Samuel Pendleton TAYLOR’s home in Duffield, Virginia. A traveling artist as repayment for their generosity of bed and board painted beautiful Amish-type murals on the front of the house.
Submitted by Stephen Rhodes
Samuel Pendleton TAYLOR Home
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I knew this home and Miss Ella for most of my life, as did everyone in this area. She was an important fixture for more years than most can remember. She was loved and respected all of her life and is missed by many. It was a sad day when her home was removed and was a landmark to direct people traveling through as many stopped by just to admire the most beautiful paintings.
Thelma, the house was removed? Is it no longer standing, or was it moved to a different location?
Do you know if the woman in the photo above is Miss Ella?
At least one of the murals is now in the Appalachian Museum in Norris, TN. Both of you seem to have know Ella (or Aunt Ellie) for a long time. Do you have some stories about her or her parents. Aunt Ellie was my great aunt.
Aunt Ellie was my great great grandmother. Ida Taylor Neely (Aunt Ellie’s sister) was my great grandmother. Her son, William Elijah “Dooley” Neely was my grandfather. I have visited Aunt Ellie when at the Duffield house when I was school. I remember her showing me all the pictures of members of the Taylor family going back to the 1700s. Now I wish that I wrote down the names. I also remember the spring house and how cold and how wonderful the water tasted. It was the best water. My mother happened to see the Tree of Life painting in the Appalachian Museum and was told that the other painting wasn’t displayed but was in one of the back storage rooms. There is a small picture of Aunt Ellie standing on the porch next to one of the paintings and is displayed next to the painting in the museum. If anybody has information about the Taylors or the Bishops, please contact me at amy.hansen@pnc.com.
Aunt Ella was my great great Aunt. She raised my dad, Eugene Miller. I loved going to her house. It was such an adventure for us. I loved the cemetary, the cold water that came out of the spring house and the creek. She had a persimmon tree and every time I see a persimmon I think about her. She would walk with me up the street to the country store and buy me candy. She had a coal stove in the middle of the living room. I wrote a short English paper in college describing the painted murals on her house, I never knew the history behind them.
Hi Lisa – did you know of a man named Otto Miller? And do you know an Evelyn Miller?
Hi Gary,
Otto was my dad’s brother. he died when I was still pretty young. Did you know him?
Lisa
Lisa – I did not know him, but my sister, who is 87 years old, talks of Otto Miller. Do you know Evelyn Miller?
Gary
Lisa, aunt Ellie was my great great aunt. I’ve met your brother and have been to his house before. He has a picture in the bedroom where he has an antique bed. The pic (I can’t remember who he said they were) – wondering if you know and whether someone could take a pic of it and send it to me?
I spent a lot of time with Ellie, we lived in the green and White House at an angle across the road. Ellie could take a shotgun and shoot a snake right out of a tree. I could not believe it didn’t knock her down. She dipped a lot of snuff. When we went to the grocery store we always bought whatever she needed. She was pretty simple, didn’t need much. She was always using this phrase ” shew goodness”. She was a fiesty person, and stingy.
You need to try Rebecca Bishop Gunoe, she was Roy and Edith’s grand-daughter that lived just above Ellie
Yes, Marcella and I spent a lot of time visiting with Aunt Ellie. I have such fond memories of our time with her. Aunt Ellie was my Great Grandmother, Cora Lee Taylor Bishop’s, sister.