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Phillip Sanford Miller (b. May 25, 1921, d. January 12, 1968)

Phillip Sanford Miller (son of Alston Baker Miller and Vanzula Francis Gull) was born May 25, 1921 in Keyser, Mineral Co., W.Va.¹⁵⁴, and died January 12, 1968 in Dothan, Houston Co., Alabama¹⁵⁵. He married (1) Mary Katherine Sullivan. He married (2) Ruth Marian Copp, daughter of James Schley Copp and Pearl J. He married (3) Rosemary M. Newcome, daughter of Ray M Newcomb and Lulu L. He married (4) Evelyn Vera Harper Wilhite.

Notes for Phillip Sanford Miller:
PHILLIP SANDFORD (Sic) MILLER
5/25/1921 - 1/12/1968
By Dr. David Miller Thompson
Carthage, North Carolina

Philip Sanford Miller was born at 408 E. Main St. in Grafton, W.Va. on May 25, 1921. His father was Alston Miller 25 years old from Burlington, W.Va. and listed as a car repairman (B & 0 Railroad). His mother was Vanzula Gull, 20 years old from Newburg. W.Va. and listed as housekeeping her occupation. He had an older brother, Alston Baker Miller, Jr., born ________ and a younger brother, Ronald Eugene, born ___________ Sometime before he started school, his mother, Vanzula chased Alston out of the home and divorced him. Philip was sent to live with his maternal grandfather, Phillip H. Gull in Grafton, W. Va., His mother, Vanzula shortly thereafter married Martin Luther Norris and moved to Washington, Penn.

Phillip attended school in Grafton and entered Grafton High School on Sept. 9, 1935. He supposedly was a very good athlete and student. He graduated on May 31. 1939 and was ranked 89th out of 152 in the class. After graduation, he seems to have moved to Washington, Penn.

During his senior year, he got a classmate, Ruth Marion Copp, pregnant and this child,
William David Copp was born in the Florence Crittenden Home in Wheeling, W.Va. on
Nov. 23, 1939. No name was listed for the father on the birth certificate nor did Phillip
ever legally acknowledge this son. This child was placed for adoption and raised as
William David Thompson in Beckley, W.Va.

On _______________, 1942 he marries Rosemary ______________ of Grafton who was 20 years old. World War 11 has now started and Phillip decides he wants to fly in the US Army Corps, but you must be single to qualify. He convinces his wife to divorce him and promises to come back after the war. He also leaves his favorite car in her safekeeping. Since he is married to another woman when he returns to get his car, her father gets very angry and charges him thousands of dollars for storage, and he doesn’t get it back.

He enters the Army Air Corps in Pittsburgh, Penn. on Oct 1, I 943. Will complete this section when military records arrive.

While in the Air Corps, he marries Mary Catherine Sullivan and has two children, a daughter, Stephanie Eileen Miller (Sexton), born July 25, 1947 in Florence, Alabama. She currently lives in Ashford, Alabama. Phone - 334-899-7787. A son, Martin Luther Miller, born July 14, 1948 in Pittsburgh, Penn. and currently living in Pratville, Alabama. Phone - 334-365-0849. Phillip was an abusive father to his son and ran around on his wife. She finally cornered him with a butcher knife and ran him off She then keeps the children, divorces him and remarries.

Phillip now marries Evelyn Harper (Miller) of Pansy, Ala., who he has been seeing for some time. She has 2 sons, Gary and Stanley Wilhite from a previous marriage. Both of these boys now live in Florida. With Evelyn, Phillip has 2 sons: Michael Miller, born_____ 1962, and now living in ____________ Florida and Dennis Miller. born _______ 1958, and now living in Auburndale, Fla. As teenagers, Stephanie and Luke were getting out of hand with their mother, so they were sent to live with Phillip and Evelyn. This did not work out very well, and Phillip had trouble with the boys until they get big enough to fight him back. He also runs around on Evelyn and does not take care of his medical conditions, diabetes, hypertension, renal failure. She leaves him and takes her four sons to Auburndale, Fla where she lives today at age 75. Phone: 863-967-1221.

Phillip moves in with another woman in Dothan, Ala. and gets pretty sick. Finally he goes to the VA Hosp in Montgomery Alabama where he dies 6 weeks later on Jan 12, 1968. Evelyn arranges a military service and burial in a family plot at Liberty Baptist Church in Pansy, Ala. Many of Phillip’s “friends” supposedly attended the funeral and caused a stir.

Phillip was listed on his death certificate as a carpenter employed as a layout man for a construction company. Everyone said that he could build anything. He got along very well with his daughter but not his sons. He also sold cars at one time and was quite enamored with them. There are family stories that he was prone to gamble and might have been killed or committed suicide over gambling debts but there is no evidence of this. His problem was his parenting and marriage skills, his lack of care for his medical conditions and most of all his love of women. I’m sorry that I never got to meet him.

More About Phillip Sanford Miller:
Burial: Unknown, Liberty Baptist Church, Pansy, Houston Co., Alabama.¹⁵⁵
Education: September 09, 1935, Entered Grafton High School from the East Grafton school.¹⁵⁶
Graduation: May 31, 1939, Graduated from Grafton High School, Grafton, Taylor Co., West Virginia. Ranked 89 out of 152.¹⁵⁷
Military service 1: August 31, 1942, Enlisted in Army, Branch Immaterial- Warrant Officers, USA.¹⁵⁸
Military service 2: October 01, 1943, Army Air Corps.¹⁵⁹
Occupation: Carpenter - Layout Man.¹⁶⁰

More About Phillip Sanford Miller and Mary Katherine Sullivan:
Private-Begin: Private

More About Phillip Sanford Miller and Ruth Marian Copp:
Private-Begin: Private

More About Phillip Sanford Miller and Rosemary M. Newcome:
Private-Begin: Private

More About Phillip Sanford Miller and Evelyn Vera Harper Wilhite:
Private-Begin: Private

Children of Phillip Sanford Miller and Mary Katherine Sullivan are:

Children of Phillip Sanford Miller and Ruth Marian Copp are:

+William David Miller Thompson.

Children of Phillip Sanford Miller and Evelyn Vera Harper Wilhite are: