JOHN PHILLIPS. [His one hundredth birthday publicly celebrated June 29, 1860.] REPRESENTATIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE, 1814-1815.* JOHN PHILLIPS was born in Sturbridge, Mass., June 29, 1760; died there February 25, 1865, aged one hundred and four years, seven months and twenty-six days. He was of the sixth generation from the Rev. George Phillips, who came from England 1630, with Governor Winthrop and others, and settled in the ministry at Watertown. He was the fourth of eleven children of Deacon Jonathan Phillips, who occupied a farm in Sturbridge of some two hundred acres, purchased by himself for the sum of $625. On this farm John Phillips was born, and here he passed his days. He lived with his father, and his father with him, as he and his son, Edward, and their families ever lived together, under the same roof, eating at the same table. At the age of sixteen he measured six feet in height, barefoot, and weighed one hundred and ninety-six pounds. His weight varied from two hundred and four, to one hundred sixty-six pounds. His manner of living was plain and frugal, laboring as a farmer constantly, not hard, nor to late hours. He usually retired to bed early, and rose early in the morning, was temperate in eating, drinking, sleeping, working, and in all things. After he was ninety years of age, he laid up and relaid on his farm, alone, about twenty rods of stone wall, handling some heavy stones, working two or three hours in the forenoon, the same in the afternoon, and making about two rods per day. Mr. Phillips was twice elected as Representative to the Legis * "Account of Birthday Celebration, including Biography," printed by O. D. Haven, 1860; Raymond's "Life of Abraham Lincoln." lature from the town of Sturbridge, serving in 1814 and 1815. From 1810 to 1824, he was a Justice of the Peace, "and married many a couple." He voted for George Washington for President of the United States, and voted at all the Presidential elections during the existence of the Government, except one, down to Abraham Lincoln. Having attended the polls to cast his vote for Mr. Lincoln when one hundred and four years old, he was honored with the following letter: "MY DEAR SIR: "EXECUTIVE MANSION, "WASHINGTON, November 21, 1864. "I have heard of the incident at the polls in your town, in which you acted so honorable a part, and I take the liberty of writing to you to express my personal gratitude for the compliment paid me by the suffrage of a citizen so venerable. "The example of such devotion to civic duties in one whose days have already been extended an average lifetime beyond the Psalmist's limit, cannot but be valuable and fruitful. It is not for myself only, but for the country which you have in your sphere served so long and so well, that I thank you. "Your friend and servant, "Deacon JOHN PHILLIPS." "ABRAHAM LINCOLN. One "At eleven years of age, his attention was called to the subject of religion by a discourse he heard, preached by an Elder Jacobs of Thompson, Conn., from 2 Samuel viii. 2. He immediately afterward betook himself to reading the Bible, feeling that he was a great sinner. He read the four Evangelists through in course. Sabbath he read the last ten chapters of John and when he came to and read that passage, It is finished, his burden left him. He thinks he then met with a saving change, and his sins were pardoned. He did not, however, make a public profession of his faith till the age of twenty-five, the year after his marriage, when he was baptized, and united with the Baptist Church in Sturbridge. In 1799 he was chosen deacon, to take the place of his father, who died in June of the year previous. He took two months to consider the question, and then consented to serve 'according to the best of his ability.'" On the 29th of June, 1860, a large congregation of the family JOHN PHILLIPS. 381 and friends of Mr. Phillips assembled in the Baptist Church at Fiskdale to celebrate his one hundredth birthday. Several clergymen of different denominations were present, and two former pastors of the church. At eleven o'clock Mr. Phillips entered, followed by six other aged men, all of whom took seats upon the platform before the desk. Before the audience hung the portrait of this venerable man, over which was written: "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness." After a voluntary upon the organ and the singing of an anthem, he arose and said: "MY FRIENDS: "I give you thanks for this opportunity of seeing so many of you present, and for the attention bestowed upon me; but I feel unworthy to receive it. For seventy-five years I have been a professor of religion, and I have endeavored to adorn my profession. I am now an old child-broken down-one hundred years old, for you to look upon. I feel that I am a child in knowledge and everything else. My creed consists of four particular points: 1. The goodness of God. 2. The divinity of our Saviour. 3. The power and reality of revealed religion. 4. The depravity of man. Here I stand, a monument of God's goodness. He then offered a short prayer, in which he thanked Almighty God for giving him existence, and for all the way His hand had led him; he invoked the continuance of his favor and blessings, upon himself, on the church in that place accustomed to worship, on the people present, on Zion at large; praying that the earth might be filled with His glory. After the reading of Scripture selected by Deacon Phillips, and the singing of the seventy-first Psalm of Watts, also his selection, appropriate addresses were given. At the conclusion of the exercises, a dinner was served. Mr. Phillips was united in marriage May 20, 1785, to Love, daughter of Jonathan Perry, then eighteen years of age. He lived in this relation sixty-four years. They had nine children. WILLIAM PHIPS. GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1692.* JAMES PHIPS, father of William, was a gunsmith, and lived in Bristol, England. He settled near Permaquid, Bristol, Me., before the year 1649. The mother of William had twenty-six children, twenty-one of whom were sons. William Phips was born in Maine, February 2, 1650; died in London, February 18, 1695. He became a resident of Boston, and in the early part of his career devoted himself to adventures upon the sea. A report of the wreck of a Spanish vessel near the Bahama Islands induced him to make a voyage thither, in a vessel which he owned and commanded. He found the wreck, but the value of what he recovered proved insufficient to pay the expense of the voyage. He was told, however, of another and more richly laden vessel, which had been wrecked near Port-de-la-Plata, more than half a century before. Unable from his own means to attempt the search, he resolved upon a voyage to England, in the hope of inducing the government to fit out an expedition for the recovery of the treasure. He went to London, and as the result of his representations to the Admiralty, he was appointed to the command of the Rose-Algier, a ship of eighteen guns and ninety-five men. He sailed for Hispaniola, where he met with an old Spaniard, who pointed out to him the reef of rocks, a few leagues north of Port-de-la-Plata, where the ship had been wrecked. Experiments were made; first, ship's guns were found, then an *Sparks' ". |