BIOGRAPHIES: William M. Phillips, Jackson County, Iowa

Copyright c) October, 2001 by Beverly Hopkins. This copy contributed for use in the 
USGenWeb Archives.  < Yellowhawk_51@webtv.net >

*****************************************************************************
USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE:  These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any 
format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons.  Persons 
or organizations desiring to use this material,must obtain the written consent of 
the contributor, or the legalrepresentative of the submitter, and contact the 
listed USGenWebarchivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given 
permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.
*****************************************************************************
BIOGRAPHY

WILLIAM M. PHILLIPS

William M. Phillips was born in Ohio on Oct. 9, 1801 to James Phillips.
He married Lydia Whitaker on Jan 15, 1824.  She was born in Clairmont
Ohio on 2/7/1804. 
 They resided in White Pigeon, Mich. in 1830 and then returned to Ohio.
the Wiliam Phillips family along with John Clark and Isaac Mitchell were
the first men to set foot where the town of Maquoketa now stands.  They
arrived in May 27, 1837.  Wm. Phillips settled and improved a farm north
of what is now the city of Maquoketa, part of that farm is now in the
city of Maquoketa.  There were only two small log houses, the one
belonging to Phillips and one belonging to three men, Banner, Burnett
and Orsemus.  The Phillips claim was in the north east quarter of the
city and he entered the first claim in the township in Nov. 1, 1838, the
year it was surveyed by the government.  He sold his farm to David Sears
in 1846, later it was owned by Gene Hatfield.
 The Phillips family lived in a tent until a log cabin could be built.
Phillips had the forethought to bring a small hand mill with him and
when he had raised some corn, the little mill was fastened to a tree or
post and was used by him and his neighbors to grind corn for bread.
Wm. Phillips built the first saw mill in this locality on Mill Creek.
Phillips later sold this claim and moved to a farm west of Maquoketa.
His wife, Lydia, died in 1844.
In the 1850 census Wm. Phillips had remarried to Almira Phillips.  He
sold his farm in 1854 and moved to Des Moines, Iowa.  His second wife
also passed away.  He died on his birthday October 9, 1857.
 He and Lydia had 10 children: Nancy; Cereyne; Boliver; Margaret; 
Andrew Jackson; Jane; John; Lottie; William Tyler; and Arvilla 
(who died in infancy).
 He and Almira had two children: Gevina and James W.