Henry T. Phillips will long be remembered as one of the most active and successful merchants of Unionville and as a man of unusual ability whose judgment was seldom at fault and whose fidelity to trust and high sincerity of purpose were never questioned. For fifty-two years he was a resident of Appanoose county and here his entire active career was spent, terminating with his death on the 16th of April, 1911. Mr. Phillips was born in Lexington, Indiana, August 17, 1844, a son of James H. and Elizabeth (Robertson) Phillips, the former a native of Montgomery county, Kentucky, where his birth occurred on August 19, 1820. When he was a year old he was brought by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Brannock Phillips, to Jefferson county, Indiana, and in 1831 he removed to Jennings county in the same state, where he subsequently entered the mercantile business, continuing in it until 1854. In that year he moved into Iowa, locating in Appanoose county, and in 1862 took up his residence in Unionville, where he conducted a general store until his death, which occurred in 1875. He married in 1843 Miss Elizabeth Robertson, who was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, in 1823, the youngest daughter of one of the earliest pioneer settlers in that part of the state. Four children were born to their union: Henry T., the subject of this review; Mary E., born in 1847; Emma J., born in 1850; and Eddie M., born in 1866. The father of our subject was for many years postmaster of Unionville and proved himself a capable and efficient public servant. His father, Brannock Phillips, was a member of the state legislatures of Indiana and Iowa.
Henry T. Phillips attended district school and supplemented this by a course in the Burlington (Iowa) Business College. He made his first location in this state in i860, when he accepted a position in his father's store at Eddyville, Iowa. This he held until the 9th of August, 1863, when he enlisted in the Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, although he was not yet nineteen years of age. However, he was stricken with typhoid fever and prevented by his serious illness from joining his command. When he recovered he and his father came to Unionville and opened a general store, with the conduct of which Mr. Phillips of this review was associated until he was again able to offer his services to his country. He enlisted in 1864 in the Forty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry and was mustered into service on June 4, serving until the end of the war. After his honorable discharge he returned to Unionville and again resumed the conduct of his mercantile enterprise, with which he was identified from that time until his death. No breath of suspicion was ever cast upon the integrity of his business methods or the honor of his character and his name stood always as a synonym for upright and straightforward dealings and was honored and respected wherever it was known. Mr. Phillips passed away on the 16th of April, 1911, and after his demise his son Ralph, who for several years previous to this had been associated with him, remained in charge of the concern, buying out the interest of his uncle, Edward Phillips, and today he is one of the leading merchants of Unionville.
On August 17, 1869, Mr. Phillips was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Sawyers, a daughter of Elisha and Emma E. (Stinson) Sawyers, the former born in Rockbridge, Virginia, on the 7th of January, 1805. He later moved into Tennessee and after his marriage in that state, on the 15th of February, 1831, followed the tailor's trade there for some years, coming to Appanoose county in 1847 as one of the pioneer settlers. He entered land in Udell township and upon it carried on general farming until his death, which occurred at the advanced age of ninety-seven years. His wife was born near Charlotte, North Carolina. She was badly injured in a runaway accident at West Grove, Iowa, in 1871, and died from the effects of the accident. Her daughter, the wife of the subject of this review, was born in Giles county, Tennessee, and was one of the earliest settlers in Udell township. Her grandfather, Alexander Stinson, married Miss Elizabeth Bradley and her grandmother on the paternal side was Miss Elizabeth Paxton, who could trace her ancestry back to the year 1250 A. D., at which time the family was entitled to bear a coat of arms. Mrs. Phillips attended school in Centerville, studying in the old courthouse when it had two rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips became the parents of four children. The eldest, Ralph, was born on the 3d of May, 1870. He is proprietor of the store formerly operated by his father and is one of the representative business men of Unionville. He is prominent in religious circles, being a member and trustee of the Presbyterian church. Ray, a twin of Ralph, passed away when two weeks old. Estella Elizabeth was born June 17, 1876. She married Arthur L. Lyon, superintendent of schools of Humeston, and they have two children: Carolyn Elizabeth, born October 20, 1905; and Leonard Phillips, born November 7, 1909. The fourth child born to Mr. and Mrs. Phillips was a son, who died in infancy.
Fraternally Mr. Phillips belonged to the blue lodge in Masonry and was prominent in the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic. He affiliated with the republican party from the time he cast his first vote and served as clerk of Udell township until within a few years of his death. He was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was in hearty sympathy with all movements, social or religious, which had as their object improvement and advancement. He was a fine example of an honorable and loyal citizen, actuated always by worthy ideals which he successfully applied to the practical duties of life.
Source: Past and Present of Appanoose County, Iowa, Volume II, by L. L. Taylor, printed by the S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1913; Pgs. 150-152
