Phillips Family - By James F. Price, 1931

 

                    Noted Pioneer Families

The pioneer settlers of Crittenden County mostly came to this section from 1795 to 1806. The majority of them came from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Here is a short history of the Phillips Family, just one group of our noted families. (They still have many, many descendants living in Crittenden County even today.)

 

The Phillips family of Crittenden County are from pioneers who came within its borders in 1806. They are descended from Robert Philips, who was born in Ireland, and his wife Jane Edgar, a native of Scotland. They were married either in Ireland or Scotland and emigrated from there to North Carolina. Their son, John, was born on the voyage across the Atlantic, August 12, 1769.

 

The family located in Mecklenburg, N. C., near Charlotte. There John Phillips grew to maturity and married Mary Stewart. The became the parents of five sons, viz: William E., Thomas Stewart, Samuel H., John Tate, and George H. The birth dates of these five sons range from December, 1790, to November, 1801. 

 

Mary Steward died in Mecklenbureg County prior to 1806, for in March of that year John Phillips and his five motherless sons started from North Carolina to what is now Crittenden County. Here he later, (Feb. 8, 1809) married a widow, Mrs. Jane Morrow Black, and to that union were born Robert Black Phillips, Maxwell Pope Phillips, Mary Stewart Phillips and Daniel Brown Phillips.

 

Starting in March of 1806, in addition to the Phillips family, the group of pioneers included the families of Ezekiel and Samuel Porter, and possibly others. En-route they fell in with the Hodge and Coleman families who also came to the same locality.

 

The route was across the Blue Ridge and the Cumberland Mountains. At that early date the roads were little more than trails and there were no bridges over streams so that slow progress was made and many hardships endured. Indians still occupied part of the country traversed but gave no trouble to the travelers. The caravan reached what is now Crittenden County in early May of 1806. 

 

John Phillips and his sons made a crop that year on a place subsequently known as the Drury Allen farm, near Tribune. Later they moved to where the Garland Carter and Peter C. Stephens farms were developed spending about three years there.

 

About 1810 they moved to land on Piney Creek near Deanwood, the farm afterward known as the Ephraim Hill place. They spent perhaps twelve or fourteen years on that farm, till most of the sons were grown up. Later part of the family moved to land along Hood's Creek near to Nunn's Switch. John Phillips is probably buried at the family cemetery on land where his sons resided. Three of his sons for many years occupied farms in that immediate locality. 

 

John Tate Phillips, (son of John and Mary Stewart Phillips), who furnished the information on which these notes are written said that when they came into this locality in 1806 there was only one road official established, the Flynn's Ferry Road from Princeton to what is now Weston. It became a pioneer road for emigrants going to Illinois and Missouri. Farms were yet very few and small.

 

Among the families in this locality about that period he named those of "Squire" Miller, the Travises, Nunns, Prices, Clarks, Cains, Stewarts, Truitts, Walkers and also one branch of the Hughes family.

 

Mr. Phillips also made mention of early religious activities at Piney Fork where he was converted and united with the church in August 1820, during one of the camp meetings for which that sacred spot was long so justly famous.

 

The above has been written with the joint purpose of giving some pioneer history and of awakening the descendants of those pioneers to an interest in gathering up and preserving information about their worthy forbears.

I have not known finer people in any locality than were many of them, "The Salt of The Earth."

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The family of Maxwell Pope Phillips. By ages of some of the children in the picture, it must have been made in the latter part of 1869.

Back row: 1. Maxwell Pope "Mack" Phillips, 2. William Edgar Phillips (son), 3. John Thomas Phillips (son), 4. William Daniel Shaw (nephew), 5. John Mack Phillips (nephew), 6. John Lamb (son-in-law), 7. William Joel Hill (son-in-law)

Front row: 8. Richard Black "Dick" Phillips (son), 9. Robert Gustavus "Gus" Phillips (son), 10. Eva (Shaw) Phillips (Mack's wife), 11. Ellen (Walker) Phillips (dau-in-law), married to William Edgar, 12. Sarah Ann Shaw (niece), 13. Margaret Shaw (niece), 14. Maria Phillips (daughter), 15 .Polly Jane (Phillips) Hill, daughter, married to William Joel Hill, 16. Mack Hill, (born Jan. 1869) in lap of his mother, Polly Jane, 17. Sarah Ann (Phillips) Lamb, daughter, married to John Lamb, 18. Isabelle "Belle" Phillips (daughter), 19. Evalina "Lina" Phillips (daughter).

