Clyde

Clyde Byron Phillips was aboard 
this quirky looking ship/enormous house boat at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The USS Vermont, as it appeared in the photo above taken in 1898, had a series of face lifts in its life as a military boat and afterwards. 

Both of my grandfathers served in the Spanish-American War. When Clyde and Guy would meet at my family's house, in the 1940s, I would hear "Hello there, Comrade, nice to see you." They would shake hands, laugh a little, maybe give a pat on the back and that would end the loud greeting. They were both born in 1875 and married their spouses in April 1902. But their personalities were not similar at all. So, they didn't have much to say to one another.

Clyde was quiet, stern, and private. He was reared by a strict father, a Baptist minister, who I suppose expected his children to tow the line, so to speak. At family gatherings, Clyde stayed in the background while everyone else was busy participating in the activities of the day.

But there was one thing that Clyde and my mother did together. They enjoyed making taffy for our family about once a year, usually around Christmastime. According to Mom, Clyde learned how to make it when he was a cook in the Navy in 1898. The first step included boiling the sugar and water until it began to make a ball in the pan. As soon as this happened, Clyde and Mom buttered their hands to prevent burns. Then, holding the hot, balled mass they immediately began to pull the mass into a long strand, grasping and folding it back and forth to one another, being careful  not to let it touch the floor of the kitchen. (In a way, this looked almost like dancing together.) When the strand began to glisten, this was the sign that the candy was almost ready. Then, snap!... the taffy had hardened. Quickly, Clyde and Mom placed the strand on buttered cooky sheets and broke it into smaller pieces. This sight of the two of them working together was a special treat...so was the taffy!!

Clyde Byron Phillips
Born: 01 Feb 1875 Youngstown, Mahoning, OH
Married: 16 Apr 1902 Glenville, Cuyahoga, OH
Died: 13 Mar 1950 Akron, Summit, OH
Sources: Census 1880, 1900,1910, 1920, 1930, 1940;
Soc. Sec. Application; Akron and Cleveland, OH city
directories; Honorable Discharge from the Navy 1898'
WW I Draft Registration; Marriage Record
Photo of USS Vermont from Wikipedia