Bob and Bill Trip

As most of you know, Bill Phillip and Bob Phillip went on a road trip from Hermosa SD to Des Moines IA and back with many stops in between, including a wedding and a memorial service for Leo Phillip.  Enjoy Bill's quotes and the many pictures he took showing us all a little more about the Phillip/Vifquain history

Here are the quotes from Bill...posted on facebook (the dates and times are when they were posted on facebook).  You should be able to double click on any picture to zoom in.

May 26, 9:53 pm
All packed and ready to leave right after work tomorrow. That will save a half hour drive home and another half hour back. Plan to drive to Bozeman, Montana and then get an early start Thursday to make it to Hermosa, SD so we can drive part way to Des Moines, Iowa. Maybe to Sioux Falls, SD and then have a short drive Friday. I was going to make the whole drive Friday but my uncle Bob called me this morning and thought we should drive part way Thursday because at his age (93) he likes (and needs) to stop a lot.

May 27, 10:31 am
Made it to Bozeman, Montana. About a 7 or 8 hour drive to my uncle's place. Then we'll see how much farther east we can drive tomorrow. That will make Friday an easy drive into Des Moines, Iowa. Good weather and only 8 miles of road construction so far. Of course that was up the mountain to Lookout pass (Idaho / Montana border) behind a long convoy of slow moving semi's.

May 28, 8:22 am

Having a good time with uncle Bob. We were going to stop in Sioux Falls, SD. but decided to keep going. Got to Sioux City Iowa and kept going. We're in Onawa, Iowa, about 2 1/2 hours from Des Moines so it will be a short drive tomorrow.  *Bill and Bob are headed to Jim Phillip's son's wedding (Nick) on May 30th in West Des Moines IA*

Heard some good stories and found out Bob and his brother Leo were both at Iwo JIma and Okinawa at the same time but didn't know it. They didn't find out until after the war was over. 

I also heard more about the kamikaze that hit his ship off Okinawa and almost sunk it. *The USS Hinsdale*

June 1, 5:51 am
Having a good time, still hearing stories from uncle Bob. My nephew asked him which one of the four boys, (Ken, Jean, Bob, and Leo) was the trouble maker. I thought this would be interesting. His immediate reply was Jean. He said he was always getting blamed for things Jean did. A picture my grandma took popped into my mind. They lived on a farm and judging from the picture it would have been in about 1924 or 1925. Jean and Bob were given the task of irrigating some trees. Bob would have been about 3 or 4 and Jean would have been about 7 or 8. They were using a kids wagon to carry the water and Jean was pulling and Bob was pushing for everything he was worth. Jean would give a little tug on the handle of the wagon causing water to splash out on Bob and he would get soaking wet, never realizing what Jean was doing. Grandma took lots of good pictures.

Of course Jean may have inherited that trait from Grandma. She made pancakes for breakfast for Bob and Leo one morning and they were complaining that they were too tough to cut even with a knife. Grandma had put some batter down, then a piece of cloth, then covered that with batter. It was April Fools day.

June 1, 2:08 pm

We made it to Lincoln, Nebraska today. Found the Nebraska History Museum but it is closed for renovation until next year. We wanted to look at some of General Vifquain's possessions, his sword, spurs, and whatever else they had. He's my GG grandfather, Bob's G grandfather. Won the Medal of Honor during the civil war. Before going any farther I should point out he fought for the north before Susanne says "bless his heart". He did actually win it, not by re-enlisting but by standing up just out of rifle range and letting them shoot at a Yankee Colonel and then charging forward before they could reload at the battle of Vicksburg.

Since the museum was closed Bob asked if I wanted to see the cemetery where the General is buried. He hadn't been there in over 40 years but did a pretty good job of almost remembering where the grave was. We went to the office and when I said we were looking for Victor Vifquain's grave they said "oh, the General". That was nice.

To put things in perspective, Bob said his Mom thought the General was an arrogant ol cuss....

Other pictures Bill took:

This was in front of the Vifquain gravestone above.

This is the back of the Vifguain gravestone above.

 This is at the base of the Vifquain gravestone (picture with Bob).  Notice the flowers scattered around.  Increase the size of the picture and look at the center plaque on the ground....Post G.A.R. 214  There seems to be a descrepancy when I looked up what this plaque meant at this site.  When you go to this site and search for Vifquain, you will find the plaque should have been 234 ???

