JONATHAN C. PHILLIPS
Amongst the early settlers of eastern Pennsylvania, none were more eminent for industry, probity and every christian virtue, than the Welsh. When Penn opened his colony to settlement, Friends and Baptists from that principality thronged to the New World, with all their rugged love of civil and religious liberty. Welsh emigrants were nearly all of one or the other of those sects, and generally agriculturists.
The earliest known progenitor of the family under consideration was Griffith Phillips, who came from Wales some time about 1731, for in 1741 and the following year he purchased two parcels of land containing respectively fifty and a hundred and three acres. The exact time of his death is not known, but his grave is in the cemetery adjoining Great Valley Baptist church. Catharine, his wife, died August 27, 1747, aged 64 years; they had two children, Samuel and Mary.
Jonathan, the eighth child of this Samuel Phillips, born February 21,1757, died October 24,1829; married Martha, daughter of Elijah and Elizabeth Jones Davis, and they had two children, Eliza and Samuel D. Some time after the birth of her two children, Eliza and Samuel D., Martha, wife of Jonathan Phillips, died November 12, 1794, in her 27th year, and later he married a second wife, the widow of George Smith, whose given name was Mary; the fruit of this marriage was one child, Anna V., born December 15, 1803, who at mature age married John R. Hunter, and they had two children, Mary and Eliza Emily.
Eliza, the eldest child of Jonathan Phillips, born April 25, 1789, when grown, married Daniel Abraham, and they had eleven children, as follows: Martha D., Mary, Jane, Sarah C, David, Jonathan P., Phineas P., Elizabeth D., Samuel P., Daniel C. and Anna Theodosia. This numerous family are recorded briefly as follows: Mary married Printop;
Jane, David Siter; Sarah C, Nathan Stetson; Jonathan P., Sarah Thomas; Samuel P., Elizabeth Evans; Anna Theodosia, James Brown. We come back now to record the direct line of our subject.
Samuel D. Phillips, who was born December 11, 1790, married Theodosia Cleaver, whose birthday was November 7,1791, the day of their marriage being November 16, 1815. They had three children, fourth generation, to wit: Jonathan C., William C. H. and Charles D. Jonathan C. was born November 10, 1816, William C. H. October 2, 1818, and Charles D. May 24,1824. The second of these three children died March 21, 1827, in his sixth year. The father of this family, Samuel D. Phillips, who lived all his life at the old homestead, which has descended in the family for over a century and a half (situate on the southern edge of Great Valley, two miles west of Bridgeport), was a man of sterling uprightness of character. When young, he joined the Baptist church at Great Valley, and later was one of the leading founders and members of the Norristown Baptist church, and for a long time previous to his death, which occurred November 20, 1863, was a Deacon in the same.
Many years before his demise he purchased a farm up the valley for his youngest son, Charles D., which the latter worked for some time. The elder son, Jonathan C., our subject, remained on the homestead with his father until the latter's death, when it fell to him by inheritance. In the meantime, however, November 11, 1844, Jonathan C. and Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Ann Abraham (occupying an adjoining farm), were married, and the following children were born to them, fifth generation: Anna Theodosia, called for both grandmothers, was born November 6, 1845, and died 1861 at the interesting age of 15 years, n months and 18 days. Joseph A., born August 6, 1848, was married October 10, 1868, to Emily Rynick; their children are, sixth generation. Harry, Willie, George, Charles, Joseph and Mary. Martha E., born August 7, 1851, was intermarried with Frank Mancill, June 10, 1874, and she, after giving birth to one daughter, Martha, died January 20, 1879. Samuel D., Jr., was born March 28, 1853, and died in infancy. William E. was born May 9, 1855.
