Two years ago, I wrote the story of an Amberger man who married a Phillips woman. That post was titled, The Amberger’s on Puckett Island. Even before that couple was married, there was a Phillips man who married an Amberger woman. You will read that tale today. It begins with the Phillips man who is also today’s birthday boy.

Everett Joseph Phillips was born on August 16, 1886, thus making today his 140th birthday. Everett was the son of William and Elisa (Griffith) Phillips. I will eventually get around to displaying his baptism record. In the 1900 census, Everett was 13 years old, and his father was a farmer in the Bois Brule Township.

The 1910 census was taken just before Everett got married. He was still living with his parents at the age of 23. He and a brother were helping on their father’s farm. Included in the household was Nellie Hoff, who was Everett’s sister. She had married Leonard Hoff and had a son by this time. This entry says that she was widowed, but her husband was still living, and his later death record says that he was divorced.

Since Everett would get married later that year, we will now turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Josephine Amberger, who was born on March 15, 1889. Josephine was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Cutrell) Amberger. Josephine’s parents had their story told in the post, Joseph and His 4 Belgique Brides. I will also display Josephine’s baptism record later. She is found in the 1900 census at the age of 11. Her father was also a farmer in the Bois Brule Township.

Next, we find Josephine in the 1910 census at the age of 21. Her mother had died in 1902, so her father was a widower at that time. Even though Josephine is given no occupation, I have to think that she and her 15 year old sister, Carrie, must have been doing some housekeeping for the men in the family who were farming.

Everett Phillips married Josephine Amberger on October 6, 1910. According to their Missouri marriage license below, this couple was married by a probate judge. This form says both Everett and Josephine were from Perryville.

Everett had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. He is given a rural Perryville address and was said to have a wife and one child. This document gives Everett’s birth year as 1887, not 1886.

Everett and Josephine had 3 children. I know the first 2 children were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville, and I suspect that the 3rd one was baptized there also, but the Immanuel records that I can view just go up to 1924, and that child was born in 1925. We find an interesting pair of baptism records for the first 2 children in the books of Immanuel. Despite being born in 1914 and 1917, they were not baptized until the same day, November 2, 1919.

In the 1920 census, we find the Phillips family with those 2 children. Everett was farming in the Bois Brule Township.

Here is where it gets interesting. About two years after their children were baptized, Everett and Josephine got baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville on June 9, 1921. Everett is said to have been born in 1885 on his baptism record. We can view their baptism records here. Pastor Griebel had left Immanuel in 1920, and he was replaced with Pastor Lohmann in 1921.

A son named Melvin was born n 1925, so when the 1930 census was taken, we see Everett and Josephine with all 3 of their children.

In the 1940 census, there were just 2 children still living with their parents.

Everett had his World War II draft card completed when America entered that war despite being already 55 years old.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. By that time, Everett and Josephine had an empty nest. Both of them were in their 60’s.

Josephine Phillips died in 1961 at the age of 72. Her death certificate says she died at the Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville.

We can read Josephine’s obituary below.

Everett Phillips died a year later in 1962 at the age of 75. That age is based on his being born in 1886, as is reported on his death certificate shown here.

Everett’s obituary can also be read.

Everett and Josephine Phillips are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

It is not often that you see parents baptized after some of their children are born and baptized. It is not only the case with this Phillips/Amberger couple, but it was the case for the other Amberger/Phillips couple as well.