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John Phillips, (1767-1851), of this noted family is buried in the cemetery known at the McKinley-Phillips Cemetery located in the Nunn Switch community. The cemetery is located on top of a bluff that looked over the old railroad track. Several members of this Phillips family are buried there. John Tate Phillips, that wrote the above notes on his family, died sometimes in the 1870's and although they has no tombstone, it is thought that he and his wife, Nancy Walker Phillips, are buried here.

This little family cemetery had laid untouched for many years and had gotten quite overgrown. In the spring of 2001, a family clean-up day, spear-headed by the late Debbie Phillips Rogers, and joined by other members of the Phillips family, cleaned up this cemetery and also had a chain-link fenced set to enclose the site. Although I haven't been back since this time it's hoped this historic cemetery is still in good condition.

Marion Methodist Church Memory Garden in 1933

 

The Crittenden Press – April 21, 1933

MEMORY GARDEN DEDICATED LAST WEEK

The Memory Garden at the Methodist Church was dedicated by appropriate services on last Thursday afternoon. Mr. John A. Moore and Judge C. S. Nunn were the speakers. The dedicatory sentences were pronounced by the pastor, Rev. Charles A. Humphrey.

• The Beautiful Bird Bath in the center of the grounds was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Maurie Boston and was dedicated to the memory of their deceased son, John Richard Boston.

• The English Juniper was dedicated to the memory of Judge Thomas Nunn, for many years Judge of The Court of Appeals of Kentucky.

• The French Juniper was dedicated to the memory of Mrs. J. N. Boston, and three Irish Junipers to Mrs. S. B. Tucker, Mrs. Nannie R. Cochran and Mrs. Victoria Deboe, respectively.

• Two Pyr. American Arborvitae were dedicated to Mr. Hollis Franklin, for sixteen years the Superintendent of the Sunday School, and to Mr. J. A. Stephens, twenty four years Treasurer of the Sunday School.

• Two American Arborvitaes were planted, one for the Kiwanis Club and one for Mr. and Mrs. N. R. Rochester.

• Three Norway Spruce Trees found a place for Rev. Charles A. Humphrey, Mrs. James T. Hicklin and "Billy" Yates.

• Two Pfizer Junipers were honored by the names of Miss Nell Walker and her sister, Mrs. Dave Moore. Four Golden Arborvitae stand gloriously for Charles Warren Yates, Ted Frazer, Jr., Louise Lee May, and three Johnston children, Kenneth Pasco, Jean Margaret and Phillip Gilchrist.

• The Marion Public School Facility have three Japanese Cherry trees.

• Gardenia Roses were planted for Charles Edward Guess, Mrs. McConnell's class, Mrs. Hobart Franklin's class.

• Mary Wallace Roses represent, Rebecca Cochran, World Friends and Rev. C. G. Prather. Umbrella trees were planted for all former pastors: Rev. Arthur Mathew, Rev. J. S. Chandler, Rev. H. R. Short, Rev. W. P. Gordon, Rev. G. P. Dillon, Rev. L. K. May, and Rev. B. M. Currie. A Chinese Compact was planted for J. T. Given's Jr., and two Globe Arborvitae for Judge Charles Wilson, and Mrs. Clara Carnahan.

• An arborvitae was included for the Cora Charles Circle, and one each, for Thomas Stephens and Mary Charlotte Nunn, the wise leaders of the procession that marched from the old Methodist church to the new one on the day of dedication twenty years ago.

• Mr. and Mrs. Lester presented the pergola, and Mr. Templeton gave the clematis, also the magnolia tree.

• Miss Clara Nunn donated the seed for three flower beds; canna bulbs were furnished by Mrs. Doyle Vaughn, and Red Buds by Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Bourland.

• Lily bulbs found a setting by Mrs. Wm. Yandell for Miss Nell Walker. Herbert Cochran and Irene Cochran are represented by eleven native cedars, while Martha Ann Adams has a hydrangea to her honor.

