John Henry Taylor House
81 Norman Street
Built 1921
The house at 81 Norman Street was built in 1921 on the west part of Lot 376 which was severed from the property of 79 Norman Street. 81 Norman was built as a rental unit by Alfred Erie Francis
(A.E.F.) Jones, who was born in and lived his whole life in Stratford. On the tax assessment rolls he was listed as a broker. He was indeed a real estate and insurance broker. He was also an auctioneer, and he also owned an electrical company. He operated his various businesses out of 42 Albert Street.
The first tenant of 81 Norman Street (from 1921 to approximately 1923) was John Henry Taylor. He was born in Paris, Ontario on
January 31, 1878, the first of five children born to blacksmith Henry Taylor, born 1852, and Rose McCabe (Rose Anna or Roseanne), born 1854. Both parents were born in Ontario.
In the 1901 census John Henry was listed as a tailor, still living with his parents in Paris. On April 5, 1905 he married Nellie Rymal Graham in London, Ontario. She was born in Norwich, Oxford County on March 15, 1883, the sixth of seven children born to Andrew Cook Graham and Emma Horning, both born in Ontario around 1847. Andrew was listed as a farmer in earlier documents, but by the 1901 census the family was living in Aylmer where Andrew was listed as an agent, probably a railroad agent.
John Henry was listed as a cutter, we can presume of cloth, on the marriage records. In the 1905-1906 Stratford directory he was listed as a retail manager at the Stratford Clothing Company, and he and his family were living on St. Andrew Street. In 1907 he was listed as a merchant tailor working out of 36 Downie Street, and living at 138 Front Street. By 1909 he was a cutter again, this time for P.J. Kelly. In 1910 he was listed as a tailor, and the family continued to live at 138 Front Street. In 1912 he was again listed as a cutter, but by this time the family was living at 193 Huron Street. In 1913 he was a designer at Queen's Clothing, and the family had moved to 297 Cambria Street. From 1916 on John Henry was listed as a merchant tailor, with his business located at 101 Downie Street until 1922 when his business moved to 21 Downie Street, where it remained until the last time it was listed in 1927. John Henry and his family moved to 95 Norman Street around 1923 and remained there until 1927.
John Henry and Nellie had two sons: Kenneth Gerald, born in 1905, and Douglas Graham, born in 1911. Kenneth eventually moved to Detroit, where he married. Douglas eventually moved to Toronto, where he married. He was listed over the years as a broker, manager, inspector, foreman, and superintendent. It doesn't appear that either son had children.
John Henry and Nellie left Stratford in 1927, but the records are not clear about where they went. Their son Kenneth became a U.S. citizen in 1927, so it is possible that they joined him in Detroit, although there are no records indicating this.