Re: Levi Phillips
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In reply to:
Re: New e-mail address
Richard Garrett 7/22/06
I think that you are in the same "boat" as a whole bunch of us are! Probably 20 or so years ago, there were several of us working on the Phillips family, trying to find the parents of both Levi Phillips and Israel Phillips. I am "convinced" that they were at least closely related, and possibly brothers. I think it is too much for just coincidence that Levi Phillips m'd Mary [3] Bradway, Ruth [3] Bradway (Mary's sister) m'd Anthony Harris and Anthony's twin sister, Amity Harris, m'd Israel Phillips! We could never find anything conclusive on Israel Phillips' antecedents, either.
I finally tracked down the Henry B. Phillips Mss. in 1985/6. Despite the fact that it covered the RI Phillips family, they had been (first?) placed in the Sutro Library in California, then moved to a private library for a while and from there to the California Genealogical Society in San Francisco. I was told that the collection contained 5 large cardboard boxes and 28 file card boxes, mostly on the RI Phillips family. After somewhat of a "struggle," I was finally able to get copies of the index cards that they had on Levi and Israel, only to find that they contained no useful information. Henry B. Phillips had identified the parents of Israel, but further research showed that his connection was actually incorrect.
There is one branch of the RI Mikel Phillips family that has (apparently) stymied everyone since the beginning of time - it comes through William Phillips. (I'm dredging this from memory, but I think that it was William [2], William [3] Phillips that was the hangup.) Levi and Israel probably belong in that line (along with the William Phillips who was listed in the 1777 Military Census as in N. Providence, where Levi lived at the same time) but we could never find anything to prove (or dis-prove) anything.
I found one probate record in Springfield VT where Levi Phillips was appointed as administrator to the estate of "William Phillips late of Springfield deceased" on 2 Sep 1789. William Phillips (obviously another one!)and Daniel Bugbee were chosen by the heirs to appraise the estate of the deceased in Woodstock CT! I found nothing in Woodstock CT about this man!
Clarence Bowen, in his multi volume set of "Genealogies of Woodstock CT Families," showed a Capt. William Phillips who d. 20 May 1798 in his 71st year, but this was 9 years after the Springfield VT administration. Bowen continued that this William was probably the son of Mrs. Martha Phillips who died in Woodstock on 5 Dec 1784, naming her son William as executor of her will, along with other children: James, Jeremiah, John, Edward, Tabitha, Martha, Mary and heirs of a daughter Ama Davis. Bowen also showed a "Mr. Phillips" died in Woodstock on 25 Nov 1782. He could have been the father of the William who died in 1798. I tried to follow this group, but gave it up after a while, mostly because it seemed that I was on a "wild goose chase."
At any rate, after all was said and done, I knew nothing more about Levi Phillips than I did at the beginning.
Cordially,
Bette Bradway
More Replies:
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Re: Levi Phillips
Richard Garrett 7/23/06