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a.
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Note: h day of Febr'ry 1781." (Halifax Town Records, Vol. 1, p. 336, FHL Film 28362)
My old family notes give his birth date as 2 Feb.1781. Two independent sources said to be from Josephine Phillips of Lockport, NY (who had an old family Bible) say 18 Feb. 1781 and 28 Feb. 1781, and indicate he was born in Halifax, Vermont. The dates are difficult to reconcile, but since two sources have a 2 and two have an 8 for the day, from these discrepancies, I guessed the proper birth date is 28 Feb.1781--and this agrees with the Halifax Town Records.
The will and probate record of Elihu L. Phillips (dated 1876, proved 1884), named his niece, Lucia M. Outwater. Since she was the daughter of Col. Elijah Phillips, Jr. and Amanda Danforth, this proves that Elijah Phillips, Jr. and Elihu L. Phillips were brothers.
***
Kathy Crowell, of Fayetteville, NY, wrote Tavern tales, an unpublished manuscript about the history of the Town of Manlius, Onondaga Co., New York. She shared the following information from Tavern Tales:
Elijah Phillips (index omission) (reference is to the Libbeus Foster tavern near the west intersection of Seneca Turnpike and Mac Clenthen Road at Eagle Village)
The organization of Military Lodge No. 93, Free and Accepted Masons occurred at Libbeus Foster’s tavern in June 1802. Libbeus Foster is recorded a charter member when the chapter became a became a reality at Cazenovia on September 2, 1802. Libbeus’s brother, Samuel, was affiliated with the chapter on July 19, 1804. The Masons met at Foster’s tavern until May 1804 when they moved to Ralph R. Phelps’ tavern in Manlius Village. In July 1804, Ephraim Barrett leased Foster’s tavern, and the brothers continued to meet there prior to the signing of a contract with Manlius Village innkeeper Eli Parsons on November 17, 1808 after which the Masonic meetings were held solely in Manlius Village (2).
According to the 1804 town commissioners’ report of districts for 1805, district 5 on the north side of the turnpike was to include Ephraim Barrett west to Elijah Phillips. Phillips’ 350 acres were in the western portion of lot 88 on each side of the Seneca Turnpike (earlier old Genesee Road) between North Eagle Village Road and what is now Enders Road. District 3 was on the south side of the turnpike and was split between James Foster on the east and Charles Bristol on the west (3).
endnotes: 2. Volume 1 of the three-volume copies of the Masonic records, Archives, Manlius Historical Society
3. Miscellaneous Records, A, Onondaga County Courthouse, basement archives)
Note: I gather Elijah lived on the north side of the turnpike in 1804 because we’re talking about residences in the second paragraph."
...
The following is all the material you requested [from Tavern Tales] on Elijah Phillips, Elihu L. Phillips, and Sylvanus Tousley. I’ve included the beginning so you have a sense of the hotel’s early history, for it was Tousley’s tavern by October 1813 (quite possibly earlier).
THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL
One of my favorite hotels in Manlius Village was the Great Eastern Hotel, also known as the Manlius House and Suburban House. Located on the north side of the Seneca Turnpike, it occupied the eastern portion of the Franklin Street to Wesley Street block. In 1801, the house was leased to Luther Bingham who ran the first post office in the village of Manlius from his appointment on November 26, 1800 to March 31, 1803, according to archives of the United States Postal Service.
The original two-story tavern was located on part of John Cunningham’s property. Cunningham, an early settler, sold the section on which the tavern was located to John Delany before his decease in late 1800 or early 1801. In December 1802, Delany conveyed the property, including all the buildings on it, to merchant Merrit M. Clark for $450. Clark ran a store on the premises. In February 1805, the property was conveyed to John Atkinson of New York City. There is no record of Atkinson’s sale which suggests a mortgage default and subsequent property auction.
In 1871, when workmen were adding a third story to the hotel, an old subpoena was discovered. In his History of Manlius Village, Van Schaack states that “the oldest document in my possession relating to our village, is a subpoena issued by Robert Wilson as a justice of the peace, in 1806. It was found in the hotel of the Messrs. Gilson, at the time the third story was recently added to it. The subpoena is directed to Joel Huntington, Reuben Squires, Thomas McClenthen, Sylvanus Tousley and Youngs Ledyard, all old settlers here, and to one other name I cannot make out. It commands them to appear and testify in a suit between Gerard J. Van Slyke, plaintiff, and John C. Mervin, defendant” (1).
One of the hotel’s early landlords (lessee) was Eli Parsons, born on January 29, 1748 as the ninth child of Mercy and Aaron Parsons, tavernkeepers in Springfield, Massachusetts. Parsons married Persis Graves and together they raised seven children.
