Philanthropist. Once considered the "Patron Saint of Watertown, NY", Mrs. Emma Gertrude Flower Taylor was noted all her life for her generosity. She was born in the home of her father, the late Governor Roswell P. Flower on Arsenal Street in Watertown on March 23, 1870.
Adhering strictly to a rule adopted by her distinguished father, Mrs. Taylor gave at least a tenth of her income to charity; but never did she permit her private charities to be known. Scores of people in Watertown were accorded financial assistance by Mrs. Taylor to the complete ignorance of others. Her list of pensioners was an exceedingly large one, and many thousands of dollars were given by her, annually, to make life liveable for others. The Roswell P. Flower Memorial library on Washington street, opened to the public in the fall of 1904 as a memorial to her father, was given to the city by Mrs. Taylor with its elaborate furnishings and many of its books. It was one of the finest libraries in a city of this size in the world. She was instrumental in the opening of the doors of Trinity parish house (razed in 2016), an institution connected with Trinity Episcopal church, which house she gave as a memorial to her father and her uncle, the late Anson Ranney Flower. Over a long period of years, she had been a member of the board of trustees of the Henry Keep Home, as well as a member of the board of managers of Trinity House. In view of the fact that the present Trinity church edifice was given as a gift by her father and her uncle, Mrs. Taylor's advice was much sought after in the conduct of the affairs of the church and the parish. Ancestors of hers fought in the American revolution, and she was herself a member of the LeRay de Chaumont chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Besides helping to support the Bide-A-Wee Hospital in Watertown, NY, there were other institutions outside of this city to which she had given extensive amounts of money, including the The Flower Free Surgical Hospital, which was built by the New York Medical College in 1889, and was the first teaching hospital in the country to be owned by a medical college. It was constructed at York Avenue and 63rd Street in New York city with funds given largely by her father, then Congressman Roswell P. Flower.
Before her death, she had traveled from Watertown, NY to Florida on account of her health. When she arrived there, she was able to be about and take daily rides as the weather permitted. In March, 1934, her condition showed a turn for the worse and her health began to fail. Her death occurred at a Miami Beach hospital at 10:50 a.m. on April 4, 1934. With her at the time of her death were her two sons, Frederic H. Taylor and Roswell F. Taylor, two grandchildren, and Mrs. Mary S. Goodale, a lifelong friend of Mrs. Taylor.
Funeral services were held from Trinity Episcopal Church, Watertown, NY, with the rector, Rev. Walter C. Middleton, officiating, assisted by the curate of the church, Rev. Frank L. Titus. Her body was laid to rest in her own plot in the Lakeside section of Brookside cemetery, Watertown, NY.
Adhering strictly to a rule adopted by her distinguished father, Mrs. Taylor gave at least a tenth of her income to charity; but never did she permit her private charities to be known. Scores of people in Watertown were accorded financial assistance by Mrs. Taylor to the complete ignorance of others. Her list of pensioners was an exceedingly large one, and many thousands of dollars were given by her, annually, to make life liveable for others. The Roswell P. Flower Memorial library on Washington street, opened to the public in the fall of 1904 as a memorial to her father, was given to the city by Mrs. Taylor with its elaborate furnishings and many of its books. It was one of the finest libraries in a city of this size in the world. She was instrumental in the opening of the doors of Trinity parish house (razed in 2016), an institution connected with Trinity Episcopal church, which house she gave as a memorial to her father and her uncle, the late Anson Ranney Flower. Over a long period of years, she had been a member of the board of trustees of the Henry Keep Home, as well as a member of the board of managers of Trinity House. In view of the fact that the present Trinity church edifice was given as a gift by her father and her uncle, Mrs. Taylor's advice was much sought after in the conduct of the affairs of the church and the parish. Ancestors of hers fought in the American revolution, and she was herself a member of the LeRay de Chaumont chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Besides helping to support the Bide-A-Wee Hospital in Watertown, NY, there were other institutions outside of this city to which she had given extensive amounts of money, including the The Flower Free Surgical Hospital, which was built by the New York Medical College in 1889, and was the first teaching hospital in the country to be owned by a medical college. It was constructed at York Avenue and 63rd Street in New York city with funds given largely by her father, then Congressman Roswell P. Flower.
Before her death, she had traveled from Watertown, NY to Florida on account of her health. When she arrived there, she was able to be about and take daily rides as the weather permitted. In March, 1934, her condition showed a turn for the worse and her health began to fail. Her death occurred at a Miami Beach hospital at 10:50 a.m. on April 4, 1934. With her at the time of her death were her two sons, Frederic H. Taylor and Roswell F. Taylor, two grandchildren, and Mrs. Mary S. Goodale, a lifelong friend of Mrs. Taylor.
Funeral services were held from Trinity Episcopal Church, Watertown, NY, with the rector, Rev. Walter C. Middleton, officiating, assisted by the curate of the church, Rev. Frank L. Titus. Her body was laid to rest in her own plot in the Lakeside section of Brookside cemetery, Watertown, NY.
