This has only been able to be done with recent advances in Google software. It would have been impossible for me in 2006. Or even 2010. Sadly, due to court cases, Google's tool such as newspaper searching and so forth is no longer as robust as it was. I obtained innumerable clips from back then, and I find many now gone. Others now are off line. Word is some universities are working on a compendium of tools. Also, the Mormon genealogical database is invaluable. Scribd has from time to item made research faster.
Back in the olden days of the 1990's, people still had to take their vacations and go to real libraries and slog through acres of paper. God bless them. If I had to do that, I would have died long before this work was even to this stage. I owe 100% of this to the rapid rise of internet data, and a host of teachers who taught me critical thinking and old style research ability. Old world meets high tech.
OK, without further ado, here is 1833 to 1840. Prepare to be dazzled by little Whipple's life.
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{Images will be a work in process. Stay tuned and check back often.}
_____
{This is work done - believe it or not - back in December 2011. Footnotes in this kind of format are going to be a work in process. So again, bar with this lowly blogger and anmateur historian.}
_____
Lovecraft's Grandfather:
The Business
Career of Whipple van Buren Phillips
Youth of Whipple V. Phillips: Overview and 1833
Whipple Van Buren Phillips was born on
22 November 1833. We know this primarily from a few family
documents, Rhode Island records, and primarily a long obituary seen
first in the Providence Journalii.
This is an authorized family narrative likely prepared by either
Judge Clarke Johnson (originally of Foster), Whipple's executor and
best friend, or possibly Jeremiah S. McGregor (of Coventry). In it,
there are some details that are known to be purposely incorrect, but
on the whole it seems to follow earlier documentation.
Mr.
Phillips was in his 71st year, having been born in the
town of Foster Nov. 22, 1833. He was the son of Capt. Jeremiah
Phillips and Rhoby Rathbone Phillips and was left an orphan at the
age of 14 years. He received his education in the schools of his
native town and at East Greenwich Academy. When 19 years of age, he
went to the home of an uncle, James, in Illinois, where he remained
about a year, but the climate making him ill, he returned to this
State and opened a general country store at Moosup Valley. After a
few years, he moved his business to Greene, where he soon enlarged
his interests to a considerable extent. He started a lumber
business, erected a sawmill and engaged in the coal and wood
business, furnishing during this time many thousand cords of wood for
the locomotives of the old Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill
Railroad. During his residence in Greene he acquired extensive real
estate holdings in the town of Coventry, and also became the
principal owner of a large coal business in the city.
While the extract above goes beyond the
early years of 1833 to 1850, we really knew very little else about this period of time except for a few scholarly articles. Those notably quoted other family friends such as Casey B. Tyler and Squire G Wood, the younger. These and a few comments by Lovecraft, and once in a great while an anecdote by another family acquaintance, and that was it.
That Little Baby: 1833
Sometime during the early Summer of 1833, Jeremiah Phillips knew a new baby was coming along. In those days, there were no guarantees, not in a world where the average age hovered around 30 years old, and new babies had a high mortality rate.
Medicine was unchanged from Shakespeare's time, and doctors often caused more harm than good. As late as Andrew Jackson's presidency, and particularly the Summer of 1833, he was bled by doctors to stave off an illness. Midwives and homeopathy were the only medicines for man or animal. This is also in the era of Rhode island vampires, and while the Phillips did not practice this tuberculosis cure, they had members in the Foster area who did.
On the night of 12 November 1833 and early morning of 13 November 1833, one of the most spectacular and startling meteor showers occurred. This was part of the annual Leonid showers, but the brightness of the meteors was unprecedented in the memory of those alive at the time. Only 10 days before baby Whipple was born, this would have been a most notable event to the adults at the time. (See detailed blog post by clicking here.)
One suspects that as the time came for little Whipple to be born, the older women gathered and delivered the baby. All must have went well.
There are no oral historic records from this time from the Phillips family. The census records are still extant.
Jeremiah was a New England yeoman farmer with all, the connotations that contains. On a day to day basis, Foster Rhode Island might more resemble today's Pakistan (save the violence) than today's Rhode Island. Clan connections were all important, and three main roads, built only a few years before WVP's birth, connected Foster tot eh outside world. A north highway, south highway, and a a so-called nicknamed Appian highway bisected these. The roads were of the new macadam compacted material to make them more durable, and the residents were drafted to maintain them.
This enabled the mail, coach routes, and some small amount of produce selling into Providence.
Below Jeremiah's family were the huge Hopkins clan, from which judges, clerks, and politicians came. It is highly likely these men were democrats, and influenced Jeremiah. The Tylers ran a store, but by this time had likely declared themselves temperance men. (John Tyler started the store in 1812). Jeremiah may also have been a temperance man, but there is yet no evidence for this. He may have drawn a small pension as hiving retired a Captain of the militia.
It is in this era that the massive area of Foster dipped below 2,900 individuals. Only massive amounts of timber harvesting kept the land from being swallowed up by a forest. Farming was little more than subsistence, with no hint of fertilizer. It is very likely that Jeremiah plowed with a wood plow many years. Cattle (cows) would have been fenced out of the garden and they foraged on swamp hay (a natural salt marsh grass native to New England). Pigs, turkeys and perhaps some chickens were used. Common vegetables such as potatoes and tomatoes so familiar to us were absent. (Tomatoes were generally considered poisonous until after the Civil war, if known at all in new England.) Much of the land lay fallow, and was forested. This allowed for all manners of mammals and large birds to be harvested for food. Ponds would have allowed geese and ducks to live naturally and be shot at various times. It is unlikely house cats were around much, but they may have been used to reduce mice. Dogs were essential for hunting, though if they were pets in the idea of 21st century pets, this is unlikely. Hunting with muskets was probably still common, though rifles were being introduced into New England at WVP's birth.
1834: The Year of Phillips Family Growth
The biggest Foster news of 1834 was probably the change in hands at the main store in Foster.
The biggest family news was that Jeremiah Phillips was able to secure the old Blanchard corn grist mill.
James Wheaton Phillps (born 11 March 1830, hereafter JWP)), then four years old, would have inherited the farm one day as the eldest son. Was Jeremiah thinking of the second son, or just an additional source of revenue for the growing family? We can confirm the Mr. Faig's data from the obituary of JWP. It is not known by this writer if this obituary has ever come to light previously.
Of what temperament was Whipple's older brother? In the same 1901 edition, we read, "He is remembered as a man of great kindness of heart, genial
in manner, upright in soul and of unswerving rectitude in all the relations of
life. Ed. {John H. Campbell}." JWP remained a farmer his entire life, though he often was a Moosup Valley leader and politician. If we understand something of the brother's relationshp as children by looking at their relationship and demeanor in their adult years, we can gather that they loved one another. That WVP was the more intelligent (IQ) seems true. That WVP had a head for math and business can no more be claimed than for JWP, but that WVP was far more successful, and more Gilded Age is without question. They both had political careers, though WVP determined after his 1870's disaster to ply his politics behind closed doors. Both men shied from publicity, which may have stemmed from their grief of being orphans. In Moosup Valley, both men were living legends until their end.
The Unknown Years: 1834-1848.