Although the Parsons owned land in the Marcellus and Camillus areas in Onondaga County prior to 1808, their earliest presence in Manlius comes from the minutes of the Masons which state that Eli was a visitor to their lodge on April 7, 1808. On June 10, 1808, the lodge adjourned to Parson’s house at 8 o’clock in the forenoon. On September 1, Parsons presented his contract to the Masons to lease the upper chamber of his house to them. Ralph R. Phelps guaranteed the room. On November 17, 1808, the brothers moved from Ephraim Barrett’s tavern (2). Parsons was the Master pro tem at the meeting. In 1809, Parsons became Senior Warden. The Masons remained at this tavern until at least May 1818, and possibly as late as early 1819 when they moved to Dr. Henry B. Moore’s tavern located on present-day St. Ann’s Catholic Church parking lot on the south side of Seneca Street (3).
In the early 1800s, most foreclosed properties were auctioned to the public at taverns. Although Parsons had some bitter memories of the foreclosure practice as second-in-command in Shay’s Rebellion in 1786, Parsons was a businessman, nonetheless. On September 15, according to the July 18, 1809 issue of the “Manlius Times,” Sheriff Robert Earl would “expose to sale the property of Jeniel Hopping…as the law directs…at the house of Eli Parsons in Manlius at ten o’clock a.m.”
According to a story told in an anonymous pamphlet, “a dignified, well-dressed stranger came to Colonel Eli Parsons’ inn in Manlius asking for food and lodging for the night. He was unsocial and reserved. He ate by himself and seemed disinclined to talk with anyone although the innkeeper and others tried in various ways to learn his name. He retired early so they could only speculate as to whether the stranger might be a government agent or possibly a U.S. army officer.
"In the morning the stranger’s horse, saddled and ready to go, was brought to the door for him. Colonel Parsons realized that this was his last chance to learn the man’s name so he said, ‘It has been a pleasure to have you stay here over night. I would be highly gratified to know your name.’
"The stranger classed his hands to his head as he exclaimed, ‘Well, sir, I had a name when I arrived. I am sure of it; but in my efforts to evade your inquisitiveness, I have forgotten it! Excuse me, sir, I have actually forgotten it. But I am going west, and if I can possibly recollect it, I will write and inform you. Good-day, sir.’
“Of course, no one ever expected to hear from the stranger again, but some time later a letter did come to the Manlius Post-Office for Col. Eli Parsons:
"Dear Sir, Upon leaving you, I told you that should I be so fortunate as to recollect my name, I would write you. I consider myself fortunate in recalling it, for there is nothing so unfortunate to a man as to be unable, when called upon, to give his name. You are, dear sir, most respectfully welcome to mine. Stephen Burroughs’
“Stephen Burroughs, we are notified, was a notorious counterfeiter."
If the tale is even close to the truth, then the story was about Col. Elijah Phillips, who was landlord of the tavern from 1815 to 1821, or to Col. Dearborn Bickford, a later owner, for Parsons’ highest rank in the Revolutionary War was 1st lieutenant.
In 1810, the Parsons moved to Oswego where they took over a boatman’s tavern from Peter Sharpe.
An October 23, 1813 road survey (4) of Washington Street shows that the tavern was owned by Sylvanus Tousley and leased to Elisha Fitch, J
During Fitch’s lease, the War of 1812 ensued: “We saw Winfield Scott’s army go through that village (Chittenango) late in November 1813,” says Orson Smith, “just before the battle of Chippeway. He was then 26 years old, a large, tall, well-built man. He and his army stayed at Manlius over-night. In the evening he came into Bicnal’s tavern picked up the Manlius “Times,” published by Kellogg, and stood reading by lamp light. His tall, white feather came very near being burned by the lamp - an open lamp - none such now-a-days - no kerosene in those days (5). Although Smith says Bicnal, he must mean Tousley’s tavern, for Dearborn Bicknell was a later tavern keeper at this hotel.
The Cherry Valley Turnpike which passed into Manlius Village (Academy Street) until it intersected with Seneca Turnpike was closed to the public and solely reserved for military use. “A large number of sleighs and waggons loaded with arms and ammunition have passed through this village yesterday and today for the frontiers,” remarked Leonard Kellogg, editor of the “Manlius Times” on January 4, 1814.
On September 9, 1815, Hannah and Lee Dunning sold Sylvanus Tousley some commercial property already in Tousley’s possession. The property included a 60’ deep by 30’ wide lot with a 14’ right of way in the rear of the lot (Masonic Way) which led from the “two rod road” (Franklin Street) to North Street. The property was bound on the west by the tavern. On the same day, Tousley sold his blacksmith shop, cow yard,and garden at the east corner of Wesley and Seneca Streets to Dunning, then in Dunning’s possession.
Tousley also ran the dry goods store on the east corner of Franklin and Seneca Streets with his son-in-law, Elihu L. Phillips. The firm was dissolved in November 1830. Both Tousley and Phillips later moved to Syracuse. Tousley, one of the builders of Manlius Village, passed away on March 30, 1838, age 58.
