Roy Howard Phillips was born on August 29, 1898 at the home of his grandparents, Oscar and Mary Phillips, on the corner of Vermontville Hwy and Gresham Rd. The farm is next to the Gresham Cemetery and he was buried in that cemetery after his death on December 27, 1960, about 100 yards from where he was born.
Roy was the first child of Ralph and Bessie Mary (Hubbard) Phillips. His parents had six sons and one daughter: the other children were Myrna Jean (Streeter) 1901, Robert Oscar 1904, Ion Donald (my father) 1907, Van Leland 1909, Charles Ralph 1913, and Paul Frederick 1917.
I know that Roy went to school in Olivet, Michigan. I doubt that he graduated. His parents ran a country store at Anger Station, about four miles out of Olivet. It was a train station for the Michigan Central RR between Lansing and Battle Creek.
The store was destroyed in a fire in 1918. At that time, Roy was working the wheat harvest from Texas to Minnesota. He was in Minnesota when his mother wrote to him to come home. His father had deserted the family. His mother needed him.
Roy returned and the family moved to Lansing on Charlton Terrace near the Olds Factory. His mother ran a boarding house and worked as an upholsterer at the Olds. Roy got a job at the Atlas Drop Forge. Sons Robert and Ion (my father) were given to farmers in Okemos and Vermontville. Van, Charles, Paul and Myrna lived at home on Charlton Terrace. Roy was head of the family now. He became the overhead crane operator at the Drop Forge. With the high noise level of the forge hammers he became quite deaf. He worked at the Drop Forge the rest of his life.
In 1926 Roy purchased a 40-acre farm, one mile north of Wacousta on the SW corner of Wacousta Rd and Howe Rd. It was without electricity or plumbing. The basement was accessed from the outside and was with dirt walls and a dirt floor. It was heated by a cast iron stove in the living room. There were two bedrooms, one for his mother and one for two of his brothers. Roy slept in the living room as did I. Paul left home about then to work on another farm. We got electricity in the mid 1930s. We added a kitchen and bathroom in about 1940 and had running water. That end of the house was heated by a wood-burning cook stove. We got a telephone in about 1943, which was in a oak box hanging on the wall. It was about a 16-party line — our ring was 2 long 4 short.
Roy remained a bachelor all his life. He was quiet, but sociable. I never heard him swear or speak out against anyone. He was not judgmental. He treated me more like a father would treat a son. He took pains to explain things to me. My other uncles teased me and were more like older brothers. When the war came, Uncles Charley, Van and Paul all went into the military service. Uncle Roy began to rely on me more and we became quite close. This pleased me and made me feel important. I will always remember him as a good man who made great sacrifices for his family and never with any complaints.
By nephew Robert Rolfe Phillips on March 1, 2016.
Roy was the first child of Ralph and Bessie Mary (Hubbard) Phillips. His parents had six sons and one daughter: the other children were Myrna Jean (Streeter) 1901, Robert Oscar 1904, Ion Donald (my father) 1907, Van Leland 1909, Charles Ralph 1913, and Paul Frederick 1917.
I know that Roy went to school in Olivet, Michigan. I doubt that he graduated. His parents ran a country store at Anger Station, about four miles out of Olivet. It was a train station for the Michigan Central RR between Lansing and Battle Creek.
The store was destroyed in a fire in 1918. At that time, Roy was working the wheat harvest from Texas to Minnesota. He was in Minnesota when his mother wrote to him to come home. His father had deserted the family. His mother needed him.
Roy returned and the family moved to Lansing on Charlton Terrace near the Olds Factory. His mother ran a boarding house and worked as an upholsterer at the Olds. Roy got a job at the Atlas Drop Forge. Sons Robert and Ion (my father) were given to farmers in Okemos and Vermontville. Van, Charles, Paul and Myrna lived at home on Charlton Terrace. Roy was head of the family now. He became the overhead crane operator at the Drop Forge. With the high noise level of the forge hammers he became quite deaf. He worked at the Drop Forge the rest of his life.
In 1926 Roy purchased a 40-acre farm, one mile north of Wacousta on the SW corner of Wacousta Rd and Howe Rd. It was without electricity or plumbing. The basement was accessed from the outside and was with dirt walls and a dirt floor. It was heated by a cast iron stove in the living room. There were two bedrooms, one for his mother and one for two of his brothers. Roy slept in the living room as did I. Paul left home about then to work on another farm. We got electricity in the mid 1930s. We added a kitchen and bathroom in about 1940 and had running water. That end of the house was heated by a wood-burning cook stove. We got a telephone in about 1943, which was in a oak box hanging on the wall. It was about a 16-party line — our ring was 2 long 4 short.
Roy remained a bachelor all his life. He was quiet, but sociable. I never heard him swear or speak out against anyone. He was not judgmental. He treated me more like a father would treat a son. He took pains to explain things to me. My other uncles teased me and were more like older brothers. When the war came, Uncles Charley, Van and Paul all went into the military service. Uncle Roy began to rely on me more and we became quite close. This pleased me and made me feel important. I will always remember him as a good man who made great sacrifices for his family and never with any complaints.
By nephew Robert Rolfe Phillips on March 1, 2016.