Despite intense research, this writer can find precious little about this era that specifically deals with the Phillips family. As far as we know, life went on, each day on the farm much like the one before. The children grew. However, this writer has compiled and compared historical data that may very well tell us about the Phillips' life. These documents and facts come from history texts, local genealogies, anecdotes from newspapers years after the events, national elections, compiled statistics of the era for Foster, and national and international events including the presidential and gubernatorial elections, the economy, weather, technological events, and even geological and astronomical events.
It is not known if the girls were hired out for the cotton mills, but Rhode Island and Massachusetts vied for spinning cotton. This growth was due to the great tariff controversy in Andrew Jackson's administration leading to John C. Calhoun's resignation of the vice presidency and becoming a senator again. The western states wanted protectionism against England, and so cotton was diverted to New England stream mills, and grist and lumber mills were turned into cotton mills. Girls were sent to these mills and a great income was funneled back to farm families. These mills also choked off fish runs in Springtime, and runoff sometimes ruined the clams and oysters that added food to the table. While Massachusetts had an edge in population and funding of these facilities, the Rhode Island method (spinning and loom) of making cloth was much preferred and brought a higher price on the market.
Here may be the perfect place to mention the critical importance of Johnny Cakes to the Rhode Island diet. One of the most critical crops was hard corn. It was essential that the corn be ground for nutrition, and numerous recipes for fried or baked corn meal were treasured by each clan and each family. One could compare this to chili and barbecue recipes in southern families of today. Every farm family in walking distance, or pack animal distance, came to Jeremiah's grist mill at harvest. It is unlikely he hired help, but he may have traded a lower price as men brought the grain, they partnered at the gristing. His own corn fed the family, and he may have had a little left to sell to those who were not farming - such as the enclave of disabled and elderly in Foster. This corn would almost never go to the animals, as they were what we would consider "free range".
The circumstances of 1835.
Jeremiah's family consisted of five members. James Wheaton was now five, and on a farm if you could walk, you worked. Sweeping, feeding the turkey birds scraps, weeding the garden by hand, stuffing scarecrows, and listening to the Bible read were essential.
This does not mean that 2 year old Whipple and 5 year old James were off the hook. If you could walk, you worked. Sweeping, feeding the turkey birds scraps, weeding the garden by hand, stuffing scarecrows, and listening to the Bible read were essential. Susan Esther was about 8 years old now, so she would have had the task of "baby sitting" two year old Whipple.
Father Jeremiah was now 35 years old, well past the average life span of that era. Mother Roby Rathbun Phillips was now about 38 years old. Women tended to live to a slightly less age than men, especially farm women who had multiple births, so Roby was of hardy stock indeed. At this point she had given birth to six children, and one suspects from the spacing of the children she became pregnant roughly every eighteen months, meaning she likely had experienced as many as five additional miscarriages. The notable gap between Whipple (1833) and Abbie E. (1839) is certainly significant. Twelve potential pregnancies is not unusual by any means in this era in western Rhode Island.
Here we can provide a list of the full family as currently known (courtesy of Ken Faig):
Wheaton Phillips ca. 1823-ca. 1824
Anna M. Phillips 1825-1829
Susan Esther Phillips 1827-1851
Seth Phillips 1828-1829
James Wheaton Phillips 1830-1901 [m. 1853 Jane Ann Place 1829-1900]
Whipple Van Buren Phillips 1833-1904 [m. 1856 Robie Alzada Place 1827-1896]
Abbie E. Phillips 1839-1873 [m. --- Dixon]
Here we see the high mortality rate of a very typical western Rhode island family. Three of the seven children made it less than four years. Susan, the eldest, survived only a short few years after her parents' death, but is listed on the 1850 census.
The Election of 1836.
If Jeremiah was a Democrat in 1833, he was again in the election of 1836. The election in those days took quite a bit of time. Ballots were issued to male landowners in Rhode Island. The national election was held between 4 November and 23 November 1836. Rhode Island was usually a solid Whig state, and usually responded well to Kentuckian Henry Clay. Foster was a divided township.
This writer must delve into more speculation here. In these years, there was a bank in Mount Vernon, but in most cases farmers and businessmen traded notes payable in terms and interest. The bankers of Mount Vernon, one of whom was Jeremiah's brother Whipple who lived in providence, were highly liekly to be Whigs. Andrew Jackson was vehemently against a National bank, and Martin Van Buren was known to be as staunch in resistance to a national bank. Jackson had his "pet banks" where he made deposits, so he was not totally against banks, just one national bank. Bankers took federal money, but that did not make them fans of Jackson. Van Buren was considered to be Jackson's "third term", and the election was steamed.
The voting in Rhode Island was indirect. Votes were cast for a slate of gubernatorial candidates, and the top winners cast votes for the state in the presidential race. In this election, Foster went almost 2:1 Democratic. Clearly the farmers living in and near the future Clayville voted Whig, but Jeremiah's district near the influential Howard family voted Democratic. One suspects that those near and in Mount Vernon to the south likely voted Whig. Note that Scituate and Smithfield also went heavily for Van Buren. The big cities of Providence and Newport did not.
One of the great things about using Google blogger is the ability to insert from Google's exhaustive 19th century primary documents. Here is the election results, collated by 3 December 1836 by Niles' Weekly Register:
additional date
Compare this with the 1832 vote:
There were about 97,000 people in Rhode Island in 1830, and 109,000 people in Rhode island in 1840. Voting total was 5,675 men or about 5% of the Rhode island population controlling the national and gubernatorial election. With 209 voters out of perhaps a 2500 population in Foster, and the average family size being about 8 people or so, one sees that almost every head of household was a landowner, and a voter in Foster.
(In a future blog article, this will be more articulated.)
Raymond G. Place circa 1836
That Little Baby: 1833
Sometime during the early Summer of 1833, Jeremiah Phillips knew a new baby was coming along. In those days, there were no guarantees, not in a world where the average age hovered around 30 years old, and new babies had a high mortality rate.
Ds9U)BPIcVQFD9!~~60_3.jpg) |
| Take of the Crocus motis one ounce, add it to one pint of wine. Take half a tablespoonful twice a day. 2 hours from the takeing of the other medicine and all excesses as needed. - Best reading of circa 1830's medicine receipt. |
Medicine was unchanged from Shakespeare's time, and doctors often caused more harm than good. As late as Andrew Jackson's presidency, and particularly the Summer of 1833, he was bled by doctors to stave off an illness. Midwives and homeopathy were the only medicines for man or animal. This is also in the era of Rhode island vampires, and while the Phillips did not practice this tuberculosis cure, they had members in the Foster area who did.
On the night of 12 November 1833 and early morning of 13 November 1833, one of the most spectacular and startling meteor showers occurred. This was part of the annual Leonid showers, but the brightness of the meteors was unprecedented in the memory of those alive at the time. Only 10 days before baby Whipple was born, this would have been a most notable event to the adults at the time. (See detailed blog post by clicking here.)
One suspects that as the time came for little Whipple to be born, the older women gathered and delivered the baby. All must have went well.
There are no oral historic records from this time from the Phillips family. The census records are still extant.
 |
| This is an 1895 map, but much was the same as in the mid-1830's, although the roads had just been built. |
This enabled the mail, coach routes, and some small amount of produce selling into Providence.
