Colonel Walter H. Taylor Papers | Sargeant Memorial Collection

By Nichole Delasalas

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Collection Overview

Title: Colonel Walter H. Taylor Papers

Predominant Dates:1810, 1837-1916

ID: 001/01/MSS 0000-233

Primary Creator: Taylor, Walter Herron (1838-1916)

Extent: 9.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Arranged by series in chronological order.

Date Acquired: 01/18/1964

Forms of Material: Agreements, Booklets, Checks (bank checks), Clippings (information artifacts), Contracts, Correspondence, Deeds, Diplomas, Drivers' licenses, Envelopes, Excerpts, Financial records, Fliers (printed matter), Insurance policies, Invitations, Invoices, Journals (periodicals), Lists (document genres), Maps (documents), Minutes (administrative records), Notes, Orderly books, Pamphlets, Photographs, Receipts, Resolutions (administrative records), Rosters, Speeches (documents), Stock certificates, Telegrams, Wills

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Personal and business correspondence, notes, financial records, wills and deeds from his clients, booklets and pamphlets, newspaper clippings about the Civil War, and photographs. Also included in the collection are the personal papers of the Saunders family.

Biographical Note

Colonel Walter H. Taylor was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1838. He enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute in 1853 and graduated in 1857. In 1859 he joined the Norfolk militia and by the beginning of the Civil War he was promoted to the headquarters of the Army of Virginia, becoming the adjunct or aide-de-camp to Confederate General Robert E. Lee for the duration of the war. In 1865 Taylor married his longtime love, Elizabeth "Bettie" Saunders. Upon returning to Norfolk after the war, he became involved in politics by representing Norfolk in the Virginia legislature from 1873-1876. In 1877, Walter H. Taylor became the president of Marine Bank, where he served for nearly 40 years. He was also on the board of the Virginia Military Institute and Norfolk and Western Railroad. He remained a great defender of the Civil War and General Lee. Taylor published two books, Four Years with General Lee in 1877 and General Lee, His Campaigns in Virginia, 1861-1865 in 1906. He died from cancer on March 1, 1916 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Administrative Information

Repository: Sargeant Memorial Collection

Access Restrictions: This collection is open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions: The status of copyright for these materials is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Source: Janet Taylor by donation

Preferred Citation: Colonel Walter H. Taylor Papers, MSS 0000-233, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

Processing Information: Processed June to November 2015.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[Box 7],
[Box 8],
[Box 9],
[All]

Box 9

Folder 1: Col. Walter H. Taylor - Photographs

Item 1: Correspondence, Mildred Lee Francis to Walter H. Taylor, 1906 October 24
Item 2: Photographs, San Francisco earthquake and fire, 1905
Item 3: Postcards, Our Indian Armies, 1914-1918
Item 4: Postcards, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, CA, 1915
Item 5: Clipping, New York Times, 1934 January 14
Item 6: Photographs, Blue Ridge Summit House, undated
Item 7: Booklet, Virginia Military Institute: Views of the Ground and Activities, undated
Item 8: Excerpt, Col. Walter H. Taylor by Carrol H. Walker, 1960 May 30
Item 9: Photograph, House of Parliament, London, England, undated
Item 10: Photograph, Albert Hall, undated
Item 11: Photograph, General Gordon Statue, Khartoum, Sudan, 1904 February
Item 12: Photographs, Col. Walter H. Taylor, 1866 March
Item 13: Photograph, Col. Walter H. Taylor, undated
Item 14: Photograph, Gen. Custis Lee, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Col. Walter Taylor, 1865
Item 15: Photograph, Col. Walter H. Taylor, undated
Item 16: Photograph, Dr. Jonathan Cowdery, 1852 January 1
Item 17: Photograph, Col. Walter H. Taylor, 1866
Item 18: Photographs, Col. Walter H. Taylor and family, undated
Item 19: Photograph, Bettie Saunders, undated
Item 20: Photograph, Bettie Saunders, undated
Item 21: Photograph, Family, undated
Item 22: Photograph, Taylor Family, undated
Item 23: Photograph, Taylor Family, undated
Item 24: Photograph, Taylor Family, 1890-1895
Item 25: Photograph, Walter H. Taylor, Virginia Military Institute Cadet, 1853-1855

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[Box 7],
[Box 8],
[Box 9],
[All]