Interment source:
Bay View Cemetery Map, ca 1940
NO HEADSTONE
TAYLOR-BOOTH
At the residence of Mrs. Jas. Bryden, on July 21, 1874 by Rev. W. E. Caldwell, Mr. Horace Taylor and Miss Elizabeth C. Booth. No cards.
Source: Nueces Valley, July 25, 1874, p. 3, col. 4 and Nueces County Marriage records, Book D page 115
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission
During the past week a petition to President Grant, asking him to appoint Mr. H. Taylor, of our city, postmaster at this place, has been going the rounds. With but few exceptions we note it bears the signatures of all our citizens. Mr. T. has been in charge of the office
for a number of years, and we believe has given general satisfaction. The truth of this is plainly evident by the large number of signers to his petition. He is, in our opinion, well qualified for the position, is thoroughly posted in the routine of the business and is careful in the prosecution of his work. We wish him success.
Source: Corpus Christi Weekly Gazette, February 8, 1873, p. 3, col. 1
Research and Transcription by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
A Card
The subscriber takes this method of tendering his sincere thanks to the citizens of Corpus Christi for their very unanimous and cordial endorsement of his application for the Post Office in this place. So unanimous and cordial a vote has affected me deeply. I shall preserve a copy of your petition with your names attached, in grateful remembrance of your approval of honest work honestly done. It was simply impossible to see every one. No one was designedly passed by. Five persons only declined to sign the petition, and these expressed kindly feelings. Your petition represents nineteen in twenty dollars of the income of this office. It is by far the strongest petition that ever left this city. Whatever may be its fate, I thank you for its expression. It ought to succeed with an Executive whose announced principle is, “No policy opposed to the will of the people.†If it does succeed, I promise the same unremitting service which made you sign it so cordially. If it does not succeed, I shall remember it of you, my fellow citizens, with a full, grateful heart.
H. Taylor.
Feb. 14, 1873
Source: Corpus Christi Weekly Gazette, February 15, 1873 p. 3, col. 2
Research and transcription by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
OUR POST OFFICE—
To know that our President has acted in accordance with the expressed wish of the people of this section, is gratifying in the extreme. That he has at last thrown aside all party feeling, and allowed himself, in the selection of the man to fill the office of P.M. at this place, to be governed only by the will of the people and the civil service system. It is certainly to his credit to have totally ignored the Austin slate and caucus in this matter, confining himself to his own ideas of justice, and extending his arm in the protection of principle. We are well aware that others of the applicants for the position aforementioned, are competent and well qualified to fill the office; but we do not think their petitions for presidential favor were as well endorsed as that forwarded by the present incumbent, nor do we think that our people could be better satisfied with a P.M. President Grant’s action in the premises shows plainly that he is determined to act in accordance with the principles of right, and no longer allow himself to be dictated to in the selection of officers to fill vacancies.
Source: Corpus Christi Weekly Gazette, March 8, 1873, p. 3, col. 2
Research and transcription by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Note: Taylor took over the Nueces Valley around July 18, 1873 from Benjamin Neal who died on that day.
UNDESERVED
Both the furious cursing of the Postmaster received on Monday because he did not stop while distributing the mail, to give one citizen his letter, and the extravagant praise given on the same day for waiting a few minutes out of business hours to deliver a mail needed by another citizen. Neither was worthy of note except as illustrative of the difference in temperament of two worthy men. It is to be hoped the threats of the one will not succeed, nor the promises of the other be needed. Both men have our best wishes.
Source: Nueces Valley, p. 3 col. 3, June 27, 1874
Letter to “Mr. Taylor†published in the Nueces Valley
MR. TAYLOR
If the Shaw boys will make an affidavit of the exact amount of money (greenbacks) received by them respectively from Hamilton alias Morgan—and then pay over the whole amount of it to the Mayor of Corpus Christi subject to the order of authorities of Jersey city, Then I will sign their petition (now in circulation) to the Governor for pardon, and use my best effort to get others to do the same, otherwise no. So will many citizens.
CITIZEN
Source: Nueces Valley, July 18, 1874, p. 3 col. 2
EDITING A NEWSPAPER
It is one year and a week since, in a pressure of circumstances; were almost forced to take the oversight of the Valley for a few weeks. Every effort to change has failed. The “few weeks†seem farther off today than they did a year ago. For all expressions of satisfaction we are grateful. Of all failures we are better aware than anybody else, and feel them more. If anybody think it a light work to edit a weekly,
especially with another full employment, let him try it a year.