Below Jeremiah's family were the huge Hopkins clan, from which judges, clerks, and politicians came. It is highly likely these men were democrats, and influenced Jeremiah. The Tylers ran a store, but by this time had likely declared themselves temperance men. (John Tyler started the store in 1812). Jeremiah may also have been a temperance man, but there is yet no evidence for this. He may have drawn a small pension as hiving retired a Captain of the militia.
It is in this era that the massive area of Foster dipped below 2,900 individuals. Only massive amounts of timber harvesting kept the land from being swallowed up by a forest. Farming was little more than subsistence, with no hint of fertilizer. It is very likely that Jeremiah plowed with a wood plow many years. Cattle (cows) would have been fenced out of the garden and they foraged on swamp hay (a natural salt marsh grass native to New England). Pigs, turkeys and perhaps some chickens were used. Common vegetables such as potatoes and tomatoes so familiar to us were absent. (Tomatoes were generally considered poisonous until after the Civil war, if known at all in new England.) Much of the land lay fallow, and was forested. This allowed for all manners of mammals and large birds to be harvested for food. Ponds would have allowed geese and ducks to live naturally and be shot at various times. It is unlikely house cats were around much, but they may have been used to reduce mice. Dogs were essential for hunting, though if they were pets in the idea of 21st century pets, this is unlikely. Hunting with muskets was probably still common, though rifles were being introduced into New England at WVP's birth.
1834: The Year of Phillips Family Growth
The biggest Foster news of 1834 was probably the change in hands at the main store in Foster.
Palmer Dorrance moved into the new
store in the summer of 1834, and married Louisa Place and moved into
the tenement in the same year. He did a large and successful
business until the spring of 1839, the last two or three years he had
as a partner Raymon{d} G. Place of Foster, who was afterwards cashier
of Mount Vernon bank and more recently a member of the city council
in Providence, where he now resides. [Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner, 20 January 1893, page 2, Historical Facts: Reminisces of Foster in 1834 –
Business Has Changed. No 15 ].
The biggest family news was that Jeremiah Phillips was able to secure the old Blanchard corn grist mill.
Jeremiah Phillips purchased the “mill place” from the William Blanchard estate at public auction on December 22, 1834. At $280, he was the high bidder for the property, which consisted of 73 acres 150 rods and contained a house, grist mill, and other buildings [Foster Deed Book 9, p. 228 (courtesy Margery I. Matthews)]. Courtesy of Ken Faig, per Corrections And Additions For Some Descendants of Asaph Phillips and Esther Whipple, Kenneth W. Faig, Jr., Moshassuck Press, 1993
James Wheaton Phillps (born 11 March 1830, hereafter JWP)), then four years old, would have inherited the farm one day as the eldest son. Was Jeremiah thinking of the second son, or just an additional source of revenue for the growing family? We can confirm the Mr. Faig's data from the obituary of JWP. It is not known by this writer if this obituary has ever come to light previously.
Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner
1 March 1901
A Prominent Foster Man
James W. Phillips Was Closely Identified With The Town
James W. Phillips, who recently died in Providence ,
was a well-known resident of Foster, having been closely identified with the
interests of the town for many years. He
was born there March 11, 1830, and was the son of Capt. Jeremiah and Roby
(Rathbun) Phillips. He removed with his
parents to the "Mill Place " at Moosup Valley Providence ,
and the only survivor of the father's family.
 |
| This may be the first time an illustration of Lovecraft's uncle has been shown since 1901. |
The Unknown Years: 1834-1848.
Despite intense research, this writer can find precious little about this era that specifically deals with the Phillips family. As far as we know, life went on, each day on the farm much like the one before. The children grew. However, this writer has compiled and compared historical data that may very well tell us about the Phillips' life. These documents and facts come from history texts, local genealogies, anecdotes from newspapers years after the events, national elections, compiled statistics of the era for Foster, and national and international events including the presidential and gubernatorial elections, the economy, weather, technological events, and even geological and astronomical events.
It is not known if the girls were hired out for the cotton mills, but Rhode Island and Massachusetts vied for spinning cotton. This growth was due to the great tariff controversy in Andrew Jackson's administration leading to John C. Calhoun's resignation of the vice presidency and becoming a senator again. The western states wanted protectionism against England, and so cotton was diverted to New England stream mills, and grist and lumber mills were turned into cotton mills. Girls were sent to these mills and a great income was funneled back to farm families. These mills also choked off fish runs in Springtime, and runoff sometimes ruined the clams and oysters that added food to the table. While Massachusetts had an edge in population and funding of these facilities, the Rhode Island method (spinning and loom) of making cloth was much preferred and brought a higher price on the market.
Here may be the perfect place to mention the critical importance of Johnny Cakes to the Rhode Island diet. One of the most critical crops was hard corn. It was essential that the corn be ground for nutrition, and numerous recipes for fried or baked corn meal were treasured by each clan and each family. One could compare this to chili and barbecue recipes in southern families of today. Every farm family in walking distance, or pack animal distance, came to Jeremiah's grist mill at harvest. It is unlikely he hired help, but he may have traded a lower price as men brought the grain, they partnered at the gristing. His own corn fed the family, and he may have had a little left to sell to those who were not farming - such as the enclave of disabled and elderly in Foster. This corn would almost never go to the animals, as they were what we would consider "free range".
The circumstances of 1835.
Jeremiah's family consisted of five members. James Wheaton was now five, and on a farm if you could walk, you worked. Sweeping, feeding the turkey birds scraps, weeding the garden by hand, stuffing scarecrows, and listening to the Bible read were essential.
This does not mean that 2 year old Whipple and 5 year old James were off the hook. If you could walk, you worked. Sweeping, feeding the turkey birds scraps, weeding the garden by hand, stuffing scarecrows, and listening to the Bible read were essential. Susan Esther was about 8 years old now, so she would have had the task of "baby sitting" two year old Whipple.
Father Jeremiah was now 35 years old, well past the average life span of that era. Mother Roby Rathbun Phillips was now about 38 years old. Women tended to live to a slightly less age than men, especially farm women who had multiple births, so Roby was of hardy stock indeed. At this point she had given birth to six children, and one suspects from the spacing of the children she became pregnant roughly every eighteen months, meaning she likely had experienced as many as five additional miscarriages. The notable gap between Whipple (1833) and Abbie E. (1839) is certainly significant. Twelve potential pregnancies is not unusual by any means in this era in western Rhode Island.
Here we can provide a list of the full family as currently known (courtesy of Ken Faig):
Wheaton Phillips ca. 1823-ca. 1824
Anna M. Phillips 1825-1829
Susan Esther Phillips 1827-1851
Seth Phillips 1828-1829
James Wheaton Phillips 1830-1901 [m. 1853 Jane Ann Place 1829-1900]
Whipple Van Buren Phillips 1833-1904 [m. 1856 Robie Alzada Place 1827-1896]
Abbie E. Phillips 1839-1873 [m. --- Dixon]
Here we see the high mortality rate of a very typical western Rhode island family. Three of the seven children made it less than four years. Susan, the eldest, survived only a short few years after her parents' death, but is listed on the 1850 census.
The Election of 1836.
