urn:taro:utexas.cah.01842 A Guide to the John Young Taylor Diaries, 1893-1894 Original EAD encoding by Sarah Powell according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. July 2010 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Taylor, James Young James Young Taylor Diaries 1893-1894 Materials are written in English. 85-218 4 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Personal diaries of James Young Taylor, written during his time as a traveling salesman. The diaries concern the day-to-day activities of the cities Taylor was visiting. Biographical Note

John Young Taylor (1854-1939) was born in Canada to George Taylor and Lady Margaret Graham in 1854. He married Annie May Bingham with whom he had six children: George Dudley (1879-1938), Grace Lucille (1894-1967), John Young, Jr. (1883-1938), Anna May (1885-1960), Clara Dudley (b. 1887), and Jane Gertrude (1888-1960). They moved to Oswego, New York in approximately 1887, before the birth of their last child in 1888.

Taylor worked as a salesman for the Pictorial League in New York, for which he traveled across North America and even Cuba selling advertising cuts, or services. Taylor greatly admired Henry David Thoreau and modeled his life after his example, frequently camping in such areas as St. Lawrence, Canada, the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, Long Island, and even Goat Island, Niagara Falls.

In 1929, Taylor, now a widower, moved to Rochester, N.Y., to live with one of his daughters, the principle of School 41-Kodak Park. During the summer, he camped outside the house in a tent. He moved to Carmel, N.Y., in 1837 to live with another of his daughters and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley D. Cornish.

Sources:

John Young Diaries, 1893-1894, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Winterthur Library: The Joseph Downs Collection and the Winterthur Archives. “Guide to the Winterthur Archives.” Winterthur Museum & County Estate. http://www.winterthur.org/about/downs_collection_and_winterthur_archives/xhtml/JDCMcKinstryFM.htm (accessed July 29, 2010).

Scope and Contents

The three volumes of the John Young diaries, 1893-1894, document the Canadian-born sales man’s travels in the southwestern states. The diaries begin with Taylor’s departure from Oswego, N.Y. on September 25, 1893, continue through his stop at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago before arriving in Tyler, Texas on October 1, to start work on his sales route. The last entry is December 31, 1894, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Taylor, John Young -- Archives Subjects Agriculture -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Architecture -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Advertising -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Cotton -- United States. Employment -- United States. Hunting -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Manners and customs -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Mineral industries -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Newspapers -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Philosophy and religion -- United States. Public libraries -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Railroads -- United States -- 1890-1900. Railroad Strike, Calif., 1894 Real property -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Religtion and culture -- United States Republican Party (Calif.). State Convention. Schools -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Transportation -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Traveling sales personnel -- United States -- History -- 19th century. Places Arizona -- History -- 19th century. Britich Columbia -- History -- 19th century. California -- History -- 19th century. Cuba -- History -- 19th century. Illinois -- History -- 19th century. Louisiana -- History -- 19th century. Nebraska -- History -- 19th century. Nevada -- History -- 19th century. Oregon -- History -- 19th century. Montana -- History -- 19th century. Texas -- History -- 19th century. Utah -- History -- 19th century. Washington -- History -- 19th century. United States -- History -- 19th century. Preferred Citation

John Young Taylor Diaries, 1893-1894, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Related Material at Other Repositories

John Taylor Young Diary, 1892, at the Winterthur Library in Winterthur, DE.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3G43 John Young Taylor Diaries