Kentucky: A History of the State, Perrin, Battle, Kniffin, 8th ed., 1888,
Jefferson Co.

JAMES SHIPP PHELPS, long one of the prominent tobacco warehousemen in
Louisville and president of the J. S. Phelps House, at the southeast corner
of Main and Eleventh streets, is a native Kentuckian, born at Hopkinsville,
March 8, 1828, and was the third child and third son of John H. and
Caroline (Shipp) Phelps.  His father was born July, 1790, and came from
Virginia with his brother when a young man.  Some years before he had taken
his wife from the well-known Shipp family near Hopkinsville.  The Phelps
stock is probably English, though it is not know when it made its advent
into this country.  James, the subject, lost his mother while less than two
years old, and his father married again in October, 1830, this time taking
to wife a sister of Gov. James T. Morehead.  She proved an excellent
mother to the little family and brought them up carefully.  James had two
elder brothers, Hiram Abiff, an attorney at Hopkinsville, and Laban Shipp,
deceased at twenty-six years of age.  The elder Phelps died in 1842.  His
widow married Augustine Webber, of Hopkinsville, in February, 1846, and
survived him about eighteen months, dying in 1875 at the residence of her
stepson in this city.  Young Phelps was educated mainly by Mr. James D.
Rumsey, of Hopkinsville, and in a school of a venerable Baptist minister
near that place.  He was in this school from the age of fourteen until he
was ready to enter into active life.  At the request of his father, who had
in his lifetime been circuit court clerk of Christian County under the old
system of appointment for a long series of years and died at his post,
James entered the office of his successor while a very young man, as a
writer and manager of the office, in the absence of his superior, who was
in failing health.  This was an important position for a youth, and
fulfilled his father's expectation of the place as a capital means of
education for him.  So well did he improve his opportunities of legal
study in the office that within a year after leaving it he was enabled to
receive from the Circuit Judge a license to practice law.  He opened an
office with his brother (though not as a partner) in Hopkinsville; but at
the end of another year he wearied at the slow and drudging character of
the profession, and determined to embark in the mercantile business.  He
entered into partnership with Mr. Joseph K. Grant, of the same place. It
was in 1853 when the two young men started in the dry goods business. The
times were prosperous, and Christian was then the richest county in the
State outside of Jefferson and Fayette.  A great many slaves were held in
the county, and the negro trade was especially lucrative.  The partners
made money every year, selling to the amount of $115,000 the last year
they were together.  In 1856, however, Mr. Phelps retired, selling his
interest to Mr. Grant.  In the summer of 1862 he came to Louisville and
built the well known Louisville warehouse the same season at the northwest
corner of Main and Tenth streets.  Mr. Phelps embarked in the tobacco
business as a warehouseman, and the head of Phelps, Caldwell & Co.  This
warehouse was sold about 1867 to Ray & Co., and the superb building now
occupied by Messrs. Phelps & Co., and known as the Planters Tobacco
Warehouse, at the corner of Main and Eleventh streets, was erected by Mr.
Phelps and John C. Durrett.  The present stock company bearing the same
name, was formed in 1881, and embraces Mr. Phelps and his four sons,
John H., James S. Jr., Laban and Hiram O., and capital stock $150,000.
Zach Phelps, another son of Mr. Phelps, is a lawyer, and a member of the
firm of O'Neal, Jackson & Phelps.  Mr. Phelps was an old line Whig before
the war, and a sympathizer with the Union cause when the great struggle
came, and during its continuance.  Many years he was much attached to Odd
Fellowship, and served for several years as deputy grand master of the
State.  He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Louisville, in the
faith of his parents and of a past generation.  He was married in
Hopkinsville, July 25, 1849, to Miss Mary Jane, second daughter of
Zachariah and Mary Jane Glass.

Phelps Shipp Morehead Webber Rumsey Grant Glass Durrett
=
Hopkinsville-Christian-KY VA

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/jefferson/phelps.js.txt