If Jeremiah was a Democrat in 1833, he was again in the election of 1836. The election in those days took quite a bit of time. Ballots were issued to male landowners in Rhode Island. The national election was held between 4 November and 23 November 1836. Rhode Island was usually a solid Whig state, and usually responded well to Kentuckian Henry Clay. Foster was a divided township.
This writer must delve into more speculation here. In these years, there was a bank in Mount Vernon, but in most cases farmers and businessmen traded notes payable in terms and interest. The bankers of Mount Vernon, one of whom was Jeremiah's brother Whipple who lived in providence, were highly liekly to be Whigs. Andrew Jackson was vehemently against a National bank, and Martin Van Buren was known to be as staunch in resistance to a national bank. Jackson had his "pet banks" where he made deposits, so he was not totally against banks, just one national bank. Bankers took federal money, but that did not make them fans of Jackson. Van Buren was considered to be Jackson's "third term", and the election was steamed.
The voting in Rhode Island was indirect. Votes were cast for a slate of gubernatorial candidates, and the top winners cast votes for the state in the presidential race. In this election, Foster went almost 2:1 Democratic. Clearly the farmers living in and near the future Clayville voted Whig, but Jeremiah's district near the influential Howard family voted Democratic. One suspects that those near and in Mount Vernon to the south likely voted Whig. Note that Scituate and Smithfield also went heavily for Van Buren. The big cities of Providence and Newport did not.
One of the great things about using Google blogger is the ability to insert from Google's exhaustive 19th century primary documents. Here is the election results, collated by 3 December 1836 by Niles' Weekly Register:
additional date
Compare this with the 1832 vote:
There were about 97,000 people in Rhode Island in 1830, and 109,000 people in Rhode island in 1840. Voting total was 5,675 men or about 5% of the Rhode island population controlling the national and gubernatorial election. With 209 voters out of perhaps a 2500 population in Foster, and the average family size being about 8 people or so, one sees that almost every head of household was a landowner, and a voter in Foster.
(In a future blog article, this will be more articulated.)
Raymond G. Place circa 1836
Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner
20 January 1893
page 2
Historical Facts Reminisces of Foster in 1834
– Business Has Changed.
No 15
20 January 1893
page 2
Historical Facts Reminisces of Foster in 1834
– Business Has Changed.
No 15
Palmer Dorrance moved into the new
store in the summer of 1834, and married Louisa Place and moved into
the tenement in the same year. He did a large and successful
business until the spring of 1839, the last two or three years he had
as a partner Raymon{d} G. Place of Foster, who was afterwards cashier
of Mount Vernon bank and more recently a member of the city council
in Providence, where he now resides.
Here we see the adult career of the man, Raymond G. Place, the brother of WVP's future wife. If teh Mount Vernon influence was Whig, and as the Whigs evaporated and the Democratic-Republican party split in twain - into a conservative democratic wing, and a progressive republican wing - this may very well have the roots of WVP becoming Republican in his adult years. But we are not there yet.
The Panic of 1837.
Readers of this blog well knwo what a depression was. From latter 2006, or 2007 depending on when one wishes to count, the United States has been in a perilous economic state. Two significant presidential races have pivoted around this disaster (2008, 2012). Many in their late 70's well recall the Great Depression of the Franklin Roosevelt era. That was indeed a whopper, as this writer heard over, and over growing up.
The Panic of 1837 was as lasting as the Great Depression, and as significant as our current economic disaster. Except in those days, there was no "social net".
While Martin Van Buren lost badly in Rhode Island, the small sate continued to play no significant role in national elections. This would begin to change as Providence mushroomed with immigrants, and after the 1844 Dorr War. Going into Washington, Van Buren had every intention of following Jackson's policies. Presidents do not get to choose their destinies. Van Buren had been the power and finesse behind jackson, and created a new political strategy. He should have been able to rest upon his laurels.
He boasted in his March 1837 inaugural address of the prosperity of the United States. The country was projected to pass the population of Great Britain in 1840, and contained more territory than all of Europe. The Native American problem had been temporarily contained, and slavery was also less of an issue for a change.
The country was sick, however. Before march was over, a New Orleans cotton broker failed, and New York financial houses in April in the wake of cotton instability. As these banks went down like houses of cards, even the House of Joseph, an arm of the formidable Rothschild empire collapsed. On May day, the New York mercantile house of Arthur Tappan and Company failed. England that fall afced record crop failures and drew cash reserves out of America to buy grain in Europe. Cash flow atrophied in the States.
Democrats blamed the banks, Whigs blamed Jackson and his new surrogate Van Buren.
Foster, Rhode Island was but a leaf in the economic torrent, and Jeremiah's family were little mites clinging to this leaf. We have no records, but it was impossible to escape this maelstrom. Recall that back in December 1834, Jeremiah ought a grist mill. He was still making payments. Corn seed was expensive, and those who wanted it gristed had no silver or gold coinage, and specie (paper money) was scarce. the winter of 1837 was likely one of his worst as a farmer. Who would buy his turkies that Autumn? And with what? The spinning that Roby did that Spring, who had money to buy her cloth that Winter? Did four year old Whipple go hungry? We are not sure, but it was not an easy time.
Between 1 September 1836 and 1 May 1837, the Jackson Specie Circular fell from $7.2 million to $1.5 million in reserves in New York. The stock holders made a "run" on the banks, but there was nothing there. On 10 May 1837, all specie payment was suspended. This had repercussions to the Mount Vernon bank, and all Rhode island men of wealth. Notes would have been called often, but perhaps Jeremiah's was not.
Congress and Van Buren were able to release some funds and the States spent the money quickly causing a slight boost to the economy. Readers of this blog well recall the 2009 and 2010 stimulus money from Washington.
In May 1838, an alliance of Whigs and some Democrats joined to pass a repeal of Jackson's policies. Van Buren signed off. It was not enough.
Jeremiah's Brothers: Benoni and James
It would take an entire separate essay to discuss this. (See a future blog entry) However, Rhode Islanders panicked. James [1794-1878] and Benoni [1788-1850] separately determined to head to Illinois lands and a Utopian vision. James Phillips determined to ride a wagon train out of New York (again: New York!) to Delavan, IL, a utopian community where he would become established an elder of that community. In 13 years hence, young Whipple would also ride out to Delavan.
The Panic of 1839.
By 1839, a cotton glut appeared on the Liverpool market. Prices plunged. Rhode island would have been hard hit. Girls might have been sent back to farms, even Foster, Rhode island farms. More mouths to feed, and no extra income.
The sale of western lands dried up, and owners of land discovered that their value was a tenth of the book values. A real estate fiasco. Again, 21st century readers well understand this. This "rebound" recession lasted until 1843.
It was this year of 1839 that a new baby, Annie, came along for Jeremiah Phillips. Would there be enough Johnny Cakes for everyone?
The Election of 1840.
The results of the 1840 election began to show change as Providence began to be more populated, and immigrants began to flood it. The voting was significantly up, even though suffrage had not yet been instituted.