Roy Howard Phillips was born on August 29, 1898 at the home of his grandparents, Oscar and Mary Phillips, on the corner of Vermontville Hwy and Gresham Rd. The farm is next to the Gresham Cemetery and he was buried in that cemetery after his death on December 27, 1960, about 100 yards from where he was born.
Roy was the first child of Ralph and Bessie Mary (Hubbard) Phillips. His parents had six sons and one daughter: the other children were Myrna Jean (Streeter) 1901, Robert Oscar 1904, Ion Donald (my father) 1907, Van Leland 1909, Charles Ralph 1913, and Paul Frederick 1917.
I know that Roy went to school in Olivet, Michigan. I doubt that he graduated. His parents ran a country store at Anger Station, about four miles out of Olivet. It was a train station for the Michigan Central RR between Lansing and Battle Creek.
The store was destroyed in a fire in 1918. At that time, Roy was working the wheat harvest from Texas to Minnesota. He was in Minnesota when his mother wrote to him to come home. His father had deserted the family. His mother needed him.
Roy returned and the family moved to Lansing on Charlton Terrace near the Olds Factory. His mother ran a boarding house and worked as an upholsterer at the Olds. Roy got a job at the Atlas Drop Forge. Sons Robert and Ion (my father) were given to farmers in Okemos and Vermontville. Van, Charles, Paul and Myrna lived at home on Charlton Terrace. Roy was head of the family now. He became the overhead crane operator at the Drop Forge. With the high noise level of the forge hammers he became quite deaf. He worked at the Drop Forge the rest of his life.
In 1926 Roy purchased a 40-acre farm, one mile north of Wacousta on the SW corner of Wacousta Rd and Howe Rd. It was without electricity or plumbing. The basement was accessed from the outside and was with dirt walls and a dirt floor. It was heated by a cast iron stove in the living room. There were two bedrooms, one for his mother and one for two of his brothers. Roy slept in the living room as did I. Paul left home about then to work on another farm. We got electricity in the mid 1930s. We added a kitchen and bathroom in about 1940 and had running water. That end of the house was heated by a wood-burning cook stove. We got a telephone in about 1943, which was in a oak box hanging on the wall. It was about a 16-party line — our ring was 2 long 4 short.
Roy remained a bachelor all his life. He was quiet, but sociable. I never heard him swear or speak out against anyone. He was not judgmental. He treated me more like a father would treat a son. He took pains to explain things to me. My other uncles teased me and were more like older brothers. When the war came, Uncles Charley, Van and Paul all went into the military service. Uncle Roy began to rely on me more and we became quite close. This pleased me and made me feel important. I will always remember him as a good man who made great sacrifices for his family and never with any complaints.
By nephew Robert Rolfe Phillips on March 1, 2016.
Roy was the first child of Ralph and Bessie Mary (Hubbard) Phillips. His parents had six sons and one daughter: the other children were Myrna Jean (Streeter) 1901, Robert Oscar 1904, Ion Donald (my father) 1907, Van Leland 1909, Charles Ralph 1913, and Paul Frederick 1917.
I know that Roy went to school in Olivet, Michigan. I doubt that he graduated. His parents ran a country store at Anger Station, about four miles out of Olivet. It was a train station for the Michigan Central RR between Lansing and Battle Creek.
The store was destroyed in a fire in 1918. At that time, Roy was working the wheat harvest from Texas to Minnesota. He was in Minnesota when his mother wrote to him to come home. His father had deserted the family. His mother needed him.
Roy returned and the family moved to Lansing on Charlton Terrace near the Olds Factory. His mother ran a boarding house and worked as an upholsterer at the Olds. Roy got a job at the Atlas Drop Forge. Sons Robert and Ion (my father) were given to farmers in Okemos and Vermontville. Van, Charles, Paul and Myrna lived at home on Charlton Terrace. Roy was head of the family now. He became the overhead crane operator at the Drop Forge. With the high noise level of the forge hammers he became quite deaf. He worked at the Drop Forge the rest of his life.
In 1926 Roy purchased a 40-acre farm, one mile north of Wacousta on the SW corner of Wacousta Rd and Howe Rd. It was without electricity or plumbing. The basement was accessed from the outside and was with dirt walls and a dirt floor. It was heated by a cast iron stove in the living room. There were two bedrooms, one for his mother and one for two of his brothers. Roy slept in the living room as did I. Paul left home about then to work on another farm. We got electricity in the mid 1930s. We added a kitchen and bathroom in about 1940 and had running water. That end of the house was heated by a wood-burning cook stove. We got a telephone in about 1943, which was in a oak box hanging on the wall. It was about a 16-party line — our ring was 2 long 4 short.
Roy remained a bachelor all his life. He was quiet, but sociable. I never heard him swear or speak out against anyone. He was not judgmental. He treated me more like a father would treat a son. He took pains to explain things to me. My other uncles teased me and were more like older brothers. When the war came, Uncles Charley, Van and Paul all went into the military service. Uncle Roy began to rely on me more and we became quite close. This pleased me and made me feel important. I will always remember him as a good man who made great sacrifices for his family and never with any complaints.
By nephew Robert Rolfe Phillips on March 1, 2016.
Gravesite Details
1857
