Wordless Wednesday: Willie Taylor, another Man of Impeccable Style in My Family Tree

Well almost wordless . . . Can someone say GQ?! Yes indeed, I now know where my dad got his sense of style and love for hats!

Grandfather, Willie Taylor

He got it from his father, Willie Taylor, another man of impeccable style in my family tree! Special THANKS to my Aunt Frances Taylor Marshall for sharing this very special photo of her father (my grandfather) with me. I must say when I pulled this photo out of the envelope, all I could do was grin. My grandfather was a very handsome man and I can only imagine his swag was smooth as the man he was too! Now I understand why his wife (my step-grandmother) was so “fiercely” jealous where he was concerned. Yep, Willie was quite dapper in his day. What say you about this man of impeccable style in my family tree?

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Wordless Wednesday: Willie Taylor and His Great-Grandchildren

Well, almost wordless  . . .

This is one of my favorite photos of my grandfather with his beloved great-grandchildren!

Great-grandchildren featured (l. to r.) are Nichelle Taylor, Nia Taylor, Marcus Bowie, and Nicole Taylor. Photo taken by John W. Taylor, 1981

The two great-grandsons who were not at his home the day this picture was taken were — Victor Taylor and Michael Baker.

Willie Taylor definitely enjoyed visits with his great-grandchildren! He especially liked teasing those great-granddaughters by calling them little boys. Of course whenever they would strongly object to being called boys, he would start a playful argument with them about why they were most definitely little boys. Being his only grand-daughter, I know how they felt. When I was their age, he called me a little boy too! I tell you those playful arguments with him about your gender could last for hours, which was exactly why he started this argument with you in the first place — LOL!

Treasure Chest Thursday: An Employee Celebration

It’s Treasure Chest Thursday and from my digital collection is a photo featuring an employee celebration for Willie Taylor!

My grandfather began working at the Maxwell House Coffee Plant in Houston around the same time that my Uncle Jesse started working there  in 1930. His first job was in the Receiving & Shipping (R&S) Department and by the time he retired in the late 1970’s, he was a Plant Services Foreman in addition to being the head coach of the company’s all-black baseball team. He was well liked and a very respected employee on and off the job. His hard work and dedication to the coffee industry was definitely a time to celebrate —

Congratulations!
3/4 million man hours without a lost time accident

Wordless Wednesday: Willie Taylor

Well, almost wordless . . .

I recently received a care-package from a family member and inside were these FABULOUS photos of my paternal grandfather, Willie Taylor!

I have never seen pictures of my grandfather as a young man. So having these photos of him looking fresh, fly, and dressed for success was a wonderful treat!

I’m not sure when and where these photos were taken. What I do know —  these pictures were printed on Kodak Velox Paper. According to, “Stamps,” chapter 15 in David Rudd Cycleback’s Guide to Identifying Photographs online, there were four common Kodak photo paper brands used, and  . . . [1]

[i]f the back of the photo has the three line printing ‘Kodak/Velox/Paper,’ the photo dates circa 1950s-60s.”

Willie Taylor was born 16 December 1909 in Chappel Hill, Washington County, Texas. So considering the decade these photos were taken, he looks like he was probably in his mid 40’s or at least between 41 to 51 years of age!

If you have my handsome grandfather, Willie Taylor, in your family research, let me hear from you because . . . I’m claiming kin!

Source Citation:

1. Cycleback, D. R. (2003). Chapter 15: Stamps. Cycleback.com: Guide to Identifying Photographs. Retrieved August 6, 2013, from http://www.cycleback.com/photoguide/stamps.html

Wordless Wednesday: Spending Time With Our Oldest Living Family Member

Well almost wordless . . .

The Chapple~Smith Family Dinner my brothers and I hosted on 2 December 2012 was a HUGE success! It was wonderful seeing cousins (along with their adult children who have children of their own) I had not seen in many years. But what made this afternoon such a special one for all the descendants was spending time with their oldest “living” Chapple ~ Smith family member — my Mom, Carrie Chapple Taylor! So below are a few photos of mom –who celebrated her 84th birthday this past October– with family members who arrived early for our dinner event!

Mom with her oldest great-granddaughter, which happens to be my “mini-me” (Bowie Family)!

Mom with another one of her beautiful great-granddaughters (McLemore Family)!

Mom with her great-nephew, Bernard, and great-niece, LaJuana (Armstrong & Jean Families)

The Armstrong and Jean Families

Mom with her nephew, Ralph and niece, Bettye (Marshall Family)