Bios: PHILLIPS, Joseph W. D. : from Lawrence Co, PA

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Joseph W. D. Phillips

Was born in Orange County, Vermont. And is the oldest son of Joseph M.
and Lydia Phillips; when about 9 years old his parents removed to
Pennsylvania and settled in Lawrence County.  In May 1846 he left home
and went to Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, where he engaged in
clerking for four years.  He then purchased the business and conducted it
for several years.  On the 20th December 1852, he took passage on the
steamship Northern Light for California and arrived at San Francisco
January 16, 1853.  He went to Nevada City and began hotel keeping in a
house known as the Keystown.  In June 1855 he went to Shasta County and
there kept a hotel at Horsetown.  In September 1857 he returned East
leaving his family in California, they soon joined him, and removed to
Coles county, Illinois, in March of 1858.  In the fall, same year, they
returned again to California and kept a boarding house in Tuolumne
county, on the 22nd day of June, 1860 he came to El Dorado county and
located on a ranch between Hope and Lake valleys, here he spent the
summer and the winter at Placerville.  In 1862 he opened the Phillip
station on the stage road and made it his permanent abode till 1869. 
  In 1873 he located his present home on section 4, Township 11, Range
10 and began improving it.  In 1874 he was the independent candidate for
the Assembly and beaten by a very trifling majority.  In 1879 he was
again beaten for the same place by a very small vote.  His brother Daniel
is a partner in the ranch; they have about 40 acres under cultivation
all very productive land.  Mr. Phillips is one of the enterprising and
industrious men of El Dorado County, he has been engaged in many mining
ventures that were not successful, but never gave up.  He was wedded to
Miss Mehitable J. Ball, at Quincy, Illinois, on the 22nd day of
September 1857.  They have two children viz: Sierra Nevada, born at
Nevada City, California, July 28, 1854, now Mrs. A.W. Clark, of
Glenbrook, Nevada, and Ida M., born at Williamsfield, Ashtabula county,
Ohio, on the 19th of May, 1858, now Mrs. J.B. Meloche, of Glenbrooke,
Nevada.  Mr. Phillips was Superintendent of the United States Mining
Company near Nevada City, the first one to erect pumps in that vicinity.
In 1876 his property in the mountains was destroyed by fire.


Page 260

"The Historical Souvenir of El Dorado County, etc. was originally
published in 1883 by Paolo Sioli. Siloli's History was first reprinted
some thirty years ago by the Amador Ledger Dispatch in Jackson,
California. That printing was a direct reprint from the origninal with
no additions. This Sesquicentiennial reprint contains all the pages from
the original, along with an index that was prepared by Dorothy Bayless.
It was published by The El Dorado County Friends of the Library."