• Charles Arthur Gillette has an Althea, C. A. Daughtrey, a Mock Orange, and Mrs. C. A. Daughtrey, an American Beauty Climbing Rose.

• Mrs. A. H. Reed has two lilacs, Mrs. Gray, a group of hollyhocks, C. W. Haynes, three Cherokee Roses, Mrs. F. W. Nunn a Pussy Willow, Rev. W. F. Hogard, a Pussy Willow, and Neil Guess, gold fish and water plants.

• Mrs. Maggie Johnson planted a rose, Mr. Sam Gugenheim and the Illinois Central Railroad furnished large areas of bluegrass sod. Mrs. H. C. Moore gave water plants, and Mrs. John Cochran larkspur.

• Much of the labor was furnished by the R. F. C. and we would take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every man who worked on the project. These men were capable, interested, willing to work, and pleasant to deal with, many of them placing shrubs and trees to their own loved ones.

• A Formosa was brought from Union County by Mr. Conyers. Mr. Roberts and Mr. Easley furnished stone for the driveway. So with a willing mind everyone worked and the garden was completed. Provision for other plantings may be arranged through the pastor, Rev. Charles A. Humphrey.

"Memory Garden" is a thing of beauty, and an object of civic pride. It is created for the pleasure and enjoyment of all our citizens.

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The garden must have been beautiful in its day.  With the addition on the back  of the church built in 1955 and through the years, there is not a single thing left from this garden on the grounds of the church today.  I wonder anymore if there are many of us left that even know what a beautiful thing a Memory Garden is.

Miracle Recovery of J. D. Grimes from the Ohio River in July 7, 1963

 

 In this week's Crittenden Press, January 9, 2025, we see the obituary of our local citizen, James D. "J.D." Grimes.  In the article it mentions that J. D. was resuscitated from drowning by Leroy Hodge, when he was 16.  Such an incredible story.  Here is the first hand report of this miracle from The Crittenden Press, July 11, 1963.

The Crittenden Press, July 11, 1963

Youth’s Drowning Narrowly Averted Sunday; Found on Rope

A sixteen year old Crittenden County youth narrowly escaped drowning last Sunday afternoon in the Ohio River at the head of Rankin Island, just a few hundred yards above the Cave-In-Rock Ferry landing.

J. D. Grimes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Grimes, was wading in water about waist deep, on the channel side of the island, when he stepped in a hole in the sand over his head. His struggles were immediately noticed by George Hodge, who swam to the youth, who could not swim, and tried to pull him back to shallow water. Frantic efforts of the boy to save himself prevented Hodge from towing him to the bank.

George Hodge’s brother, Sam, was towing another man, Jewell Myers, on water skies nearby and heard George Hodge’s cry for assistance. Sam pulled the boat towing Myers in close to the two in the water and attempted to pull both George and the Grimes youth into the boat. George, exhausted from struggling with the youth, lost his grip on the boy and he slipped under as Sam pulled his brother from the water.

With George lying safely in the boat, Sam drove into the water and searched for the youth until he was exhausted and then returned to the boat. Myers, meanwhile had swam to the boat and as Sam pulled in the tow rope Myers had been using, he could move the boat downstream, he felt a heavy weight and as he continued to retrieve the ski rope, he surfaced the Grimes youth with the rope under his arm pit.

With the unconscious boy in the boat, the three raced to just above the ferry landing where they beached the boat and sent bystanders to call for an ambulance.

Waiting for the ambulance to make the 11 mile trip from Marion to the river, artificial respiration was begun by Otis Millikan, a bystander. Millikan failed in his attempted respiration and Leroy Hodge, nephew of the other two Hodges, began mouth-to-mouth respiration he had learned at a scuba diving school recently. When the ambulance arrived the youth had begun to show signs of life. With oxygen being administered on the way to the Crittenden County Hospital the youth momentarily regained consciousness, then lapsed again.

Physicians said that the mouth to mouth artificial respiration given by Leroy Hodge was responsible for saving the youth’s life.

The Hodges said that they estimated that the Grimes youth had been under water a little less than five minutes and showed no signs of life when efforts were begun to restore his breathing. His extremities had already discolored.

The happy youth was discharged from the hospital Wednesday morning, little the worse from his experience.

 

What an amazing story.