
Person Info
Nancy Jayne Phillips: Birth: 22 JAN 1851 in Thomasville, Oregan Co, MO. Death: 2 JUL 1940 in Howell County, Missouri
Logan R Phillips: Birth: 24 APR 1853 in Overton Co., Tennessee. Death: 17 APR 1928 in Overton Co., Tennessee
Sarah E Phillips: Birth: 1857 in Overton, TN.
Malinda A Phillips: Birth: 1859 in Overton Co, Tennessee. Death: 30 SEP 1890 in Howell Co., MO
Mary Phillips: Birth: 1862.
Moses Phillips: Birth: MAY 1867 in Tennessee.
Bozelia Belle Phillips: Birth: 22 AUG 1875 in Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau Co, MO. Death: 23 FEB 1950 in Newton Co, MO
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Note: Tillman Phillips is believed to be the son of Moses and Sarah Phillips of North Carolina. He was born in Tennessee in 1829. As an adult, Tillman was a tall slender man with red hair. He married Rebecca Boswell, who was born 5 January, 1828? (or 1820) in Overland County, Tennessee. Rebecca's parents, (Boswell), were known to be Pennsylvania Dutch of German descent. Rebecca had a brother called Batson, but nothing else is known about the Boswell family at this point. During their courtship, as the family story goes, Tillman lived on one side of Columbia River near the Cumberland Gap, and Rebecca lived on the other side. Since Tillman had no way across the river, he would take his clothes off, tie them on top of his head to keep them dry, and swim the river to court his sweetheart Rebecca. They married sometime around 1847. In the 1850 Federal Census for Tennessee, we find Tillman and Rebecca married and living in Overland County. Tillman was listed as 21 years old and Rebecca as 22 years old. There were no children listed. They continued living in Overland County for ten years as substatiated by the 1860 Federal Census. This Census lists Tillman age 31, Rebecca age 32, Mary J, age 9, Logan R, age 7, Sarah E, age 3, and Malinda A, age 1. Family records show a daughter, Nancy Jayne to be born the 22 January 1851. It is believed that the Mary J, age 9 is the same person as Nancy Jayne. Tillman and Rebecca told their descendents about their home in Kentucky. They told of the big red clay hills of Kentucky where the blue grass grows. The land had so much red clay in the soil it was not suitable for farming. The Phillips decided to venture away from the home of their birth and try new territory, hoping to find land that was suitable for farming. Sometime before the Civil War, believed to be the year of 1861, Tillman, with his wife Rebecca and their children Logan, Nancy Jayne, Sarah, Malinda, and an older brother of Tillmans, Rheuben, along with Rheubens wife and children, set out for the frontier country of Texas, to homestead land. During their travels through Texas, the family tells the story of one ox dying during the heat of the day from the Texas sun. The other ox died that night of the cold. Texas was not to their liking, it was more red clay and also not suitable for farming. Rebecca said there was no trees down there except along the river. The brother Rheuben was trail driving his cattle, and he decided to continue the trail to California. It took them 14 months to reach California. They went up to the gold mines where men were paying big bucks for fresh milk. Milk sold for a dollar a gallon in those gold fields, and that was alot of money back in those days. Later, when one of Rheubens boys came back through Missouri, he told of their adventures, about the giant redwood trees, and large grapes vineyards in California. It is believed that Tillmans brother Rheuben had daughters as well as sons. Tillman and Rebecca continued their search for good homesteading land. After leaving Texas, they went to Arkansas. There they found hills of rock and sand. They were near the Bostine Mountains of Arkansas. Rebecca told of seeing the mountains as they traveled the wagon trail. They camped out one night in Arkansas, and Rebecca told of hearing waterfalls during the night. The next morning, when they stepped out of their tent, there was a huge sinkhole right in back of their tent. It had caved in during the night and there was water running in the bottom of the hole. They continued onward, coming upon an old cabin in the woods. Tillman, standing upon a hill, could see a turkey stuck in the chimney of an old log cabin. That turkey was flapping his wings, trying to free himself. Tillman shot the turkey and that night they had turkey for dinner. The rocky hills of Arkansas were again ground not suitable for farming. The Phillips family moved on, crossing the Neosho river on the Oklahoma- Kansas border. They crossed at Baxter Springs, Kansas on a ferry boat