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Aaron Noble Phelps / Clarissa Root
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Aaron Noble Phelps / Clarissa Root
| Husband: Aaron Noble Phelps | |||
| Born: | 29 Sep 1777[205] | at: | Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States |
| Married: | 27 Mar 1814 | at: | |
| Died: | Mar 1830[206] | at: | Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States |
| Father: | Aaron Phelps Jr. | ||
| Mother: | Mary Noble | ||
| Notes: | [210] | ||
| Sources: | [205] [206] [211] | ||
| Wife: Clarissa Root | |||
| Born: | 1788[212] [213] [214] | at: | Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died: | 29 Nov 1855[215] | at: | Wataga, Sparta Township, Illinois, USA |
| Father: | Thomas Root Jr. | ||
| Mother: | Princess Noble | ||
| Notes: | [216] | ||
| Sources: | [212] [213] [214] [215] [217] | ||
| Children | |||
| Name: | Seraphina Princess Mary Phelps [10941] [10939] [10940] | ||
| Born: | 19 Jan 1815[10939] [10940] | at: | prb Westfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts, USA |
| Married: | at: | ||
| Died: | 12 Dec 1891 | at: | prb Galesburg, Knox Cty, Illinois |
| Spouses: | George M. Avery | ||
| Name: | Sybelana Pillary Phelps [11082] | ||
| Born: | 21 Jul 1817[11082] | at: | prb Westfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts, USA |
| Married: | at: | ||
| Died: | at: | ||
| Spouses: | Benjamin Kilbourne | ||
| Name: | Ronald Aaron Noble Phelps [3306] [3299] [3300] [3301] [3302] [3304] [3305] [3290] [3292] [3293] [3294] [3295] [3297] [3298] [3303] [3307] [3308] | ||
| Born: | 9 Sep 1819[3290] [3292] [3293] [3294] | at: | Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States |
| Married: | at: | ||
| Died: | 16 Jun 1881[3295] [3297] | at: | Wataga, Knox, Illinois, United States |
| Spouses: | Sarah Jerusha Adams | ||
Pedigree Chart for: Aaron Noble Phelps
/--Isaac Phelps
/--Aaron Phelps
| \--Mary Moseley
/--Aaron Phelps Jr.
| | /--Daniel Bagg
| \--Rachel Bagg
| \--Hannah Phelps
|--Aaron Noble Phelps
| /--Luke Noble
| /--Moses Noble
| | \--Ruth Wright
\--Mary Noble
| /--Luke Noble
\--Mary Grant
\--Mary Warren
Pedigree Chart for: Clarissa Root
/--Joseph Root
/--Thomas Root
| \--Sarah
/--Thomas Root Jr.
| | /--Nathaniel Collins
| \--Abigail Collins
| \--Abigail Pease
|--Clarissa Root
| /--Luke Noble
| /--Jacob Noble
| | \--Ruth Wright
\--Princess Noble
| /--Luke Noble
\--Hannah Sacket
\--Abigail
[210] Aaron N. Phelps was a colonel in the War of 1812. -- History of Knox County, p 840
[216] In the 1830 Census, there is one male noted as 20-30 years old, two female 20-30, and one female 40--50. The male is likely her son, Ronald Aaron Noble Phelps. Interestingly, her brother Riley Root is listed in the census as the next head of household immediately after Clarissa. There were neighbors. In the 1840 Census for Knox County, p. 359, she is listed as living in Township 11 N, 1 E. Age 57. Her son Ronald is listed immediately above her in the census, now having apparently established is own household. History of Knox County Founding of Log City "The historic canal boat trip of the spring and summer of 1836 was made up of a series of vicissitudes and disasters seldom paralleled in the history of pioneer emigration. John C. Smith, of Oneida County, New York, one of the subscribers to Mr. Gale's enterprise, was the owner of a number of boats on the Erie canal. It occurred to him that such a boat could be utilized in making the trip by water to their far distant future home in Illinois. Accordingly he consulted with others of the subscribers, with the result that a company was formed to buy a canal boat on shares, fit it up for passenger service and embark in it for a trip of a thousand miles or more over an untried water-way, untried, at least, in so far as that kind of a venture was concerned. A strong team was bought which could be used on the tow-path, and all preparations being completed they loaded their goods, stowed them away in the men's cabin and embarked. The company numbered thirty-seven, and was made up of men, women and children, ranging in age from a babe of three weeks to men and women of forty or fifty years. Mr. Smith was the captain of the boat and backer of the party; his wife at first did the cooking and the housekeeping, but these duties proving to be too heavy in so large a family, the cooking was afterward shared with two others, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Mills." The persons making up the party were Captain Smith and wife; Miss Catherine Ann Watson, a niece of Mrs. Smith, and two little sons of Dr. Grant, a Nestorian missionary, who came under their care; Mr. and Mrs. Mills, two sons and a daughter; Miss Hannah Adams, a sister of Mrs. Mills; a girl named Mariah Fox, and a negro boy named Harry, who was under the charge of Mr. Mills; Mr. Lyman, his wife, two sons and two daughters; Mr. Orrin Kendall, his wife and two little sons; John Kendall; N. H. Losey, his wife and one child; Henry Hitchcock, a brother of Mrs. Losey 's; John Bryan and a negro who steered the boat. This negro expected to stay with the colony, but when he heard that the law of the state required some one to be responsible for his behavior he went back to New York." -- History of Knox College 1837-1912 By Martha Farnham Webster. Galesburg, Ill, Wagoner Printing Company 1912 p. 32
