My Genealogy Hound

Joseph B. Phillips, the leading dry goods merchant of Brownsville, Tenn., was born in Stewart County, Tenn., October 10, 1843, and is the son of David S. and Rebecca (Ward) Phillips, who were natives of North Carolina. Joseph B. Phillips received a common-school education when young, and was business manager for the “Rough and Ready Iron Works Company” in Stewart County until the war commenced. He went into the Confederate service, and afterward joined the Second Kentucky Cavalry and served until 1863, when his health failed him, and he was compelled to return home; after he regained his health he engaged in the mercantile business at Johnsonville, Tenn., and remained there until 1868, when he sold out and moved to Brownsville, engaging in the grocery and provision business until 1876, when he embarked in the dry goods business. He was united in marriage December 12, 1867, to Lou Waggoner, daughter of Wilkins W. and Susan Waggoner, of Middle Tennessee. They have had five children—four daughters and one son: Clara A., Lula, Lillian, Joseph B., Jr., and Edna. Lula died in 1873. Mr. Phillips and family are active and influential members of the Methodist Church; he is of English descent and in politics a stanch Democrat. For many years Mr. Phillips has dealt largely in cotton, handling annually from 1,000 to 5,000 bales, for which he has always paid the highest market price. He is carrying from $40,000 to $50,000 stock of goods, and his annual business amounts to from $80,000 to $100,000. Mr. Phillips occupies three very large two-story store-houses, which are packed from bottom to top with goods of a first-class quality, and is beyond doubt the most extensive dry goods dealer in West Tennessee, outside of Memphis. He is an exceedingly enterprising business man, and always offers great inducements in the way of prices, and every one wishing to purchase dry goods, boots, shoes, hats, caps and millinery goods should first visit J. B. Phillips’ mammoth store at Brownsville, where polite and attentive salesmen will always be found. He started in life a poor boy, and the large business described above is the result of his own industry and fine business capacity, and he is justly regarded as one of the progressive substantial business men of Brownsville.