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Infant Boy Phillips

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Birth	:	1 Jun 1921 Surry County, North Carolina, USA
Death	:	1 Jun 1921 Surry County, North Carolina, USA
Burial	:	Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery, Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate	:	36.3277855, -80.7181091
Inscription	:	Infant Son of R.W. and Etta Phillips, June 3, 1921
Description	:	June 1, 2021 Infant Son and Infant Daughter of R.W. and Etta Phillips: A One Hundred Year Old Birth and Death Story Infant son of R. W. and Etta Phillips, June 3, 1921, is the inscription on a small, diamond shaped headstone in the Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery in the Fairview community of Dobson, North Carolina. Roy William Phillips and Mary Etta Poindexter Phillips were my grandparents. Today is June1, 2021, and it has been one hundred years to the day that Boy Phillips was "still-born". This is his untold story as well as... Read More	June 1, 2021 Infant Son and Infant Daughter of R.W. and Etta Phillips: A One Hundred Year Old Birth and Death Story Infant son of R. W. and Etta Phillips, June 3, 1921, is the inscription on a small, diamond shaped headstone in the Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery in the Fairview community of Dobson, North Carolina. Roy William Phillips and Mary Etta Poindexter Phillips were my grandparents. Today is June1, 2021, and it has been one hundred years to the day that Boy Phillips was "still-born". This is his untold story as well as the unknown story of his twin sister, Girl Phillips. I have been researching my Phillips family history and genealogy for more than twenty years. Edna Venable Phillips, my mother, passed away on July 16, 2011. Shortly thereafter, when researching family documents at the Surry County Court House in Dobson, North Carolina, I discovered a birth index page for June 3, 1921, the date inscribed on the small diamond shaped headstone of Infant Boy Phillips. As I read the information on the index about Boy Phillips, I noticed that the birth date was June 7, 1921, which was inconsistent with the date on the headstone, June 3, 1921. Then I noticed the line above his was another Phillips, a female, June 3, 1921, also with parents R.W. Phillips and Etta Poindexter. Was this a mistaken entry? Reading further, I noticed that more information could be obtained from volume 7 pages 407 and 414, certificates of birth for Girl and Boy Phillips. Therefore, I obtained those documents as seen below. Comparing the two birth certificates as well as Girl Phillips' death certificate (no death certificate was found by Surry County for Boy Phillips), I noticed some dates and information that seemed inconsistent. Boy Phillips was born on Wednesday, June 1, 1921, and Girl Phillips had been born on Friday, June 3, 1921, two days later than Boy Phillips. However, the date of death is not listed on Girl Phillips' death certificate. I was missing the one document that may be the clue to verify the events, a death certificate for Boy Phillips. I asked my Aunt Louise about the "twins". She told me that she had known about Boy Phillips for many years because of his headstone in the Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery. However, she said that she never knew there was a Girl Phillips. I recall my conversation with Louise, and how extremely surprised she was to learn about Girl Phillips. Also, Louise was very sad that her mother and father had never revealed the fact of Girl Phillips' birth to her. Page 1 As a matter of fact, Louise shared with me that, although there is no official document, the family always referred to the boy as "Arvil" when talking about him instead of just saying the boy, or the baby. Arvil Phillips, now that is such a wonderful and manly name for him! Likewise, there is no official document naming the girl. However, if it were up to me, but of course it is not, I believe "Angel" would be an appropriate name for her. Angel Phillips, how beautiful! Furthermore, it is strange that there is no grave or inscribed headstone for Girl Phillips. This prompted me to further my research using Ancestry.com, Surry County funeral homes, and Fairview Baptist Church for any specific documents to verify the burial place of Girl Phillips. However, my research over the last ten years has turned up very little. So, what is the true story about Girl Phillips? Where is she buried? Why had her birth and death been undiscovered for one hundred years, for a century? All family members who may have been able to provide information are now deceased. There is no one left to answer those questions. Yet, I was determined to continue researching until I found something that would possibly provide a logical reason as to why her birth and death had remained a secret, and why there is no grave for Girl Phillips. On March 8, 2021, I decided to try one more time to locate a death certificate for Boy Phillips. Again, I contacted the Register of Deeds of Deeds in Dobson, N.C., and finally the clerk did indeed locate the needed death certificate. After receiving it in the mail, I began to study the dates, the times, and the information very carefully. Looking at the date of death, the certificate revealed that Boy Phillips had been born on June 1, 1921, not June 7 that was on the birth index (see page 1). Also, the burial date on the certificate read June 3, 1921, the date inscribed on Boy Phillips' headstone. I compared those dates with the ones on Girl Phillips' death certificate. There was NO date of death on her certificate which seems odd, only the date of birth, June 3, 1921. Wow! So, there it is…a possible solution to the chain of events. Boy Phillips had been born before Girl Phillips. However, the question remains…where is Girl Phillips buried? The burial date on her death certificate is June 4, 1921, the day after her birth. Also, according to her death certificate, she was buried in the Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery. But, there is NO grave, NO headstone, and NO official church record that she was interred in the church cemetery. On March 21, 2021, I reached out to Tommy Edmunds, cemetery chairperson and member of Fairview Baptist Church, but he could not find any church records about Girl Phillips. I asked Tommy if he would check Boy Phillips' diamond shaped headstone to verify that the date was June 3, 1921. He was actually at the church at the time of our phone conversation, checked the date, and indeed it was June 3, 1921. Upon further discussion, Tommy said that he recalled that his father had told him years ago (maybe in his early teens) that there were two babies buried in the same grave in the church cemetery. Tommy was not sure that his father meant Boy and Girl Phillips, but there are no other twin babies buried there. Wow! There it is! It now seemed to make sense. Both babies must have been buried in the same grave, but why was the girl not inscribed on the headstone with the boy? I do not know the answer to that question. And, maybe no one will ever know. Page 2 A few days later I reached out to Megan Heyl, a professional genealogist in Holland, Michigan, and shared my findings and documents with her. After consulting with two doctor friends, she and the doctors speculated that the two babies were possibly still born on the same day, even though the dates on their official certificates indicated otherwise. Also, that they may have been buried together in the same grave. As to why the girl is not inscribed on the headstone, the doctors could only speculate that in 1921, boys were heirs to all family properties, therefore considered more significant than girls. Totally unacceptable to me! Maybe so, but I find it hard to believe that my grandparents, Roy and Etta Phillips, would choose to not recognize the girl on the headstone. Yet, the girl indeed was not recognized. Therefore, with approval of Fairview Baptist Church and the assistance of Tommy Edmonds, I hired a monument company, Westside Memorials of Mount Airy, North Carolina, to install a foot marker at the grave of Boy and Girl Phillips (see drawing below). A photo of the actual marker will be included in this document after Westside Memorials has completed the installation. Finally, I am glad that I have been able to gather some of the facts to piece together this unknown story of my Uncle and Aunt, Boy and Girl Phillips. There is nothing left for me to research. Possibly, someone else in the Phillips family may discover new information at sometime in the future. Oh, one last comment, Happy Centennial Birthday to my Uncle Arvil Phillips! And, Happy Centennial Birthday to my Aunt Angel Phillips! Respectively, Ronald Dean Phillips