[10941] Seraphina came to Knox County "with her mother [Clarissa Root] in 1836, her father having died six years before. They settled in what is now Galesburg, where the mother died in 1856." -- History of Knox County, p. 840 Mr. Avery's marriage was celebrated Jan. 24, 1839, in Knox County, when he was united in holy matrimonial bonds with Miss Seraphina Princess Mary Phelps, a native of Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Col. Aaron N. and Clarissa (Root) Phelps, natives of Westfield, Mass. The Phelps family is one of the oldest in New England. Two brothers landed in America May 30, 1630, coming from England on the ship "Mary and John", commanded by Capt. Squibb. Aaron N. Phelps was a colonel in the War of 1812. Mrs. Avery was born Jan. 19, 1815 and was the eldest of a family of three children. The others, who are deceased, were Mrs. Sybelana Kilbourn and Royal A. N. Mrs. Avery came to this county in 1836 with her mother, her father having died six years before. They settled in what is now Galesburg, where the mother died in 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Avery have had born to them seven children, as follows: Robert H., President of the Avery Corn-Planter Company of Peoria; John T. a farmer of Rio Township, this county; Mary, now Mrs. Rev. William R. Butcher of Wataga; Cyrus M. of Avery & Co. of Peoria; Phebe T. now living at home; and George, a farmer of Kansas. Fredrick Arthur died when about three years old. Robert H., the eldest son, married Miss Sarah P. Ayers; they are the parents of five children—Minnie E., Fredrick A., Sadie T., Cornelia, and Ellen K. Robert enlisted in Co. A, 77th IL Vol. Inf. in 1862, and served until the close of the war. He was taken prisoner and placed in Andersonville prison, where he remained for about eight months. He is the inventor of the Avery Corn-Planter, as well as other useful implements, and owns a controlling interest in the factory at Peoria. John T. took to wife Mrs. Flora Olmsted. Mary became the wife of Rev. William R. Butcher, and they have five children—Harry E., Mary Z., Etha, William, and Irene. Cyrus M. married Miss Minnie E. Bartholomew, and to them have been born three children—Elvira P., George L, and Grace O. George married Miss Ada Wood, and they are the parents of three children; the name of the only one living is Edith L. Cyrus M., who is now Secretary of the Avery Corn-Planter Company, graduated from Knox College, standing No. 1 in his class. Mr. and Mrs. Avery are consistent, sympathetic Christians, and are connected by profession of faith with the First Church of Christ. Mr. Avery is a stanch Republican and Prohibitionist. --1886 Portrait & Biographical Album of Knox Co., IL.
[3306] Aaron, his mother Clarissa Root Phelps, and his wife Sarah Adams Phelps were founders of the religious community established at Galesburg, Illinois. In 1870, the census reports the value of his real estate as $15,000, and his personal effects as $500. -- "History of Knox County" The "Phelps Family in America" gives his name as "Roger." His grandson, Harold "Bart" Bartle Phelps, penciled this out and inserted "Ronald". Bart also corrected Ronald's birth year from 1812 to 1819. The book also gives his death at Wataga, Illinois, which Bart crossed out, but did not correct. "Mr. Phelps was born in Westfield, Mass., September 8, 1819. He came, with his mother and two sisters, to Galesburg in 1836. They were among a group of 25 initial settlers." According to the Knox College history, "On June 2, the first colonists arrived in a wagon train and settled temporarily at Log City [near current Lake Storey], three miles northwest of the present site of Galesburg." They later founded the pioneer First Church of Christ. "At the time of Mr. Phelps' arrival in Illinois, the amount of his worldly possessions at that time was enough to buy a box stove and a cow, valued at $30. The eldest daughter [Seraphina Princess Phelps] became Mrs. G. Avery, of Galesburg, and the youngest [Sybelana Phelps] the wife of B. Killbourn, of Wisconsin. The mother died at Galesburg, November 29, 1855. The father, Aaron Noble Phelps, had died previous to the family's moving west, at Westfield, Mass., in March 1830. He and his wife (Miss Clarissa Root) were married in 1814. Their only son, A. N. Phelps and Mrs. Sarah J. Adams were married March 29, 1847, and moved to their present home in 1856, which has since taken the premiums already