By: Mark Holtsberry
Vernon Clarence Saylor was born in McGill, Paulding County, Ohio, on May 28, 1900. The son of Wilson B. Saylor, born in June of 1858 in Kentucky, and Pheby Elizabeth (Lee) Taylor Saylor, born July 14, 1858, in Kentucky. This couple was married on January 13, 1885, in Harlan County, Kentucky. Pheby was previously married to Leroy Taylor on August 6, 1876, in Kentucky; he later passed away. They had three children: Jane, Margaret, and an infant who died around the age of two.
After Wilson and Pheby were married, they became the parents of Cora Ellen in 1886, Bertha in 1887, and Dora Belle in 1889. By 1890, the Saylor family had moved to Benton Township, Paulding County, Ohio. Children John A. was born in 1891, twins Effie Marie and Mary Etta in 1892, Orla Wilson in 1896, and Pearl in 1898. Wilson was a farmer.
The older children were in school. By 1900, the Saylor family was still farming and living in Benton Township. On May 28, 1900, Vernon was born, followed by Wilson Theodore in 1902. Apparently, Wilson and Pheby divorced around 1904. On April 2, 1910, Pheby passed away. She was buried in Lehman Cemetery. Vernon was a student in school.
On June 24, 1911, Vernon’s sister, Cora Ellen, passed away. On September 24, 1912, in Paulding, Wilson married a woman named Dora Ellen Starr. A son, Berry Howard Saylor, was born. He would go on to serve in World War II in the Navy.
Vernon’s sister Dinah Pearl passed away on August 10, 1915, from blood poisoning. She was buried in Lehman Cemetery. Sister Bertha passed away from a ruptured gallbladder on January 17, 1917.
On June 30, 1917, Vernon joined the National Guard out of Hicksville. He served in Company D, 2nd Ohio National Guard until August 12, 1917. He was transferred to Company D, 4th Ohio National Guard, which was consolidated into Company D, 166th National Army. On October 18, 1917, Vernon departed from Hoboken, New Jersey, on the ship Mallory and was sent to France.
Vernon was promoted to Private 1st Class on February 1, 1918. He saw action in Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, and the St. Mihiel defensive sector. He was wounded slightly on September 29, 1918. He was honorably discharged on February 5, 1919. He was listed as 10% disabled through a surgeon’s certificate of disability.
By 1920, Vernon was living on Straight Creek Road in Gross, Bell County, Kentucky, with his father, stepmother Dora, stepbrother Berry, and niece Mildred, working odd jobs for a living. He married Rachel Elizabeth Brock in Harlan County, Kentucky. She was born in 1903. A daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Saylor, was born on March 13, 1922, in Kentucky. Two daughters, Mildred Jean Saylor, were born on April 16, 1924, and Eleanor on February 6, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan.
Vernon’s father passed away on June 10, 1924. He was buried in Kentucky. By 1930, Vernon, Rachel, and their daughters were living in Wasioto, Bell County, Kentucky. Vernon was a truck driver, and the girls were in school. By 1940, the Saylor family was still living in Bell County, Kentucky.
Sometime later, they moved to Woodburn, Indiana. On November 14, 1941, Vernon passed away from pulmonary heart issues, which he had been suffering from for the last two years. Funeral services were held at the Methodist Church in Woodburn, Indiana, with Rev. Buckner officiating. He was buried in Lehman Cemetery. He was a member of the American Legion Post 82.
Rachel remarried. She passed away on August 17, 1992. She was buried in Lehman Cemetery with Vernon.
