The Original Family

Frank Roosevelt Philpott was born November 12, 1900 and Ruth Dosenbach Philpott was born May 5,1909. They were married June 29, 1929. Clellie was born December 16, 1930 and they moved into their house at 550 Warder Ave.,University City, Missouri. U. City is in St. Louis County. Frank sold insurance, mostly life insurance and later all types of insurance. Ruth did not work. They had a colored maid named Mattie. It was the years of the depression, but everyone still bought life insurance.

Gus was born February 11, 1939. His name is Frank Richey Philpott. He is not a Junior because Frank was named for Teddy Roosevelt and in 1939 Mother would not name him Roosevelt because she was a Republican and did not want people to think he was named for Franklin D. Roosevelt. His middle name, Richey,  after Frank's sister's husband,  so he would have the same initials as Frank. When she was pregnant, she referred to the baby as  "Gus" and that name suited him. Good thing that he was a boy, I do not think a girl would like to be called "Gus".

Betsy was born May 11, 1940. Ruth wanted to name her Betsy, but Frank said she should have a real name, so she was named  Elizabeth, which was Frank's grandmother's name. She does not have a middle name. Clellie does not have a middle name either. Her name is Clell after Ruth's mother. Actually, Ruth's mother was her stepmother because her real mother died when Ruth was five and her Father, Dan Dosenbach , married again when Ruth was 9. We called her Gagy and we called the grandfather, Dan.

Jimmy was born January 30, 1942. His name is James Daniel Philpott. He was named after both grandfathers. Of course, now that he is all grown up, we call him Jim.

Ruth died August 21, 1960 of cancer and Frank died June 8,1962 of a heart attack. Ruth's Dad, Dan, died when Clellie was about 14, so the little people probably don't remember him and her mother, Gagy, moved to Canada with her sister, Auntie Nez, in later years and lived to be in her nineties. Frank's parents had been divorced for years so we only saw his Dad, James one tme but he lived to be old  and his mother Larinda,who we called Rindo, lived in Valley Head Alabama with Frank's sister Thelma and later in Roanoke, Va. where she died in a fire in her home when she was in her nineties. Frank had one other sister, Inez, who killed herself , but I do not know when, she was probably in her fifties. Ruth did not have any brothers or sisters so we do not have any cousins.

This is our basic family as told by Clel. I did not grow up, I just grew old and shortened my name. The family still calls me Clellie. I am the oldest member of these Philpotts.