mentioned." ("History of Knox County," p. 489) Galesburg was home to the first anti-slavery society in state of Illinois founded in 1837, and was a stop on the underground railroad. Railroads play a key role in Galesburg -- the first railroad came to Galesburg in 1854. The Family Farm in Knoxville, Illinois "Section 8 also includes the premium farm owned by A. N. Phelps, Esq., and contains 200 acres without a foot of waste land. This farm was granted the first premium by the Illinois State Agricultural Society in 1868, and again in 1870. It had been awarded the first premium by the Knox County Agricultural Society previously for five successive years. [The "premium" was a silver-plated coffee service, described below.] "As an indication that Sparta [Township -- later Knox County -- ] is a rich agricultural locality, capable of producing a great quantity as well as a great variety of crops and having in it many enterprising stock-raisers, besides being well watered by natural streams and springs, may be noted the fact that A. N. Phelps' two-hundred acre farm now owned by William Robson on Section 8, took three first prizes from the State Agricultural Society." (p. 836) -- "History of Knox County" "The canal around the rapids at Louisville had just been com-pleted, so they were able to get by where formerly travellers by steamboat had been transferred to another vessel. Between Louisville and the Mississippi lay the bottom lands of Egyptian Illinois with their dreary water-logged deadly towns, Shawnee-town, Ft. Massac, Golconda, lawless, disorderly, and inhospitable, hardly safe for such unworldly pilgrims to stop at. In caves along the river lurked bands of pirates who robbed and murdered de-fenseless travellers by water." In the Mississippi there was constant delay. Even experienced river pilots are often fooled by this treacherous stream. The pro-peller refused to work. Parts of it continually dropped off into the river, and Noble Phelps acquired such experience in diving that when Captain Smith lost his watch over the side, he went in and recovered that also. At St. Louis they refused an offer of $1000 for their boat; it would have been wiser to have accepted. Slowly they worked north while the sick lay in their bunks and longed for land." --"They Broke the Prairie: Being some Account of the Settlement of the Upper Mississippi Valley by Religious and Educational Pioneers, Told in Terms of One City, Galesburg, and of One College, Knox." Published 1937 C. Scribner's Sons. 451 pp The 1850 Census shows Ron Phelps, age 31, residing with Sarah J. age 27, and Alfred A, age 1. The "History of Knox County" was published in about 1870, so by this time Ronald was no longer farming, as the history indicates William Robson now owned that land. His name is given as "Ron," and his occupation is carpenter. "Noble Phelps, as he grew to mature manhood, acquired large landed interests and developed them so skillfully, scientifically and successfully that his extensive farm, a few miles north of Galesburg, successively took the first prize as being the most highly cultivated and perfectly kept farm in Knox County, and in 1869 he had the satisfaction of owning the State Premium Farm of Illinois." -- History of Knox College 1837-1912 By Martha Farnham Webster. Galesburg, Ill, Wagoner Printing Company 1912 p. 36-37
About The Phelps Family Silver Coffee Service For many years, it graced the top of the buffet in my grandmother's formal dining room, usually wrapped in plastic to ward off tarnish. The center piece of the collection was the intricately engraved coffee server with the delicate spout. It had been won as a prize, I was told. As a child, I could only stare curiously and wonder about the shiny pot with the elephant-ear handles. When first Grandpa and then Grandma Phelps passed on, the silver service was passed to me by my father. Up close, I finally read the engraving: "Table Sett Awarded by the Illinois State Agricultural Society to Mrs. A. N. Phelps 1871." "A. N. Phelps?" I wondered. A quick check of my family history files turned up Roger Aaron Noble Phelps, of Wataga, Knox County, Illinois, my fourth great-grandfather, and his wife, Sarah Jerusha Adams of Painesville, Ohio. He was born in 1819 and they were married in 1847, so we can assume Sarah was at least 44 years old at the time she won this prize. A continuing puzzle is why a prize for the farm was apparently given at least in name to Thadeus' wife. About the Pieces Themselves The pieces appear to be stamped by two different manufacturers. The fact that the pieces were given as prizes and are silver plated suggests to me that the pieces may have been manufactured in quantity. The engraving is date 1871. The pieces are stamped on the bottom 1881, which refers to the style. The two stamps are: "Quadruple Plate Wilcox Silver Plate Co. 1881 W" encircling crossed hammers "New Haven Conn. Rogers Smith & Co. 