On November 1, 1815, Tousley sold the tavern to Elijah and Amanda Phillips for $4,000. The property included the tavern, a shed and barn but not the division fence between the tavern and Tousley’s residence to the west. Tousley also reserved “right and privilege to pull down and destroy any barn, shed or other noxious buildings which Phillips might erect.” As part of the exchange, Phillips had the privilege of using the water in the aqueduct that ran from the spring on attorney James Wattles’ property to the tavern premises. Phillips also had the right to repair or construct another aqueduct and to take a proportion of the water from the spring which lay above the property line.
Tousley’s land west of the tavern later was owned by Silas Williams, a farm and industrialist, and by Edwin P. Russell, who owned a paper mill on the east corner of Seneca Street and Mill Street (once known as Factory Street as well as Paper Mill Street).
Sylvanus Tousley was an early Manlius Village resident, and one of its prime movers. He also was a slave holder in 1810 according to the census of that year as well as one of the two men in the village who owned a pleasure carriage. Tousley was a captain in 1809 and later paymaster in the militia, a justice of the peace in 1812 and chief judge of the County’s Court of Common Pleas in 1815 and 1818.
Following the incorporation of Manlius as a village in 1813, Tousley constructed an aqueduct to the north of Seneca Street and with other community members, including Robert Oliphant and David Dexter, built some of the roads between Pleasant and Seneca Streets.
By December 14, 1815, Tousley and attorney Nicholas P. Randall had acquired the privilege of digging and laying additional aqueducts across all the streets, roads and lanes north of Seneca Street from attorney James O. Wattles. The Wattles family, heirs and ssigns could use the spring when not supplied by Randall and Tousley. The spring was located on land which passed into Wattles’ hands form John Rapalje, who had purchased it in 1798 from the assignees of Henry Dickhout. Dickhout, an absconding debtor, according to local histories, established the village’s first frame commercial structure, a trading post, around 1795. The post was located near the west corner of North and Seneca streets at the southeast corner of 21 acres he purchased from John Cunningham.
Col. Elijah Phillips, a brother of Tousley’s son-in-law, Elihu L., ran the tavern from December 1815 to August 1821. Phillips was married to Amanda Danforth, the daughter of Asa Danforth, Jr., an early settler in Onondaga County. Phillips served as a lieutenant in the 1792 militia, was appointed an ensign in 1808, and before the War of 1812 was Colonel of one of the four regiments then constituting the County militia. His father, Elijah Sr., was a lessee of the sawmill at Edwards Falls by late 1794 and who later ran a grist mill and oil mill with Ebenezer Butler, Jr. He also was one of the six investors in a carding mill in the same area.
Prior to his purchase, Elijah Phillips had been an innkeeper in the village of Salina according to his December 27, 1813 advertisement which appeared in the January 14, 1814 issue of the “Manlius Times.” From December 1815 to October 1816, his leased his Manlius tavern to James Higgins, a well-respected Mason.
On August 27, 1821, Amanda and Elijah Phillips sold the tavern to Dearborn and Roxana Bickford, and the Phillips moved to Syracuse where Elijah ran a stage office at the Syracuse Hotel as agent of an Albany-Buffalo line (6).
endnotes: 1. A History of Manlius Village by Henry C. Van Schaack. Printed at the Record Office, Fayetteville, N.Y., 1873, p. 27
2. Masonic records, book 1; copies held at the Manlius Historical Society
3. Ibid. 4. Town of Manlius Road Book #1, Town of Manlius office, Brooklea Dr., Fayetteville
5. “Weekly Recorder,” December 24, 1880 6. Early Landmarks of Syracuse by Gurney S. Strong. Syracuse: The Times Publishing Co., 1894, p. 164
***
Elijah Phillips may have lived for a short time in the Town of Sullivan in the north-western corner of Madison County and adjacent to the Town of Manlius, which is on the eastern edge of Onondaga County.
Tuttle's Pioneers of Madison County, New York, p. 195, shows: "Phillips, Elijah - lived in Sullivan 1808. Commissioner of horse racing Oct. 17, 1809." It is not clear to me if he was the same or a different man.
There seems to be a connection between the Phillips family in Manlius and Sullivan:
Also from Tuttle's Pioneers, p. 195: "Phillips, Elias - In county court 1807. Sullivan juror in 1810." I believe he was the brother of Elijah Phillips, Jr. Other people named Phillips are also in Tuttle's book, but the others did not seem to be familiar. "Thirsa" (---) Mathews (b. abt. 1790), widow of Henry Mathews (d. 1809 in Sullivan), afterward married Elias Phillips, lived in Manlius by 1814, and removed to Clarkson, Monroe Co., NY by 1824. (See notes under Elias Phillips.)
The only Phillips enumerated in Sullivan, Madison Co., NY in the 1810 U.S. Census (Roll 28, p. 166) was:
"A. Phillips"
two males 0-9 one male 10-15 one male 26-44 one female 0-9 one female 10-15 one female 26-44 I did not find Elijah Phillips, Jr. in Onondaga County the 1810 US Census.