Foster stayed with Van Buren more than 2:1 this time with 190 out of 272 votes. So too the other outer provinces of Glocester, Scituate, but this time not Smithfield. In fact, Foster was so out of step, that Van Buren lost in the electoral college, losing 234 to 60. It was Tippecanoe and Tyler, too, but the "log cabin" vote was lost on rustic Foster. One suspects they did not like maple syrup on their Johnny cakes. The hint of rum and hard cider did not go over well among the growing temperance movement in Foster. It is unknown if Jeremiah ever sung:
Van Buren:
Rockabye, baby, Daddy's a Whig
When he comes home, hard cider he'll swig
When he has swug
He'll fall in a stu
And down will come Tyler and Tippecanoe.
Rockabye, baby, when you awake
You will discover Tip is a fake.
Far from the battle, war cry and drum
He sits in his cabin a'drinking bad rum.
Rockabye, baby, never you cry
You need not fear of Tip and his Ty.
What they would ruin, Van Buren will fix.
Van's a magician, they are but tricks.
Rockabye, baby, Daddy's a Whig
When he comes home, hard cider he'll swig
When he has swug
He'll fall in a stu
And down will come Tyler and Tippecanoe.
Rockabye, baby, when you awake
You will discover Tip is a fake.
Far from the battle, war cry and drum
He sits in his cabin a'drinking bad rum.
Rockabye, baby, never you cry
You need not fear of Tip and his Ty.
What they would ruin, Van Buren will fix.
Van's a magician, they are but tricks.
If he did, it was to no avail.
Religion in Foster: early 1840's.
Reading through the January through March 1884 Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner, reports of the important Six Principles Baptist Churches shows that Foster was never a strong part of that movement. In 1840, the little church disappears. Coventry (the future home of WVP after about 1857) is the hotbed of activity with 64 new converts in a 665 member congregation (of the 2089 total membership of the movement.) The Tillinghasts (always popping up in Lovecraft's works) are the prime workers of this movement. One of the last mentions of the Foster church was in the 1834 report, and only 16 members were in the church (out of 1748 for the "convention") and no converts. Elder William H. Hastings was appointed to visit the "destitute" church once per month.
So what religion, then, if any did the Phillips practice?
Into western Rhode Island territory came a zealot by the name of Daniel Williams. His biographers give him full attention. Born in Gloucester, Rhode Island on 3 October 1790, he was a true genealogical descendant (6th generation) of Roger Williams. At age 23 he met one John Colby and was converted. He followed the doctrine of preaching immediately upon receipt of his conversion, and thus in 1817 he had a burden to go to Foster, Rhode Island and convert it.
Williams
was no fly by night. He rooted in Foster, and the surrounding
territory, and became a sort of Paul to the Gentiles. It would be
impossible to have avoided the man. So what happened? Did the sober
townspeople rise up and tar-and-feather him? Not according to the
records.
In
1819 there was a revival and many in the town were converted
permanently. He had the assistance of the more seasoned Joseph
White, and only after converting most of the town of Foster, was
Williams ordained at Burrillville on 13 October 1822. He rode the
circuit preaching at Mt. Hygeia, Harmony, Hopkins Mills, and East
Killingly, CT for 50 years. He refused a salary for the most part,
relying on his blacksmith skills. Again, one wonders if this was on
the model of Paul of Tarsus? By practicing as a blacksmith in a
round robbin of towns as they needed his skills, he could commandeer
a field or school house, and preach the ears off of any men who
brought him work to mend. They would be shocked at him turning down
offerings, or even taking minimal pay for performing as a blacksmith.
This would have escalated his requests, as other blacksmiths might
charge more.
In
1830 was there a massive revival in Killingly, and Williams united
the two churches together. The regular attendance was 300 in a
region that may have boasted far less than 10,000 scattered over
those villages, farms, and hamlets. This may seem a small number,
but the roots were deep. He baptized 700, married 1,400 couples, and
preached 2,000 funerals. In essence, he was in virtually everyone's
life. We would say he was "on speed dial" when a family or
community needed him. His wife accompanied him often, and she was
much loved. He was as itinerant as they come, with little formal
schooling, but much quick and practical wisdom. He advocated
charity, and had a progressive political agenda. He died 13 July
1873.
One
suspects that blacksmith, Jared Burgys, Casey B. Tyler's neighbor in
the 1850 U. S. Senate was not a fan, but was Jeremiah Phillips and
family? Jeremiah might have responded to the progressive and
democratic ideals that Williams advocated (but in WVP's later years
Williams and he do not often cross paths, as WVP deferred to Rev.
Kennedy or others. This is interesting as they circulated in mostly
the same arenas, though Williams was a bit north and west of WVP in
the mid-century era.)
When Foster dedicated a new school
house in 1858, Williams was the honored speaker telling everyone that
he had preached in the preceding school house circa 1822, and also
the last sermon before it closed.
Thus
we also have a date for when a young WVP might have attended formal
school in the 1840's when he was not home schooled. The first Foster
school house was done in 1822, 11 years before WVP's birth.
We do not have a definitive answer on the Phillips' family religion, but temperance was certainly important, and the freewill ideas were more suited to Foster than the Six Principle (Calvinist) process. If the Six Point Baptists were chased from Foster, Williams must have done it.
Much of the previous discussion derives from the indispensable book: The Economic & Social Transformation of Rural Rhode Island, 1780-1850, Daniel P. Jones, Northeaster University Press, 1992. Sadly, the records of Foster are not as robust as other communities of this era, and national politics and weather events are only infrequently mentioned. All books cannot be all things, so this is not a criticism.
The October Gale of 1841
With little warning, a hurricane struck New England on 3 October 1841. The town of Truro, Massachusetts, was particularly hard hit, and many fishing boats did not return. It brought up to 18 inches of snow into some areas of New England. Was Foster hard hit? Reading through the early October issues of the Manufacturer's and Farmers Journal, which picked up news from both the Providence Journal and Massachusetts newspapers, there was a great wind which mostly toppled chimneys in Providence. Thus, it can be presumed that Foster was similarly affected. The greatest news of the day was Dorr's Fall convention on suffrage.
The Aftermath of the 1840 election, National Crisis, and WVP begins to show growth.
Much of the previous discussion derives from the indispensable book: The Economic & Social Transformation of Rural Rhode Island, 1780-1850, Daniel P. Jones, Northeaster University Press, 1992. Sadly, the records of Foster are not as robust as other communities of this era, and national politics and weather events are only infrequently mentioned. All books cannot be all things, so this is not a criticism.
The October Gale of 1841
With little warning, a hurricane struck New England on 3 October 1841. The town of Truro, Massachusetts, was particularly hard hit, and many fishing boats did not return. It brought up to 18 inches of snow into some areas of New England. Was Foster hard hit? Reading through the early October issues of the Manufacturer's and Farmers Journal, which picked up news from both the Providence Journal and Massachusetts newspapers, there was a great wind which mostly toppled chimneys in Providence. Thus, it can be presumed that Foster was similarly affected. The greatest news of the day was Dorr's Fall convention on suffrage.
The Aftermath of the 1840 election, National Crisis, and WVP begins to show growth.
In November 1842, WVP turned nine years old, and his brother James was twelve. Between the two of them, they could do many of the farm activities that did not need an adult man's strength (such as plowing). Susan was now fifteen, and if she went to school or church, to socials, family gatherings, or the local store, boys would definitely notice her. She did not marry, but the Phillips family showed a trait of marriage late in life. This would continue even to Whipple's children, and notably Susie, Lovecraft's mother.
