Taliaferro, James Govan, 1798-1876

James G. Taliaferro was born in Amherst, Va., on September 28, 1798, to Zacharias Taliaferro and Sally Warwick. The family moved to Claiborne County, Miss., in 1806, and to Catahoula Parish, La., in 1815. He graduated from Transylvania College in Lexington, Ky., and married Elizabeth M.B. Williamson of Lexington in 1819. Taliaferro practiced law in Harrisonburg, La., served as a judge in Catahoula Parish, and was a member of the Catahoula Parish Police Jury (1859-1860). He owned and operated the Harrisonburg Independent (1856(?)-1861) and represented Catahoula Parish in the constitutional convention of 1852 and the secession convention of 1861. Taliaferro was a strong opponent of secession and refused to sign the ordinance. Two of his sons served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He later served as an associate justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court (1866-1876) and a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1868. James G. Taliaferro died in Harrisonburg, La., on October 13, 1876.

From the description of James G. Taliaferro papers, 1861-1870. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 387771842

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