All the children of Jonathan and Sarah Phillips who reached maturity were well educated. William E., the last named, was married October 20, 1886. to Miss Hannah, daughter of Joseph E. and Rachel Anna Rapp, Norristown. William E. Phillips graduated with honor at Lewisburg University, 1877, in his twenty-second year; since then, until his father's death, as before stated, he superintended the farm, at which time, by will, he fell heir to the property, his father having made a will, leaving him also executor of the same. Mr. Phillips took also a partial course of study in medicine, being only diverted from that profession by the death of his father. Since the father's death the plantation has been greatly improved, Mr. P. laboring to have it in the highest state of cultivation. It is known as the "William Penn Stock Farm," where choicest animals can be had, from fowls to the finest breeds of horses. Since 1885 he has also been engaged in the hardware business in Norristown, he succeeding to the trade formerly conducted by his uncle, Charles D. Phillips; but he intends to mainly devote his life to farming or stock raising, in which business he will be greatly aided by his wife, she having tastes inclined to such pursuits. He has retired from the former business.
Charles D., the youngest son of Samuel D. and Theodosia Phillips, married Ellen, daughter of Joshua Molony, of Kingof-Prussia, and there have been born to them four children, Eva A., Ellen Theodosia, Anna M. and Charles D. The last died in infancy.
After following farming some years in the Great Valley, Charles D. Phillips removed to Norristown, purchasing a fine mansion on Airy street, and lived retired for a time; later, he purchased an established stove, tin and hardware business, which he conducted until 1885, when his nephew William E. Phillips by purchase came into possession of it.
Of Jonathan C. Phillips it may be further added he was interred at Montgomery Cemetery. For several years before his death he was in feeble health, from a lingering consumption, which was hastened to a fatal termination by an attack of pneumonia, which carried him off, as before stated, November 28, 1884. In person Jonathan C. Phillips was five feet eleven inches in stature, spare in flesh, brown hair and fair complexion; he was very industrious, upright and discreet, a good neighbor and useful citizen.
Mrs. Sarah Phillips and son have in their mansion a considerable number of rare old books, among others Bishop Hacket's Sermons, a prelate of the reign of Charles II, and printed at that era. They have also an early published copy of Scott's Commentary, in three large volumes, besides a fine one of the Royal Charter to William Penn for his colony. They have many other works precious in the eyes of antiquarians.
Their buildings, which are capacious and ample, though descended from a generation past, are kept in the best state of repair, nearly all having metallic roofs, recently painted and in good condition.
The eminent respectability and worth of both the immediate ancestors of Jonathan C. and Sarah Abraham Phillips, warrant a further notice of both. The Phillips and Abraham families still occupy adjoining farms along the Schuylkill and in the valley, which were originally purchased by them of the Penn proprietaries, and have remained in their possession nearly a century and a half. Most of both families have been eminent Baptists, originally members of Great Valley Church, but latterly of the congregation in Norristown; Samuel D., Jonathan C.'s father, and the former's cousin Phineas, were also office-bearers there for many years. Samuel D. and Theodosia Phillips are interred at Great Valley cemetery, and Joseph Abraham and wife at Treemount, Norristown.
The personnel of Sarah Abraham Phillips' own family may be briefly noted here as follows: Joseph Abraham married Ann Davis, and they had the following children: Hannah, born 1820, married James Shannon, died without issue 1878: Sarah, with Jonathan C. Phillips, already inscribed; James, born 1824, intermarried with Susan Eastburn, have two living children; Benjamin, born 1826, with Jane Eastburn, have five children; George, born 1827, with Mary Wager, six children; Thomas, born 1830, with Emily Scott, have five sons living and two daughters deceased; Eliza M., born 1831, with Jonathan Supplee, have three living children; Anna J., with Owen Evans, have five children; Emma J., born 1842, died in her eighteenth year unmarried; Joseph and Ann Abraham had other two children, who died in infancy. He died December 31, 1850, aged sixty-one years, and she March 30, 1873, aged seventy-four.
Source: Lives Of The Eminent Dead: And Biographical Notices Of Prominent Living Citizens Of Montgomery County, Pa., by Moses Auge, published by the author, Norristown, Pa., 1879; Pgs. 645-649
