H. Leslie Taylor Papers, 1870 - 1977

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Summary

Abstract:
The collection consists of reminiscences and letters of H. Leslie Taylor, an employee of the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1906 to 1965.
Extent:
.333 Linear Feet 1 box
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], H. Leslie Taylor Collection, MS 35, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of reminiscences and letters of H. Leslie Taylor, an employee of the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1906 to 1965. Also in the collection are letters and other documents relating to James C. Wilder, Taylor W. Heintzelman, Southern Pacific's Assistant Master Mechanic and later Superintendent of Motive Power, and William McKenzie, Assistant General Master Mechanic of the Southern Pacific in the late 1880s.

Biographical / historical:

Herbert "Les" Leslie Taylor (H.L. Taylor) (Sep. 28, 1891- Sep. 18, 1985) began service with the railroad as a messenger and served as messenger for Edward H. Harriman after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He was a messenger for E.H. Herriman commencing three days after the San Francisco earthquake until Herriman went back to New York. Mr. Taylor spent most of his career as a station agent in Northern California, serving 42 years as agent at South Vallejo.

He was married to Myrtle Johnson (1895-1966) on January 16, 1914 and they had two children, John "Jack" Leslie (1922-1980) and Joyce Edna (1918-2012). Joyce was married to a Vallejo Police officer, William Hudson Webb, who was killed in Okinawa, Japan on May 28, 1945. She worked at Mare Island Shipyard making lenses for periscopes, binoculars & rangefinders. She was featured in the novel "With a mouthful of Rivets" by Nancy & Christy Wise. In 1947, Joyce married John "Jack" Frank Holloway and they moved to Sacramento.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Lynn Farrar, 1988
Arrangement:

Arranged by type of material.

Physical location:
Statewide Museum Collection Center
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research by appointment. Contact Library Staff.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the CSRM Library & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], H. Leslie Taylor Collection, MS 35, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.

Location of this collection:
111 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814, US
Contact:
(916) 323-8073
Library.CSRM@parks.ca.gov
Website