May 3, 1006

I had a surprise and welcomed visit this past week from Mr. Lee Roy Phillips. Lee Roy is the son of Aubrey Banker, T. Lee Phillips and a nephew to Joe L. Phillips. Lee Roy was a teenager when his family lived across the street from my grandparents, Wood and Laura Goin. Wood and Laura Goin lived where I have lived for the past fifty years.

Lee Roy told me that he thought we had more storms and tornados back then than we do now. He said that he remembers the massive destructive storms during his early youth.

He recalled the happy times when a storm would come up, all of the neighbors gathered in the local storm cellars. My grandparents had a storm cellar in their yard where the neighbors would gather to hide from the storm.

Lee Roy enjoys driving his car from Denton to visit folks in Aubrey that he still remembers. He said that it was a joy to see his old family home still standing across from my house. He remarked that it was amazing to see that the old Victorian home had basically remained the same. He recalled the people that lived in the neighborhood were Ross Edwards, a son os L.N. Edwards, my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. He said the family that lived to the back of their house were Mr. and Mrs. Lansford. The Lansford house is no longer in our neighborhood.

Mr. Phillips said that he remembered the Key School House. The school house was moved to Rock Hill where it was used for a community school for many years until the students were transferred to Aubrey School. The Key School House was then used for a Baptist Church.

Lee Roy says that his family was related to the Key family. Among other locals related to the Keys was the family of Lewis George. The Key family came to Onega in 1847 from Weston, in Collin County.

Several Key families came to Onega that year. Only eleven years later, in 1858, the Key family and fifteen other local families began the Onega Methodist Church in a log house that was also used for the local school. The Methodist church in Denton was began in 1857 in the same year that the Methodist Church in Pilot Point was established.

Mr. Phillips said that his grandparents came to this area around the 1860's. His grandfather built a house in Loyd. Lee Roy Phillips graduated from Aubrey School in 1932.

Lee Roy had many memories of when his father was a banker in Aubrey. He said that when the banks failed, the money was locked up in Fort Worth, while the directors continued to run the bank for another six months hoping that they could make it. But the hard times struck everywhere and the money was lost.

The old bank was in the building where the hardware store is located. It was built in the 1890's.

The Phillips family was a kind and loving family that was good to the poor people who had little to show for their life’s hard work. They were concerned about each one of the community members and the solid banking experience was an example of the love and concern for everyone who was struggling during these times of bank failure.

He also remembered the bank robberies that took place during his father’s banking career. He said that the bank robbers would come at night and break out the round windows on the north side of the building.

Instead of a photo, I am going to share with you a copy of the article in the Aubrey Argus covering the bank failure.

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