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Tracking down the ancestors: Francis Phillips
Francis' granddaughter Eva Morton Wood's family history notes, compiled in 1923, provided a starting point for tracing Francis' ancestry. These were not without error, requiring careful research to verify or correct the information. For instance, Eva listed Francis' parents as Elizabeth and William Phillips. My research leads me to believe that their names were Elizabeth and Simeon Phillips, confirmed by census records. However, Eva's personal memories aided my research. She helped her mother make Vina Woods' wedding dress for Vina's marriage to Eva's Uncle Hugh Phillips. She loved visiting the house of her Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Eliza. Titus Phillips' wife Mary Jones Phillips was a favorite auntie of hers. These memories gave me personal details about the family that weren't available in public records and also provided additional names for me to use in my research.
Armed with these names, I was able to connect Francis to her parents, Simeon and Elizabeth, a task that would have been much more difficult because Francis married and left her parents' home before census records included the names of all family members, not just the names of the heads of the households.
Phillips families listed as living in Hanover, Licking County, Ohio per the 1850 census:
Simeon Phillips, wife Elizabeth, sons John, Titus, and William
Benjamin Phillips (presumed son of Simeon and Elizabeth), wife Eliza (Hull), daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, and son Simeon.
1866 land records for Hanover show that an S. Phillips, who I believe is Simeon, owned land adjacent to land owned by a Mrs. Skinner, who I believe is Ezekiel's widow, Catherine Skinner. Asa owned land immediately south of Mrs. Skinner.
From Eva's notes, we know that Francis married John Allen Skinner on 10 October 1847 in Licking County, Ohio. Also per Eva, we know that their first child, Margaret Minerva (sometimes seen as Minerva Margaret) Skinner was born 4 September 1848. However, Eva incorrectly lists Margaret's place of birth as El Paso, Illinois. The 1850 census records John and Francina Skinner's residence as Hanover, Licking County, Ohio, and census records for Margaret always listed her place of birth as Ohio, not Illinois.
Census reporting for their next two children, Mary Elizabeth and Martha Jane, reveals that the family moved to El Paso, McLean County, Illinois sometime between Mary Elizabeth's birth on 7 September 1850 and Martha Jane's birth on 28 March 1853. Mary Elizabeth was born in Hanover; Martha Jane was born in El Paso.
Sifting through census records for Hanover, Ohio, and Gridley and nearby Hudson, McLean County, Illinois, I learn that the following families made the same journey about the same time or within a few years:
Benjamin and Eliza (Hull) Phillips
Titus and Mary (Jones) Phillips
George and Martha (Skinner) Shepard
Mark and Martha (?) Skinner
Asa William, Jr. and Sarah (McAfferty) Skinner
James and Parmelia (Skinner) Houston
William Coomes, widower of Lucinda (Skinner) Coomes
Note: El Paso, Illinois, straddles two counties, Woodford and McLean. These ancestors' farms apparently were in the McLean County portion of El Paso because they were reported in the census for Gridley, McLean County, Illinois. El Paso was only an option for Woodford County on the 1860 census.
| Owner/Source | Lisa Allison Albert |
| Linked to | Martha; Eliza Jane Hull; Mary Ann Jones; Benjamin Phillips; Francis Phillips; Simeon Phillips; Titus Phillips; James Allen Skinner; Mark Skinner; Elizabeth Worthington |
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