MARTHA JANE ÒMATTIEÓ SMITH ____________________________________________________________ This information graciously contributed by Joe George: jgeorge@northcoast.com You can return to the main table of contents for this Person family document by going to the books section of the Ark. USGW archives. You can also get a full copy of the document by contacting Joe. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. ____________________________________________________________ A5 MARTHA JANE ÒMATTIEÓ SMITH was born October 16, 1866 in Illinois or Indiana. She was the daughter of John Speed and Julia Ann Lipps Smith. Part of her life was lived near the Wabash river. She moved with her family to Arkansas in or about 1880. They settled in Old Neely Community near Dardenelle in Yell County. Her mother died March 25, 1883. She lived at home with her father, brothers Ballard and Frank and sister Minnie until her marriage on January 10, 1884 to William Washington Phillips of the same community. They were married in Yell County and continued to live in old Neely commnunity. Their first two sons were born in Yell County, Henry in 1885 and William in 1887. Jesse in 1889 might have been born in Van Buren County. Around 1888, the Wash Phillips family and Edward Person family moved to White Oak mountain in search of a healthier place to live. The Arkansas river bottoms were infested with mosquitos and malaria. The Phillips bought the best farm available an the mountain from Dan Barton. This farm was located on top of the hill from the Person farm and the distance was said to be about a mile away Òas the crow flies.Ó The farm already contained a few apple and peach trees and Wash Planted more apple trees to complete his orchard. One year, he raised and sold $600 worth of blackeyed peas. The soup in which the peas were cooked was said to have been as coal black as coal tar. After the families had lived there awhile, Wash and Edward had large apple orchards. Apples were their main money crop of the year. The children picked the apples and stored them in sawdust to preserve them and they were sold at all times of the year. Wash and Edward peddled together and hauled their fruit in wagons drawn by mules. They covered all the communities around, going so far as Russellville, Dardanelle, Hot Springs and Little Rock. The men were close friends and had lots of fun together as they traveled around. A government whiskey still was located near the Phillips home. The oldest Phillips and Person boys sold it peaches which it used in the making of peach brandy. Soon after settling on White Oak, Martha became postmistress for the Okay, Arkansas postoffice. She enclosed one end of her front porch of her home to house the postoffice. Some who know her as a young lady said she waa a beautiful woman with long beautiful dark hair reaching below her waist. She was a very able woman who had a strong will and was gifted for leadership. During that time, the making of liquor was prevalent in the mountains. The mountain hollows were ideal places for whiskey stills because plenty of water was available. The liquor trade created a bad atmosphere for those people who wished to rear their children in a different manner. As Martha was postmistress and a prominent lady in the neighborhood, the church going people and those who did not like liquor sought her help in wiping it out. These people reported the bootleggers to the government revenue men in an effort to make them change their practices. This caused two factions in the matter. Edward Person, who never made liquor or drank very much, took sides with the liquor faction. He, being of a fractious type, went about calling the anti-liquor people Òhydrophobians.Ó This brought about missunderstandings between Edward and his sisteráin-law, Martha. Edward changed his mail to be delivered to the ÒSangÓ postoffice at Beavers on Brock Creek south of the Person family home. The easy-going Jennie Smith Person never took up the liquor quarrel. She and her sister Martha were said to have never had any ill feelings toward each other. While living on the mountain, several of the Phillips children were born. James was born in 1893, Hallie in 1895, Blanche in 1897 and Claud in 1900. Wash is said to have ruled his boys with an iron hand. A Berry Bagwell lived and owned land at old Neely. He lost his wife, Emma Phillips, a sister of Wash. She died in 1889 and Berry was left with four children, William b 1875 d 1901, Georgie, Dora and Ebb. Mr. Bagwell met Lou Williams who lived nearby with her parents. They were married and lived on the mountain for a few years, then moved back to old Neely before 1898. That was the year Nancy Cooper and her son, Walter, lived in his home on the mountain by invitation of Mr. Bagwell. It was free of rent. The Phillips family left White Oak mountain in the spring of 1901. Claud Phillips was born October 7, 1900. They moved to Carden Bottom, bought a store, but only stayed a few months before moving to Henryetta, Oklahoma where they ran a livery stable and stove shop. While in indian territory, Clydene was born in 1903 and died the same year. Joe was born in 1906. The Phillips family moved to Hardeman County, Texas due to some arrangement made with the family doctor, at Henryetta, to farm. They lived at Quannah and also Medicine Mound when Berry Bagwell Phillips was born in 1908. The Tobe Hanks family joined them and the two families lived there until l911. The Tobe Hanks family went to Floyd County near Floydada, Texas to farm. Wash Phillips traded for land, sight unseen, which was called goat land for $6 per acre at Asher, Oklahoma. Clayton Phillips was born at Asher in 1911. The OÕDell home was near the Phillips. Hallie married Dave OÕDell and Blanche married John OÕDell. Henry Phillips went to San Francisco, California and became a policeman. He died there in 1950. William married and reared his family in Oklahoma. Jesse and Frank married girls which were half indian. Wash was said to have been bitter toward the indians and never spoke to the daughters-in-law. Jim married twice and had two sets of children. Helen, his oldest daughter, was reared by her mother in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Jim retired at Lamesa, Texas. Jesse was a politician in his life time. He was killed by a train. Claud was a railroad worker and retired. He lived in Phoenix, Arizona. Joe and his wife, Kathleen, were killed in a car wreck in California. Hallie later married S. E. Miller and lives in Portland, Oregon in 1968. Wash and Mattie Phillips settled at Ada, Oklahoma where they lived out their lives. Martha Jane ÒMattieÓ Phillips died January 31, 1942 at Ada in Pontotoc County. Burial was February 3rd in Rosedale cemetery. Funeral was held by Rev. Virgil Alexander (Methodist). William Washington Phillips died July 2, 1947. Burial was also in Rosedale cemetery. In 1898, Walter Cooper attended school at New Hope (Pope County) with Henry, Bill, Jesse and Jim Phillips. In April, 1938, Walter and Lola Cooper visited the Phillips in Ada, Oklahoma. That was the first time Lola ever met her great aunt Martha Smith Phillips, Claud Phillips died April 4, 1968 and the internment was in Phoenix, Arizona.