Harry E. Phelps House

Here is a Google Street View of the house at 2401 Kenwood Ave. (Now 2401 N. Kenwood Ave.) Indianapolis Indiana 46208, where my Great Grandparents Harry E. and Amy Phelps lived with my Grandmother Lillian Phelps. The house was built in 1910. In March of 1911 Harry Phelps committed suicide by consuming a legal dose of mercury in water. A probable cause was financial failures that piled up over the years. Harry received a generous inheritance from his fathers estate but squandered it over the years. Harry's father was at one  time the head of American Express in Indianapolis. (I have no further information on the father.)

Hoover Phelps Families 1901

Here is a picture from Thanksgiving of 1901 of the Hoover and Phelps families. Starting from the far right is Lilly Hoover.  Next to her in back is Kate (Bender) Hoover. Next to her in the foreground is Amy (Hoover) Phelps. Next to her is her husband Harry E. Phelps. Next to him is Perry Hoover. I have conflicting information on the man and woman next to Perry. It is not his brother Carey Hoover. It could be a Phelps relation or it could just be friends.

Al Wilson Jr. in School

Al as a bee in Indianapolis

Al Jr. Grand Rapids School

Al Jr. Grand Rapids Michigan, aka Sonny on far right.

More Wilson Family Pictures

Al Wilson Sr., Raymond Wilson, Florence Wilson, James Wilson Mary (Wilson) Ratchford, Ruth (Wilson) Leech at James and Florence's 50th wedding anniversary in Decatur Ohio

Florence and James Wilson

Florence Wilson

Les Wilson, Ruth Wilson, Ray Wilson Florence Wilson, James Wilson, Mary Wilson and Al Wilson Sr. in Decatur Ohio

Al Wilson Jr., Florence Wilson (Ray's daughter), Paul Wilson, Les Wilson and two Ratchford children In Decatur Ohio

Lillian with Ruth (Wilson) Leech. Ruth's husband is Cecil Leech

Wilson farm in Decatur Ohio 1949

Al Wilson Sr. on the far right is black

 William Carey Wilson and his Brother James Wilson

The Phelps

Harry E. Phelps, father of Lillian and husband of Amy Rose (Hoover) Phelps.

Amy Rose (Hoover) Phelps as a child.

An older Amy Phelps

Pictures Of Lillian Wilson

Raymond Wilson

Raymond and his first wife Laura with their son Paul Wilson. Ray was my Grandfather's Brother. Ray moved to San Mateo California in his later years where he lived with his second wife Louise Wilson. We used to drive up to visit them every year. After the Sylmar quake in Los Angeles in 1971 Ray and Louise moved back to Carmel Indiana. I used to sit for hours and listen to him tell stories. In 1977 I brought my cassette recorder back to Carmel and taped him telling family stories to my dad. I still have those tapes and have digitized them.

The Hoovers

Andrew Hoover, father of Perry and Carey Hoover. 1788 to 1863.

 Sarah (Sinks) Hoover, wife of Andrew Hoover

Amy Hoover, Daughter of Perry Hoover and the mother of my Grandmother Lillian Phelps. Amy married Harry Phelps who later committed suicide. Harry's Dad was an fairly wealthy executive with American Express in Indianapolis.

 Perry and Kate (Bender) Hoover, Lillian's Grandparents.

Carey Albert (Al) Wilson

Al Wilson Sr. at 17 months old July 1902

Al Wilson Sr. circa 1924 or 1925

The James Wilson Family

James and Florence Wilson and their family. James is wearing the vest in the middle of the second row. To the right is his wife Florence. To her right is my Grandfather Al Wilson Sr. My dad Al Jr. is on the ground in front wearing a tie. Ruth Wilson is wearing the dark blouse in the third row behind her father James Wilson. Raymond Wilson is behind here right shoulder wearing a tie. his second wife Louise Wilson if to the right of him. The James Dean looking guy on the far right of the back row is Leslie "Les" Wilson. Others here are the Ratchford's and others who are unknown.

Grand Haven MI and More

Al in stripped shirt in Grand Haven MI with unknown friends.

Mel and Ruth Wright of Grand Haven Michigan

Lilly Hoover in Indianapolis IN

Portrait of Al Wilson Jr.

Vacations

Above Leslie "Les" Wilson, son of James Wilson on July 16, 1926 with Flip and Bonzo

Lillian And Al Jr. on vacation in Decatur Ohio, home of James Wilson, Al's Grandfather.

Al Jr. and Bobbie Carmen

Al Jr., Ruth Wright and Lillian in Grand Haven Michigan at the Hotel owned by Ruth and her husband Mel. The families became great friends.

Grand Rapids Michigan

Al Wilson Jr., at 557 Lyon Ave. Grand Rapids Michigan

Al Jr. and Lilly Hoover in Grand Rapids

Al Jr. during a trip to Indianapolis circa 1932

Al Jr. and Mary Ann Kovelasky in Grand Rapids

Lillian with a neighbor in Grand Rapids

Springfield Illinois

 Above are Lillian, Carey Jr. & Carey (Al) Sr. probably taken in Springfield Illinois circa 1927. When Carey Jr. was a child the family called him Sonny. His Dad used the name until he died. When Carey Jr./Sonny grew up he went by the name Al (Jr)

 Newlyweds Al Wilson Sr. & Lillian Wilson

Al Wilson Sr. August 22, 1927

Lillian Eunice (Phelps) Wilson Scrapbook Pages 91 through 103

Carey & Perry Hoover above share a common Grandfather, Andrew Huber/Hoover with President Herbert Hoover. Perry Hoover on the right is my direct ancestor.

This is the end of Lillian's personal scrapbook from Indianapolis Indiana. Future posts will concentrate on her life when she, her husband and her son (My father) Carey Jr. (Al Jr.) moved to Springfield Illinois, Grand Rapids Michigan and then Lakewood Ohio.