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Collection Number: 04808-z

Collection Title: William Monroe Phillips Papers, 1874-1960s

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 50 items
Abstract William Monroe Phillips, physician, farmer, and postmaster of Wallace, Va., was born and raised in Yadkin County, N.C. Phillips received a medical degree from New York University in 1870. He practiced medicine in Yadkinville, N.C., for three years before moving to Wallace's Switch (now Wallace), Va., in 1872. In 1880, Phillips married Jennie Garrett (d. 10 Nov. 1909) of Wallace. They had no children, but raised Phillips's niece, Willie M. Phillips (b. 1899). Letters to William Monroe Phillips from his father, Thomas Jefferson Phillips; his sisters, Martha (Mattie) Jane Phillips and Sallie Phillips Marler; and his brothers, Thomas C. Phillips and John Phillips. There are also a few genealogical and other items. Most letters written from Yadkinville, N.C., and contain family and community news about the weather, sermons, health, marriages. A few letters discuss the family's economic situation and a few discuss political speeches or events.
Creator Phillips, William Monroe, 1849-1936.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the William Monroe Phillips papers #4808-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Beverly Luther of Richmond, Va., in May 1996 (Acc. 96052) and January 1999 (Acc. 98277).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Linda Sellars, August 1996; John Foster, September 2000

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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William Monroe Phillips, physician, farmer, and postmaster of Wallace, Va., was born and raised in Yadkin County, N.C. Phillips received a medical degree from New York University in 1870. He practiced medicine in Yadkinville, N.C., for three years before moving to Wallace's Switch (now Wallace), Va., in 1872. In 1880, Phillips married Jennie Garrett (d. 10 Nov. 1909) of Wallace. They had no children, but raised Phillips's niece, Willie M. Phillips (b. 1899).

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William Monroe Phillips, called Monroe, was the son of Thomas Jefferson Phillips (1820-1890) and Kiziah Williams Phillips (1819-1894). Phillips's father farmed near Yadkinville and in 1870 bought the hotel in Yadkinville.

Born on 12 September 1849 at his grandfather's farm on Forbush Creek in Surry (now Yadkin) County, N.C., William Monroe Phillips grew up in Yadkin County and attended local schools. After studying medicine with a local doctor, he went to New York University in 1868 and studied there for a year, receiving a diploma when he reached the age of 21. Phillips returned to Yadkinville and practiced medicine for three years before moving to Wallace's Switch (now Wallace), Va., in 1872. He lived there until his death in 1936. Besides practicing medicine, Phillips farmed, served as postmaster in Wallace, and represented Washington County and the City of Bristol in the Virginia House of Delegates in the 1904 term.

In 1880, Phillips married Jennie Garrett (d. 10 November 1909) of Wallace, Va. They had no children, but raised Phillips's niece, Willie M. Phillips (b. 1899). Willie Phillips was the daughter of Phillips's brother, Thomas Caldwell Phillips (1858-1899) and Flora Ellen Wilson Phillips.

This collection contains letters to William Monroe Phillips from his father, Thomas Jefferson Phillips; his sisters, Martha (Mattie) Jane Phillips and Sallie Phillips Marler; his brothers, Thomas C. Phillips and John M. Phillips; and others. Most letters were written from Yadkinville, N.C., and contain family and community news about the weather, sermons, health, marriages. A few letters discuss the family's economic situation. The collection also contains several deeds and a program from Carolina Remembrance Day, 1906.

Some letters from Thomas C. Phillips, who was a lawyer, mention political speeches and other political events in North Carolina. A few of Thomas C. Phillips's letters describe aspects of his law practice in the 1880s. Also included are several letters from Thomas C. Phillips, studying law in Greensboro, N.C., in October-December 1879, but they address family and social news rather than his studies.

The folder of biographical and genealogical papers contains photocopies of clippings, legal documents, reminiscences, and other items collected and compiled by members of the Phillips family in the 1960s.

The collection also contains copies of plans for a residence for Mattie Phillips, Yadkinville, N.C., by W. L. White, architect, of Hickory, N.C.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse William Monroe Phillips Papers, 1874-1960s.

Folder 1

1874-1876

Folder 2

1878-1881

Folder 3

1883-1886

Folder 4

1889-1921 and undated

Folder 5

Biographical and genealogical papers

Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-4684/1

Extra-oversize papers

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