Bio: Phillips, William Riley
Contact: Lani Bartelt
Email: prolixiam@sbcglobal.net

Surnames: Phillips, White, Courter, Davenport, Burke, Benson, Peterson

----Sources: THORP COURIER (Thorp, Clark County, Wis.) 10/25/1906

William Riley Phillips

William Riley Phillips was born on 23 Sep 1849, to William and Fannie (White) Phillips.

During the Civil War he served in either Co B or Co F of the 48th Wis. Inf., with the rank of PVT. On 7 July 1872 he married Mary Elizabeth Courter, daughter of James & Marie (Davenport) Courter.

William Riley Phillips died 15 Apr 1905. Mary Elizabeth (Courter) Phillips died on 10 May 1923

There is a Bevery Phillips listed as being born 20 Feb 1913, died same day who perhaps was their daughter.

Lani note/Jan 2006 on looking on this website: www.archives.gov I found the following:

William Phillips, Union Infantry 49th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry

I also found this information and am not sure if the Bessie below and the Elizabeth above are the same but since William Riley Phillips died in 1905 it is possible.

----Sources:

Courter, Bessie M. (Marriage - 23 OCT 1906)

Married, on Oct. 23, 1906, Howard H. Peterson and Miss Bessie M. Courter at the bride's home in the town of Reseburg, Clark County, Wis., George Burke, J. P., officiating. 

I did a Google search for Howard H Peterson and came up with a Howard Peterson, as of 1944 from Benson, Swift Co., Mn. who was an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Minnesota in 1944. Further research turned up no death record so don't know if this is same Howard H Peterson or not but when I Google searched him for Clark Co, Wis. nothing came up.

Responses

Re: Bio: Phillips, William Riley
Contact: Carolynn Glidden

** A correction/additional information to to the above bio of William Riley Phillips. William Riley Phillips was born in Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin to Riley and Fannie(White) Phillips. Known to family and childhood friends as "Tad", he followed his older brother Silas, as well as his stepfather William H. Lake and enlisted for Civil War service 13 February 1865 in Company F--48th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He was honorably discharged 19 February 1866. In a sworn affidavit contained in his Civil War pension file #609090, his widow stated that at the time of enlistment he was in fact 16 years old, but that he gave his age as 18. After his discharge, he spent some time near Minneapolis, Minnesota. He returned to Sheboygan County, and married Mary Elizabeth Courter on 7 July 1872 in the Town of Meeme, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The marriage ceremony was performed by Patrick Malloy, a Justice of the Peace and was witnessed by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Eastling. William and Mary Elizabeth remained in Sheboygan Falls until the fall of 1882 when they came to live in the Village of Thorp, Clark County, Wisconsin. He continued to live there until his death on 15 April 1905, with burial in the East Thorp Cemetery. Six children were born to William and Mary Elizabeth. --1) Edwin Silas, born 17 November 1872 at Sheboygan Falls. He married Helen Roberts on the 3rd of May 1902 in Thorp. His death occurred as a result of an accidental fall on 24 November 1908 in Gothenburg, Nebraska with burial in the East Thorp Cemetery. --2) Ella a daughter born abt. 1876 in Sheboygan Falls. She died in 1882 and is buried in the East Thorp Cemetery. --3) Mabel C., was the last child born in Sheboygan Falls on 12 April 1880. She married Benjamin Lucius Babbitt in Thorp Village on 9 May 1901. She and her husband lived most of their lives in Chippewa County, Wisconsin where she died on 31 October 1965, with burial in Bloomer City Cemetery.--4) The first child of the Phillip's born in Clark County was daughter Laura Genie, who made her appearance on 10 April 1884. She went on to marry Frank Albert Babbitt on 29 November 1904 in her parents home in the Village of Thorp. She lived most of her adult life in Chippewa and Clark Counties, retiring to Milwaukee city in late life where she died on 8 April 1969. Burial was in Edson Union Cemetery, Boyd, Wisconsin.--5) Clarence, a son born September 1886. He died at 9 months of age on 16 June 1887 with burial in the East Thorp Cemetery.--6) Myrtle C. was the last child born to the Phillip's. Her birthdate was 13 June 1891, in the Village of Thorp. She married Walter Larsen on 2 October 1910 in Thorp where they continued to reside for sometime. Eventually they moved to Bloomer, Chippewa County where she died on 8 February 1969, with burial in Bloomer City Cemetery. The parents of William Riley Phillips were his father Riley Phillips( son of Jacob Phillips and Elizabeth Palmer), who was born 31 December 1821 at Onondaga County, New York. Riley died according to son Silas W. in 1856 at Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The mother was Fanny (White) Phillips Lake (daughter of Warren and Mary White). She was also born in Onondaga County, New York 30 June 1826. She married second after the death of Riley Phillips, to Mr. William H. Lake on 28 February 1858 in the Town of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Her death occurred on the 5th of May 1890 in the Town of Browning , Taylor County , Wisconsin with burial in the Medford Cemetery. --William Riley Phillips had two siblings. A sister Francis Mary was born in Onondaga County, New York on 14 May 1845. She married in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin to Hanuel E. Wilmot on 9 September 1869. Francis and Hanuel moved back to New York State for some time and eventually located to the Rochester, Minnesota area where Hanuel lived his life out. Francis went west to join their children and died on the 17th of December 1919 near Boise, Idaho. --Silas W. was the brother to William Riley Phillips, being born 30 June 1848 near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. He also had Civil War service in Company G--39th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. About 1868 he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he married Elizabeth Brett in April 1878. Silas lived much of his later life in one Soldiers Home or another. He died on the 30th of December 1929 at the Minnesota Soldiers Home, with burial in Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.