Order of Descendants of Colonial Physicians and Chirurgiens
Member jure Israel Taylor (1660–1725); member no. 686
Member jure Israel Taylor (1660–1725); member no. 686
The Order of Descendants of Colonial Physicians and Chirurgiens 1607–1783 honors those descended from medical professionals who served in the American colonies during the period from Jamestown’s founding through the end of the Revolutionary War. These early physicians, surgeons, barber-surgeons, and apothecaries served vital roles in a world that was often harsh, unsanitary, and medically underprepared. Their descendants work to preserve this legacy through historical awareness, genealogical research, and commemoration.
Israel Taylor (1660–1725) was born in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England, and immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682 with his father, Christopher Taylor, as part of William Penn’s Quaker fleet. Within a few short years, he had established himself on Tinicum Island, known in his will as Mattinicuck Island, where he practiced as a chirurgeon (surgeon) and landholder.
Taylor was not only a medical practitioner but also a statesman and civic leader. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly representing Chester County across six terms between 1710 and 1722. In a 1709 communication, Deputy Governor Charles Gookin referenced “Israel Taylor, whose daughter had like to have been stolen by color of a license,” showing both his prominence and the peculiarities of colonial law and life.
His will, dated 17 November 1725 and proved in 1726, identified him as “chirurgeon” and outlined a considerable estate, including the entirety of Tinicum Island and large tracts in what is now Chester and Strasburg Townships. He directed that he be buried in his orchard beside his wife and children, reflecting both Quaker simplicity and familial devotion.
Though little is known of his formal training, Israel Taylor’s identification as a surgeon—especially in legal documents and his own will—underscores the trust placed in his skills by both neighbors and government. Colonial surgeons often served their communities broadly, from battlefield surgery to midwifery, from trauma care to the treatment of disease. Taylor’s medical legacy lives on in his descendants and in the community he helped shape.
In his 1725 will, Israel Taylor referred to himself as a chirurgeon—a title with deep roots in early medical practice. The term chirurgeon is an archaic form of the word surgeon, deriving from the Greek cheirourgos, meaning “hand-worker.” Though the spelling is obsolete today, it was commonly used in the 17th and early 18th centuries, especially in British and colonial contexts.
While the modern term surgeon has come to represent a highly specialized and institutionally credentialed medical expert, a chirurgeon in Taylor’s time was a much more practical and accessible figure. Chirurgeons were trained, often through apprenticeship rather than formal education, to treat wounds, perform amputations, set broken bones, lance abscesses, and provide other forms of physical medical care. They worked primarily with their hands, and were considered craftsmen as much as medical practitioners.
This role stood in contrast to that of the physician, who typically received a university education and focused on internal medicine, diagnosis, and prescribing regimens based on Galenic or humoral theories. Physicians were rare in colonial America. Chirurgeons, by contrast, were more common, particularly in rural or frontier areas, where practical care was in greater demand than classical training.
That Taylor identified himself not as a physician but as a chirurgeon reflects both his Quaker humility and his practical reputation. He was not merely versed in theory but was known for doing, for serving his community through the direct, often uncomfortable work of colonial medicine. His role would have been indispensable in a time and place where access to medical care was sparse and physical injury was a daily reality.
Membership in the Order of Descendants of Colonial Physicians and Chirurgiens 1607–1783 recognizes not only the genealogical connection to Israel Taylor but the historical importance of his life and work. As a Quaker, a landholder, a father, a public servant, and a surgeon, Israel embodied the diverse responsibilities placed upon colonial physicians. His story stands as a reminder of the humanity and resolve that shaped early America.
Additional memberships will be added as they are approved.
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