~ MORE JOHN PHILLIPS BUCZEK FAMILY ~ John Phillips Buczek
Born John George Phillips, Shelburne Falls Massachusetts
Named after my Great Grandfather John Ward Phillips
Adopted by Alexander and Wanda Buczek*****************************************************************************************************
PHILLIPS TRAVELS Nicholas Phillips comes to the New World
Written and researched by John Phillips Buczek
What events could possibly lead up to the desire or need of Nicholas Phillips II to sail to the New World? The voyage by ship was one fraught with danger and possible death. It is written that Nicholas II was a religious man and that he may have made this journey due to his desire to have more freedom to express his religious beliefs. He was one of many hundreds that made these voyages on vessels that some time were not capable of making the voyage, many sank at sea in great storms and many sunk near the shores of the new land as a result of storms or poor navigation. The average length of time from departure in England to the shores of the New World was ninety-seven days. Many travelers left with little or no belongings, many were not in good health and many were forced by the English Government to make these voyages. There are records of ships carrying undesirables and criminals to the New World as a result of England's desire to rid themselves of these people. There are also accounts of many passengers who died at sea due to age or ill health and were buried at sea never to set foot on the new land.
Before we embark on the travels of Nicholas and his descendants, it would be wise to digress a bit and discuss the early routines, laws and other items that would affected their life's.
Daily Life: Idleness was considered the first step toward excess and mischief, so many laws were enacted to prevent same. Playing cards or dice games was punishable by law, as were swearing and drunkenness, Capital crimes for which one could be put to death included idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, smiting ones father or mother, rebellion, etc.
Sunday was observed religiously. All labor ceased at three o'clock on Saturday and the rest of the day was spent in preparing for the Sabbath Reading material was scarce, and pictures were almost unknown in the earliest days. Education was first only that which families could impart to their children, and "playthings" as we know them were virtually non-existent.
Women were expected to understand their place--that is to say performing the functions of a faithful, dutiful and pious wife and mother. In loose terms, they were virtually owned by their husbands, and had few independent rights. Men labored to support their families, primarily as a farmer, cleric, tradesman, fisherman, etc -- with little time left (or permitted) for amusement or leisure. Children were exposed to labor at an early age, and in general lived in a frugal, austere and even stern family household. Often they were apprenticed out as servants, or to learn a trade.
The local minister and church officials wielded quite substantial power and influence over town families. Although today, we think of church and state as separate, in the early days, the church and state were often virtually one and the same.As you may recall, we were reading about how many people who came to the New World in Great Ships never made it. Fortunately, Nicholas made it safely with his wife and children. Nicholas probably landed in Boston, for there were only a few ports at this time which ships would land, Boston, Plymouth, and Virginia. A search of ships passenger lists for voyages between 1600 and 1700 for the Boston and Plymouth area show no “Phillips” as passengers other than the famous Rev. George Phillips which much has been written about and a Captain John Phillips. Nicholas’s first concern would be that of seeking shelter and food. He may of stayed in Boston for some time for Boston had become somewhat developed and there were accommodations for new arrivals. He ultimately seeks a place of his own and moves to the settlement of Contentment, now known as Dedham, were he was granted some land. Contentment was but a few miles from Boston and not as populated as Boston.
He set about to build his family a house which were typically built from logs cut from the land of the owners and consisted of one large room were cooking, sleeping and family activities were done. His wife started a garden to grow vegetables. To survive he did some farming and odd jobs. Nicholas eventually got involved with the local politics started to accumulate some money for he purchased other properties in the area. He, with others, started to explore new areas and about the time his first son was born he had established some land in Wessagusett, now known as Weymouth, an Indian territory. He got disenchanted with Contentment and removed to Weymouth.
This move took place prior to 1647 for a son was born to him and his new wife Elizabeth Edson in that year. He again started a new life and built his family another log house. This territory was even more desolate than that of Contentment, but it afforded the new families more opportunity to establish what they wanted. The move proved to be a bigger hardship, for there were few families here and any provisions that they needed would have to come from Boston or Plymouth. There were no roads other than ox cart trails and foot paths; traveling was a challenge in this area filled with Indians. There were however, inlets from the sea which allowed for smaller vessels to deliver provisions and provide a mode of travel to and from the other larger settlements.
As Richard and Caleb grew they provided additional hands to work and help provide the needed items to survive. After Joshuas birth in 1647, Nicholas and his new wife had eight more children, the last one being a daughter Sarah born in 1666 six years prior to Nicholas’s death in 1672. During this time in Weymouth, Richard, his second son born to his first wife, was starting to establish himself as one of the leading citizens of this community. He must have frequented Boston for that is were he met and married his first wife Mary Packard.