operated by John Baxter, grandfather of Richard Board. After crossing into Missouri, still before the Civil War had started, they made their way into Howell County. They lived near West Plains for several years then moved to Arkansas where they made their home until the outbreak of the Civil War. At that time they returned to their home state of Tennessee, where Tillman Phillips bought in the Confederate Army. Tillman was nearly fifty years old at the time. At the end of the Civil War, Tillman, his wife Rebecca and their children returned to Howell County. Here, Rebecca gave birth to a second son in 1867, they named him Moses. He had red hair like his father. They explored many areas in Missouri, continuing to search for suitable land to homestead. In 1873/74 two of Rebecca's daughters died near Cape Girardeau. Tillman and Rebecca had given up on Missouri, and decided to return to their home state of Tennessee. While headed back to Tennessee, they made it as far as Cape Girardeau when Rebecca went into labor. There she gave birth to a baby girl on the 22 August 1875. They named this daughter Bozelia Belle Phillips. Rebecca was already in her late forties when this, their last child, was born. While waiting for Rebecca to recover enough to travel, Tillman heard about the railroad coming through from either Nashville or Memphis to Springfield, MO. He went to work for the railroad, laying track to Springfield. In 1880 the census shows Tillman age 52, Rebecca age 53, daughter Nancy J age 28, Mary age 18, Moses age 13, and Basealey (Bozelia) age 6, all living in Ozark County, Missouri. (since Sarah isnt listed, and it is documented that Sarah lived and married, with sons of her own, I believe Mary and Sarah are the same person.) This same census is where Tillman listed his parents born in NC. Ozark County is adjacent to Greene County, where the railroad would have gone through. After the railroad ties were all laid, and all the work on the railroad was finished, fruit farms started going in. Tillman became employed by the fruit owners in planting trees. During that time, he heard there was free homestead land being offered in Howell County, Missouri. Tillman and Rebecca returned to Howell County and applied for 80 acres of farmland in the Greenwood district south of West Plains. They received the land and became Missouri farmers. They raised their family and died of old age in Howell County, residents for nearly 70 years. The land was located 7 miles from West Plains. They would cut a rack of wood, and use mules to haul wood to town. They would receive 50 cents for the wood. Bozelia said that 50 cents would buy a gallon of karo syrup in a paper bucket. Tillman had a team of mules, and that is what they were hauling the wood with. Moses, called Mose, cut a load of wood and hauled it the seven miles to town, received his 50 cents. With that money he gave a dime for a Nick Carter detective story book. Moses had a yearn to learn. He also bought a double barrel breech-loading shot gun. Tillman Phillips, his son Moses, and his daughter Bozelia Phillips husband, Phillip Marshall Thurman, would punch wadding down in the barrel of that gun. It was a flint lock gun. They were shipping wild horses from the range country out west to Howell County and you could buy a horse for ten dollars. Moses bought one of those horses. Moses became a cook on a steamboat on the Mississippi River. He moved to the rice country of Arkansas (Northeast Arkansas) and married Josie M. They had two daughters, one was named Leona. Tillman and Rebecca's daugther Sarah married William Brown. The Browns had two children, sons by the name of Bob and Atwood. Atwood was an old mountain name. Sarah was a rugged individual and pretty much ran the family affairs. On one occasion, she had her sons hold a shotgun on her husband, while she whipped him with a bullwhip. Another daughter of Tillman and Rebecca's, Malinda, (Mittie Linda) married Joe Cook. They had two sons, Bob and Joe. Malinda died giving birth to a third child, a daughter named Rebecca L Cook. Rebecca Phillips, at the age of sixty, took her baby grand daughter Rebeka to raise. Joe Cook went to live in Arkansas after his wifes death. It is believed that Joe took his two sons to live with him. Tillman and Rebecca's son Logan married Ellen. They had three daughters and one son. The sons name was John (called Alzo). Ellen was sitting, talking when blood dripped out of her mouth and she died. Logan was 28 years older than his youngest sister Bozelia. That would make Logan's birth year 1847. It is not certain if Logan went from Kentucky to Missouri with his parents. Rebecca served the