Harrison
The 1840 election saw the little neighborhood of the Phillips family fairly trounced in the election. The Whigs had taken over, and the Democrats were on the run. The recession was hurting the country badly, and the Phillips family were not immune.
Former Governor of Ohio, and former General William Henry Harrison was the oldest man to hold the presidency. (Ronald Reagan would later beat that record). The election as noted, showed a big turnout in Rhode Island. It was the same everywhere. In a 21st century world where in 2008 there was a 56.1% turnout, in 1840 80.2% of all eligible voters turned out, still a record.
Harrison moved quickly assembling his team tapping Daniel Webster as his secretary of state, and formed a cabinet of men. His inauguration on 4 March 1841 was notable for the long speech in freezing weather. For two hours he spoke. He did not realize that he had a virus, an microbe not yet understood. He trod ahead, and called for an emergency meeting of Congress to be held at the earliest possible date of 14 May 1841. The Whig mandate was significant. Harrison met with the powerful Kentuckian, Henry Clay (imagine Mitch McConnell as majority leader) who was smarting at not being the presidential candidate for the Whigs. They personally sparked, with Harrison bluntly reminding Clay who was the president.
(Be patient, we'll tie this into Foster shortly).
Clay was dispatched with a significant negotiation to England to determine the Maine boundary. Harrison grew sicker, and the best doctors arrived. This was likely a disaster for him, as medical knowledge still had not advanced much past medieval practices. Harrison was blistered with hot steel, purged by laxatives, fed all sorts of homeopathic herbs, and they stopped short of bloodletting - still a favorite practice. He continued to work his daily schedule without rest.
On 4 April 1841 Harrison died of pneumonia, and a constitutional crisis occurred. The country was called to a day of prayer, and one suspects even the Democratic Baptists of Foster, Rhode Island wept. Had they realized more about Vice President John Tyler, the Whigs would have wept more. Tyler, at least, was clear that he was not acting president, but fully president according to the constitution. Having never had a president die in office, Tyler set many precedents.
Tyler
The cabinet felt they had full authority to dictate to Tyler, but he leveled them. Webster he left alone. Henry Clay he put in his sites as the one man who could stop his 1844 election bid as a fellow Whig. Tyler was then the youngest man ever to hold the presidency.
Congress assembled, as planned, and the Whig majority set out to create significant economic legislation with focus on eliminating any vestiges of Andrew Jackson. On 13 August 1841 they repealed Van Buren's Independent Treasury Act. Tyler was giving Congress no direction, and his laissez-faire actions led his Treasury Secretary to make his own proposals. Clay rammed through a new federal central bank act, and after waiting a full 10 days, Tyler vetoed it on 16 August 1841. He declared it unconstitutional. Not swayed by this, Clay pushed through a new piece of legislation amounting to the same thing with a few more nuances. On 11 September 1841 he vetoed that bill, also.
The Harrison cabinet resigned in disgust (within a day or two), all but Webster who was still in negotiations to prevent another militia battle over the Maine border. In late September 1841 (about 15 September), the Whigs ousted Tyler from their party, and Tyler began to set up a new independent party of his own. (1842 was no better. His wife Letitia, died on 10 September 1842. He immediately set to court wealthy New Yorker, Julia Gardner, in January 1843. He did not marry her until June 1844.)
Tyler effectively killed the Whig momentum, and the 1842 elections trampled the Whigs. In the House, they went from 133 seats to 79 in one fell swoop. Webster finally resigned in Spring 1843. Tyler had his mind on annexing Texas, but here we must change course and discuss Rhode island.
The Dorr War
While national politics was splintering apart, Rhode island finally was coming to terms with its archaic constitution. It was the last British charter in existence, and it restricted severely who could vote. Providence was bursting at the seams with landless immigrants who could not vote. It had few legislative representatives. The charter still held the Governor hostage to the legislature, and the legislature was held hostage by the inability to negotiate. Each legislator had the mandate to caucus the home electorate, and could only vote what the home town allowed. The charter itself had no option for amendments, as only the King and Parliament could do that. It was essentially useless.
From 1833, Dorr tried to pressure a constitutional change. While historians cannot be sure if Van Buren was an instigator, there is clear evidence that Dorr had great guidance from New York activists. (Again, New York!) The full extent of the Dorr Rebellion is too expansive to discuss at length, and will be treated in a blog essay. The highlights were that on and about 12 May 1842, formed a parallel government and installed itself with Thomas Dorr as governor. The then governor, Samuel Ward King, resisted Dorr, but the Dorrites dug in and waited him out until James Fenner took office (as the legitimate charter governor and as a "Law and Order" candidate) 2 May 1842. In September 1842, the Dorrites held their constitutional convention passing a number of suffrage elements.
Fenner, upon taking office, asked President Tyler for assistance. Tyler avoided a direct answer. Fenner was alone. The Rhode Island militia in those days was mostly ceremonial, for parades, and small tasks. It was in no condition to fight a mob war. Impatient, and feeling their oats, Dorr led a march on the Rhode island arsenal on 19 May 1842. This was a battle that was not to be, because once the legislators saw the show of rifles by the militia, they bolted.
A few loyalists, grabbed Dorr and zipped to their core constituency in Chepatchet, not far from Foster.
The nice online article, "The Chepachet Meeting House and the Chepachet Free Will Baptist Church in the Dorr Rebellion", Clifford W. Brown, Jr. is helpful from here. It gives most of the precise details of what happened.
Dorr retreated to Cehpatchet, and the militia pursued. It was not prepared for a conflict, but Dorr was less prepared. It was what we might consider a game of chicken, and luckily only one person was hurt by a gun accidentally discharging. New York assistance was not forthcoming to Dorr. Tyler gave grudging assistance to Gov. Fenner. By 27 June 1842, Dorr was dug in. The militia moved through Foster sealing off the escape routes to Connecticut, so it is very possible that little 8 year old Whipple saw soldiers marching past the farm. The conflict was over quickly, and perhaps if it had not been for a few activists (such as Jedediah Sprague) it may not have happened at all. A stand at Acolyte Hill was ineffective. Dorr was isolated in a hotel, and subsequently surrendered, later to be pardoned.
 |
| A rare, explicit reference to combat in Foster during the Dorr Rebellion. |
The residents of Foster were disgusted. No fans of violence, Judge Howard joined the Law and Order party, and a new constitution was legitimately formed incorporating many of the suffrage elements. In a few years, please to the Rhode island governors allowed Dorr to be released, pardoned of treason, and allowed to live his remaining life free.
The Great Havana Hurricane: Rhode Island Landfall 2 PM on 13 October 1846
It is rare to get a "day in the life" of the Phillips family. Here is one. Even in the days where the telegraph was beginning to deliver instantaneous news, this "gale" came upon New England with little advance notice.
While historically this hurricane was notable, did it affect Foster, Rhode Island severely? It seems that it had a similar impact as the 1841 hurricane. The primary data is hard to find, but this from the Hartford Times seems adequate. East Hartford was particularly struck by wind, which is roughly 60 miles due west of Foster, Rhode Island. Thus, just before 2 PM, Jeremiah, Roby, and the children would have noticed the sudden wind gusts. They would have had precious time to get in out of the rain. The next day, at dawn, the family would have had to work hard to gauge the damage, see if any animals had been hurt, and Jeremiah would have had to go to check on the grist mill had he not been caught at it overnight.
