Taylor, Bayard, 1825-1878

Bayard Taylor was born on January 11, 1825, in Kennett Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Joseph Taylor and Rebecca way. At seventeen, he was apprenticed to a printer in West Chester. There, he was encouraged to write poetry by Rufus Wilmot Griswold, which resulted in his first published volume: Ximena, or the Battle of the Sierra Morena, and other Poems. He married Mary Agnew in 1849, but she died a year later. Afterward, he chose to travel, going to Egypt, Palastine, and throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. After going to England, he took a ship to Calcutta and joined Commodore Perry on his trip to Japan. He returned to the U.S. in 1853, and married Maria Hansen in 1857. He continued writing and traveling all of his life, putting his adventures into poetry and novels for the entertainment of others. He died in Berlin on December 19, 1878. His body was returned to the United States and he was buried in Longwood Cemetery, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.