Ezekiel Moore Taylor (1824-1907)
Ezekiel Taylor, Merchant, of "The Bend" Moncton, New Brunswick
He was born at Buncrana, Co. Donegal, and was the maternal grandson of Captain William Moore, of the Royal Marines. In contradiction to his son's entry on Wikipedia, Captain Moore was categorically not, "the third son and heir of William Thornton-Todd of Buncrana Castle," the nephew of the Montreal fur trader, Isaac Todd, who purchased the castle. According to Moore-Taylor family legend, their grandfather had been in command of the Dublin privateer Fame and the castle's squire when Theobald Wolfe Tone was imprisoned there during the Rebellion of 1798. In reality, he was not the same man who captained the Fame, but he was the same, "late Captain William Moore, Royal Marines," who had a daughter who died in 1849 at Buncrana - that being the town of Buncrana, not the castle. As for the rebel Wolfe Tone, he was indeed captured after a naval battle off the coast of Donegal and it makes perfect sense that a Captain of the Marines was placed in charge of his person while he was imprisoned at the castle, but a Moore never owned nor was resident at Buncrana Castle.
In 1853, Ezekiel emigrated to Moncton, New Brunswick, where he entered the dry goods business and opened a store at the corner of Main and King Streets. He was described as a farmer, storekeeper, and "a contractor of considerable ability" who oversaw the construction of the first bridge at Moncton. He was one of the founding directors of the Moncton Tobacco Manufacturing Company and the Moncton Gas, Light & Water Company. He was a Freemason; a Warden and Vestryman of St. George's Anglican Church; and, paid $1,200 out of his own pocket for the construction of the first Catholic church at Moncton. He lived at "The Bend" and developed much of Moncton's riverside property. He sold most of the land to the City of Moncton that became Bore Park where a bronze plaque was erected to his memory. His son, Sir Frederick Williams-Taylor, became one of the most important figures in the world of Canadian finance and through him he was the great-grandfather of Brenda Frazier, "the world's first celebutante".
In 1853, Ezekiel emigrated to Moncton, New Brunswick, where he entered the dry goods business and opened a store at the corner of Main and King Streets. He was described as a farmer, storekeeper, and "a contractor of considerable ability" who oversaw the construction of the first bridge at Moncton. He was one of the founding directors of the Moncton Tobacco Manufacturing Company and the Moncton Gas, Light & Water Company. He was a Freemason; a Warden and Vestryman of St. George's Anglican Church; and, paid $1,200 out of his own pocket for the construction of the first Catholic church at Moncton. He lived at "The Bend" and developed much of Moncton's riverside property. He sold most of the land to the City of Moncton that became Bore Park where a bronze plaque was erected to his memory. His son, Sir Frederick Williams-Taylor, became one of the most important figures in the world of Canadian finance and through him he was the great-grandfather of Brenda Frazier, "the world's first celebutante".
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Contributed by Mark Meredith on 15/10/2021 and last updated on 05/03/2023.