Bride Neill Taylor (January 12, 1858 – May 29, 1937) was an American writer, educator and civic leader. She was known for her short stories written in the tradition of realism.[1] Taylor was also known for her non-fiction writing, which included writing about women's issues.[2] She worked to preserve the studio of Elisabet Ney as a museum,[3] and later wrote a biography of Ney.[4] She was also an early member of the Texas State Historical Association.[5]
Bride Neill Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 12, 1858 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 29, 1937 (aged 79) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Calvary Cemetery |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Thomas Frederick Taylor (m. 1880) |
Biography
Taylor was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1858 and she and her family moved to Austin in 1871.[6] Taylor's family were immigrants from Ireland, and Taylor was "an articulate Catholic."[7] Her education took place in private schools in Austin, "including several convent schools."[6] She also attended the Nazareth Academy in Kentucky where she graduated in 1876.[6] She married Thomas Frederick Taylor, a civil servant, in April 1880.[6] Taylor's brother, Charles P. Neill, was also a civil servant in Austin.[8] Her husband's work took them to Washington, D.C. shortly after they were married.[6]
Taylor began working as a journalist by starting as a "society editor" and drama critic for a Washington Paper,[1] the Sun Capitol.[6] Later, she became the Washington correspondent for an Austin paper, the Statesman.[6] Taylor and her husband moved back to Austin when her mother became sick in 1883.[6]
In 1883, she went to the University of Texas so that she could teach, and then taught in the public schools in Austin for four years.[6] On December 1, 1893, Taylor and eight other women formed the American History Club.[9] She also had one of her short stories, "When Hester Came," published in Lippincott's Notable Stories in 1893.[10][11] Taylor was one of three women who took part in the initial gathering for the Texas State Historical Association in 1897.[12] She became a charter member,[13] and stood up for women's involvement in the group.[14] She was involved with the Texas Woman's Press Association, where she was a charter member.[3]
In 1907, Taylor requested that Paulists come to Austin to work with the University of Texas.[15] She championed other Catholic causes in the city as well.[7] Taylor helped found the Seton Infirmary, the St. Vincent's Aid Society, St. Austin's Chapel another mission churches.[6] Taylor also "made many trips to Galveston" in order to alert the bishop, N.A. Gallagher, the head of the diocese, that there was a need for more access to Catholic worship, especially for students.[16]
Taylor worked as a journalist up until her death in Austin on May 29, 1937.[6] She was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Austin.[6]
Selected works
References
Citations
Sources
- Grider, Sylvia Ann; Rodenberger, Lou Halsell, eds. (1997). Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 9780890967652.
- Niehaus, Jonathan (2008). Catholics at Texas State: From the Newman Club to St. Jude Chapel (1914-2008) (PDF). H.L. Grant Catholic Student Center and St. Jude Chapel. Archived from the original on 2015-10-11.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Taylor, Bride Neill (July 1929). "The Beginnings of the State Historical Association". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 33 (1): 1–17. JSTOR 30237205.