Voice of Completion From the Past: A Gift From a Diocesan Clergy Descendant

Submitted by Tammy Lanier

In May 2022, I received the most surprising, yet delightful email. So excited about its contents, I immediately replied to the email, which resulted in a telephone call. What an informative conversation we had. The email was from the great-granddaughter of the Rev. Dr. David Franklin Taylor. I view it as a gift from his descendent who is more than proud of who her great-grandfather was and all he stood for.

Ms. Donaldson, the descendent with whom I found myself speaking, was able to share so much information with me. The words flowed through her lips just as smoothly as water from a slow faucet. It is obviously understandable that the diocese had information gaps regarding her greatgrandfather as a result of the time he served the diocese. For that reason, she wanted us to know more. Because this great-granddaughter of his engages in extensive genealogy research, her own daughter seems to share the same interest. The daughter was on the internet and came across information discussing the Diocese of Texas honoring their distinguished ancestor through the Racial Justice Initiative. They were both surprised and pleased to know that a scholarship bore his name. While the family was so pleased and supportive of our recognition, Ms. Donaldson made it very clear that she wanted to share far more information.

About the Rev. Dr. David Franklin Taylor:

The woman, rightfully interested in setting his impressive record straight, shared more than a wealth of information, perspective, and context that we did not have, nor could we have imagined. For example, the Rev. Dr. David Franklin Taylor received his Doctorate in Theology from Philips University in Nevada. He is of Black Foot Indian descent, and his son Orlando Capitola Ward Taylor was also very active in the Episcopal Church. Her research has found that her ancestors were forced out of Alabama during Reconstruction because the Rev. Taylor’s grandfather was an elected official. As a result of having to relocate, the family eventually settled in Texas. It is her belief that her great grandfather was a cradle Episcopalian. Her research, though, was not fruitful when seeking information about African Americans or Native Americans within the Episcopal Church.

Ms. Donaldson went on to share that the Rev. Dr. Taylor left Texas early after his graduation and headed to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he served for many years as rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church. He later returned to Texas to pastor a church after his retirement. During his career, he also served as head of a school he helped found and was responsible for the school being endowed. It was also the school and orphanage where Louis Armstrong was raised. The Rev. Dr. Taylor’s life ended while serving at St. Luke’s.

Interesting background about his experiences in New Orleans:

The church he pastored was given $2 million as an endowment. However, she reported that the church never received the money in the way it should have because the bishop took the money into the diocese and used it to fund programs for white churches. The Rev. Dr. Taylor and his son spent the balance of his life trying to retrieve the funds on behalf of the church. She said that she remembers her own grandfather's efforts in that regard. She was with him on several of his trips to the bishop that she described as abusive, to expressly discuss the money owed to St. Luke's. That continued until the passing of her grandfather, she said.

A building belonging to St. Luke's Episcopal Church was eventually sold by the diocese for half its value to a prominent white citizen of New Orleans, and the church never received the proceeds from the sale. Those accounts, she said, are just some of the unjust circumstances under which the Rev. Dr. Taylor served the Episcopal Church. After his death, her grandfather O. C. W. Taylor was finally able to get a small fraction of the money owed to the church from the diocese. However, it was given as though it was a gift to help a "Black church" in need.

Her grandfather elevated the church from a mission--which was its status when he arrived--to a parish during his tenure. He had also served as head of the vestry for many years since it was his family’s longtime church. Ms. Donaldson said that it was a “tough job” during those times for a Black leader within the Church because of the treatment of Black Episcopalians.

Finding her way back to her roots:

Ms. Donaldson lives in the northeast and hopes to relocate to New Orleans someday. Her husband is a former professor at Episcopal Divinity School, holding a doctorate in history from Harvard University. He is a history scholar and has also participated in the research of her family’s history. The conversation with Ms. Donaldson was more than enlightening. It is for that reason that the Diocese of Texas should be even prouder of its work around racial justice and reconciliation through its trailblazing Racial Justice Initiative. In retrospect, we now realize that we only knew a glimpse about the Rev. Dr. David Franklin Taylor. However, the little that we knew was so impressive that he was deemed worthy to have a scholarship in his name. Had it not been for that, we would not know all that we know today about this servant leader in the Episcopal Church.