Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Rexford Taylor and Dene Chadwick’s Wedding: By Evelyn Taylor

Our Cousins Rex and Dene are enjoying their 69th Wedding Anniversary today!! Rex is the son, along with his brother Bryant, of Floyd Taylor, twin to Lloyd Taylor. Evelyn, wife of Bryant, remembers the big day...
Congratulations from all of us.

August 17th, 1941:

Rex and Dene had recently graduated from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. He got a job at General Electric Corp. in Schenectady, NY.

They came to LeRoy on their way there via train and were married in Floyd and Goldie Taylor’s living room, in front of the fireplace. The minister was from Rex’s Presbyterian Church, Evan M. Jones. Those present at the ceremony were family and friends. The attendants were classmates of the bride and groom.

Bryant and I made a trip to the florists to order flowers for the bride and house. This was Bryant’s wedding gift for them.

Afterwards, the newlyweds, parents of both, attendants, Bryant and I, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones went to Johnsonburg to have dinner at the Deerfield Inn, which was run by Rex’s Aunt Gertie Reynolds ( Goldie’s sister).

Rex, the Anniversary Boy Himself, adds:

What a thrill for the old folks to hear from you. Dene and I agree with what Eve has written.

After graduating from Hiram College, Eve mentioned that I had a job at General Electric. Dene could not find a job at the time and was living at home in Ohio. College friends were taking a trip to NYC so they brought Dene along so she could stop in Schenectady and spend some time with me.

During her visit, we decided to get married and live together in an apartment in Schenectady, so that's what we did on very short notice. When the college friends returned from NYC, we both rode back with them to LeRoy, where we were married as Eve says in her write-up.

It was on a Sunday afternoon and following the dinner at Deerfield Inn, the folks took us to the train in Batavia for our trip on a milk train(very slow) to Schenectady, N.Y. When we went to get on the train, my brother, Bryant, took my big Gladstone leather bag and put it on the train for us. What we did not know at the time was the fact that he also had a conversation with the conductor.

The conductor greeted us and assumed we wanted to sit together--he said that it might not be possible because the 7 or 8 cars were very full. He told me to grab my bag and for us to follow him. Car after car and the seats were all taken. When we got to the last one, he said he was sorry, but guess we would have to sit in separate seats and wished us "Good Luck".

When we turned around, there were plenty of seats!!! The conductor had gone thru before the newlyweds got on and told everyone to spread out so we could not sit together!! We easily found seats and when I went to put my bag in a rack, I found that I had been dragging toilet paper behind the bag!! Rest assured, all the passengers had a big laugh!!

We arrived in Schenectady in the wee hours Monday morning and I had to be to work at GE at 9AM. At the office gate, they would not let me in because I had forgotten my badge. I had to take the trolley back to the apartment to pick up the badge and return to the office again.

When I told my superior what had happened, he had a big laugh and so did those in the department-especially, when they found out Dene and I were married on Sunday. We were married on "less than a shoe string" then and are blessed to still be together 69 years later!!
Love to you and your family from two 91 year olds,

Rex and Dene

Picture One: Rex and Dene
Picture Two: Evelyn Taylor, Dene and Rex, 2010
Picture Three: Back row are Rex, Dene, Mrs. Chadwick(Dene's Mother), Mr. Harry Chadwick(Dene's Father), Mrs. Evan Jones, Goldie Taylor(Rex's Mother), Rev. Evan Jones, Evelyn. The front row is Bud Mitchell(a friend), Floyd Taylor(Rex's Father), Bryant Taylor(Rex's Brother)

2 comments:

Pat said...

Thank you so much for this story!!

Great to hear about a wartime wedding from WWII!

Again, Congratulations to you, Rex and Dene....

Love,

CB said...

Yes, Rex and Dene are great models for us! We may not have many cousins on the Taylor side BUT they are very worthy! And they are still using their brains ! God has been good!