WILLIAM PHILLIPS was born in London, England about 1847 and on 10 Jan 1877 married Eliza Esther Marriage at Spitalfields. He came to the United States alone, about 1887, and settled in Watertown, Codington, SD. His wife and three children arrived at Quebec 20 AUG 1892 aboard the S.S. Vancouver and continuing by rail to Port Huron, MI.

William and Eliza were divorced 12 MAR 1900, Eliza citing extreme cruelty and non support. She said he had hit her and "threatened to take her life." She said he spent all his earnings on patent medicines.

On 28 OCT 1901 William was found by the Codington County, SD Commissioners of Insanity to be insane and was involuntarily committed to the SD State Mental Hospital at Yankton, SD where he was found to be suffering from epilepsy, probably traumatic epilepsy brought on by a kick to the head from a horse. According to hospital records he was short tempered and irritable. He was described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and muscular.

According to William's hospital record he was having convulsions with increasing frequency to the point that they were happening every day. After the attacks he was described as "sullen and dull." He spent most of his time reading and talked very little.

The picture on the left is the grave marker of William Phillips. His patient number was 2131. It is very faint and doesn't show in the photo. The cemetery looks like "Potter's Field" in that there are several hundred small identical cement grave markers.

On 25 NOV 1902 William choked on a piece of meat at the noon meal. Despite efforts to revive him he was pronounced dead at 5:55pm on 26 NOV 1902 without regaining consciousness. William is buried on the hospital grounds in grave number 87. The autopsy report stated there was a hole in his brain the size of an egg. Not being a medical person I don't know how that happened or what it means but it seems to me that it could affect behavior.

William's wife had divorced him effective 12 MAR 1900. In OCT 1901 William was sent to the SD State Hospital and on 26 NOV 1902 he died there. On 17 SEP 1903 Eliza made an application to marry Lon Fuller. The License was issued the same day and on that same day a Justice of the Peace named F. A. Countryman united the couple in marriage. At some point Eliza moved to Mankato, Blue Earth, MN. I don't yet know when that was but I do know Fuller preceeded her in death. She is listed as a widow in the Mankato City Directory.

William and Eliza had the following children:

1. William Roswell PHILLIPS, my grandfather, was born 07 Dec 1879 at London, England, and emigrated to the United States August 1892 with his mother and two sisters.

2. Elizabeth PHILLIPS was born about 1880 at London, England and emigrated with the rest of her family. Elizabeth was confirmed 24 Mar 1895 at Watertown, Codington, SD by W.H. Hare, Bishop, and W. Walton, Rector, at the Trinity Episcopal Church. She married Joe BRADY and died childless before 17 Feb 1958. She and Joe lived many years in Mankato, Blue Earth, MN.

3. Susan PHILLIPS was born 31 Mar 1886 at London, England. Sue married a man by the name of GARTHWAITE with whom she had two children, Lola and Leonard.

Sue was employed between 1916 and 1937 as a housekeeper at the Rex Hotel in Mankato, Blue Earth, MN. During the 1930's Mankato was referred to as "Little Chicago," when gangsters including John Dillinger stuck their machine guns out of hotel windows. Most of these gangsters stayed at the Rex Hotel.

I don't know if GARTHWAITE died or they were divorced, but Sue received a marriage license 06 Jun 1928 to marry Amos KNOFF. There was no mention of a wedding in the local newspaper, however. Sue and Amos had no children and Amos died young at 54 on 14 MAY 1934.

After 1962 (when Sue last appeared in the city directory) she moved to Davis, Yolo, CA to live with her daughter, Lola Nichels, and applied for Social Security benefits 18 MAR 1966. She died at Davis 21 Aug 1969 and is buried at Mankato, Blue Earth, MN at The Pilgrims Rest Cemetery.

4. Walter George PHILLIPS was born at Watertown, Codington, SD 07 MAR 1894 and baptized 18 NOV 1894 at the Trinity Episcopal Church at Watertown. Walter entered the army about 1917. Read a WWI letter from Europe that Walter wrote to his sister-in-law, Alma BUSHNELL PHILLIPS.

Walter married 1st Angela P. Kurkowski on 12NOV1923 at Mankato, Blue Earth, MN, and 2nd on 11 JUN 1936, Ann Naseth at the Little Brown Church at Northwood, IA.

Angela and Walter were divorced on 23MAR1936 after a nearly year long bitter court fight. The divorce action was filed twice by Angela. The judge dismissed her claim the first time. At one point Angela accused Walter of "seeing" a married woman named Ann Benson but that was not mentioned again. Angela left the marriage with $2,000.00 in cash, a Quit-Claim-Deed to their home, and her maiden name. I have not been able to establish that Ann Benson is the woman Walter married 2nd but common sense requires one to note that he married a Woman named Ann less than three months after being divorced.

Walter worked on the railroad, operated a cafe called The Eat Shop Cafe and, from 1947 until his death, was a salesman for Hubbard Milling in Mankato. Walter died suddenly of cerebral hemorrhage on 14 FEB 1958. Walter and Ann had no children. Ann remained alone for over 30 years and died 24 MAR 1992 at the age of 94. Walter's picture page.