John
Thomas Phillips was born on February 5, 1819 in NC. He was the son of Thomas
H. Phillips & Martha Pitts.
Emeline Courtney was born on March 22,
1825 in Indiana. She was the daughter of Archie Courtney
THE FAMILY OF JOHN THOMAS PHILLIPS & EMELINE COURTNEY
 | John Thomas Phillips & Emeline Courtney | John
Thomas Phillips married Emeline Courtney on Oct 20, 1842 in Jefferson Co., IN,
and they had 5 children. John & Emeline were fervent Methodists. They
probably were not tall, as two of their sons were 5'6". Sometime in the 1840's
the family moved to Scott Co., IN. They are in Jennings, Scott Co., IN on the
1850 census, and bought land in Scott County in 1854. John's mother died in 1856
and he bought more land at that time. They are listed on the censuses of Jennings,
Scott Co, IN in 1850 &1860, and on the censuses of Johnson, Scott Co, IN in
1870 & 1880. John Thomas Phillips died on November 13, 1881, probably in
Scott Co., IN. He and Emeline both contracted typhoid while caring for their
son Almond & his wife who also had the disease - only Almond survived. Thanks
to John Phillips for the photos on this family page. Notes for John Thomas Phillips |
The Children of John Thomas Phillips & Emeline Courtney
 | James Harvey Phillips | James Harvey Phillips was born on November
23, 1843 in Jefferson Co., IN. He is listed with his parents on the 1850 &
1860 censuses of Jennings, Scott Co., IN. James married Viola E. Herrod
on June 7, 1866 in Crothersville, Jackson, IN and they had 10 children. The family
is listed on the 1870 census of Johnson, Scott Co., IN. They are listed on the
1880 census of Marion, Jennings Co., IN. He is listed on most census records as
James H. Phillips, but is listed on the 1880 census as Harvey Phillips, and according
to relatives he went by Harvey. The family is listed on the 1900 census of Jennings,
Scott Co., IN. At that time Viola was listed as having 10 births with 8 surviving
children. James Harvey Phillips died on Sept. 28, 1909 in Louisville, KY.
Viola died on March 31, 1912 in Marion, Jennings Co., IN. Notes for James Harvey Phillips |
 | William Riley Phillips | William Riley Phillips was born on June
20, 1845 in Jefferson Co., IN. He is listed as William R. on all census records,
but according to relatives he was called Riley. He is listed with his parents
on the 1850 & 1860 censuses of Jennings, Scott Co., IN. William served in
the Union army in the Civil War. Riley married Julia Ann Stewart on Dec.
12, 1867 in Jefferson Co., IN and they had 7 children. The family is listed on
the 1880, 1900, 1910 & 1920 censuses of Graham, Jefferson Co., IN. Riley's
occupation was listed as farmer. Julia died on Sept. 30, 1921. William Riley
Phillips died on Feb. 25, 1923, probably in Graham, Jefferson Co., IN. Notes for William Riley Phillips |
 | John Almond Phillips | John Almond Phillips was born in January
1848 in Deputy, IN. His name is listed as John A. on all census records, but
as Almond on family records and also on his marriage record to his second wife.
