The Lockwoods in America

Now I am following the Lockwood-Taylor family to the United States in 1830. In a previous post I talked mostly about the Taylor farm and descendants. Now I want to talk about the Lockwood family connections in Indiana and the greater United States. As I mentioned earlier, Ellis Lockwood (my 3rd great-grandmother) died shortly after my 2nd great-grandfather George Lockwood Taylor was born in 1834. But before that, Ellis's younger sister Elizabeth Lockwood got married in England to William Emerson, and they also came to Dearborn County, Indiana in 1832. They lived near the Taylors and likely spent much time together in those two years before Ellis passed away. Perhaps Aunt Elizabeth Emerson told George and his sister Elizabeth about their mother and the Lockwood family back in England. George Lockwood Taylor and his sister Elizabeth Taylor Alexander remained close all of their lives. They are pictured here with their cousins around 1900.

George Lockwood Taylor and sister Elizabeth Taylor Alexander
 (seated in front of him) with their Smith cousins

I do not know much more about Elizabeth Lockwood Emerson (1808-1880) who followed her sister Ellis to Indiana, but I hope that she provided comfort to the family after they lost Ellis at such a young age. She may have written letters back to the Lockwood family who remained in England. Perhaps she told George and Elizabeth about their 1st cousin John Lockwood Kipling who went to work in India as an artist and teacher. Did she help keep these Lockwood family stories and connections alive? Aunt Elizabeth Emerson passed away in 1880 before Rudyard Kipling would go on to achieve great fame as a writer.

Elizabeth Lockwood Emerson grave in Wright's Corner, Indiana

Through an old letter that was recently shared with me by my cousin, I found the answers to some of my questions. George Lockwood Taylor was the one to share stories with his family of both the Lockwood and Taylor families. He enjoyed Rudyard Kipling's works and he told his children and grandchildren about their connection through the family tree. In an excerpt of a letter to Kipling in 1932, my Great Aunt Theresa shares some of the genealogy and lets Kipling know his relatives are great fans of his work:

Kipling responded congenially with this letter, admitting that he does not know much of his genealogy:

I almost forgot that Rudyard Kipling married an American woman, Caroline Balestier. And they did come to the United States to live in Vermont from roughly 1893-1896. They built a home a home in the southern tip of Vermont and called it Naulakha. And now it is part of Vermont's Landmark Trust, a historic vacation rental. Now I know where I want to take my next family vacation! But back to the subject at hand, I wonder if Kipling knew of his cousins in Indiana when he settled in Vermont. Were there any suggestions from the older set to "connect with your family." Aunt Theresa's letter makes me think that there was no runion during that time before he went back to England.

So, what does it matter to know that I have a famous author in the family tree? Besides making my genealogy a bit more interesting, I think it may have been inspiring to the relatives here in Indiana living a simpler life. It may have encouraged them to read and to be educated. I know that 2nd great-grandfather George appreciated Kipling's writings and had many volumes. One volume has been passed down to me and now I am reading it to my children. It is still inspiring to think that an ancestor made their living by writing stories both fictional and true.

George Lockwood Taylor, circa 1870s

George Lockwood Taylor's volume of Kipling poetry