Richard and Mary had seven children before her death in 1664. H e may have taken residence with his father, however the small log house would have to have been expanded. During Nicholas’s remaining years which coincided with Richard marriages, the two families parented fifteen more children. During this time, Richard lost his first wife and remarried Elizabeth Edson Kingham. One year after his fathers death, he became one of the first Town Constables. He held other positions of importance during his life in Weymouth, one being that of a Selectman. He, at some time became a Sergeant and probably served in some capacity in the army. He later on advanced to the rank of Ensign. Richard continued to live in Weymouth till his death in 1695.
Of all of Richard's children, John may have had the biggest impact on future Phillips’s travels. John was the last born of Richards children and was soon to become active in the army. On his nineteenth birthday he became involved in the expedition for the reduction of Quebec. During this conflict many of the men who participated lost their lives and some were taken prisoners. John achieved the rank of Captain during this campaign for he is referred to as Captain John Phillips later on. and noted as the first person in Easton to reach this rank. As a reward for his duty he received, forty years later, “Rights to land” in what is now known as Ashfield.
John also built a house in Weymouth and located it on the other side of a main road from his fathers house. He eventually moved to Easton prior to his marriage with Elizabeth Drake and was blessed with ten children of this marriage. During his stay in Easton he involved himself in politics and became the town’s first Town Clerk. He, like his father, became more involved and served as selectman for seven years ,moderator for six years and Representative to the General Court for one year. John participated in the drawing of lots for New Town, also known as Hunts Town and finally Ashfield, in 1739. He “drew lot no. 6 in “his own right” and lot no. 13 ”in his fathers Right”. Captain John Phillips was an old man at this time, but his son Thomas, then 32, settled in the new township. John, like his father Richard, never resided in Ashfield all though they both paid land taxes for a period of time. Captain John Phillips died in Easton in 1760.
Thomas Phillips was the first Phillips to take permanent residence in Ashfield about 1744. He did however, make trips to Ashfield prior to his actually settling there. It was no easy journey for the owners of the new lands in the western wilds to visit their new possessions. It was made from Braintree which lay North East of Easton and this trip had to be made by wagon or on foot on basic pathways; then due North to Boston, then due West along the ox road known as Old Bay Path from Boston towards Springfield to as far as Brookfield; then due North onto another trail to Hadley. From Hadley they traveled North West by Ferry across the Connecticut River turned to Hatfield and North again to Deerfield.
Upon reaching Deerfield the would then follow the trail blazed by Nathaniel Kellog, the surveyor who laid out this area, through what is now known as Conway until they reached their destination. Old Bay Path still exists today as we know it as to be Route 9. This trip usually took three to four days to make with stops probably in Boston, Brookfield or Hadley and finally in Deerfield.
In the dense woods it was very difficult to find the lots they were looking for, as a matter of fact they some times would make their locations as much as three-fourths of a mile from were they were actually surveyed. He (Thomas) like his grandfather and father set about building a log house using available trees from the area. His only tools would have been an axe and a hand saw. He would have learned his skills from working with and watching men in Easton build theirs. Thomas would have found few traces of Indians, for they were more readily found in Deerfield and other places along the Connecticut River. They sometimes came to the Ashfield area to set up camps and do some hunting, fishing and trapping. There were times when evasive action had to be taken by the settlers of this new land to save themselves from Indian attacks. This can be attested to by evidence of a fort built by Thomas Phillips and Richard Ellis for the protection of their and other families during confrontations.
*****************************************************************************************************
The First Site of Thomas Phillips Dwelling Controversy
Written and researched by John Phillips Buczek
It should be remembered, prior to reading the following, that in 1739 the original drawing held in Easton, Ma. for lots was taken . Captain John Phillips drew lot no. 6 in his own right and lot no. 13 for Richard Phillips. Captain John Phillips was an old man at this time, but his son Thomas Phillips, then 32 years old, settled in the new township. Lot no. 6 was owned by his descendants over one hundred years. Joshua Phillips drew for his father (Joshua Phillips) lot no. 56. You will also have to reference the Lot Layout on the next page to keep track.
The History of places Thomas Phillips first dwelling (cabin) in the northeast part of the pasture now owned by Mr. Jerome Kendrick and another description places Phillips house at the north end of lot 46, now Mr. Kendricks pasture. Apparently two locations are identical, house lot no. 46 straddles Bear River and is bounded west entirely by lots no. 47 (north of the river) and no. 48 (south of the river. In the south half of 46 still stands the farm house of Jerome Kendrick which in 1960 was owned by his son Alan. David Alan bought lot no. 46 from Phillips in 1764.
