George Taylor, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Ireland and sailed to Philadelphia after getting an education. To repay his Atlantic crossing passage, he worked for an iron manufacturer and soon was an integral part of the business. At the death of the owner, he married the widow.

In 1764 he was a member of the Provincial Assembly and moved to Easton from his farm near Catasauqua. He returned to his business at Durham but was again elected to the Provincial Assembly in 1775. He was chosen as one of the replacements to the Continental Congress and signed the official parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence on the second of August.

After he returned from Congress, Taylor leased the Durham Furnace and went into business making cannonballs for the Revolution. Taylor died without enough money to pay his debts, since the property owner had his holdings confiscated.

In 1855 the people of Easton honored George Taylor by erecting a memorial in front of the chapel. This is reputed to be the first public monument erected to the memory of any of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Taylor was originally buried in the Old Lutheran Cemetery in Easton at 4th and Ferry Streets, but the body was moved to its present site at the Easton Cemetery in front of his monument in 1870.