Elijah Phillips, Junior, of Manlius, was an insolvent debtor: Commissioner Victory Birdsey discharged the debts of Elijah Phillips, Jr., and confirmed that the insolvent estate was assigned to Jared Luddington, James O. Wattles and Charles B. Bristol (assignees appointed by Victory Birdseye) on 9 Oct. 1811. The discharge was dated and recorded 18 Oct. 1811.
1820 U.S. Census
Cicero, Onondaga Co., NY
Elijah Phillips
one male between 26 and 45 (b. betw. 1775-1796) one male 0-10 two males 16-26 [b. betw. 1796-1804] one female 0-10 one female 10-16 one female 26-45 1 female 45+ one person was engaged in agriculture (The man in Cicero was probably Elijah, Jr., b. 1781 (hence 39), who married Amanda Danforth. This Elijah Phillips was between 26-45, this fits. Note there was a female living in the household that may have been his mother or mother-in-law, aged 45+. Note also that I have only found mention of two children (Nelson D. Phillips, b. 1811, and Lucia Phillips, b. 1817; and so it is possible the other individuals in his household in 1820 were not his children—in that case probably younger siblings or others.)
1830 U.S. Census (Roll 100, p. 4)
Salina, Onondaga Co., NY
Elijah Phillips
1 male 10-15 1 male 20-30 1 male 30-40 [b. 1790-1800] 1 female 10-15 1 female 20-30 1 female 30-40 1 female 50-60 (This apparently was not the Elijah Phillips, b. 1781. It was probably the Elijah (1795-1874), son of Asa & Anna (Work) Phillips.)
Also in Salina:
1830 U.S. Census (Roll 100, p. 22)
Salina, Onondaga Co., NY
Elisha Phillips
1 male 5-10 1 male 30-40 [b. 1790-1800] 1 female 30-40 [b. 1790-1800] 1 female 50-60 [b. 1770-1780] (This was probably Elisha, also a son of Elijah & Susannah (Gates) Philips)
***
Elijah Phillips, Jr. owned and operated a well-known tavern in Manlius shortly after the War of 1812.
Clark's 1849 account of Onondaga County states that Orson Smith, recalling events of the war of 1812, remembered Winfred Scott's Army in November 1813, shortly before the battle of Chippewa, going through the village of Chittenango. In Manlius, Winfred Scott himself, with his long white hat feather, read the local newspaper, Manlius Times, by candlelight in "Bicnal's Tavern" (referring to Col. Dearborn Bickford). Clark goes on to explain: "The tavern Orson Smith references was earlier run by Eli Parsons, a lieutenant, and later Commissary of Issues in the Revolutionary War. In 1786, Parsons was second in command in Daniel Shay's famous rebellion. During the War of 1812, the tavern was owned by blacksmith Sylvanus Tousley, a noted businessman of Manlius Village and Syracuse. Following the War [of 1812], the tavern was purchased by Col. Elijah Phillips, co-builder with Ebenezer Butler, of the mills at Edward's Falls."
The reference in Clark’s 1849 account supposes that the tavern keeper was the same Elijah Phillips who built the mills with Butler. This would mean that he was Col. Elijah Phillips, Sr. However, there is reason to believe it was actually Col. Elijah Phillips, Jr.
After this, there is mention of a Phillips innkeeper in Salina, Onondaga Co., as early as 1813:
From compiled abstracts of early businesses mentioned in Manlius Village newspapers, 1809-1835, we find:
"Elijah Phillips, innkeeper, village of Salina" (14 Jan. 1814; ad dated 27 Dec. 1813.)
This 1813-1814 mention may, in fact, refer to Elisha Phillips, since the 1809 Tax List for Salina, Onondaga Co., New York, includes only one Phillips:
“Elisha Phillips, Jr. -- Valuation: $230 -- Tax: $1.44” It is curious that he is called “Jr.” The only Phillips I found in Salina in the 1810 U.S. Census was a Henry Phillips. There was an Elisha Phillips in Salina: besides the 1809 tax list and the 1813-1814 innkeeper, he was enumerated in Salina in 1820, and purchased land in the Village of Salina about 1829 (see notes under Elisha). There was also an Elijah Phillips in Salina in 1820—but this Elijah was probably the one (1795-1874), son of Asa & Anna (Work) Phillips of Marcellus, and was too young to be the man in the tax record in 1809 or keeping a tavern in 1813-14.
All of that being said, the tavern mentioned in the history books during the war of 1812 was in Manlius, and it was Elijah Phillips, Jr., and his wife Amanda (Danforth) Phillips, who sold property in Manlius (apparently the tavern mentioned here) to D. B. Bickford (Col. Dearborn Bickford) in 1822. The original deed needs to be consulted to determine the details (see Onondaga Co. Deed Book AA, p. 382).
This building that housed this tavern was remodeled and substantially enlarged, and is still standing at 411 E. Seneca St., Manlius, NY. It is next-door to Christ Church (Episcopal), and across from Academy St. where it intersects the Seneca Turnpike.
