Butler Funeral Home was the first black-owned funeral home in the city of Flint. It first opened its doors in 1932 as Robinson & Chandler Funeral Home by owners Charles H. Robinson and Robert C. Chandler at the address 3115 St. John St. With the death of both Robinson and Chandler in 1956, the funeral home came under the ownership of Robinson’s widow, Ailene R. Butler.

Robinson & Chandler Funeral Home was renamed Butler Funeral Home in 1957. Likely due to the looming land acquisitions by the State of Michigan for the construction of I-475, Butler Funeral Home moved out of the St. John St. building and relocated 2 miles northwest to address 4915 N. Saginaw St. in 1964. In 1970, Butler Funeral Home relocated 1.5 miles West to 906 W. Park Blvd, replacing the Lenczycki Funeral Home that previously occupied the property. Butler Funeral Home remained at this location until its closure in 1986. In 1987 the property was purchased, renovated and reopened as Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home which remains at this location as of the date of this finding aid.

Fourteen box collection with two different sets of boxes, a numbered set and lettered set. The collection’s first eleven boxes are numbered and individual files in these boxes are listed alphabetically by surname of the deceased. The boxes are listed in the order as follows: 1-57, 58-119, 120-178, 179-193, 225-280, 281-304, 305-348, 349-383, 394-440, 441-482, 483-507.

The collection’s additional three boxes are listed by letters: A-H, J-M, N-Z. Individual files are listed in these boxes alphabetically by surname of the deceased along with their date of death. Files in this collection include various documents necessary for funeral services and burial: Obituaries published by Butler Funeral Home, funeral home receipts/billing for services offered, obituaries written by family of the deceased for the funeral home to produce funeral programs, funeral notice order forms for publication in the Flint Journal obituary section, death certificates, funeral memorial service cards/programs produced by Butler Funeral Home. Consistent features in each file are funeral home internal purchase orders and invoices, newspaper clippings of obituaries, copies of life insurance policies, correspondence in cases of non-payment between the funeral home director/owner Ailene R. Butler and clients. Some files also contain I.D. or insurance cards of the deceased and photographs provided for reproduction on funeral programs.

The collection can be broken into two halves. One half contains various local and state government compendiums and manuals. The other half consists of records related to one part of the life of Paul D. Phillips.

Concerning government records, the majority come from the city of Flint from the 1920s to the mid-1940s. Of significance are three copies of the 1939 compiled ordinances of Flint. The ordinances provide for enforcement and regulation of building and traffic codes, zoning changes, safety, welfare, public morals, health, recreation, business, and public works. Two interesting developments are that African Americans were no longer legally considered nuisances when renting property from white owners in certain parts of Flint, as city ordinances had described them in the 1920s, and that city health inspectors were empowered to inspect factories.

Accompanying the compiled ordinances is a 1926 schedule of license fees. Some service fees were crossed out with dark green ink. In their place, and in the same colored ink, someone wrote different charges for services. Ordinance No. 195, approved in 1917, regulated the use of motor vehicles of various types within the city limits. It represents an example of the automobile’s growing influence within Flint. The 1946 Flint Municipal Traffic Code, in contrast, is more descriptive and longer. In it are loose-leaf sheets of paper, which list taxicab companies in Flint from 1949 to 1950 and how many cabs each owned. These companies, including independent contractors associated with them, operated 150 cabs in the city.

The collection contains the 1920 report to the City Plan Commission. This contains extensive statistical information of the population of Flint at the time, excepting ethnic statistics. The report was related to a vote held in 1917 concerning a new charter amendment. The report was meant to compile statistical data for use in future planning.

Another document of interest is a booklet which contains a proposed revised city charter. It was published in 1919 after members of the Charter Provision Commission took suggestions from voters and examined charters from other cities.

Other government documents include a copy of the 1930 city charter, a copy of the 1938 official planning and zoning ordinances, and copies of the 1946 and 1948 state of Michigan elections manuals.

The other half of the collection is related to the life of Phillips. It does not contain records that reflect his personal tastes, but gives an idea that he was something of an outdoorsman. Phillips served as secretary of the Genesee Sportsmen’s Club in the early 1920s. The records contain the rules and by-laws of the Congress of Michigan Game Associations, newspaper clippings relating to activities of the club and associated individuals, and correspondence of club activities. The correspondence is largely limited to advocacy Phillips and other members of the club engaged in in 1921 and 1922. Objections rose among club members, Phillips included, toward state game warden John Baird out of concern that the warden and Governor Alexander J. Groesbeck were using funds meant to support conservation, propagation, and law enforcement of game for establishing and maintaining political connections. Phillips received letters from, and drafted letters to, individuals within the club and from across the state to mobilize a response. He and others often referred to political interference as “Bairdism” or “Groesbeckism.” Other records of the club include the fifth and sixth annual banquet programs and programs for other events.

The remaining records in the collection comprise documents from the Republican Party, a publication call “The Wheeze,” programs of First Baptist Church, including a program from its fiftieth anniversary, and by-laws of the Flint Shriner’s Club from 1925.

The collection consists of two copies of invitations to a New Year’s party at the Idlewild in Flint. Room managers were identified as George Stevens, William Lewis, and Vene Cole. Music was to be provided by Kinman’s Band. D.W. Denio was identified as the proprietor of the Idlewild. Entry cost $2.