William R. Taylor was born on September 24, 1883 in Illinois to the union of William Henry Taylor and Emily D. Barcroft. His parents were married during the Civil War in 1863 and his father supported the family as a farmer. He and his brothers John Edward and Roy Homer arrived in Pensacola circa 1898 and opened a business called W. R. Taylor & Company. At first they had a stable, which dealt mainly with horses, mules, harnesses, feed and wagons. Their wagons were used for deliveries and according to the company historian two of the original wagon wheels still hang in their warehouse today. By 1905, W. R. and his brother Roy Homer had expanded into lime and cement in addition to their horses and mules, while their brother John would split into real estate. Roy was living at 220 East Garden Street, which was next door to their business at #209. At the time, W. R. was boarding at the Southern Hotel, but by 1908 he had moved his luggage to #18 East Gadsden Street where he now was staying. The company had branched off into building materials and slowly began to specialize in brick and tile products. The had their bricks made in Barth, Florida and shipped to the company by rail. The company was originally located at the site of the present L&N freight depot. By the time he registered for the WWI draft in 1918, Roy had married and had gone into business for himself as a contractor. Roy's new wife was Margaret Caroline "Carrie" Van Pelt, the daughter of the future Escambia County Sheriff James Cornelius Van Pelt and Mattie Jane Sheperd. By all records, W. R. never married and would eventually settle in a house at 1816 East LaRua Street. His brother John would pass away in 1934, followed by W. R. in 1966 and Roy in 1968. Carrie would be the last to join them in 1983. All of the Taylor's including Roy's two sons Homer and Clarence are buried together in St. John's Cemetery. The W. R. Taylor & Company is still in business today and still dealing in bricks.
W. R. Taylor Brick Company in 2019
#17 Manresa Street
Pensacola News Journal 5-25-1918
Pensacola News Journal 6-30-1959
Pensacola News Journal 6-20-1944
W. R. Taylor & Co. advertisement 1935