Source: Nueces Valley, p. 3, col. 3, July 25, 1874
List of Advertised Letters Remaining in the Post Office, at Corpus Christi, Jan 15, 1874
DOMESTIC
Bishop. D. H.
Bonot, Edward
Busse, Frederick
Cox, C. C.
Fort, Miss Elizabeth
Halcomb, Col. John R.
Joy, Mrs. John
King, Miss Jinnie
Lewis, C. C.
Matthews, Isaac
Mapss, Frank
Michelson, Peter
Mc, Henry Geo.
Tausch, Frank
Mexican
Esearano, Dionisio
Padillo, Pancho
Rodriguez, Mafiana
Sanchez, Clestina
Vasquez, Andres
Please say advertised,
H. Taylor
Postmaster
Nueces Valley
Jan 17, 1874
Page 3 col. 6
THE POST OFFICE—INDICATIVE OF CITY BUSINESS
The Post office in Corpus Christi was opened after the war, September 1, 1865. The first quarterly returns were made December 31 of that year, eight and a half years ago. The office was of the fifth class. The salary of Postmaster $87.50. The income of the office in that quarter and fraction of quarter, four months was $1.75, box rent. Postage on newspapers $3.54. Stamps sold, $6.25 –in all $68.54. Of which the Department had $56,67 and the office $21, 87. We find this by overhading __________ the first returns made as above at the close of ’65.
There was no contract for mail service anywhere. The captains of the boats kindly brought mails gratis when they came. No land service of any kind—no attempt to send mails inland. There was no such thing as Registered letter, for a long time, and no money order till 1867. The first paid mail service was commenced July 1, 1866, and in practice it was an occasional mail. We remember it was sometimes two weeks between mails by water.
When the office was opened, there were two stores in town, one in the building were Mr. P Hoffman’s grocery stores now is, or in a building on that site, and one, with a small lot of goods brought from Mexico, in the Staples’s building. There was no custom House and no Internal Revenue office. The former made no collections and stamps for the latter were furnished through the Postoffice. There were a few shops and business was about on the same scale with that done in the Post Office. In fact the business done in the Post Office was then and has continued to represent very nearly, the business done in the town. To show that is the object of this article.
The salary of the Post Master is based on the income of the office, reported and paid to the Department. It is a fixed per-cent of that income. It has been regularly increased at each re adjustment, from fifth to third-class, where it has been for four years last past.
In contrast with that named in first paragraph above, and which determined the salary in 1865, take the report on which the salary for the coming two years is based, viz: Box rent, $193.75; newspaper $105.06; stamps sold $1,641.18. On this report t the office passed on Wednesday, July 1 to a second-class office. The amount of salary decides the class of an office, and it requires an addition of $1000 to change the class in all above the fourth.
In addition to the above, the number of letters registered in a year averages 1 000. The money order remittances have reached nearly a quarter of a million of dollars, since this was made one of the first four money order offices in the State. The international money order offices for Great Britain and Germany (each separate) are a convenience and are doing fairly. The average amount of money orders in the United States is a little over $17 each; showing, as was designed, that the system is used mainly for small remittances. Here the average up to one year and a half ago, when the examination was made, was $37.37, showing a majority of full $50 orders. The office was used more than ordinary offices for business remittances. That is rapidly decreasing now, of course, and the average will correspond more with other offices.
This office and Brownsville are the two separation offices for all the territory on both sides of the Nueces, and between that river, the Rio Grande and the Gulf. It throws a heavy work upon these two offices. The number of bags in any through mail is seldom less than seven to ten, and frequently reaches fourteen to seventeen. And the mail in all must be separated, distributed and put on right routes. These two offices have never been properly paid for the labor and responsibilities.
The business in the city has kept pace with the increase of business in the Post Office. Rather that has made this increase. Any change in that is shown immediately in this. Thus, the epidemic in ’67 reduced the income of that quarter below the last quarter in ’65 even. Quarantine will reduce incomes one third to one half—and any lull in trade is shown in the balance sheet here.
In place of the two stores of ’65 and almost no shops, there are today forty or more regular and large and legitimate mercantile business houses. Twenty of these are largely wholesale. One is exclusively hardware and furniture. Many more stores are doing only a domestic retail business. In all there are seventy-five or more places of trade.