The Eagle-Bulletin & DeWitt News-Times (Fayetteville, NY), April 18, 1974, includes two articles on the house:
The article on p. 3 describes the purchase of the home by "A Better Chance", a national educational program, noting that the house “provides the size and location needs for the ABC project. Its seven bedrooms, three living rooms, dining room and large kitchen will accommodate the students, resident tutors and the resident director and family …”.
The article on p. 5 describes the history of the structure: "Home bought by ABC
"By Barbara S. Rivette
"Activity was so brisk in the Manlius area in 1793 that John Arnold Shaeffer called the new community “Mount Industry.” Mr. Shaeffer has just built his one story house on or very near the site of 411 E. Seneca St., Manlius. The present [1974] home of the Ryan family that will soon become the residence of the ABC educational program.
“Tradition says that Mr. Shaeffer built his first home of logs, providing two rooms and a loft that immediately became a stopping place for travelers, on the great road into western New York, a highway that later developed into Seneca Tnpk.
“As the principal meeting place in the town during its earliest days, the Shaeffer establishment for important political gatherings, and Mr. Shaeffer was instrumental in circulating petitions and alerting prominent men to local developments.
“Two previously unknown letters by Mr. Shaeffer, discovered within the year, shed new light on the vital part he played in keeping state officials informed about political undercurrents in the land about to organize the Town of Manlius, the most populated part of the newly formed Onondaga County.
“In a place without a formal name, Mr. Shaeffer tried out several versions of the “mount Industry” idea, and began one of his letters with the place-name “Grove Indistry.” He noted in November, 1793, that the place was “now crowded with people.” His letters are not specific about how many people are a “crown” in what was then the wilderness frontier.
“Twenty years later, the Village of Manlius had actually grown with the Shaeffer location as its nucleus, and the greatly enlarged house is now included in the three-block Historic District recently placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.
“When the Seneca Turnpike Co. improved the road, the Shaeffer establishment became even more popular as a regular stopping place for travelers and stages between Albany and Canandaigua. In 1824, the Cherry Valley Turnpike from the south, now Academy St. and Rt. 92 from Cazenovia and Rt. 20 east, designated the Shaeffer tavern as the junction point with the Seneca Road.
“One of the most famous visitors to take lodging with Mr. Shaeffer was Baron Von Steuben, the German hero of the American Revolution. He spent what historians record as a hectic night, awakened by continual activity in the Shaeffer household.
“Upon arising, he discovered that the cause of his discomfort had been the commotion caused by the birth of a Shaeffer offspring. In honor of the distinguished guest, the boy was named for Baron Von Steuben, and tradition says that the nobleman, in his typical generous fashion, gave the newborn babe a large tract of land. A search of land records in nearby counties, however, does not show the gift recorded as a deed to a Shaeffer name.
“The Shaeffer tavern stand was taken over by Jabez Cobb in 1798, and was later run for a short time by Col. Elijah Phillips and then Stoughton Morse.
The original log house was rebuilt and enlarged several times. It continued to be used as a tavern until about 1832, about the time Christ Church was moved down the hill from the cemetery entrance to its present location just west of the Shaeffer site.
“For the past 140 years, the large house now on the location has been used as a private home and was purchased by the Ryan family in 1934.”
***
By the 1820s, Elijah Phillips moved his family to the Village of Syracuse, where he established himself as a stage agent.
The Syracuse Standard, (newspaper clipping not dated):
“The [cutler?] building was erected in 1824, by the Syracuse Company, as a residence for Elijah Phillips. Mr. P. was at that time agent for a number of stage routes, and the stables were located in the rear of the Syracuse House, and a blacksmith shop stood on the lot now occupied by the St. Charles Hotel. It was necessary that Mr. Phillips should live near his place of business, and this corner was selected as the most convenient spot for his residence. The building was regarded in its day as a very superior dwelling house, and even now bears evidence of having been well built. Mr. Phillips occupied the house for several years, and it was finally turned into a saloon …”
Early landmarks of Syracuse, by Gurney S. Strong (1894), p. 30:
“CHAPTER 11 : A FAMOUS COFFEE HOUSE
“The coffee house which formerly stood on the corner of Washington and Warren streets, where the Vanderbilt House now stands, was a very famous eating house in its day, being favorably known throughout the entire State and exceedingly popular with the people who then resided in Syracuse. The erection of the building, as a two-story wooden dwelling house, was begun in 1824 by Gen. Jonas Mann, who moved in his family the next season and during the summer finished the work. After a couple of years the house was occupied by Col. Elijah Phillips, who was for many years agent of the great line of stages of Thorpe & Sprague from Albany to Buffalo. The wife of Col. Phillips was the daughter of Asa Danforth, Jr., the first white child born in Onondaga county and the mother of Mrs. Peter Cutwater, who was the mother-in-law of Andrew D. White, Ex-President of Cornell University.”