1881" The pieces have been appraised as being "Egyptian Revival" style. According to the "History of Knox County (p. 489)," the farm "had been awarded the first premium by the Knox County Agricultural Society previously for five successive years." The coffee service has seven pieces. Each is silver-plated; the base metal appears to be nickel and lead, as it is visible on a couple of pieces where the silver plate has worn away. Each piece is engraved with a vine or ivy motif. The tops of the handles and legs are decorated with what appears to be an Indian-head. The pieces are: A large bowl 8" high and 10" across. This bowl is different from the others in that there is no vine design on the bowl, and the lid is engraved with clusters of leaves. The side of the bowl has what appears to be a holder for the lid. A sugar bowl, 4 1/2" by 7" The coffee pot, 15" tall, 11 1/2" across, with a spigot and kerosene warmer A creamer, 4 1/2" by 7", with a hinged lid A small bowl, 6" tall and 5" across, with a lid and handles A matching small bowl 6" tall and 5" across A medium bowl 7" high and 9" across, with a lid and handles The Next Part of the Story While these are the facts about the service, there is an interesting story behind them and how they survived through the generations of our family. During World War II, many Californians feared they would be invaded by the Japanese. This fear was so strong within our family that they buried the table set at their cabin in the mountains outside Los Angeles. They remained hidden there for a number of years until after the war, around 1953. My parents were visiting my father's Aunt Helen. A single piece of the silver service was in the house. My mother admired the piece, and Aunt Helen told of the remaining pieces were buried in the Los Angeles forest. She told Annabeth that they ought to be hers now. My mother passed on this story to her mother-in-law, Betty Phelps. The next year, as my parents prepared to visit Aunt Helen again, Betty asked Annabeth to please do her a favor and pick up a box that Aunt Helen wanted Betty to have. The box contained the silver service. Thus it remained in my grandparent's home for the next 40 years, until they both passed away and my father gave it to me. 1880 Census Household members Aaron Phelps 61 Sarah Phelps 58 Thaddeus Phelps 23 Fredrick Phelps 19 Oliver Phelps 14 Ada M. Phelps 10 Ann O'Grady 67
@1 [14200] [S771]
@1 [205] [S80]
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- @2Page: p. 489
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- Date: 10 Jul 2002
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- @2Page: p 1373
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- Date: 26 Jan 2001
@1 [212] [S82]
- @2Page: p. 1120
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- Date: 13 Jul 2002
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- @2Page: Section 63
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- Date: 13 Jul 2002
@1 [214] [S84]
- @2Page: Roll M704_62, p. 49
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- @2Page: p. 1120
- @4Data:
- Date: 13 Jul 2002
@1 [217] [S84]
- @2Page: Roll M432_113, p 359
[218]
Knox County, Township 11 N, 1 E
@1 [10939] [S82]
- @2Page: p. 840
- @4Data:
- Date: 13 Jul 2002
@1 [10940] [S575]
@1 [11082] [S82]
- @2Page: p. 840
- @4Data:
- Date: 13 Jul 2002
@1 [3299] [S309]
@1 [3300] [S310]
@1 [3301] [S311]
@1 [3302] [S311]
@1 [3304] [S103]
@1 [3305] [S309]
@1 [3290] [S307]
-
[3291]
Some notes about Ronald Phelps are found on p1373 of the Phelps & Servin books.
@1 [3292] [S80]
- @2Page: p1373
@1 [3293] [S18]
- @2Page: FHL Film 1254366; National Archives Film T9-0366; Page 185B
@1 [3294] [S308]
@1 [3295] [S80]
- @2Page: pp 1373, 1433
[3296]
Someone has used a pencil in the book to cross out Wataga, Ill as the home and final resting place of Ronald, possibly written by Ronald's grandson Harold Bartle Phelps, They also corrected the name given for him in the book from Roger to Ronald, and his birth date from 1813 to 1819.
@1 [3297] [S72]
- @2Page: p. 36
@1 [3298] [S72]
- @2Page: page 36
@1 [3303] [S18]
- @2Page: FHL Film 1254366; National Archives Film T9-0366; Page 185B
- @4Data:
Extract: 1880 United States Census Census Place: Douglas, Union, Iowa Source: FHL Film 1254366; National Archives Film T9-0366; Page 185B Household: Rel Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace Aaron PHELPS Self Male M W 61 MA Occ: Farmer Fa: MA Mo: MA Sarah PHELPS Wife Female M W 58 OH Occ: Keeping House Fa: VT Mo: VT Thaddeus PHELPS Son Male S W 23 IL Occ: Farmer Fa: MA Mo: OH Fredrick PHELPS Son Male S W 19 IL Occ: Telegraph Operator Fa: MA Mo: OH Oliver PHELPS Son Male S W 14 IL Occ: At Home Fa: MA Mo: OH Ada M. PHELPS Dau Female S W 10 IL Occ: At Home Fa: MA Mo: OH Ann O'GRADY Other Female W W 67 IRE Occ: Housekeeper Fa: IRE Mo: IRE
@1 [3307] [S14]
@1 [3308] [S83]
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