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 Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. Taylor was also known for her non-fiction writing, which included writing about women's issues. She worked to preserve the studio of

Elisabet Ney Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney (26 January 1833 – 29 June 1907) was a German-American sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing portraits of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe G ...

as a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

, and later wrote a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

of Ney. She was also an early member of the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of ...

Biography

Taylor was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1858 and she and her family moved to Austin in 1871. Taylor's family were immigrants from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and Taylor was "an articulate

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

." Her education took place in

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

s in Austin, "including several convent schools." She also attended the Nazareth Academy in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

where she graduated in 1876. She married Thomas Frederick Taylor, a civil servant, in April 1880. Taylor's brother, Charles P. Neill, was also a civil servant in Austin. Her husband's work took them to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

shortly after they were married. Taylor began working as a journalist by starting as a "society editor" and drama critic for a Washington Paper, the ''Sun Capitol''. Later, she became the Washington correspondent for an Austin paper, the '' Statesman''. Taylor and her husband moved back to Austin when her mother became sick in 1883. In 1883, she went to the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

so that she could teach, and then taught in the public schools in Austin for four years. On December 1, 1893, Taylor and eight other women formed the American History Club. She also had one of her short stories, "When Hester Came," published in ''

Lippincott's ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' was a 19th-century literary magazine published in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1915, when it relocated to New York to become '' McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ''Lippincott's'' ...

Notable Stories'' in 1893. Taylor was one of three women who took part in the initial gathering for the

in 1897. She became a charter member, and stood up for women's involvement in the group. She was involved with the Texas Woman's Press Association, where she was a charter member. In 1907, Taylor requested that

Paulists Paulists, or Paulines, is the name used for Roman Catholic orders and congregations under the patronage of Paul of Thebes the First Hermit. From the time that the abode and virtues of Paul of Thebes were revealed to Antony the Abbot, various comm ...

come to Austin to work with the University of Texas. She championed other Catholic causes in the city as well. Taylor helped found the Seton Infirmary, the St. Vincent's Aid Society, St. Austin's Chapel another mission churches. Taylor also "made many trips to

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...

" in order to alert the bishop, N.A. Gallagher, the head of the

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

, that there was a need for more access to Catholic worship, especially for students. Taylor worked as a journalist up until her death in Austin on May 29, 1937. She was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Austin.

Selected works

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References

Citations

Sources

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External links

Bride Neill Taylor Papers

Elisabet Ney, Sculptor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Bride Neill 1858 births 1937 deaths Writers from Peoria, Illinois University of Texas at Austin alumni Writers from Austin, Texas Spalding University alumni American women journalists 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 19th-century American non-fiction writers American women non-fiction writers Catholics from Illinois Journalists from Illinois Catholics from Texas Journalists from Texas Texas State Historical Association charter members