He is listed with his parents on the 1850 & 1860 censuses of Jennings, Scott
Co., IN. He is listed at age 22 with his parents on the 1870 census of Johnson,
Scott Co., IN. Almond married Viola Jane "Ola" Whitsett on November
11, 1874 in Scott Co., IN and they had 3 children. The family is listed on the
1880 census of Johnson, Scott Co., IN. Almond, Viola & both of Almond's parents
all contracted typhoid in November 1881, and Almond was the only one who survived
it. At that time the children were age 9 months to 5 years. Almond married second
Lauretta B. "Retta" Harrod on June 10, 1882 in Scott Co., IN
and they had another son. The family is listed on the 1900 census of Indianapolis,
Marion Co., IN and on the 1910 census of Lincoln, Hendricks, Co., IN. In 1913,
Almond & Retta decided to join two of the sons who had moved to the Los Angeles
area, but Retta became ill and died shortly after arriving there. Lauretta died
on April 17, 1913 in California. After her death, Almond began writing Lauretta's
widowed sister Lillie Harrod Davis, and they married sometime after 1913
and before 1917. There is a photo of Lillie and Almond at their boarding house
in Tela, but I'm not sure where that is. Almond & Lillie either separated
or divorced, and by 1920 Almond is living with his son Leverne in Ladd Hill, Clackamas
Co., Oregon. That same year, Lillie is listed as widowed and listed as Keeper
of Boarders in St. Cloud City, Osceola Co., Florida. Sometime between 1920-1926,
Almond went to live with his son Porter in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep at
age 69 after complaining earlier of indigestion. John Almond Phillips died
in 1926 in Los Angeles Co., CA. An article in a the Scottsburg Chronicle (Scott
County) Indiana on May 26, 1926 states: "Mrs. Mary Christie has received
word of the death of her brother, Almond Phillips, at Los Angeles, Calif., where
he had resided the past few years with his son, Porter. He was well known in this
county, where he had spent most of his life." The Families of John Almond Phillips Notes for John Almond Phillips |
 | George Addison Phillips | George Addison Phillips
was born on September 8, 1852 in Scott Co., IN. His name is listed as George
on all census records I have found, but according to relatives he was known as
Addison. He is listed with his parents at age 8 on the 1860 census of Jennings,
Scott Co., IN, and at age 17 on the 1870 census of Johson, Scott Co., IN. George
married Mary Jane Spear on October 10, 1872 and they had 8 children. They
first lived in a log cabin that Mary's father owned near Deputy, Indiana. After
2 years they moved to Landon's Crossing, Azalia & Jonesville before moving
to Marion. The family is listed on the 1880 census of Marion, Jennings Co., IN.
In 1883 they moved to Columbus, IN, where George operated the Commercial Hotel
& a restaurant. Addison is remembered as industrious, honest, inventive and
argumentative. He designed a token register along the lines of a cash register
for his restaurant. If a customer so chose he could buy a token entitling him
to a specified number of meals. Each time he ate a meal, he turned in the token.
Addison would drop it into his invention and a new token, entitling the customer
to one fewer meal, would emerge. On November 26, 1907, the U.S. Patent Office
granted him a patent number 872,011, calling the patent a "meal-check system."
In 1894 Mary "kidnapped" her younger sister May from a foster home,
and brought her to live with them. The family is listed on the 1900 census of
Center, Grant Co., IN; at that time George's occupation was listed as Restaurant
Manager, and Mary Jane was listed as having 8 births with 7 surviving children.
They are listed on the 1910 census of Marion, Grant Co., IN; at that time George's
occupation was listed as Travelling Salesman, Furniture, and Mary Jane was listed
as having 8 births with 6 surviving children. Mary Jane died on November 26, 1919.
There is a George Philips, age 27 and widowed listed as a roomer along with their
son Raymond on the 1920 census of Center Twp, Grant Co., IN - this is probably
George, age 67 and the age written is an error. George Addison Phillips died
on Sept. 8, 1927 in Joplin, MO. Notes for George Addison Phillips Photo of George Addison Phillips & John Almond Phillips |
 | Mary Easter Phillips | Mary Easter Phillips was born on October
23, 1866 in Scott Co., IN. She was named for her Aunt Easter Phillips Feaster,
and according to her daughter Bernice her middle name was pronounced "Ester".
She is listed with her parents on the 1870 & 1880 censuses of Johnson, Scott
Co., IN. Her parents both died in a typhoid epidemic in November 1881 when she
was age 15, and she lived with her brothers, alternately after her parents died.
(Mary Easter was often called "Little Mary" because she was small. Her
sister-in-law Mary Spears Phillips was called "Tall Mary".) Mary married
Elvin Leroy Christie on March 15, 1891 in Scottsburg, I. They had 7 children,
3 of whom died before the age of 2. The family is listed on the 1900, 1910, 1920
& 1930 censuses of Jennings Co., IN, with Elvin's occupation listed as Farmer
on all censuses. In 1900 Mary was listed as having 4 births with 3 surviving children,
and in 1910 she is listed as having 7 births with 4 surviving children. Mary
Easter Phillips died on Dec. 26, 1940. Elvin died in 1954. Notes for Mary Easter Phillips |