Philanthropist. Once considered the "Patron Saint of Watertown, NY", Mrs. Emma Gertrude Flower Taylor was noted all her life for her generosity. She was born in the home of her father, the late Governor Roswell P. Flower on Arsenal Street in Watertown on March 23, 1870.
Adhering strictly to a rule adopted by her distinguished father, Mrs. Taylor gave at least a tenth of her income to charity; but never did she permit her private charities to be known. Scores of people in Watertown were accorded financial assistance by Mrs. Taylor to the complete ignorance of others. Her list of pensioners was an exceedingly large one, and many thousands of dollars were given by her, annually, to make life liveable for others. The Roswell P. Flower Memorial library on Washington street, opened to the public in the fall of 1904 as a memorial to her father, was given to the city by Mrs. Taylor with its elaborate furnishings and many of its books. It was one of the finest libraries in a city of this size in the world. She was instrumental in the opening of the doors of Trinity parish house (razed in 2016), an institution connected with Trinity Episcopal church, which house she gave as a memorial to her father and her uncle, the late Anson Ranney Flower. Over a long period of years, she had been a member of the board of trustees of the Henry Keep Home, as well as a member of the board of managers of Trinity House. In view of the fact that the present Trinity church edifice was given as a gift by her father and her uncle, Mrs. Taylor's advice was much sought after in the conduct of the affairs of the church and the parish. Ancestors of hers fought in the American revolution, and she was herself a member of the LeRay de Chaumont chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Besides helping to support the Bide-A-Wee Hospital in Watertown, NY, there were other institutions outside of this city to which she had given extensive amounts of money, including the The Flower Free Surgical Hospital, which was built by the New York Medical College in 1889, and was the first teaching hospital in the country to be owned by a medical college. It was constructed at York Avenue and 63rd Street in New York city with funds given largely by her father, then Congressman Roswell P. Flower.
Before her death, she had traveled from Watertown, NY to Florida on account of her health. When she arrived there, she was able to be about and take daily rides as the weather permitted. In March, 1934, her condition showed a turn for the worse and her health began to fail. Her death occurred at a Miami Beach hospital at 10:50 a.m. on April 4, 1934. With her at the time of her death were her two sons, Frederic H. Taylor and Roswell F. Taylor, two grandchildren, and Mrs. Mary S. Goodale, a lifelong friend of Mrs. Taylor.
Funeral services were held from Trinity Episcopal Church, Watertown, NY, with the rector, Rev. Walter C. Middleton, officiating, assisted by the curate of the church, Rev. Frank L. Titus. Her body was laid to rest in her own plot in the Lakeside section of Brookside cemetery, Watertown, NY.
Adhering strictly to a rule adopted by her distinguished father, Mrs. Taylor gave at least a tenth of her income to charity; but never did she permit her private charities to be known. Scores of people in Watertown were accorded financial assistance by Mrs. Taylor to the complete ignorance of others. Her list of pensioners was an exceedingly large one, and many thousands of dollars were given by her, annually, to make life liveable for others. The Roswell P. Flower Memorial library on Washington street, opened to the public in the fall of 1904 as a memorial to her father, was given to the city by Mrs. Taylor with its elaborate furnishings and many of its books. It was one of the finest libraries in a city of this size in the world. She was instrumental in the opening of the doors of Trinity parish house (razed in 2016), an institution connected with Trinity Episcopal church, which house she gave as a memorial to her father and her uncle, the late Anson Ranney Flower. Over a long period of years, she had been a member of the board of trustees of the Henry Keep Home, as well as a member of the board of managers of Trinity House. In view of the fact that the present Trinity church edifice was given as a gift by her father and her uncle, Mrs. Taylor's advice was much sought after in the conduct of the affairs of the church and the parish. Ancestors of hers fought in the American revolution, and she was herself a member of the LeRay de Chaumont chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Besides helping to support the Bide-A-Wee Hospital in Watertown, NY, there were other institutions outside of this city to which she had given extensive amounts of money, including the The Flower Free Surgical Hospital, which was built by the New York Medical College in 1889, and was the first teaching hospital in the country to be owned by a medical college. It was constructed at York Avenue and 63rd Street in New York city with funds given largely by her father, then Congressman Roswell P. Flower.
Before her death, she had traveled from Watertown, NY to Florida on account of her health. When she arrived there, she was able to be about and take daily rides as the weather permitted. In March, 1934, her condition showed a turn for the worse and her health began to fail. Her death occurred at a Miami Beach hospital at 10:50 a.m. on April 4, 1934. With her at the time of her death were her two sons, Frederic H. Taylor and Roswell F. Taylor, two grandchildren, and Mrs. Mary S. Goodale, a lifelong friend of Mrs. Taylor.
Funeral services were held from Trinity Episcopal Church, Watertown, NY, with the rector, Rev. Walter C. Middleton, officiating, assisted by the curate of the church, Rev. Frank L. Titus. Her body was laid to rest in her own plot in the Lakeside section of Brookside cemetery, Watertown, NY.
Gravesite Details
Lakeside 1 Lot 64-66. Information in bio gleaned largely from articles located in the archives at the Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, NY. It should be noted that Emma's marriage to John Byron Taylor ended in divorce in 1910.