This is beside the Vifquain gravestone (picture with Bob)






June 2, 3:08 pm
Had a good time and a steak dinner with cousins Steve and Dean and Dean's wife, Becky, in Lincoln last night. We found out that after grandma and grandpa lost the farm near Springview, Nebraska in 1934 and moved to Alliance that Bob and younger brother Leo immediately got in trouble with the truant officer. Bob had just graduated from the 8th grade in Springview and school was out there for the summer but still going on in Alliance. Bob and Leo were running around town having a good time and grandma's explanation that they had finished their grades in Springview wasn't good enough. So they ended up back in school.

June 2, 3:24 pm

We left Lincoln this morning but first Bob felt the need to visit a plumber and get his water works going again. Minor delay, in and out in about an hour and a half. Then on to Grand Island to check out a stone in the cemetery there. His aunt Lulu was buried there but without a marker so he had one made. The first one was wrong so he had it fixed and was checking to make sure it was right.

Other pictures Bill took:

 Notice the fresh flowers....there were fresh flowers on the gravestone above also.

Next stop was a museum with a lot of Vifquain memorabilia ~a testimonial to General Vifquain

 the many battles fought by General Vifquain

 Military record of General Vifquain, paid in full ~ $1584.71

 Medal of Honor certificate for General Vifquain

Signed by President Andrew Johnson






June 2, 3:29 pm

I knew we were back in the sandhills of Nebraska ~ after leaving Grand Island we went north on highway 183 and were slightly delayed.

June 2, 3:32 pm
We're in Springview, Nebraska now, near where grandma and grandpa Phillip's farm was. Bob had reservations made at a 4 unit "motel" off the main drag. We pulled up out front, went inside unit #4 that he had reserved and the key was waiting for us on the counter. It was a real surprise to find out it included wifi.

June 2, 5:52 pm

We went and had supper at the Cattleman's lounge in Springfield and realized there was no place to eat breakfast so stopped at the grocery store. Bob thought he knew someone (in a round about way) that worked there. Turns out the daughter in law of the owners is the one he knew. He use to go camping with her grandparents. The owner picked up the phone and called her and about 5 minutes later she and her family walked in the back door. Lots of talking and then her husband went home and brought back a book that showed who owned the land in the county in 1912. Sections 22, 26, 27, and 28 show the Vifquain name. Bob also recognized lots of neighbors' names. He told how Jean and Bob would walk and Grandpa Phillip carried Leo on his shoulders as they walked about a mile south to listen to the Amos and Andy radio show on a neighbor's radio.

He told how Grandpa Phillip cut big blocks of ice from the creek running through section 28, put it in the ice house and covered it with straw and sawdust and that they still had ice the next fall.

June 3 ~ Bob and Bill were at the Burton cemetery looking at more family gravestones.  As much as I know, the genealogy goes something like this:
Lillie (born about 1855) married Peter John Phillip (parents of Willie Walter Phillip) 
Maggie (daughter, sister of Willie Walter) born 1882 (Son, Benjamin Palmer, born and died, 1915)
L. W. Palmer (Maggie's husband)
Louie (son of Maggie) born 1904
Helen (daughter of Maggie) born 1911
Helen married August C Spann (born 1906

Verde Hope Spann born and died 1917

Lillie Phillip (notice the spelling on the gravestone).

Gravestone of Benjamin Palmer, I believe (It looks as if the P and R of Palmer are missing)

Gravestone of Peter Phillip

June 4, 6:36 am

At the Willie Walter Phillip farm ~ The entrance to the storm cellar

June 4, 6:36 am

Inside the storm cellar

June 5, 7:43 am
Uncle Bob knows how to fix a good breakfast. Yesterday, sausage, eggs, hash browns and toast. Today it was cold cereal but with real milk, not the watered down some percent something or other. And some half and half to make the milk a little richer. Good stuff!

June 6, 8:09 pm
All good things must come to an end. Today was the funeral service for Uncle Leo. Had a good time with family before and after. Head for home tomorrow morning.

June 7, 6:55 pm
Home, a little under 2000 miles on my car and a little over 2000 miles on Bob's car. The closest thing to an accident was about 25 miles from home. A group of cars merging on to the freeway so I moved over to the left. One car swerved all the way over to get in the left lane. I braked hard and about that time he stuck his head out the window and looked back. Darwin will find him eventually.