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Infant Boy Phillips's memorial?
Infant Boy Phillips's memorial is located at: Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery, Fairview, Surry County, USA.
When did Infant Boy Phillips death?
Infant Boy Phillips death on 1 Jun 1921 in Surry County, North Carolina, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Infant Boy Phillips's memorial?
Latitude: 36.3277855
Longitude: -80.7181091

Family Members:

Parent

Roy William Phillips

(1899 - 1992)

Etta M. Poindexter Phillips

(1902 - 1984)

Siblings

Infant Girl Phillips

(1921 - 1921)

Tec5 Sgt Glenn Thomas Phillips

(1924 - 2001)

PFC Cranford W. Phillips

(1926 - 1997)

Sarah Louise Norman

(1943 - 2011)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3277855, -80.7181091

2. Richard J. Stanley Family Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3213997, -80.7099991

3. John R. Strange Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3267500, -80.7312500

4. Second Chance Church Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3248560, -80.7030870

5. Bear Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3237860, -80.6954340

6. Fairview Church of Christ Cemetery
Dobson, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3463060, -80.7332780

7. Mount Pleasant Baptist Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3024960, -80.6999610

8. Axsom Family Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3014170, -80.7363060

9. Dockery Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3404050, -80.7535480

10. Jenkins-Stanley Family Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3011436, -80.6974564

11. Chaney Family Cemetery
Dobson, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.2961120, -80.7188000

12. Stanley Cemetery
Dobson, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3497420, -80.6878850

13. Butcher Graveyard
Stony Knoll, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3072710, -80.6855890

14. New Hope Penecostal Holiness Church Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3021202, -80.7459564

15. Stanley Family Cemetery
Stony Knoll, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.2979620, -80.6937210

16. Union Cross Baptist Church Cemetery
Union Cross, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3451118, -80.7570572

17. Little Richmond Primitive Baptist Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.2982597, -80.7449188

18. Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery
Dobson, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3330345, -80.6722488

19. Snow Family Cemetery
Dobson, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3659170, -80.7149720

20. Baker-Crowder Cemetery
Stony Knoll, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.2991440, -80.6865850

21. James Martin Venable Family Cemetery
Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3458611, -80.6760000

22. Open Door Baptist Cemetery
Fairview, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3140831, -80.7632141

23. Stony Knoll United Methodist Church Cemetery
Stony Knoll, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3121109, -80.6739197

24. Mount Hermon Baptist Church Cemetery
Crutchfield, Surry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.2894610, -80.7266180