George and Myrtle Phillips papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0377

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The correspondence, educational files, and scrapbooks of George A. Phillips, a Black teacher and principal in Cincinnati, Ohio, covers a span of years form 1844 to 1976, with the bulk of the collection covering the years 1900 to 1976. The collection contains educational files and writings produced during his years of teaching and scrapbooks which he compiled and which detail his life and accomplishments. The correspondence primarily is with friends, family, and business acquaintances. Also included in this collection are thirty-five diaries which his wife Myrtle Phillips kept from 1932 to 1971.

Dates

Creation: 1844-1976

Extent

6.70 Cubic Feet (13 legal archival boxes and 1 flat box)

Creator

Phillips family (Family)
Phillips, George Augustus, 1885-1984 (Person)
Phillips, Myrtle Ann Reynolds, 1889-1973 (Person)

Scope and Contents

The George and Myrtle Phillips papers include correspondence which is arranged by correspondent's name. This correspondence includes letters between George and Myrtle, letters with friends and family, copies of letters written by George, correspondence with various educational and business contacts, personal and general correspondence.

One subject file is included in this collection which pertains to education. Included in this file are George Phillips' college and university records and credentials, notes on classes and seminars, a masters thesis, student notebooks, and reports. This collection also contains many literary productions. Among these are autograph books, Myrtle Phillips' diaries, family genealogies, a record of trips, the history of settlements in Paulding County, and the story of George Phillips' struggle for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

The only financial document in this collection is a financial ledger containing listings of the Phillips' expenditures and receipts for the years 1912-1950. The collection also contains scrapbooks compiled by George Phillips which pertain to his life, family and friends. He also saved newspaper clippings which provide information on his life and various subjects of interest to him.

The collection also includes two ledgers listing the books contained in his library, membership cards of organizations to which he belonged, and photographs of his house and of various trips. The oversize material includes two large scrapbooks about George Phillips' life which contain newspaper clippings, correspondence, printed material and photographs, and a copy of a Black newspaper published in Cincinnati.

This collection provides excellent information specifically on George Phillips' struggle as a Black man to obtain an education and establish a career, and on Phillips' marriage and family. Generally, this collection provides information on the education of minority and urban youth, Black family history, and local history--Paulding County and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Biographical / Historical

George Augustus Phillips (1885-1984) was a teacher and principal in Ohio and Michigan for fifty years. He was born on December 22, 1885, to Rev. Lloyd Phillips and Georgiana (Howard) Phillips in Washington Township, Paulding County, Ohio. He graduated from Paulding High School in 1907 and began teaching. He later took up farming but went back to teaching in 1917 when he moved to Cassopolis, Michigan. Phillips attended Western Michigan State College in Kalamazoo during the early twenties and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1924.

He moved from Michigan to Cincinnati where he received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1927. He taught from 1924 to 1935 at the Stowe-Jackson School, Cincinnati, and was principal of the Stowe School organization from 1935 to 1956, when he retired. His Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education was recognized and accepted in 1939 and he received an honorary degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1968.

Myrtle Ann Reynolds (1889-1973) was George Phillips' wife for sixty-four years. She was born on March 24, 1889, to Orlando Reynolds and Casselia (Allen) Reynolds in Ridge Township, Van Wert County, Ohio. She married George Phillips on October 31, 1909. She died on July 14, 1973, in Cincinnati.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following series:

Correspondence, 1902-1972
Subject files, 1906-1968
Literary productions, 1871, 1932-1971, undated
Financial documents, 1912-1950
Scrapbook materials, 1844-1976
Lists, undated
Printed material, 1908-1966
Photographic material, 1940-1951
Oversize material, 1900-1971

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated and transferred to the Center for Archival Collections in September 1984, through the cooperation of Laurence R. Hipp, Grover Hill, Ohio.