From Democrats to Republicans
At some point, James Phillips and Whipple Phillips became Republicans and separated from their father, Jeremiah, who was a Democrat (now understood as the historic Republican-Democratic party). This happened after a number of significant political and historical events:
- During the early part of John Tyler's administration (1840-1844), the Whig party began to disintegrate. This accelerated afte the 1842 congressional elections.
- The fluidity of political parties began to coalesce into a conservative Democratic wing which tended to be pro-slavery, and a progressive Republican wing which tended to align with the growing temperance movement. This began the modern two-party system.
- The Dorr Rebellion led to universal male suffrage after 1842.
- Whipple V. Phillips began to attend the Providence Seminary, a progressive institution.
- Judge Howard joined the Law and Order party of Rhode island rather than join the radical Dorrites.
- Roby and Jeremiah, their parents, both died by 1848. The Place family, likely Republicans, were the Phillips' orphans guardians, notably Raymond G. Place, then cashier (i.e. operations officer) of the Mount Vernon Bank. From this Place family, both Phillips sons would get a wife.
- Cousin Casey B. Tyler (1819-1899) was elected as state senator from Foster for the 1850-1851 term, about the same time as WVP left for Illinois to be with uncle James Phillips.
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The family -
We know his father died in a terrible accident, being crushed to death when his coat was caught in a corn grist mill mechanism. (More details on this will be forthcoming at a later date under the Jeremiah Phillips section.)
We also know that Whipple's guardian was Raymond Gardiner Place. Later, an expansive discussion about the Illinois years and @@@@
Why suddenly upon leaving school he went to Illinois to be with his uncle, we don't yet know.
However, a unique application of sitz im leben by this writer will uncover new facts, and connect dots in new and interesting ways. This is "pushing the envelope", but in absence of primary documents - now long turned to dust - circumstantial historical data is critical.
James Phillips was doing well in Illinois stateiii. While there, it was reported that Whipple briefly met or saw the then 43-year-old lawyer, braham Lincolniv. New information on this has also been uncovered. No "smoking gun", but circumstantial evidence is quite on the side that WVP did meet Abe.
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Section to be added later. -CP
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1845: Whipple V. Phillips Goes to School
 |
| This illustration dates to somewhat before the 1880's. In the 1840's, it was smaller and a bit more primitive. |
The East Geenwich Academy
As to the East Greenwich Academyv,
many records show that this was not the name at that time. Notable
personages with the names Arnold, Mowry, and Greene (all Warwick
scions) obtained a parcel of land around 1802. It was named Kent
Academy through 1839. Shortly after, about 1841, it was acquired by
a Methodist concern, the then Providence Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Churchvi.
We can also speculate how Whipple may have come to this institute,
likely due to a notable minister of the time stationed around Rice
City, a significant place of the time, though even by the mid-19th
century it had begun to fade. In the obituary to Robie Phillips (see
further below) we learn that she was baptized by a pioneer minister,
George Kennedy, said by H. P. Lovecraft to be a distant relative. We
learn a few more details from an unknown reportervii:
“Among the ministers present at the water side was Rev. Geo.
Kennedy of Moosup Valley, who although in feeble health was able to
be present and witness the baptismal ceremonies … “
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16 July 1848: Tragedy, The Death of Roby Phillips
Without speculating too wildly, we can make a few assumptions about Roby's death. As she was now 51 years old and it had been 9 years since she had a full term birth, she was most likely in menopause. A search of contemporary records shows that there is a paucity of any data for epidemics, or other crises. Severe weather is also unlikely to be a cause in mid-July.
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Jeremiah Is Killed, The Phillips Children Become Orphans
The school had many names depending on
what year and what institution owned it. For our period of time
1846-1850, it was known as the Providence Conference Seminary.
From The Schoolmaster, Vol. 5, No. 6, August 1858, p. 185, it was discovered that "the original institution was founded about the year 1800 and
was long known as the Kent Academy. It was incorporated in 1803 and
entirely refitted and refurnished in 1804. In 1839. it was purchased by
Rev. Daniel G Allen of North Kingstown, the building repaired, and an
entire change made in the course of instruction, and general
regulations of the institution. This eminent instructor having placed
the academy on a permanent basis of prosperity in 1841 sold it to the
Providence Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in whose
hands remained."
The most significant figure of this era, a man that WVP would not only come to know, but could not help but be influenced by him. He was, by all accounts, a towering and dynamic individual, and persuasive to all his students. From, History of New London county, Connecticut: with biographical sketches, edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd Philadelphia J W Lewis & Co, 1882, we learn this man was Robert Allyn, son of one Charles Allyn. "Robert graduated at the Wesleyan University Middletown
in 1841, and was immediately employed as teacher in mathematics in the
Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Mass. In 1845, he became principal of that
institution. Under his management, it increased in number of students
and reputation for scholarship. He resigned his place in that
institution to accept the position of principal and financial
agent of the East Greenwich Academy in Rhode Island in 1848 and
remained in that position till 1854 {italics and bold, CP}, when he was appointed
commissioner of public instruction in that State. He held that office
for three years, when he was chosen to represent the town in the State
Legislature for the years of 1852, and 1854. In 1854 he was appointed by the
President of the United States and commissioned by the Secretary of
War, Jeff Davis, as visitor at West Point Military Academy. At that time R.E. Lee was superintendent. While there, his fine social qualities helped
him to a large and important acquaintance, and he did not fail to
profit by his observation of the methods of instruction practiced at
that institution. In 1857, he removed to Ohio, and became professor of
Greek and Latin in the Ohio University. At the end of two years, he
removed to Cincinnati, and became president of the Wesleyan Female
College in that city."
So, how do we know the exact years WVP attended? From 1840, various principals had
charge of the academy, but it was failing. In 1847, the academy closed with only 7 students. It is highly unlikely that WVP was one of those 7 students.
Allyn seized the reins, and his dynamism injected financial capital into the old school. He worked hard to get students, and this was the exact time WVP must have attended: September 1948. Jeremiah died two months later, but WVP must have attended one more year. With Jeremiah's estate bankrupt, and the children penniless, who sponsored him? There is only one man who would have had sufficient funds, the cashier of the Mount Vernon Bank, Raymond G. Place.
This brings us full circle. The Rice City revival, contacts with the Providence Seminary, the correct credentials, and finance for a brilliant student. The same student who in a few short years would marry Raymond's sister.
If we presume a one year course between September 1848 and June 1849, and a second year between September 1849 and June 1850, this means WVP would have been able to be listed in the late June 1850 census, and still have time to mount in a wagon train in New York (August 1850) and head out to Illinois (a two month journey, perhaps) to be with his uncle in Delavan by mid-Fall (October?) 1850.
Back to Allyn, we have a later description: "Mr Allyn was tall, loosely put together, a trifle awkward in movement, with light complexion, and slight touches
of beard, hardly sufficient to allow side whiskers. In conversation
though, without the utmost ease, he was ready and intelligent, opening
up fresh lines in an interesting way, and keeping in constant touch
with the other party. He knew how to hear as well as to speak." The
Wesleyan Academy, p. 259, History of the Wesleyan Academy, at
Wilbraham, Mass., 1817-1890, by David Sherman.
