Foster Centre is a later name for the area believed to have been the general area within the township that the Philips family lived prior to 1848. See map from circa 1890's, the only one currently available at this writing.
We now quote freely from: History of Isaac Howard of Foster, Rhode Island, and his descendants who have borne the name of Howard, bt Daniel Howard, privately printed at Windsor Locks, CT, 1901
HON. DANIEL HOWARD was born in Foster, R. I., March 15, 1787. His education was ol)tained in the common schools of his town, where he was especially fortunate in having as his instructor for one year Benjamin Dolton, a graduate of the University of Dublin, Ireland, a teacher famed for his learning, and especially for his penmanship, Under the training of this master he became the most expert penman in his town, and when in 1803 his father was elected town clerk of Foster he rendered much aid as assistant. His father died in September, 1827, and on the first day of October following he was elected to the vacant office of town clerk, which office he held continuously for twenty-five years. During this time he served thirteen terms as Representative in the State legislature, a term being at that time half a year. On his journey home from Providence at the close of each week, a distance of nearly twenty miles, which he usually made on foot, it was his custom to stop at the wayside inns, where the people would be gathered to hear from him what had been the business of the week.
In 1834 he became one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas, serving nine years between that time and 1848, being the choice of his party whenever it was successful at the polls. He was off the bench in 1835 and on again in 1836 and '37; off till 1842; then on again till 1848. From 1844 to '48 he sat as associate with the judge of the Supreme Court.
In politics he was a Democrat. During the Dorr troubles of 1842 he favored the extension of the suffrage, but could not countenance the course pursued by the Dorrites to accomplish it. Hence he allied himself with the Law and Order men.
In local public affairs he was the most prominent man in Foster. He served fifteen years as justice of the peace; was assessor of taxes; was called upon to administer upon thirty-one estates; was a practical surveyor; was much in demand as a conveyancer and to draft wills and write all forms of legal papers for his townsmen and the citizens of adjoining towns; was much resorted to for legal advice, and, in short, was looked upon for half a century as a sort of legal umpire for his section of the state.
In 1811 he purchased his brother Gorton's interest in the farm which for seven years they had owned together, about two miles south of Foster Center, and on which they had already built a house and barn.
In 1856 Judge Howard built another and larger house, uniting it to the older one. These were his home from 1811 till his death, except that from 1838 to '41 he lived with his son Horace at Foster Center and again in 1843, after the death of Horace, he moved there to look after the interests of the estate, remaining till the spring of 1846, when he sold the property and returned to his farm.
On September 24, 1809, he married for his first wife Betsey Phillips (b. August 22, 1789), daughter of Asaph and Esther Phillips of Foster. She died December 16, 1849.
For his second wife he married, April 21, 1851, Lurana Howard (b. March 11, 1815), widow of his nephew, William Howard, and daughter of Saiimel and Elizabeth (Whipple) Wilbur of Seituate, R. I. He died July 15, 1879. His widow now lives with his grandson, Pardon T. Howard.
He had one son by his first wife: Horace, born Jan. 31, 1810.
That Howard was critically influential is an historic fact. There is some interest that Howard Phillips Lovecraft derived his first name from this local legend. This despite that Whipple Van Buren Phillips was a life long Republican. We do not know when he converted, but as James Wheaton Phillips was also a life long Republican, it was possibly after their father's death. Alternatively, the split may well have occurred at the Dorr Rebellion convention as some "Democrats" were more radical, and Howard was a civilized "Law and Order" man.In 1834 he became one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas, serving nine years between that time and 1848, being the choice of his party whenever it was successful at the polls. He was off the bench in 1835 and on again in 1836 and '37; off till 1842; then on again till 1848. From 1844 to '48 he sat as associate with the judge of the Supreme Court.
In politics he was a Democrat. During the Dorr troubles of 1842 he favored the extension of the suffrage, but could not countenance the course pursued by the Dorrites to accomplish it. Hence he allied himself with the Law and Order men.
In local public affairs he was the most prominent man in Foster. He served fifteen years as justice of the peace; was assessor of taxes; was called upon to administer upon thirty-one estates; was a practical surveyor; was much in demand as a conveyancer and to draft wills and write all forms of legal papers for his townsmen and the citizens of adjoining towns; was much resorted to for legal advice, and, in short, was looked upon for half a century as a sort of legal umpire for his section of the state.
In 1811 he purchased his brother Gorton's interest in the farm which for seven years they had owned together, about two miles south of Foster Center, and on which they had already built a house and barn.
In 1856 Judge Howard built another and larger house, uniting it to the older one. These were his home from 1811 till his death, except that from 1838 to '41 he lived with his son Horace at Foster Center and again in 1843, after the death of Horace, he moved there to look after the interests of the estate, remaining till the spring of 1846, when he sold the property and returned to his farm.
On September 24, 1809, he married for his first wife Betsey Phillips (b. August 22, 1789), daughter of Asaph and Esther Phillips of Foster. She died December 16, 1849.
For his second wife he married, April 21, 1851, Lurana Howard (b. March 11, 1815), widow of his nephew, William Howard, and daughter of Saiimel and Elizabeth (Whipple) Wilbur of Seituate, R. I. He died July 15, 1879. His widow now lives with his grandson, Pardon T. Howard.
He had one son by his first wife: Horace, born Jan. 31, 1810.
We have one more piece of testimony, from Casey B. Tyler. It parallels the same details with more genealogy. (Here). He reports Howard was a member of the East Greenwich, R.I. committee (1842) after the Dorr Rebellion (more on this in a future blog essay) to make the new constitution guaranteeing male suffrage.
Most notable, see that Judge Howard was married to Betsey Phillips (1789-1849) ** who was Jeremiah Phillips' older sister.
As pointed out elsewhere, Foster, Rhode Island can be considered a tribal community from an anthropological and sociological perspective. They tended to associate by clans, and marriages were at least partially arranged through elders - at least approval was sought and given in many cases. It was not unusual to have first cousin marriages in New England. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are later examples of this. These types of marriages tended to cement and secure social hierarchies and political connections. The same types of marriages currently happen in the Middle east, the Near East, and in other third world and second world cultures.
This said, if Judge Howard was a Democrat, it is highly probable that Jeremiah was influenced by this great man to also be a Democrat..
**[dates courtesy of Ken Faig, Some of the Descendants of Asaph Phillips and Esther Phillips of Foster, Rhode Island. Mr. Faig may not have been aware at the time of the exact date of ]
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| Judge Daniel Howard's (the younger) Obituary |
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| 1850 Census with James Wheaton Phillips listed as head of family |
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