They are all doing a fair, many of them profitable business. The amount of good sold by the merchants is fully up to two and a half millions of dollars. Their exports as much more, making a trade of five millions in the year. Instead of being shut up mainly to New Orleans, for supplies, and for sales they have established direct trade with New York, by regular lines of vessels—with Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Louisville and recently by a regular line of first class steamships with every where. With the interior, reaching to the Rio Grande River and beyond they have close connections, in the countless small and several large stores jotted down everywhere. Our merchants are a wealthy prosperous reliable class of men.
Mechanic shops are numerous and constantly increasing. The working classes in all departments are doing a healthy business, and are reliable worthy men.
We claim a population of 4000 in place of the less than 1000 in ’65. We guess it will reach 5000 in the census, which our town Council must take in the half decade next year.
But we are constantly interrupted and our article grows. We hope to live to see this become a first class office and the business of the city proportionally increased.
We acknowledge our indebtedness to several merchants for the facts in our leader respecting the city business. We depended on them for that.
Source: Nueces Valley, July 4, 1874, p. 2, co1. 1-2
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical
Horace Taylor was post master of Corpus Christi from about 1872 to some time in 1875, when he died. The post office at that time was in a little brick house facing west on Mesquite St. at a point in the 200 block opposite the cannon now mounted in Spohn Park. This would be just south of the Ford Agency display room (corner of Mesquite and Williams). The brick for the post office were made in Corpus Christi.
From interview with E. H. Caldwell (interviews from Nov. 18, 1938 to Dec. 21, 1939) at his home 715 S. Broadway. He died March 14, 1940. In vertical files of Corpus Christi Central Library. Bio.- Caldwell.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell
In numerous articles of the local paper, Horace Taylor is a subject of discussion. In an article in the series “Men and Events of 40 years Ago†written by Eli T. Merriman, Mr. Merriman discusses the early papers of Corpus Christi. He notes that during the term of office of Gov. E. J. Davis (the Republican Reconstruction governor) several of the Republican papers of the state were organs for promoting him and his agenda. Mr. Merriman says that the Nueces Valley published in Corpus Christi was one of those papers, and the State Journal of Austin with Stanley Welch as editor was another. He says the Nueces Valley was published by a stock company—all Republican members—and Horace Taylor, the postmaster, was editor. Mr. Taylor was also involved in the beginnings of the Congregational Church that was established for the Freedmen of the area, and he was an active leader in the local Temperance Society. While Horace Taylor was editing the paper he had a habit of clipping a lot of news from the Galveston Daily News. This was displeasing to one of the stockholders—General Brown, engaged in the United States Revenue service—who criticized Taylor for it. He wanted to know why he didn’t get news out of some republican papers. Mr. Taylor promptly informed the general that there were no republican papers anywhere in the state that could equal the Galveston News in giving the quicker and best news, and news he had to have from the daily papers since Corpus Christi had no telegraph service at the time (service associated with the Associated Press). Taylor resigned after this and others were engaged to take his place. Col. Nelson Plato, republican office holder, wrote some but quit after he was appointed collector of customs and later on mayor of the city. Stanley Welch, who came to Corpus Christi from Austin after the downfall of the E. J. Davis administration, to take a position in the custom house, wrote for the paper after its name was changed to the Valley Times.
Corpus Christi Caller-Times of 7 June 1931 page 7, col. 4-6 quoting from the Nueces Valley of 1874 with commentary by Eli T. Merriman
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell
DEATH OF HORACE TAYLOR
Horace Taylor died suddenly in his home in this City on the morning of the 30th ult. In the ____ year of his age. The deceased was a native of Ohio, whence he immigrated to Corpus Christi in 1859. Soon after the commencement of the war he went to Mexico and remained until the close, when returning to Corpus he became deputy postmaster. He subsequently succeeded in receiving the appointment for himself and held the position until removed only the previous year. In 1873 he became the editor of the Nueces Valley and continued to work until the day of his death. He was a man of large charity, and his funeral was attended by all classes of our citizens.
Source: Corpus Christi Weekly Gazette, November 6, 1875, p. 3, col. 2
Note: A second article on this same page and same column speaks to the filling of the position left vacant by the death of “Mr. H. Taylorâ€â€”presumably on the paper.
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission