Mr Elmer Zebley Taylor was born in Smyrna, Kent, Delaware on 13 March 1864.
He was the son of George Washington Taylor (1836-1910), a machinist, and Mary Elizabeth Dady (1841-1929), both Delaware natives, and his known siblings were: Gilbert Beebe (1860-1939), Evelyn (1862-1942, later Mrs Henry Denney Boyer), Gove Salisbury (b. 1866), Lucy (1868-1908), Frank Jefferson (1870-1882), George Dady (1872-1916), Mary (1874-1875), Nellie Collins (1877-1971, later Rowland) and Cyrus (1883-1957).
By the time of the 1880 census Elmer had already left school and was, like his father, working as a machinist. He later lived in Philadelphia and was married in 1886 to Juliet Cummings Wright (b. 1862), also a native of Smyrna, and the couple moved to England in the 1890s and were avid globe-trotters, remaining childless.
Known as a pioneer in the paper container industry, Elmer designed and manufactured automatic machinery for moisture-proof paper food containers. He began the manufacture of paper cups in England in 1906 under the name Mono Containers Ltd, which had factories in ten countries and then opened Mono Service Co. in Newark, New Jersey in 1910. His business partner was Fletcher Lambert-Williams.
The Taylors would spend many summers in East Orange, New Jersey and they were heading there from London at the time of the disaster. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton as first class passengers (ticket number 19996 which cost £52) and they occupied cabin C-126; also travelling aboard was Fletcher Lambert-Williams.
On the night of the sinking Mr Taylor reported that he was awakened by the impact. He and his wife got up and dressed, leaving their stateroom. On their way to the boat deck they passed Lambert-Williams' cabin and knocked the door; he answered but said he didn't believe it worthwhile to get up. They never saw him again.
Mr and Mrs Taylor were rescued probably in boat 5 or 7.
When the second boat was lowered there were only two men remaining on the deck, Taylor and another person. After the boat was lowered slightly it was discovered that there was room for two more and they were ordered in. Therefore both were saved. — Camden Daily Courier, Thursday 16th May 1912
He and Juliet resettled in East Orange, New Jersey in 1914 and he was widowed in 1927. He was remarried twice, firstly to Katherine Elizabeth Guthrie (b. 1871 in Cleveland, Ohio) and secondly to Beatrice Swann (b. 1896 in Charlestown, West Virginia).
He sold Mono Service Co. in 1945 to Continental Can Co., Inc., and continued to serve as a consultant engineer. The Titanic disaster did not deter Taylor from sea voyages and he continued to travel well into old age. Just before the outbreak of WWII he made two business trips to Russia. Ships he travelled aboard included: Paris, Bremen, Majestic, Homeric, Mauretania, Queen Elizabeth and several voyages aboard Olympic. He was also a frequent visitor to the Mayfair Hotel in London.
Elmer lived at 67 South Munn Avenue, East Orange. He died on 20 May 1949 aged 85 and was buried with his first wife in St Peter's Cemetery, Smyrna, Delaware.
Comment and discuss
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My Great Uncle, Mr. Elmer Zebley Taylor and his wife Juliet were survivors of the Titantic. I have detailed memoires of my Uncle's life which include the events leading up to and including the sinking of the Titanic. I am very interested in pictures and/or additional information / geneology regarding my Uncle and his wife. Taylor Maryland
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I was fascinated in the last conversation about Elmer Taylor's memoirs. I was wondering how I might go about obtaining them? Thanks, Mike
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Hi Mike, Elmer Taylor's memoirs were privately published back in the 1940's. In 1986, I was in Smyrna, Delaware, researching Elmer and Juliet Taylor. The local town library had a copy of the book. One year later, I bought the book at a garage sale in perfect condition. The account is very detailed, and most interesting. There are even several photographs of Elmer throughout the text. Please e-mail me privately. Mike Findlay
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as recorded aboard Carpathia). He is one of the survivors who claimed to have seen the iceberg. Can you provide the title of his memoirs?
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And one from...
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Thanks, Jason JUMPED INTO THE SEA; PICKED UP E. Z. Taylor of Philadelphia, one of the survivors, jumped into the sea just three minutes before the boat sank, He told a graphic story as he came from the Carpathia. "I was eating when the boat struck the iceberg," he said. "There was an awful shock that made the boat tremble from stem to stern. I did not realize for some time what had happened, No one seemed to know the extent of the accident. We were told an Iceberg had been struck by the ship. "I felt the boat rise and it seemed to me that it was riding over the ice. I ran out on the deck and then I could see ice. It...
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You're welcome, Chris. From what I can find, Taylor's memoirs were only privately published. It would be interesting to read fully but unless his family decides to publish them into a book, we may not get a definite answer.
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I confess that I found some of the statements rather, well, unbelievable. Could the Toronto Daily Star have embellished Elmer Taylor's account to Although there is some uncertainty about the actual lifeboat on...
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I agree, some of them just don't fit. If it is yellow journalism which it more than likely is, then it wouldn't be the first time. Sensationalism rears it's ugly head, yet again.
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Steward Thomas Whiteley claimed that he jumped overboard and swam in his life vest for several hours before reaching a lifeboat but instead of pulling him on board, the occupants beat him with their oars. But Whiteley hung on and hoped one of the occupants would die so that he could take the dead person's place. Eventually someone did die and the body was promptly pushed overboard and Whitetley was hauled up. Unbelievable as that sounds, it probably came from Whiteley himself. But I doubt that even he would have claimed that he had swallowed so much water during those several hours of icy swimming that doctors had to remove his stomach and replace it (not sure with what) as an unspecified newspaper claimed.
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Hi Chris, I just so happened to visit ET tonight and saw your message about the Taylors. The name of Elmer's memoirs was titled "Jigsaw Puzzle of People Whom I Met or Associated" or something to that effect. Elmer penned his life's journey in a privately printed memoir written in the early 1940s. The Titanic episode was but just a small chapter in the book but Elmer devoted much detail to his experiences. I am currently searching for Elmer's memoirs for another member of the ET message board but unfortunately they are located in a storage facility a distance from my home. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions about Elmer, his wife or the memoirs in general, I'll be glad to try and answer. Many of Elmer's tales remain engraved in my memory so I can try to help until I can get my hands on the book. Mike Findlay
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Thanks, Mike! I looked up the book through the World Catalog and found only one library where it is listed (in Delaware). Unfortunately, I am in Palo Alto, California. [URL...
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E Z Taylor married my Aunt Bea Givens Swan.
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- Bob Martin
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