Pioneer Times in the Onondaga Country, by Carroll Earll Smith, Charles Carroll Smith (1904), p. 264:
"After the Syracuse house was built in 1820-22, and rebuilt in 1827, the Exchange Hotel was built on the site of the Western Union offices, and between the two hostelries a row of wooden stores and businesses filled the space. On the Genesee Street side were Col. Elijah Phillips's stage office, Harvey Baldwin's law office, A. Abbott's drug store, John Wilkinson, post office, Joel Owen's bowling alley, Jabez Hawley's cabinet shop, Peter McDougal's shoe store, and Joseph I. Bradley's blacksmith shop."
Early Landmarks of Syracuse, by Gurney S. Strong (1894), p. 164:
“Colonel Elijah Phillips had his stage office in an east room of the Syracuse Hotel. The Colonel was very prompt and exact in his business operations, and for years a stage never drew up to his office without finding him ready to give or receive the way bill. It was a common expression in those days that 'Time and Colonel Phillips wait for no man.'"
[This same quip was transcribed in the OHA "flat file info", cited as --Cheney : 125 (b).]
History of Onondaga County, New York, by W.W. Clayton (Syracuse, 1878), p. 446:
"In the east wing of Syracuse House was Colonel Elijah Phillips' stage office ..."
ibid, p. 448:
"Colonel Elijah Phillips lived on the Vanderbilt House corner in 1827, and was an influential citizen."
The Syracuse Journal, 27 Feb. 1890, "Leavenworth Papers, Syracuse as a Village Sixty or More Years Ago, Prepared by Gen. E. W. Leavenworth in 1887, Fifth Paper":
"... Block No. 100, south of 103, stood the following houses: "Col. Elijah Phillips lived in a very good wooden house of two stories, fronting on Washington Street."
The Daily Currier (Syracuse), 14 March 1880:
"The Syracuse House--Reminiscence of the Departed Hostelry. To the editor of the Currier:
“... Sherwood, the owner of the stages running through the county on the turnpikes, had an office in the east wing [of Syracuse House] from the time it was finished until his stages ceased running. Col. Elijah Phillips was his agent here all that time, and his person, words and manner peculiar to himself, were as well known as the house.”
Elijah Phillips "of Syracuse" witnessed the will of James Sackett, dated 28 Aug. 1833, proven 2 Dec. 1833. (Book E, p. 389; Onondaga Co., NY)
Col. Elijah Phillips married Emily J. Richards of New York City, 6 November 1833 in New York City. (Geneva Gazette, Geneva, NY, 2 November 1833 - sic)
(See other notes under his father for a full list of deeds and some other mentions.)
Elijah Phillips of Syracuse sold land by indenture of a mortgage bearing the date of 27 Aug. 1836 [looks like 1836], conveyed to Stephen A. Goodwin, Clerk in Chancery for the Seventh Circuit of the State of New York (for the use and benefit of Daniel Sackett Raymond, then “an infant” under the age of twenty one years), a lot in the village of Syracuse described as farm lot no. 217 of the Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation in the Town of Salina. The mortgage was recorded in the Onondaga County Clerk’s Office in Mortgage Book 33, p. 222, recorded Oct. 3, 1836. By 1845, the mortgage was in default, and a notice was run in the Onondaga Standard, Vol. 17, No. 43, Aug. 27, 1845, p. 2. (The Aug. 27, 1845 notice notes that Elijah Phillips was deceased.)
It appears that Daniel S. Raymond was an insolvent debtor shortly thereafter, as a notice, dated Dec 20, 1847 was published in the Syracuse Daily Star for an Auction sale of the unpaid notes, accounts, judgments etc., in the hands of the assignees of Daniel S. Raymond was to be held at the Syracuse House in the village of Syracuse, 28 Dec. 1847.
In 1841, Elijah Phillips was among the men who were actively trying to establish a cemetery for the Village of Syracuse. A vote was cast on 4 June 1841 on a motion to rescind the proceedings of May 18; Elijah Phillips, his son Nelson D. Phillips, brother Elihu Phillips (and others, including John Phillips, M. Phillips and Lyman Walker) were among the men who voted not to rescind the previous proceedings. On 15 June 1841, Elihu L. Phillips, Esq., offered a resolution to the taxable persons of Syracuse Village, New York, for the purchase of parts of Farm Lot Nos. 128 and 212—the same premises recently embraced in Rose Hill Cemetery—for the establishment of a public cemetery for the village. After much debate, the resolution was finally approved. However, after eighteen years, it was ultimately decided the ground was not best suited for a cemetery. Rose Hill Cemetery served the village as the primary cemetery in the area until 1859, when Oakwood Cemetery was established, and many of those buried at Rose Hill were ultimately reinterred at Oakwood, including members of the Phillips family. (See: The History, Incorporation, Rules and Regulations of Oakwood Cemetery at Syracuse, New York (1860), pp. 9, 10 & 66.)
Elijah Phillips and his wife Emily sold real estate in Syracuse to Robert Forman, deed dated 2 Aug. 1843. The property, described as half of block No. 27 in the former village of Lodi, which afterward was situated in the village of Syracuse. Foreman sold the property to Edward Fuller by deed dated 8 Sept. 1852. A subsequent mortgage was defaulted, and notices, dated 12 Jan. 1855, subsequently ran in the Syracuse Evening Chronicle.
