My theme for the A to Z April Challenge is “In-Laws and
Out-Laws – Friends of the Family.” I
will be researching friends, colleagues, neighbors - those people who came and
went touching my family’s lives in both small and large ways.
is for Elise.
Elise Fauver Taylor.
Elise was a classmate of my grandaunt Velma Davis (later
Woodring) when the two were at Harrisonburg Teachers College (now James Madison
University. Go Dukes!). Probably she lived in Wellington Hall too,
judging by the number of photos taken around the dorm.
But Elise was more than just a casual acquaintance passing
in the hall with a polite nod. Pictures
taken away from campus suggest they may have visited each other’s homes on the
weekend.
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| March 1925 - location unknown On the fence: Velma Davis and Thelma Hockman On the ground: Elise Taylor |
Elise was born December 6, 1906 to Charles and Mary
Fauver Taylor. She grew up in Staunton,
Virginia, less than an hour’s drive from Harrisonburg.
At HTC Elise stayed busy playing multiple sports. She played on both the freshman and varsity field
hockey teams, as well as the freshman, sophomore, and varsity basketball
teams. She was a member of Pinquet
Tennis Club and YWCA. With all that
involvement, it is no wonder she served on the Athletic Council which was
comprised of team captains and sports leaders.
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| Elise and Velma February 1926 |
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| Standing: Thelma Haga and Leta LeVow Kneeling: Velma and Elise |
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| Scanned from The School Ma'am 1926 As captain, Elise holds the ball for the team photo. |
Elise's membership in the Grammar Grade Club indicated her intention to become an elementary school teacher. Apparently she made good on those plans. In the 1930 Waynesboro, Virginia census, she was living with relatives and working as a public school teacher.
I do not know whether she continued working after she
married Robert “Bob” Phillips in 1932.
In 1940, they were renting a house in Waynesboro. Bob was a shipping clerk at an apple plant
while Elise was at home caring for their son and daughter. A family tree on Ancestry.com indicates they
had two more children later on.
At some point Elise and Bob moved to Cobb, Georgia. Elise died one day after her 90th
birthday.
To Explore more Entertaining E subjects, Exit this blog
and Enter the latest Edition of the A to Z April Challenge.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
They sure knew how to be happy!
ReplyDeleteAll the ladies of that time seem to be extra special women and Elise was no exception.
ReplyDeleteIi like to research family friends also. It sounds like Elise had a full life. All those sports!
ReplyDeleteI love the photos. They look really happy. My middle name is Elise, which is for my mom's mother who died when I was eleven. I don't know very much about my nana other that i loved her very much and wished she was still alive while I was growing up so I could get to know her better.
ReplyDeleteThe name Elise means a lot to me, which is why both of my daughters have Elise as a middle name.
A wonderful collection of photos of Elise and friends. Along with them and the information you were able to glean from ancestry, you have put together a very nice profile of Elise. She may have known some of my relatives from Cobb, Georgia...how about that? Thanks for your visits this first week of AtoZ. I appreciate your comments and have enjoyed your theme very much.
ReplyDeleteSue at CollectInTexas Gal
How you do what you do amazes me! You are something girl. I love hearing about their friends! I look at those pictures of Velma and all I see is you and Zoe. That is amazing too!
ReplyDelete