty Conn married C. H. Finch, and they had four children.¹⁶Emma Ewers Taylor Hopkins, “Our Family History” (1969-1977); p. 15. She died on 19 February 2002 in Knoxville, Knox County, Illinois and was buried there in Knoxville Cemetery.¹⁷Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com : viewed 7 Jan 2022), memorial 17324984, for Betty Conn Finch, (Knoxville Cemetery, Knoxville, Knox County, IL), digital image, 6 Jan 2007, Marsha.