Onondaga Standard, 31 July 1844 (from card file at OHA):
“Elijah Phillips has become associated with H. Newton under firm of Newton & Co. in auction and commission business. Jan. 2, 1844.”
***
Onondaga Standard, 28 May 1845 (from card file at OHA):
Col. Elijah Phillips, Jr. Died at New York City (whither he had gone for a temporary residence) on the 14th instant. Col. Elijah Phillips, aged 64. --- His Consort who preceded him some years since to the grave, was the first white child born within the present limits of this county. --- See Biog. for remainder of notice.
Onondaga Standard, 28 May 1845, p. [3?], col 1 (clipping in OHA files):
"At New York City, (whither he had gone for a temporary residence) on the 14th instant, Col. Elijah Phillips, aged 64. Col. P. came to this county at a very early period, and engaged in mercantile pursuits at Manlius. Soon after the foundation of this village [Syracuse], he became a resident here, and for a long period was well known as an extensive Stage Proprietor and Mail Contractor. His consort who preceded him some years since to the grave, was the first white child born within the present limits of this [Onondaga] county.
"Mr. P. was a man of pleasing address, possessed a kind heart, was a good neighbor, friend and citizen, and leaves a wide circle to treasure up the memories of his life, and mourn his departure. Col. P's remains were conveyed from the city, and deposited in the [Rose Hill] cemetery in this village on the 17th instant.--[com."
His body (and that of his first wife, Amanda) was originally buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Syracuse--he was interred there 17 May 1845. But they were reinterred at Oakwood Cemetery--Elijah on 29 May 1863.
Apparently from the "Journal" (Syracuse, NY), 8 Sept. 1897, p. 6, col. 6 (from card file at OHA):
Phillips, Col. Elijah
Emily J. Phillips (2nd Wife) born New York City 27 Jan. 1801 married 1832 died 5 Sept. 1897 --Jour 9/8/97 6c6 A newpspaper clipping--full citation and date not given (aft. 5 Sept. 1897) "RH. Oak" (clipping in OHA files):
"Obituary "Mrs. Emily J. Phillips "The death of Mrs. Emily J. Phillips, widow of the late Col. Elijah Phillips, occurred on Sunday at her home, Shady Nest, Piermont-on-Hudson, N. Y. She was born in New York city on January 27, 1801. Her parents were from Switzerland, her father being a native of Geneva. She was the second wife of Col. Phillips, whom she married in 1832. On her husband's death, about 30 [sic--52] years ago, she returned to New York, and since has spent her summers in her country home at Piermont. The New York Tribune* says that she was a woman of intelligence, refinement and culture, given to hospitality, and full of kindness and sympathy.
"The first wife of Col. Phillips was Amanda Danforth, dau. of Gen. Asa Danforth [sic--she was the dau. of Asa Danforth, Jr., and the granddaughter of Gen. Asa Danforth] , one of the first settlers of Onondaga county. She was the first white child born in the county, and Mrs. Peter Outwater, now living, is her daughter. The Phillips family, in the early times of Syracuse, resided in a modest frame dwelling at the corner of Salina and Washington-sts., on the site of the White Memorial building."
[*I have searched an all-name index (under Phillips and for Phillips under Obituaries) for the New York Daily Tribune, 1897 (as well as other years), but find no entry for Emily J. Phillips.--NMS]
The Syracuse Standard, 8 September 1897, p. 5, col. 4:
"Death of Mrs. Phillips. "She was the [step-] great-grandmother of Frederick D. White of this city [Syracuse].
"Word has been received by Frederick D. White of this city of the death of his great-grandmother, Mrs. Emily J. Phillips of New York city, which occurred at her summer home, "Shady nest" at Piermont-on-Hudson, Sunday last. Mrs. Phillips was a Swiss beauty of French descent and in [1832--difficult to read] she became the wife of Col. Elijah Phillips, a well-known citizen of Syracuse, the father of Mrs. Peter Outwater, whose eldest daughter was the first wife of Ambassador Andrew D. White.
"Mrs. Phillips married the father of Mrs. Outwater when the latter was young and they had been strongly attached even as mother and daughter for a period covering over half a century. Mrs. Phillips was very hospitable and enjoyed a large circle of friends in New York, and she attracted by her good cheer and vivacious manner the young as well as those of her own age. Especially prominent were made the anniversaries of her birth, when relatives and friends from far and near joined in the celebration, and mother's birthday always marked the time for Mrs. Outwater's annual trip to New York, accompanied by her daughter, Miss Emily. Upon these festive occasions, Mrs. Phillips was wont to play upon the piano the music familiar to her young ladyhood, and insisted upon an old-fashioned dance, in which she joined, to close the enjoyment of the occasion.
"Mrs. Phillips will be buried to-day from her late residence at 3 p.m.”
