Bride Neill Taylor
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]
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
- "The Literary Women of Texas". Galveston Daily News. 22 August 1898. Retrieved 26 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
- Grider & Rodenberger 1997, p. 64.
- "UT Museum Tells of Women in History". Abilene Reporter. 19 July 1974. Retrieved 26 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
- Gillett, Laura (23 November 1926). "Notes About Books". Georgetown Megaphone. Retrieved 27 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
- "Affairs of the Association". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 9 (1): 290. July 1905. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- Cottrell, Debbie Mauldin (15 June 2010). "Taylor, Bride Neill". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- Niehaus 2008, p. 20.
- "Neill, Charles Patrick, 1865-1942. Charles Patrick Neill correspondence, ca. 1874-1930: PRELIMINARY BOX LIST". Harvard University Library. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Frantz, Helen B. (9 June 2010). "American History Club". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- "Lippincott's Magazine (ad)". Evening Times. 24 November 1893. Retrieved 27 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
- "Literary Notes". Albert Lea Enterprise. 14 December 1893. Retrieved 27 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
- Grider & Rodenberger 1997, p. 57.
- McDonald, Archie P. (15 June 2010). "Texas State Historical Association". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- Taylor 1929, p. 4.
- Niehaus 2008, p. 28.
- "Mrs. Thomas F. Taylor, Champion for the Paulists in Austin, early 1900s-1908". St. Austin Catholic Parish. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
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.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.