Robert Taft
Bezaleel Taft Jr. and his father were descendants of Robert Taft Sr, the first American Taft, who homesteaded in this town in 1680. Bezaleel Taft Jr. was the great great grandson of Robert Taft Sr. His grandmother, Lydia Chapin Taft, was America's First Woman Voter. His grandfather, Captain Josiah Taft, had fought in the French and Indian War. His father was a soldier and a Captain in the Worcester 9th Company, in the American Revolutionary War. The famous Taft family in the USA, began here with Robert Taft Sr. and among its descendants includes President Taft. Many members of the Taft family have been prominent in State and national politics, having served as judges, legislators, and in Federal Executive and Judicial positions. Bezaleel Taft's grandfather and father also served in the Massachusetts General Court, his grandfather under Colonial rule, and his father, under the new United States.