The Syracuse Journal, 1 January 1898, p. 10, col. 6:
"Necrological [listing deaths of the previous year] "September ... 5 ... Mrs. Emily J. Phillips, at Piermont-on-Hudson."
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Military Service of Elijah Phillips, Jr.:
The Onondaga Histoical Association (OHA) "Flat File info." compiled the following military appointments:
Elijah Phillips, Jr.
• 1808, June 15. commissioned Ensign. New Company of grenadiers. Lt. Col. Nehemiah Earl, Capt. Elisha Alvord, Lt. Joshua [Foruise?]. Council Appt. 1011
• 1811, Feb. 11. commissioned Lieut. Lt. Col. Thaddeus Wood (to be 147th). Council Appt. 1193
• 1814, March 2. commissioned Vice. Oliver teal, Lt.; vice Elijah Phillips, Jr.; moved Lt. Col. Wood, 147th; Ralph R. Phelps, Capt. Council Appt. 1455 [not indexed under "Jr."]
• 1817, March 4. commissioned Adjt. Lt. Col. John G. Forbes, new 176th Reg't. Council Appt. 1789
• 1818, April 24. commissioned Major. (Vice Granger moved) [Col. Forbes] 176th. Council Appt. 1983
• 1820, Feb. 17. commissioned Lt. Col. (Jos. Smith, Major Vice Pl.) Col. Ralph R. Phelps. Council Appt. 2120.21
"War of 1812 Records" at the OHA repeat much of the information above, and adds:
[Elijah Phillips was on the ] Muster Roll of Capt. John G. Forbes' Company, in Col. George Fleming's Volunteer Regiment, was in service at Oswego, May 9th, 1812-June 11th, 1812.
A compiled list of veterans of the War of 1812 includes:
Phillips, Elijah, Jr. 1811, Lieut. in Lt. Col. Thaddeus M. Wood's regiment; 1814, Lieutenant, moved (citing: Lodder; Danforth gen., p. 222). Born 1782. Died 5/14/1845.
The Danforth Genealogy, by Lodder, p. 222, indicates that Elijah Phillips, Jr. (born 1782, died 5/14/1845.), was a Lieut. in Lt. Col. in Thaddeus M. Wood's regiment in 1811, and in 1814 Elijah Phillips was a Lieutenant.
The following abstracts were indexed by the WPA in the 1930s, Index located at the Onondaga County Library. Many of the items indexed were/are held by the Onondaga County Historical Association (OHA), although are unable to locate many of them:
Onondaga Register, 4 June 1817, p. 3, col. 3 (from card file at OHA):
Appointments--4 Mar. 17--Counc. 1784 Adjt. At Onondaga County Clerk's Office. 176th Regiment of Infantry, as Lieutenant [Adjt.], Elijah Phillips, etc.
Maj. Elijah Phillips: annual return of officers. 1819. (Onondaga County Courthouse)
"Elijah Phillips was Major of the one Hundred and Seventy-sixth" regiment of Militia in Onondaga County, New York. (Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York, by William Martin Beauchamp (New York, 1908), p. 233)
Onondaga Register, 3 May 1820, p. 3, col. 4 (from card file at OHA):
Appointments--17 Feb.--[Counc.?] 2120 The following Civil and Military Commissions were received in the Clerk's office:--Military--176th Regiment--Infantry:--Elijah Phillips--Lieut. Col.--etc.
Onondaga Register, 9 July 1823, p. 3, col. 2 (from card file at OHA):
Celebration of the 4th of July at Manlius. It was the 48th Anniversary of American independence. Procession formed, under Col. Elijah Phillips, marshal of the day, at the Inn of Mr. D. B. Bickford, and proceeded to the Presbyterian Meeting House, etc.
Onondaga Register and Syracuse Gazette, 29 June 1831, p. 3, col. 3-4 (from card file at OHA)
filed as "Phillips, Elisha L. (Col.)--Elisha L. then crossed-out, and instead hand-written "E.L. (Elijah)."
4th of July Celebration at Syracuse. Order of the day: procession formed in front of the Syracuse house and moved to the Baptist Church--etc. Col. E. L. Phillips, (etc.,) assisting, in full uniform. Committee of arrangements: Col. E. L. Phillips---etc.
[NOTE: E.L. probably does refer to Elijah Phillips, Jr. However, this would be the only place I have found mention of a middle initial. It could refer to a brother--Elihu L. Phillips (1800-1884) also was Colonel in the Militia, although I don't know what by date he was commissioned that rank.]
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In 1828 an Elijah Phillips was elected Justice of the Peace for the Town of Granby, Oswego Co., New York. This was probably Elijah Phillips (1795-1874), son of Asa Phillips who died in Marcellus, Onondaga Co. in 1813. Thie Elijah Phillips is known to have moved to Oswego Co., which was formed in 1816 from parts of Onondaga and Oneida counties, situated to the north Onondaga. Granby, Oswego Co., is directly north of Syracuse.
Note: "Elijah Phillips, son of Mr. Elijah Phillips was born in Halifax ye 28t
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