TAINTOR, CHARLES WYATT

Copyright 2011-2017 John N. Lupia, III

Charles Wyatt Taintor (1850-1892), was born the third of seven children on November 29, 1850, at Hartford, Connecticut, son of Charles Michael Taintor (1817-1905), and Mary Lord Taintor (1822-1883). In 1855 he is listed living with his family in the home of his grandfather Charles Taintor (1787-1864), a native of Orford, New Hampshire, and his grandmother Phoebe Hubbard Wells Taintor, at Shelburne, Franklin County, Massachusetts. His great-grandfather was Deacon Michael Taintor (1748-1831), of Orford, New Hampshire, and his great-grandmother was Lydia Loomis Taintor. They are descendants of Michael Taintor (1652-1730), a member of the General Assembly and Town Clerk of Colchester.

Fig. C. W. Taintor, Glastonbury, Connecticut, is listed among the "Coin Dealers" by William Elliot Woodward in his coin auction catalogue of March 31 through April 2, 1879, in his list appended at the end of the sale. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library.

Among Taintor's clients were the Babb Brothers are completely unknown to American numismatic history. They do have significance to that history since they collected coins and kept them in cases and apparently purchased coins from Charles Wyatt Taintor. The Babb Brothers are Welsh. They came to America about 1870 and their activity gives us a window to view the activity of coin collectors in America in the first decade of the coin collecting explosion.

Fig. Postal Card sent by William Henry Babb (1840-1905) to his friend and coin dealer Charles Wyatt Taintnor (correctly spelled Taintor), Glastonbury, Connecticut, postmarked June 16, 1873, West Meriden, Connecticut. "My Brother has gone to Europe for a trip and will not return till 6th of August Your "Coins" just received are in my possession. If you wish them previous to his return I will send them [to] you on application. He would have been glad of them before he went as he took a case with him." William's brother who ordered the coins from Taintor is Albert O. Babb (1842-1921), a druggist at Meriden. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library. Extremely Rare. Estimate $200-$300.

Taintor is listed in the 1891 Manchester City Directory as a second-hand book dealer.

He died on January 4, 1892.

Taintor is buried in East Cemetery, Manchester, Hartford County, Connecticut.

Bibliography :

Elias Loomis, The Descendants of Joseph Loomis. (New Haven : Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1880) Volume 1

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