county of Howell as a mid-wife for most of the time she lived there. She would ride a mule to go to the aid of a woman about to deliver a baby. She was known as one of the best nurses in the county. At times she was the only acting doctor or nurse available. She gave freely of her services, and was loved and admired by most of the people of Howell county. She delivered about everyone in that county by the time she died on 23 January 1924. It is stated of her that when she died, out of respect, that the church bells tolled 104 times, once for each year of her life. However, from the Federal Census taken during her life time, it appears that she was but a mere 96 at the time of her death. In 1924, Rebecca was the oldest citizen of Howell County, and one of the oldest also in the state. She died at the home of her grandson, Ed Harris, seven miles northwest of West Plains. It is stated in the Journal, Rebecca had been a resident for nearly seventy years. I calculate the time to be 64 years. Rebecca had lived through the administration of all the Presidents of the United States except the first four. She had lived through four of the Great Wars the United States had been involved. During the election year of 1920 Rebecca made her way into West Plains to cast her vote for President elect Warren G Harding. She was blind for the last few years of her life. She also suffered a severe attack of influenza, from which she never fully recovered. Funeral services were held at the Harris home in West Plains. Rebecca was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Howell County, Missouri. Rebecca had been preceded in death by her husband Tillman by many years. His tombstone in Evergreen Cemetery, reads 2-25-1918 as the date of death. In 1924, listed in her obituary as still living were daughters Nancy Christeson of West Plains, Sarah Brown of West Plains, and her son Moses living in Batesville, Ark. Another daughter, Bozelia Belle Thurman, who was still living, was missed in the notice. Tillman and Rebecca's daughter, Nancy Jayne Phillips married John R Harris, they had a son, John Edward. Her husband John Harris died on 28 April 1885 in West Plains, Mo. Nancy remarried to Andrew Christeson, a millwright from Denmark, born 7 May 1850, and died 7 April 1894. Their children were, a daughter Essie, born 6 September 1890 in Howell County, died 22 June 1976 in San Diego, California. Essie married William E Street on 17 August 1907; and Loran, nicknamed Alec, who died in 1962 in Marianna, Arkansas. Nancy's son, John Edward Harris, married Olive Street, they had nine children: Doyle, Tilman, Clifford, Wayne, Veta, Ted Sonola, Van William, Zeta, John Edward Jr., and Burl Amos. John Edward Harris died in 1948 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in West Plains, MO. John's son, Ted Sonola Harris, married Willie Agnes Campbell, their children are: Winifred Neil, Ted Eugene, Sidney, Edward, and Louise. Ted's son, Ted Eugene Harris, married Norma Stephens, their children are: Janice, Douglas E, and Katherine Sue. Ted Eugene's daughter, Katherine Sue Harris, married Michael Robert Gordon. Their children are: Lauren and Ashley. Katherine married again to Christopher Schack, their child is Riley. At the time of Rebecca's death, her daughter Nancy Jayne Christeson, a widow, was living at the home of her son, John Ed Harris. Nancy Jayne Christeson died 2 July 1940, and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in West Plains, MO. Tillman and Rebecca's youngest daughter, Bozelia, married Phillip Marshall Thurman. They met at a dance in West Plains, fell in love, and married on 26 Sept 1891. 14 children born into this marriage are: 1. Leland Francis (Tobe) b 22 June 1892 in West Plains, MO; died 26 Jan 1959. Tobe married Daphne Edens, they had no children. 2. Jessie Lelburn b. 15 Sept 1893 at West Plains, MO; d. 27 Dec 1940. Jessie married Pearl Silvey, they had no children. 3. Thomas Tilman b. 31 Jan 1895 at West Plains; d. 4 Feb 1968 in Seneca, Newton Co., MO. Tom married Alpha Silvey (sister to Pearl). They had three children. 1. Elizabeth who married Roland Winnie, their four children are: Sharon, Daniel, Donna, and Greg 2. Pearl Alma who married Ruben Metzler, their three children are: Gloria, Gerald, and Richard 3. Phillip Martin, who married Naomi Henson, their two children are: Angela Jean and Eric Martin Phillip Martin and Naomi divorced and Phillip remarried to Linda Carnes Rice. They have no issue. 4. Gladys, b. 31 Jan 1897 in Joplin, Jasper Co, MO. died 17 June 1980 5. Arthur Phillip, b. 9 Sept 1900 in Joplin, MO. d. 31 Jan 1977. Arthur married Bertha Wheeler. Their child is Charlotte. 