Rev. Joseph W. Tays - El Paso, Texas
Reverendo Joseph W. Tays - El Paso, Tejas
Rev. Joseph W. Tays - El Paso, Texas
Reverend Joseph Tays, an Episcopal missionary who founded El Paso's first Protestant church, arrived in El Paso in 1870, a widower with two boys. C. L. Sonnichsen records the story that a month after he began his mission in El Paso, Tays sent word to Austin that he was "doing his best." Tays was learning Spanish and at least one saloon keeper had closed his doors and found another vocation because of him. He not only preached and taught, he worked in real estate and served the county as surveyor. Tays laid the cornerstone of the first St. Clement's Episcopal Church on Christmas day in 1881. Local Historian and Author Leon Metz writes that after having conducted the funeral of a smallpox victim, Tays contracted the dreaded disease himself and died after a week's suffering. Late in the evening of November 21, two men from the city wrapped Parson Tay's body in a sheet and delivered it quickly to Concordia. He was buried without ceremony in the middle of the night during a violent rain storm. The man who had helped so many in early El Paso was buried with only two grave diggers present. (per http://www.epcounty.com/history/concordia.htm)
Report this entry
More from the same community-collection
Nona Resler - 100th Birthday - 2001
On June 23, 2001 the Woman's Club of El Paso celebrated Nona ...
Julieta Guerra - Graduation - 1957
Julieta Guerra - graduation photograph from Hotel Dieu School of ...
Centennial - El Paso High School - 2016
Class of 1962 Left to right: Cecelia Cortes, Jamie Pierce ...
Centennial - El Paso High School - 2016
January 21, 2016 - during the first event to celebrate El Paso ...
Centennial - El Paso High School - 2016
Photograph - left to right: Lisa McNiel and Robert McGregor - ...
St Patrick School - Happy Valentine's Day
St Patrick School-- school kids in their El Paso Texas classroom ...
ROTC Cadette Sponsors Austin High School - 1947
These ROTC Cadettes are posing ironically in front of their ...
100 Years of Excellence in Sports - 2016
Centennial Legacy Series - March 24, 2016. El Paso High ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
Photograph of the famous tiger mascot - during the celebration ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
David Cardenas - Soccer - 1986 David Cardenas honored for ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
Orlando Cervantes honored for football, basketball, and baseball ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
Ruben Escandon - honored for golf - during the centennial legacy ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
El Paso High School honored its many athletes, cheerleaders and ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016 Edmundo Torres - ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016 Marie Pier - Flores ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016 Marie Pier - Flores ...
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016
100 Years of Excellence In Sports - 2016 Bobby Goldfarb - ...
Centennial - El Paso High School - 2016
Joey Nevarez -basketball - 1977, Caesar Alvarado - basketball - ...
Video - Centennial - El Paso High School - 2016
Video - March 24, 2016 - Opening ceremony of 100 Years of ...