John Taylor’s Home was next. Most of the homes are pretty much the same, but this one was a little nicer and a little bigger. Most of the homes are also red brick and two stories tall; however, each storey is only about 800 to 1000 sq feet. John Taylor was the third President of the Church. They were converted by Parley P. Pratt who is one of my favorite characters in history. He’s the one who was incarcerated for no good reason and was able to escape with the Lord’s help. When they set the dogs on him they were yelling, “go get him,” and the dogs ran past each jailer after Parley. When the dog reached Parley he stopped running and started pointing and yelling, “got get him.” The dog then proceeded to run right past Parley and he got away!
Anyway, back to Nauvoo…When the Taylor’s got to Nauvoo, many of the Saint’s had already left and the rest were getting ready. They started out in a cabin and then were able to move into this home. They lived there for less than a year before they made the trek west. John Taylor was with Joseph Smith when he and Hyrum were killed in Carthage. John was wounded but recovered. The missionaries tell the story of when the Taylor’s were leaving Nauvoo, their little boy cried and cried because they had to leave his little wooden rocking horse behind. John risked his life sneaking back into Nauvoo to get the little horse and tied it to the outside of their wagon for the trek west. They actually had the horse in the home for the tour.