6. Hazel, b 30 June 1903 in Joplin, MO. d. 2 August 1904. 7. Mittie, b. 30 May 1905. Mittie married William G Howard, they had a son named Garrett, he died as a small child. 8. Benjamin Franklin, b. 25 Oct 1907 Joplin. (bachelor) 9. Bertha, b. 11 Dec 1909, d. 1909 Joplin 10. Ethel Minnie, b. 18 Feb 1911, Joplin, died 3 May 1970, Ethel married Leonard Harold Grant on 12 June 1933, their 7 children are: (a) Leonard Wesley who married Betty Darlene Gledhill/ Kennedy. their four children are: 1. Betty Kay 2. Diana Gay 3. Leslie Lynn 4. Leonard Wesley Jr. (b) Marshall Lee who married Patricia Ellen Gillon, their two children are: 1. Bruce Lee 2. Kathleen Ellen (c) Loyde Gene who married Amy Lucille Agler, their five children are: 1. Linda Jean 2. Janet Lee 3. Kenneth Frank, died as infant 4. Larry Jay 5. James Loyde (d) Betty Lorine who married Timothy Lee Jenson, their children are: 1. Cindy Lauane (?) 2. Timothy Blair 3. Jeffrey Lee (e) Vera Marlene's first marriage was to Larry Edward Deutsch on the 19 Oct 1962, their three children are: 1. Larry Edward Jr, who married Bridget Louise Wilson and their children are Brandon Jeffrey and Lindsey Nicole. 2. Douglas Nelson 3. Julie Marlene who married Joel Robert Panhorst, their children are Joel Bryant, Jacob Christopher, and Jayna Marlene. Vera's second marriage on 11 May 1973 was to Russell Arlyn Weltmer, they have no issue. (f) Anna May who married Claude Vernon Swain, their child is Jeffrey Carl Lynn. (g) Clarabel, died as an infant. 11. May, b. 12 Mar 1913, Joplin, d. 1913 12. Marshall Edward, b. 13 Jan 1915, Joplin, bachelor 13. Pearl, b 21 Oct 1916, Joplin, died 2 Jun 1982. Pearl married Carl Pritchard. Their child was Julia. 14. Paul, b. 20 Nov 1920 Racine, Newton Co. died May 1934. Bozelia and Phillip Thurman lived in West Plains for 5 years after they were married. Some of their children were born here. Bozelia and Phillip were known by the names of Zelia and Marshall. They moved to Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri, here some of their children died of infantile paralysis. They went back to West Plains for a summer, then returned to Joplin where they spent the next 27 years. In 1917, they moved to Newton County, Mo., near Racine. Their son Paul died of an infection to the knee, caused by a wheelbarrow accident. He is buried in Burkhart Cemetery, near the family residence. Zelia and her husband Marshall were coming down the road, Virginia Avenue, when they happened upon the land that was to become their permanent residence. Location of the land was 13 miles south of Joplin in Newton County. A small town called Racine was about one and one half to the southwest of the property. They bought the land and became local farmers. They had about twenty acres of pastures and woods. Here they farmed with cattle, hogs, and chickens. They built a barn on the property, and cut wood for the family heat and cooking. They grew cane and made sorghum molasses. They joined the local Baptist Church of Racine, and raised their children at this homesite. On October 23, 1945, Phillip Marshall Thurman, age 76, died died at home unexpectedly of a heart attack. Bozelia Belle (Phillips) Thurman died 23 Feb 1950 in Newton County, MO. Both are buried in Burkhart Cemetery, near the family residence, in Newton County. Two of their sons, Marshall Edward, and Benjamin Franklin, still live on the family farm. I believe this story is from Mona Sue Harris. I got this copy from Shari Ellison, [email protected]@yahoo.com. Land Patent Info: Tilmon D Phillips, State: MO, 80 acres, issue date: June 9, 1891, Land Office: Ironton, MO, Authority: May 20, 1862: Homestead EntryOriginal (12 Stat. 392), Doc #: 3874, Misc Doc #: 7011, Legal Land Description: S�SW 15/ 23-N 8-W No 5th PM MO Howell Census: 1850 Overton Co., Tennessee page 46 Census: 1860 Overton Co, TN, Livingston PO 1847/1847 Phillips Tilmon 31 M Farmer TN Rebecca 32 F TN Mary J 9 F TN Logan R 7 M TN Sarah E 3 F TN Malinda A 1 F TN Tillman D Phillips, 1880 US Census, Ozark Co, MO Birth Year <1828> Birthplace TN Age 52 Occupation Farmer Marital Status M <Married> Race W <White> Head of Household Tilmon D. PHILLIPS Relation Self Father's Birthplace NC Mother's Birthplace NC Census Place Bayou, Ozark, Missouri Family History Library Film 1254707 NA Film Number T9-0707 Page Number 547B Info that I have says that Tillman died in 1918, but according to the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census, he passed before 1900, as Rebecca was listed as a widow in all three. Note from Jackie, [email protected]@centurytel.net, October 19, 2004 |
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