We also know other members of the small faculty.
Later Kansas abolitionist, Isaac Goodnow accepted a position as professor of natural sciences
at the Providence Conference Seminary in East Greenwich, Rhode
Island for the 1848 term. He retained this position until December 1854, when he
resigned at age 40 to move to Kansas Territory to support
the creation of a Free-State town by the New England
Emigrant Aid Company. This man was by all accounts this writer has seen, an excellent mathematician, and a great teacher of math and science. From this man, WVP would have learned much of the engineering, science, and math he used the rest of his life.
We have another source, The New England Mercantile
Union Business, 1849, Pratt & Company. It lists:
Providence Conference Seminary
Rev Robert Allyn, AM, Principal
Isaac P Goodenow, AM, Teacher
Francis O Blair, АВ, Teacher, East
Greenwich
This writer was able to track down a few details on Blair, another incredibly gifted teacher.
Franklin Otis Blair, late
professor in Lawrence University, and McKendree College, was bornin
Blandford, Mass., Nov. 30, 1822, was graduated from the Wesleyan University, in 1848 in the same year became a teacher in the Providence
Conference Seminary East Greenwich RI {italics and bold, CP}. He was elected in 1856
Adjunct Professor of Intellectual and Moral Science in Lawrence
University, and in 1858 Professor of Natural Science, McKendree College. He served in 1870 as financial agent of McKendree College, and in 1873, district agent of the American Bible Society, joined the Wisconsin
Conference of the ME Church in 1857.
Thus we have the faculty who taught WVP the foundations of critical and business thinking for two years.
 |
| From November 1849, An ad for the seminary. |
 |
| 1893 Catalog. Does not show WVP as a graduate. However, the data prior to 1852 was likely lost in transitions. |
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16 July 1848: Tragedy, The Death of Roby Phillips
Without speculating too wildly, we can make a few assumptions about Roby's death. As she was now 51 years old and it had been 9 years since she had a full term birth, she was most likely in menopause. A search of contemporary records shows that there is a paucity of any data for epidemics, or other crises. Severe weather is also unlikely to be a cause in mid-July.
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Jeremiah Is Killed, The Phillips Children Become Orphans
In a long essay in the blog (here) this is dealt with at length and in detail. This covers the dates between November 1848 (Jeremiah's death) through August 1850 (WVP goes west to Illinois). These were 22 jam-packed months not only for the Phillips, but Rhode Island and for the United States.
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In the next section, 1850-1860, WVP's early manhood will be discussed. His failure in Illinois, his return to be a store keeper in Foster, mating with Robie Place, his subsequent marriage, hist first child is born, and his exodus to Coffin's Road. The rise in his career is precisely tied to the completion of the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill railroad line run by the powerful Sprague family who were also industrialists and political leaders.
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A Little About Those Early Times
While it may seem very recent in time
in some ways, when examined it is an ancient and unbelievably
different era than we know in 21st century America. For
one thing, the population on Earth was 1/7th of what it is
today. Estimates show that it was about 1810 before one billion
people inhabited our world. Today (mid-2011) there are 311 million
people in the United States alone. In 1830 there were only 24 states
and under 13 million people – many slaves.
While mostly a man of business, there is every reason that Phillips believed in the sovereignty of one universal God, and that the United States was his chosen vessel, that Americans were to bring Manifest Destiny to a savage continent, and that capitalism was noble, and republican (elected representation) the true and best form of government. His ethical and political choices for his life were well thought out, and well chosen. They remained constant throughout his life. One may well say of him: He may not have always been right, but he was never in doubt.
We paint a somewhat bleak portrait of his birth era, but in fact, had you asked, the people of western Rhode Island would have considered themselves the most evolved and privileged on Earth – albeit they wished that they might have had more money. Some disease that had rampaged their grandparents during the Revolutionary War had been eradicated, like Smallpox. Sanitation was critically important, and unlike sewage infested Paris or London, American cities were creating infrastructures that would make water clean and pure for the first time. New understanding of statistics, fertilizer, and agriculture were beginning to allow burnt out land to be restored.
It is not clear where Phillips developed his aptitude for business – perhaps from his father – but there was something in the air. Foster and its environs produced some of the greatest business and political minds, including a near contemporary, Nelson Aldrich, who became arguably the most powerful Senator of the late 19th century. Phillips future best friend, Clarke Johnson, was to sit on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. This writer will frequently make reference to this 'Foster mafia”, as it ran deep. The thesis – far from proven – will be that much of Phillips fortune came from a keen read of other men, a belief in the velocity of money, and political connections throughout Rhode Island, and to Washington at a time when inside information made huge opportunities, and knowing the right people cut red tape and opened doors.
As mentioned, Phillips was an orphan by age 14 and Raymond Place became his guardian of sorts. He was shipped out to Illinois territory, and it is said that he met Abraham Lincoln, then a young lawyer. The Phillips and Places were temperance people. Alcohol was a sin to be avoided at all costs.
iThis
writer is neither an historian, nor a biographer. While numerous
new details of WVP's life have been uncovered by this writer, and
every effort to mesh these with the work of Mr. Faig, many
speculative connections and conclusions were required to make these
pieces fit into a somewhat coherent narrative. It is expected that
many debates and disagreements will be forthcoming on these
conclusions. These are welcome, and it is hoped that through the
“heat” of this feedback, new “light” will be shed on the
life and times of Phillips.
iiThis
writer believes that it was Kenneth W. Faig, Jr. who first found and
transcribed this obituary, perhaps with help by R. Alain Everts.
Many notes have been taken from the document providend by Mr. Faig,
orihginally De Temeris (Necronomicon Amateur Press Association) and
APA (Summer 1985). The same identical obituary was uncovered by
this writer in Manufacturers and Farmers Journal of 4 April 1904
(Google misfiled as 4 March 1904).
iiiIllinois
became the 21st state in 3 December 1818, about 34 years
previous to Whipple's visit.
ivJames
Phillips lived in Tazewell County, Delavan, Illinois. Lincoln has
one term in the US legislature between 1847-1849. Lincoln spent up
to six months a year in the late 1840's and early 1850's riding the
8th circuit. It is estimated he worked up to 5,000 legal
cases prior to his presidency. Tazewell county was in that
district. Phillips was later a party to a suit by Singer sewing
company, though Lincoln had nothing to do with this.
vInformation
from History of Higher Education in Rhode Island, by William Howe
Tolman, 1894, a dissertation to John Hopkins faculty.
viThe
earliest contemporary documents this writer found were the minutes
to the Providence Methodist Conference, 1850. At that time, roughly
contemporary to Whipple's attendance (he would have been about 17)
it lists Robert Allun as Superintendent, and G. W. Quereau as
Principal of then named Providence Conference Seminary, which was
dedicated to music and learning.
viiPawtuxet
Valley Gleaner, 15 June 1897, “Rice City”, column 5, page 4 on
the occasion of a valley wide revival meeting and party. The all
day ceremony was attended by up to 2,000 – a huge assembly for the
area – with a number being baptized in a local body of water. One
of the honored guests was George Kennedy.
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