virCtInia biography
10/9
George Phillips, who arrived with his wife
and two children at Salem, Massachusetts
Bay Colony, about 1630. George Phillips
settled at Watertown, and was first minis-
ter of the town. Pie had thirtj- acres of
land granted to him and built a house which
was burnt before the close of the year.
Tradition says that his next house is still
standing, "opposite the ancient burial
grovmd, back from the road." He was ad-
mitted a freeman, May 18, 1631, the earliest
date of any such admission. He died in
1644. and left a large estate for the time,
five hundred and fifty pounds, two shillings
and nine pence.
The father of Mr. Claudius C. Phillips was James Jasper Phillips, who was born ai Chuckatuck, Virginia, in 1832, and died in 1907. He was a farmer by occupation mainly, but was also professor in a Virginia military institute, having been in his young manhood a school teacher. He served in the Confederate army during the Civil war until the surrender of Appomattox. He was colonel of the Ninth Virginia Regiment (the "Bloody Ninth"), and during the war be- longed to Pickett's division at the battle of Gettysburg. Jane Jasper Phillips married Lou Emma, born at Westmoreland county, Virginia, daughter of John and (Crewdson) Betts.
Claudius C. Phillips was educated at pri- vate schools and at the Norfolk Academy, Virginia. He spent three years at Bethel Military Academy, Warrenton, Virginia, and took special courses in chemistry at Johns Plopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. He came to New York City with the idea of accepting a position as chemist in the New York City health department. Plow- ever, at the request of his father, he entered the old established commission business of his father, a fruit and produce commission business, which had been founded in 1867. Mr. Phillips subsequently became sole pro- prietor, and the business was incorporated in 1912, when he became its first president and treasurer. He is also president of a pork packing abbatoir, and is an oyster planter and farmer in Virginia. Mr. Phil- lips is a Democrat in politics, and along with famil\- is affiliated with the Protestant Epis- copal church. He is brevetted captain of engineers, commissioned imder both gov- ernors, Fitzhugh Lee, and \Villiam E. Cam- eron, of Virginia, of Company A at Bethel
Militar}- .Vcademy. He is a member of the
Southern Society of New York City, The
Virginians of New York City, the New York
Athletic Club, Merchants' Association of
New York City, National League, Commis-
sion P'ruit and Produce Association of New
York City, Virginia Club of Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, and Order of Elks.
'He married Jane Hicks, born December 25- 1873, at Faison, North Carolina, daugh- ter of Captain Louis T. Hicks. There has been one child of the marriage, Louise, born in New York City, April 10, 1897, now a student at Sweet Brier College, Sweet Brier, Virginia.
Ernest Kinzer Speiden. Ernest Kinzer Speiden, a leading business man of New York City, is descended from Scotch ances- tors. His great-grandfather, Robert Speiden, a native of .'^cotland, born 1770, came to America, and located in Washington, D. C, where he met Ann Williams, who was born ii! 1773, in Melrose, Scotland, and they were married in Washington, March 2, 1797. She died there June 5, 1849, having survived her husband many years. Robert Speiden was a soldier in the War of 1812, and died in 1814, in Spottsylvania county, Virginia, while in the service. His son, William Speiden, born December 25, 1797, in Wash- ington, died December 18, 1861, in that city, and was buried in the Congressional Ceme- tery. He served in the United States navy with Commodore Perry. He married, Octo- ber 7, 1828, Marian Coote, born March 9, 181D, in England, died in Alexandria, Vir- ginia, October 28, 1866, daughter of Clement Tubbs Coote and Mary Cole, his wife, of Cambridgeshire. England. They had chil- dren : Marian Eliza, William Clement, Clement Coote, William, Edgar, Mariana. Theodore, Ada, Rosana. The second son, Clement Coote Speiden, was born May 17, 1833, in Washington, and died in Marshall, Virginia, August 8, 1898. Pie was a physi- cian, and spent his life in the practice of the healing art. Religiously a Methodist, and politically a Democrat, he was esteemed as a good citizen, as well as a successful physician. He married, April 19, 1859, Ellen Douglass Norris, born July 22, 1834, in Fau- quier county, Virginia, died January 11, igii, in Marshall, Virginia. They had chil- dren: Margaret W., born April 30. i860; George Norris, October 8, i8()i. William
