Bartolomew Taliaferro was our direct ancestor, 13 generations back. He was born in 1530 and died in 1601. He was a citizen of Venice, then a powerful city-state off the coast of what is now northeast coast of Italy. It is important to note that he was not Italian as the country of Italy was not consolidated and organized until the mid 1850s. He was Venetian and was appointed an official trade representative of the Doge (Duke) of Venice to the Royal Court of London, making him a Merchant of Venice. He was a contemporary of Shakespeare and while there is no direct evidence of their friendship, Bartolomew could very well have been the model for the famous play.
8.Bartholomew TALIAFERRO #5225 b. 1530,abt, Venice, Italy,[11]
Occupation Court Musician to Q. Eliz., m. 1-Jan-1583/84, in St.
Michael's, Cornhill, London, England,4 [4] Joane LANE LANEJoane
#5226, Buried: St. Olave's, Harte St.,London, England.
Bartholomew died 1601, London, England,7 [7] Buried: 22-Sep-1601,
St. Olave's, Harte St.,London, England,4 [4] 1601, Will was
probated in London. "A subject of the Duke of Venice," removed to
London, England, by or before 1562. Virginia Magazine, Vol. 77,
Jan., 1969, pp. 22-25, Sir Anthony Wagner Garter Principal King of
Arms, one of the greatest of the English genealogists stated that
'The Virginia Taliaferros have their origin in a Venetian Family
that settled in England before 4 March, 1562." Correspondence of
Pres. Thomas Jefferson in the Archives Dept. of the Congressional
Library, Washington, D.C. document the Italian link. Or buried 2
Sep., 1602 in Canterbury, Eng.
9.Joane LANE #5226 m. (1) 1-Jan-1583/84, in St. Michael's,
Cornhill, London, England,4 [4] Bartholomew TALIAFERRO #5225, b.
1530,abt, Venice, Italy,11 [11] Occupation Court Musician to Q.
Eliz., d. 1601, London, England,7 [7] Buried: 22-Sep-1601, St.
Olave's, Harte St.,London, England,4 [4] 1601, Will was probated
in London., m. (2) 15-May-1602, in England,4 [4] THOMAS GRAYE
#5227. Joane Buried: St. Olave's, Harte St.,London, England.
Joane may have been the daughter or granddaughter of John
Lane/Laynere of Cornhill, London, court musician, whose family
owned much property on Hart Street where Bartholomew & Joane
Taliaferro lived. Bartholomew's will is on file at the Prerogative
Court of Canterbury, Eng. Bartholomew was made a denizen of London
in March,1562. By tradition the Taliaferro family originated at
Mugello, Italy, where there is a place called Tagliaferr.
Occupation Court Musician to Q. Eliz., m. 1-Jan-1583/84, in St.
Michael's, Cornhill, London, England,4 [4] Joane LANE LANEJoane
#5226, Buried: St. Olave's, Harte St.,London, England.
Bartholomew died 1601, London, England,7 [7] Buried: 22-Sep-1601,
St. Olave's, Harte St.,London, England,4 [4] 1601, Will was
probated in London. "A subject of the Duke of Venice," removed to
London, England, by or before 1562. Virginia Magazine, Vol. 77,
Jan., 1969, pp. 22-25, Sir Anthony Wagner Garter Principal King of
Arms, one of the greatest of the English genealogists stated that
'The Virginia Taliaferros have their origin in a Venetian Family
that settled in England before 4 March, 1562." Correspondence of
Pres. Thomas Jefferson in the Archives Dept. of the Congressional
Library, Washington, D.C. document the Italian link. Or buried 2
Sep., 1602 in Canterbury, Eng.
9.Joane LANE #5226 m. (1) 1-Jan-1583/84, in St. Michael's,
Cornhill, London, England,4 [4] Bartholomew TALIAFERRO #5225, b.
1530,abt, Venice, Italy,11 [11] Occupation Court Musician to Q.
Eliz., d. 1601, London, England,7 [7] Buried: 22-Sep-1601, St.
Olave's, Harte St.,London, England,4 [4] 1601, Will was probated
in London., m. (2) 15-May-1602, in England,4 [4] THOMAS GRAYE
#5227. Joane Buried: St. Olave's, Harte St.,London, England.
Joane may have been the daughter or granddaughter of John
Lane/Laynere of Cornhill, London, court musician, whose family
owned much property on Hart Street where Bartholomew & Joane
Taliaferro lived. Bartholomew's will is on file at the Prerogative
Court of Canterbury, Eng. Bartholomew was made a denizen of London
in March,1562. By tradition the Taliaferro family originated at
Mugello, Italy, where there is a place called Tagliaferr.
New Deals on Dell Netbooks - Now starting at $299
Taliaferro has many spellings, and in English is generally pronounced Tolliver. The families with that surname are from the same line of families. Taliaferro in Venetian is iron worker. He never set foot in the New World but his grandson, Robert "the Immigrant" did and sired a family known far and wide in the South who helped build America into the new world. Among his progeny is Dr. John Taliaferro, a Revolutionary War surgeon and Baptist minister who died just outside Macon, GA in 1821. Also a grandson, Richard Taliaferro, was the primary architect of colonial Williamsburg, VA and a mentor and teacher of Thomas Jefferson. He designed the governor’s mansion and several of the homes there. His brothers (or uncles) were also prominent in Williamsburg. Charles was a carriage maker and has a restored home on the main square. Another is mentioned on a plaque in the town church.
His son-in-law was George Wythe (pronounced With) who was Jefferson's law partner and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Booker T. (Taliaferro) Washington was probably a slave of one of our ancestors. That’s nothing to brag about certainly, but probably a fact.
Our closest Taliaferro relative was Elizabeth, known as Bettie, Taliaferro, a grand daughter of Dr. John and married to our Reese Porter. She probably is buried in Mt. Pleasant, TX.
Bartolomew's father was Bartolomeo Taliaferro and that is all we know of him. Probably all of the Taliaferros in the USA are related in some way and there are numerous websites and blogs dedicated to their memories.
