Corlene Taylor was born on May 31, 1928, the daughter of Leslie and Bessie (Beyer) Dwyer on the family homestead, Mayholme in Grantham Township, Niagara, Ontario. She married the love of her life, Lawerence (Larry) Taylor and they settled in Beamsville, Ontario soon after they were married.

Corlene loved gardening and family history. She dedicate her life to both of these pursuits. She and her husband worked closely with the Ontario Agricultural Community. They very carefully preserved many heirloom varieties of vegetable and flowers through careful organic gardening. I was the lucky recipient of a number of seed varieties along with many plants and bulbs which I still enjoy today. Her love of plants and gardening was infectious. We wandered her large garden many times thru the years and she could tell me about each varieties of vegetables she had planted that season and which ones worked best for her location on Lake Ontario which was a very similar climate as our Lake Huron location. After learning, that we were distant cousin, I could not help but wonder if I got my love of “gardening genes” from the “Hainer or Vollick” genes that we shared.

Franklin Miller, the Family Historian of the Hainer / Hayner Family Association, advised me that Corlene Taylor was the most knowledgeable person on the history of our Canadian Hainer/Hayner family. They had collaborated on Hainer family history for several years. Corlene and I corresponded thru postal mail and email for several years before my first visit to her in 2003. She descended from Derrek (Richard) Hainer and I descended from the brother, Albert. Both brothers were members of John Butler’s Rangers , a Loyalist provincial military unit of the American Revolutionary War.

In 2003, my husband and I decided to take a Genealogy Research road trip to Canada and Ohio before ending our trip at the Allen County Family History Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Our 2003 visit to Corlene coincided with the of the rolling blackout on the east coast which left much of the east coast with out electricity for a few days. Corolene and I had determined that we were distantly related through the maternal side of my family. We shared Hainer and Vollick roots as I mentioned above.

When my husband and I visited St Catherines, Ontario that summer, we chose a campground in Lincoln, Ontario, called Big Valley Camping Resort. She met us at the campground. We sat at the picnic table for more than three hours talking about our Hainer Ancestors. She showed me a copy of the original Hainer book she authored. I purchased a copy from her and we reviewed her most recent second edition of the book which she had written with many updates. I felt a family connection to her the moment I met her. Little did I know when we picked this campground to stay in, we were walking on the same ground that our Ancestors did. This was the area that the Hainer brothers and their father had lived.

Later in the afternoon, she took me to several cemeteries where our family members were buried. One was in the middle of a horse farm just down the road from the campgound as I recall and Schram Tinlin Burial Grounds which was located on a hill above Lake Ontario, hidden back in a the corner of a farm field among a stand of trees.

Schram Tinlin Burial Grounds

When Corlene discovered that our trip would eventually lead us to the Allen County Genealogical Library in Fort Wayne Indiana, she entrusted me with a copy of her most recent updates of our Hairier Family Tree to be delivered to the library. After meeting such a delightful cousin, I was honored to hand deliver this information to the library.

As we left the Niagara area and cross back into the US thru Buffalo about noon, the rolling black out began. We drove south unaware that behind towns were losing power all afternoon. When we were nearing our destination, and we discovered that we were unable to find a gas station who had power. When we arrived at our campground near Dover, Ohio, we discover that they had electricity. Later that evening we learned that major power outage originated from the area we had just left in Ontario.

Corlene and I – April 2010

In the years that followed we made our way to the Niagara area often. Every visited included a visit with Corlene. We either met her for dinner or visited her at her home in Beamsville. In 2010, my brother, Matt ran the Boston Marathon in April. All my siblings and I went with him and his family to cheer him on. We stayed in Niagara overnight to divide the trip to Boston in half roughly. My whole family met their cousin Corlene that night for dinner. Matt’s young son Nolan, had a T-shirt from his school that he wanted his family, including distant cousin, Corlene, to sign for him. He was so proud of his shirt.

During my numerous visits thru the years, we spent many hours in her garden and yard where she shared many gardening tips, plants and bulbs with me. There were visits when we would spend the afternoon at Mayholme. I would research the many family lines that originated from Ontario and New Brunswick. One fall trip resulted in a bushel of Macintosh apples from the trees on the Mayholme property making their way home with me. They became a delightful batch of Applesauce which we enjoyed for the rest of the year. Five years later, my brother Matt ran the Boston Marathon again in 2015 and our family members met her for dinner again. My sisters and I visited her in the autumn of 2019 . We took her to dinner with us and then retreated to her home where we watched the sunset and the lights of Toronto illuminate the sky across Lake Ontario.

Corlene was the person who encouraged me to write my family history blogs so that future generations of our families can find those of us who came before them. I have so many fond memories of this wonderful generous cousin of mine. Each visit to this vibrant lady was a pure joy! I will miss you so much Corlene! Corlene passed away on August 9, 2025 peacefully at her home. A special “Thanks to the staff at Mayholme “ for letting me know through Facebook.

Love, Jan

Corlene was my Fourth Cousin once removed.