Joel White Phillips, of GA. & TX.

JOEL W. PHILLIPS
Garrison, Nacogdoches County Tex.,
July 23. - Joel W. Phillips died on the 20th inst. at the extreme old age of 86 years, and was interred yesterday with Masonic honors. He was a member of the Georgia legislature when the charter for the first railroad in the state was granted.

Source: The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, Texas, Monday, July 24, 1893

NOTES:
(1) Member of House of Representatives, State of Georgia, Meriwether Co., for years, 1835, 1837, 1851/52.

(2) RUSK COUNTY MOVING.
We see that the democrats at Rusk have formed a democratic association and appointed the old wheel horse, Col. Giles S. Boggess, President, and the following gentlemen, Vice Presidents: Thomas Wilson, Robert Montgomery, W.M. Ross, Joel Phillips, James E. Smith, A.D. Hutchings, John Watson, J.W. Bradshaw, James Bagley, J.W. Hamilton, A.C. Whatley, Jesse Walling, Solomon Grigsby.
Secretaries: Thos. R. Petrus and James H. Jones.

Source: State Gazette, Seat of Government, Austin, Texas, Saturday, October 11, 1856; Pg. 1, Column 7

(3) This is my direct lineage. Joel White Phillips, s/o Elijah Phillips and Tilitha/Tilothy/Tabitha Walker; md. 17 Oct. 1830, Pike Co. GA., Bathsheba/Bashaby Phillips, d/o Jonathan Phillips and Elizabeth Howell.

I've shared the following historical account of Joel White Phillips, compiled by Mrs. Mina Elizabeth (Seelbach) Helpenstill, 1898-1985, and given to me ca 1982, with other researchers and it has now been posted as their own compilation without any source or proper credit given. Therefore, am posting it here to give the background of the source:

JOEL WHITE PHILLIPS
Joel White Phillips and his brother, Haden, came to Rusk County Texas about 1851 from Meriwether County Georgia. He built the "Star House" not far from the present location of the Old Prospect Church in Rusk County Texas. This house, made of hand-planed lumber, eventually had sixteen rooms. It was one of the finest homes in Rusk County and one of the first painted houses. It was painted white, and because it had a big blue Texas star painted on the front, it became known as "The Star House."

A family cemetery was near the "Star House" which also had a private cemetery for the slaves. Descendants of daughters, Terrisa and Arabella Phillips, erected a large double granite marker to their memory near the Star House Cemetery. It was impossible to locate the exact graves or to place the marker in the proper place because of the dense tree growth. Today, tall stately cedars, tall crepe myrtle bushes and this marker are the only signs to indicate that there had ever been a cemetery located there.