The 1900's was a century of fame and migration for the Philbrick & Philbrook Families. As the age of the automobile and airplane came about, the Family was able to move to new towns and cities throughout the United States. By the 1990's, you could find Philbrick and Philbrook Families in all 50 states.

    The 20th Century would mark fame for several Philbricks & Philbrooks

    Mary Philbrook of Jersey City, New Jersey was an apprentice in a local law office. In 1894 she first applied to the New Jersey bar, but was denied because the law did not allow for women to practice in the state. New Jersey suffragists lobbied the state legislature to pass a bill which resulted in Mary Philbrook's admission to the bar in mid 1895. In 1906, Mary Philbrook made history as the first woman to practice law before the United States Supreme Court. Later she would demonstrate her determination by continuing to work for equal rights for women, social reform, and world peace. In the early 1930's she journeyed to England and searched for Thomas the Emigrant's English ancestry. Mary Philbrook died in 1958 at the age of 86.

    In 1940 Herbert Philbrick, a young advertising agent from Boston, found himself involved with a pacifist organization opposed to the growing war in Europe. To his dismay, it appeared that it had begun to be taken over by American Communists. Initially he planned to resign, but then contacted the F.B.I. who suggested he stay and find out what the intentions of the Communists were. Strictly as a patriotic volunteer without a dime of money from the F.B.I., Herbert Philbrick began a 9-year odyssey that would bring him face to face with the insidious web of Communism in America. Acting as a counterspy, Herbert Philbrick rose to the highest ranks in the Communist Party of the United States, all the while passing information to F.B.I. agents. In 1949, 11 members of the Communist Party were tried and convicted with the help of Herbert's testimony. His book about his life as a counter-spy, "I Led 3 Lives," was later turned into a popular television series in the early days of T.V.

    Towards the end of the 1900's, several Philbrook & Philbrick authors would make their mark on the American public. Clem Philbrook would be known for a series of young teen books, "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick would be turned into a movie starring Sharon Stone and Gillian Anderson; and Nathaniel Philbrick's epic "Heart of the Sea, the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" would become a best seller.