Phillips Family (Stokes County, N.C.) Papers
The Phillips family was established in Stokes County, N.C. and multiple generations of the family are tied to both the county and Wake Forest College, later University. Wake Forest alumni in the family include John. Y Phillips (1875), Matthew Dalton Phillips Sr. (1875), Albert Rufus Phillips (1913), Matthew Dalton Phillips Jr. (1914), and Anne Radford Phillips (1958). Materials include artifacts, biographical and genealogical information, correspondence, educational materials, financial and legal documents, notebooks, personal writings, photographs, programs, subject files, and sermons.
Biographical and Historical Note
Dr. Matthew Dalton Phillips (1851-1925) and Margaret Melissa (née Dalton) Phillips (1862-1947) lived in Stokes County, N.C. Matthew Dalton Sr. had three brothers: John Y. (1846 or 1847-1919), William Henry Phillips (1843-1862), and Thomas Jefferson Phillips (1863-1891), who appear in the collection as well. Margaret Melissa, sometimes called Maggie, also had siblings, including sisters Georgia and Ida and brother Ernest.
Together, Matthew and Margaret had 10 children: infant Kate (1885), Melissa Anne Scott Phillips Hyman (1886-1958), Albert Rufus (A. R.) Phillips (1888-1969), Matthew Dalton Phillips, Jr. (1890-1967), Ernest Nicholas Phillips (1893-1963), Margaret Josephine Phillips Hunter (1896-1969), Georgia Louise Phillips Kiser (1898-1989), Mildred Rives Phillips Reifsnider (1900 or 1901-1981), Julia Frances Phillips Mitchell (1902-1983), and Ruth Poindexter Phillips (1906-1998). Three siblings are known to have attended the private school Dalton Institute in Stokes County, N.C.: Melissa, Albert, and Matthew.
Both Matthew, Jr., and Ernest served in World War I, and at least one was a member of the Layfaette Escadrillein France. This unit was made up of American and French pilots who flew both for combat and reconnaissance.
Albert (A. R.) and Ruth Phillips became Southern Baptist Convention missionaries to Argentina. They had four children who survived to adulthood - John Dalton Phillips, William Rufus Phillips, Margaret Phillips, and Anne Radford Phillips - and several whom died in infancy, including Evelyn Dalton Phillips and Sterling Cook Phillips. Ruth's parents, John James Smithson (J. J. S.) Cook and Helen Cook, of La Crosse, Virginia, also have materials in the collection.
The following Phillips family members are Wake Forest alumni: John. Y (1875), Matthew Dalton Sr. (1875), Albert Rufus (1913), Matthew Dalton Jr. (1914), and Anne Radford (1958).
Collection Overview
This collection documents the family history of the Phillips family, mostly of Stokes County, N.C., and personal history of individual members. Some items reflect Phillips men's military service, during the Civil War (on behalf of the Confederate States of America), World War I, and World War II. Local educational institutions are also included, such as the Dalton Institute, North Carolina College for Women (now University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Leaksville-Spray Institute, Mars Hill College, University of Chicago, Wake Forest College, and Western Reserve University. Some materials from A. R. and Ruth Phillips' time in Argentina are in Spanish; most materials relate to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina. Material types include artifacts, biographical and genealogical information, correspondence, educational materials, financial and legal documents, maps, notebooks, personal writings, photographs, programs, subject files, and sermons.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by: John Woodard; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex, 2004
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z.Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Phillips Family (Stokes County, N.C.) Papers (MS358), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.