Records reveal no evidence that between 1739 and 1770 Thomas Phillips Sr. owned or paid Proprietors assessments on house lots 46 and 47, however documents do show that between 1742 and 1764 Thomas Phillips owned and paid Proprietors assessments on house lot no. 48 (sixty acres). This lot lies wholly south of Bear River, and its entire west line forms the eastern bound of slightly more than the north half of lot no. 49, which Phillips’ brother-in-law, Richard Ellis owned and most of the time occupied between the early 1740’s through 1761. The documents also show that sixteen days after Phillips had bought lot no. 48 in September 1742 he bought half (twenty five acres) of lot 25 (no record shows that he bought the other half but evidence indicates that he did). The records further go on to state that “Richard Ellis settled on lot no. 49.... Thomas Phillips probably on no. 24 or 25.... he also paid taxes on the north end of lot no. 9 where the Phillips and Ellis Fort was. How ever it is stated that Thomas Phillips and his wife Katherine lived at Deerfield and settled on lot no. 32, or possibly his first cabin was about eighty rods further south and or near the Phillips Ellis Fort lot no. 30...... lot no. 32 site of residence Thomas Phillips Sr..; however further computations place the Phillips Ellis Fort at the south east corner of lot no. 19, but this data is probably a gross approximation the Fort could possibly have been within the north east corner of contiguous lot no. 9. On September 1, 1742 Thomas Phillips bought from Daniel Owen Sr. lot no. 48 for 55 pounds and sold the lot to David Alden for 100 pounds on September 18, 1764 this same lot.
The records continue on and on about lots no.’s 48, 49, 25 etc. etc., but no mention is made of lot no. 6 which to me would have been the lot originally drawn for by his father and the lot that he would have originally settled on. Closer examination of the Lot Layout shows no indication of a lot no. 6, in fact every thing but lot no. 6 shows up. Now if your as thoroughly confused as I am, it can be (maybe) finally settled that after the purchase of lot no. 48 by Alden, Thomas moved to lot no. 25 for the Ashfield valuation table carried Phillips Sr. as owner of one house and twenty four improved acres, but does not specify the lot number. In 1766 the assessment table show that Thomas Phillips was valued:
Polls 2 House 1 Lands 24 Slaves 0 Oxen 2 Cows 2 Horses 0 Swine 3 Sheep 0 Mills 2/3 Goats 0
Those who came here did not often settle on the lots drawn by their relatives. Probably some made trips to the place and if they liked other lots better than their own they could easily be bought. Wild lands in the west of the province sold at a low price. In 1737 what is now is the town of Colrain - then Boston No. 2 - was sold for 1320 pounds or about 19 cents an acre. Twenty years later the following townships were sold; Hawley for 875 pounds, Rowe 380 pounds.
*****************************************************************************************************
Winsor Lucius Phillips - my fatherWinsor Lucius Phillips was born in Conway, Ma. on July 10, 1909. At the time of his enlistment he was a plumber helper and single. Winsor ended up in Worcester, Ma. at some time for that is were he met his future wife Helen Berg and married near 1930. He eventually took residences in Shelburne Falls, Ma. and worked at several jobs, one being a truck driver another being a forge press operator.
Military Service
At the age of 18 he enlisted (October 8, 1927) in the United States Army at Fairhaven, Conn.. He was a Private First Class in Battery H, 11 Coast Artillery and was eligible as a 2nd Class Gunner. He completed one years service and was Honorably Discharged on October 11, 1928 by reason of “expiration of service”.
On June 27, 1941 he once again enlisted into the Army and was a Private in Company “D” 36th Training Battalion and was transferred to the Enlisted Reserves Corp. on September 23, 1941. On January 25, 1942 at Fort Devens he enlisted into United States Army Air Force and was assigned to 1010th Army Air Force Base Unit were he was an Airplane Armorer Technician. On April 7, 1942 he departed for Europe and was part of the Air Offensive in Europe and Western Europe. During this service he received the “Good Conduct Medal”, the American Defense Service Medal and the European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon with two Service Stars. He was Honorably Discharged on February 7, 1945 for personal reasons.
(Note: this was about the time I was placed as a Ward of the State with Mr. Alexander and Mrs. Wanda Buczek)
On September 1, 1950 he enlisted in the Air Force Reserves at the Rank of Airman First Class. His duty assignment was with the 564th Field Maintenance Squad at Otis Air Force Base. He was Honorably Discharged on November 23, 1953. On December 15, 1954 he once again enlisted into the Air Force and served with the 354th Fighter Wing Group. He attained the Rank of Staff Sergeant on June 1, 1955 and was awarded the National Defense Medal. His last stint with the service began of March 6, 1957 when he enlisted into the Air Force once again and served with the 60 Fighter Squadron. On March 23, 1961 he received the AFLSA w/2 OLC and on June 12, 1961 he received the Good Conduct Medal with two Stars. He was Honorably Discharged on April 26, 1963. Winsor spent a total of 19 years and 28 days in the service.
*****************************************************************************************************
Back to Chart