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| B.W. Taylor |
Mom has often said that her grandfather--Bryant
Waller Taylor (B.W.)—was NOT a farmer. He did not enjoy it, although of course
he lived and worked on his family farm.
He DID seem to enjoy woodworking. He had a barn full
of tools for the craft—lathes, planes and chisels of all types, and a skill saw
for making jigsaw puzzles. And, did he use these tools!
In the winter months, when the land was not in need
to tending, he would head to the barn to work. In later years, he brought his
tools to Porter Street in Batavia and continued his woodworking there.
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| My Heart's In the Highlands Puzzle |
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| Desk Lamp |
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| Chinese Checkers |
He made numerous jigsaw puzzles (and yes, they are
tough to put together—not as uniform as the puzzles we are used to today),
small boxes with lids, lamps, candlestick holders and even games. Mom remembers
his Chinese Checkers rounded game board. He would make some game pieces out of
wood and paint them, but also game pieces out of cork, as they were far easier
to carve! B.W. also made lazy susans,
and a wooden sewing stand. Many of the boxes, games and lamps would be given as
gifts to friends.
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| B.W.'s second wife, Emily Carr Taylor |
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| Sewing Stand |
Mom remembers B.W. making a large wooden ferris wheel
which was placed in the front window of his son Leon’s store on Bank Street in
Batavia. It had cigar boxes for cars [ minus lids] and he electrified so it
rotated! Looked grand according to Mom.
My great grandfather may not have enjoyed the career
of farming he had to pursue, but I am glad that he did find at least one hobby
which kept his spirit enriched. As Mom and I put together a few of Bryant
Waller’s puzzles, I saw him leaning over the workbench in his barn surrounded
by his tools. A man of many parts, the complexity of his puzzles equals the
man.
2 comments:
Great write up about Grandpa! He was a man whom one instantly recognized as being an "authority!!" As a grandfather, he was from the school of "children are to be seen NOT heard!" AS his own became adults, he kept up with them by typed letters or visits [ He would walk to Leon's store almost daiky!" And he made sets of Stilts and used them! Also loved archery which he practiced in the park adjoining his back yard. My love for National Geographic magazine was born in his parlor where we 'younguns' were sent to behave!
A man of many talents, he showed a sense of humor whe writing to his adult children, once writing a letter on a piece of birchbark and sending a christmas card modeled as a court command!
Bryant and I received one of BW's Chinese checker sets as a wedding present.. (73 years ago). I still have it and played a game not too long ago.
Evelyn
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