Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897

ELDER JOHN T. PHILLIP,

[p. 43] J. T. Phillipan appointed minister of the Christian Church, but now retired from active work in the ministry, is interested with his son, Errett E., in the real estate business in New Castle, under the style of J. T. Phillip & Son; and engaged in teaching Bible classes in the Y. M. C. A. and the congregation of Disciples in New Castle; he is one of the county's most highly respected citizens, for his life-work is one of which he or any one else might well rejoice. He was born in Little Beaver township, Lawrence County, which township was then included in Beaver County, Jan. 6, 1826, and is a son of Ephraim and Anna (Newton) Phillip, and a grandson of Thomas Phillip.

Ephraim Phillip was born in Trenton, N. J., as was also his wife; they were married there and with horse and wagon came to Enon Valley, this county, where they bought a farm in a locality which was then desolate and practically uninhabited, with the soil as nature left it, untouched by plough or harrow. To afford them a shelter till better times, he built a log house, which remained their home until the land was partially cleared, and until he began to make brick, when he built a large brick house, which is still standing, and as it was on the State Road he kept a tavern in it. He also built a fulling mill and did custom work, but as the soil was very sandy he had hard work to keep a dam in-tact, until he set out a number of sycamore trees, which were effective in protecting the work. In 1828, he traded the property, so well improved under his able hands, with Mr. James Adair for property at Westfield near Mt. Jackson, this county, where he built a saw-mill and carried on general farmng until his death at the early age of forty-three years, which was occasioned by a severe cold, which developed into bilious fever which caused his death.

He preceded his wife by many years to the home of the blest on the other shore. He was a Democrat (the political parties then were Democrats and Whigs) and a member of the Christian Church at Enon Valley, this county. The following children were born to him: Thomas, who died young; Catherine, by marriage Catherine Taylor, deceased; Isaac N., deceased; Sarah, who married J. W. McCallen, and resides on the homestead; Ephraim, deceased, who was a farmer; John Taylor, our subject; Mary, deceased; Charles M. of Pasadena, Cal.; another Mary, deceased; and Thomas W. of New Castle.

Our subject attended the common schools to secure a substantial basis for a higher education until he was nineteen years old, when he began teaching. He then entered the Allegheny College at Meadville, Pa., where he was a student for two sessions, subsequently attending Bethany College of Virginia for a year, where from over-study he broke down, and was compelled because of his ill-health to return home. After regaining his health by vigorous out-door work, he again took up his profession, and received a call to the congregation of Disciples at Bazett, now Cortland, Ohio, which he visited for several years, also preaching in Missouri and in a number of other localities. He took up his ministry in the congregation of the Disciples or Christian Church of New Castle in 1862. This church was organized in 1853, at which early period in the society's existence the congregation used to meet in the Covenanters' Church. The beautiful, large church edifice, which stands to-day among the finest church structures of the county, owes its existence mainly to the generosity of Phillip Bros., who were producers of petroleum, of which our subject was one.

The material progress of New Castle has been greatly aided by Mr Phillip's work in the real estate line. He bought the Robert Stewart farm of 100 acres, in the city limits, paying therefor $30,000 cash, which property was at that date one of the most valuable in the county. This farm has been divided into lots and many of them sold, Mr. Phillip owning about thirty-five acres at the present time. He went into the real estate business quite extensively, and a few years later his son, Errett E., became associated with him, under the firm name of J. T. Phillip & Son, with office for the transaction of real estate and insurance business at No. 115½ East Washington Street. Our subject was in ante-bellum days a strong anti-slavery man, but has been allied with the Republican party since the date of its full organization until recently—is now a Prohibitionist.

On Feb. 7, 1855, he led to the altar Martha J. Cable, who was born May 25, 1832, died Feb. 15, 1878, and was a daughter of David and Rosanna Cable of Steubenville, Ohio. The children by this marriage were: Rose A., born Feb. 8, 1856, who married O. H. P. Brown, a dry goods merchant of New Castle; Sally J., born Jan. 29, 1858, lives at home; Fanny M., born Jan. 23, 1860, married John F. Stone of Indiana, now residing in Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory; Lewis O., M. D. of New Castle, was born May 7, 1862; Charles M., born May 17, 1864, died young; Errett E., born Nov. 20, 1866, is in partnership with his father; John B., born Nov. 22, 1868, lives at home; Pearl A., born Jan. 13, 1872, married Dr. W. A. Miller of New Castle, died in 1896; and Maud A., born Nov. 13, 1874, married Burt E. Ross of New Castle. Mr. Phillip married as his second wife, June 3, 1879, Miss Mary Lanham, who was born July 23, 1836, and was a daughter of Gabriel Lanham, a minister of the Gospel.

We present Mr. Phillip's portrait on a preceding page, and we are certain it will prove a very interesting feature in this volume.


Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897

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