Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
Hugh Pettengill, justice of the peace, and a prominent citizen of
Rosedale, Kas., was born in Maine, near Minot, in Androscoggin
County, on August 19, 1825, and is a son of Orren and Jane (Kendall)
Pettengill, the father a native of Massachusetts, and the mother of New
Hampshire. The father was born in 1797, of Scotch descent, and followed farming all his life. He went to Maine with his parents, opened
a farm, and resided here. until 1854, when he moved to Douglas County,
Kas. He was one of t,he first settlers, and was here all through the
trouble of 1856. He and his son (our subject) were strong Union
men, and backed their opinions very actively. They made several visits East to their old home, and later settled in Jefferson County, Kas.
He was visiting a daughter in Parsons at the time of his death, which
occurred in 1879. He was a member of the Free-AVill Baptist Church,
and in politics was for many years an Abolitionist, and then a Republican. He was in the saw-mill business when a young man. and was
the son of Hugh Pettengill, who died in Maine, and who was a farmer.
The mother was born in 1803, and died in 1889. She was the daughter
of an Englishman, and was a woman of noted piety, belonging to the
same church as her husband. Our subject, Hugh Pettengill, was the
second of nine children � four sons and five daughters - five of whom
are living at the present time. He spent his school days in Maine, and
when nineteen years of age, began learning the shoemaker's trade,
which he followed for ten years in Maine and Massachusetts. He then
commenced to farm in the former State, near his father, and remained
thus engaged until 1854, when he came to Douglas County, Kas.
There he tilled the soil until 1863, when he returned to Maine, and
there remained until 1877, farming and working at his trade. Re-
turning then to Kansas, he settled in Jefferson County, remained
there until 1881, and then engaged in the grocery business in Wyandotte County, until 1 888, when he was elected justice of the peace and
police judge. In 1850 he married Miss Zynthia H. Lapham, daughter
of Latrop Lapham, of Maine, who is still living. To Mr. and Mrs.
Pettengill were born six children: Clara, Ellen, Fredericks., Nathan F.,
Kittie and Mary. Mr. Pettengill is a member of the K. of P., and
was a member of the K. of H. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B,
Ninth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, and served until September, 1862,
when he was honorably discharged. He was a stanch Republican, and
took a great interest in that party until the second election of Gen.
Grant. Since then he has been voting independently. He voted for
Peter Cooper and Horace Greeley.
James Phillips, an old citizen, and a man eminently respected for
his many good qualities, was elected to the office of councilman of
the First Ward of the old city of Kansas, and served one term. In
1885 he was elected mayor of the same on the Republican ticket, with
a majority of 752, in a vote of 1,100, over his opponent. While filling
this position the James Street viaduct was built, the elevated railway
franchised, and that of the Missouri Pacific Railroad switch track on
Ewing Street created. After the consolidation in 1886 Mr. Phillips
was elected at large twice, as a member of the city council, and served
three years. He was chairman of the Ordinance and Franchise Committees, serving the entire length of office, three years. He was also
a member of the printing committee and other minor committees.
During his first term he assisted in the construction of the new list of
ordinances by which the city was governed. Among some of the important franchises granted was the Metropolitan Street Car, Seventh
Street Viaduct, electric road in South Side, a branch of the Metropolitan system and the Riverview branch of the elevated road, Northwestern Railroad, also to the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad in
South Side, the electric light system, the rebuilding of the fire department, purchasing hose reels, one for South Side and one for old
Wyandotte City. Mr. Phillips was also prominent in securing a great
many street improvements, chiefly in the North, West and South
Sides, also some large sewer contracts let, in all footing up to
$1,500,000. Mr. Phillips was born near Lexington, Ky., April 13, 1846,
and is the eldest of eleven children born to Asa M. and Margaret
(Pennington) Phillips, natives also of the Blue-Grass State. After
growing up, the father engaged in merchandising and farming, and
continued this until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in the Thirty-second Kentucky Infantry, as captain. Among
the battles engaged in were Richmond, Harrodsburg, Ky., and
here he had a very narrow escape from death at the hands of the
enemy. After the war he removed to Illinois, and engaged in tilling
the soil, which he followed up to the present time. While growing
up in his native county, James Phillips learned the trade of carpenter,
which he has followed ever since he left Douglas County, Ill. He
came to this city in 1879, and the following year became connected
with the Fowler Packing Company, and is now superintendent of the
wood and construction department. Mr. Phillips was married September 18, 1868, to Miss Hannah J. Carr, a native of Ohio, born May
19, 1847, and the daughter of T. J. and May (Beaty) Carr. To this
union three children were born: Jesse B., Lena and Floy. Mr.
Phillips is a Republican in politics, and was elected to the above office
on that ticket. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M., the A. O. U. W.,
and himself and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He assists in all enterprises of a public nature that will benefit his city and county, and is charitable to the needy, a man who is
honest and upright in all his dealings, and true to his friends.
James W. Phillips (deceased), late a prominent grocer and a worthy
citizen of Kansas City, Kas., was born in England, September 7, 1843,
being a son of George and Esther Phillips, with whom he came to the
United States when he was seven years of age. Upon reaching this
country the family settled at Geneva, N. Y., where the subject of this
sketch was reared to manhood. About 1865 he removed to Illinois,
and two years later graduated from the commercial college at Jacksonville. On April 20, 1869, he was married to Miss Evelyn Van Schoick,
a native of Dayton. Ohio, her birth occurring there on September 14,
1854, she being a daughter of Henry and Emma (Randall) Van Schoick,
both natives of New Jersey. For about four years after his marriage
Mr. Phillips resided in Bloomington, but in 1873 he removed to Wichita and here made his home until 1885. During all this time he followed the calling of a traveling salesman, but in 1885 he came to Kansas City, Kas., and embarked in the grocery business, a calling he
followed until his death, which occurred April 7, 1889. His widow
has since managed the business alone, and this establishment has
become one of the largest and best patronized of the kind in the city.
It is well located at No. 444 Minnesota Avenue, and the annual business which is done amounts to about 180,000, a fact that speaks louder
than words can do, as to her executive ability and fair dealing. She
is a lady possessing many Christian virtues, and her kindness of heart,
liberality and honesty, are proverbial throughout the county.
Gabriel Philiburt first came to this county in 1860, but after remaining one year he pushed farther westward, and until 1866 was en
gaged in prospecting for gold in the Rocky Mountains, also doing general labor. He then returned to Wyandotte County, Kas., and settled
on his present farm of forty-four acres, usually devoting from ten
to twenty-five acres to potatoes, which will average about 150 bushels
to the acre, two to five acres to sweet potatoes, raising the Yellow Jersey and Red Bermudas as most profitable, and from one to six acres in
watermelons and cantaloupes. His potatoes and melons were planted
together and did well. He also put in corn in the same way and thus
raised two crops on the same piece of ground, in one season. His
cabbage crop usually amounts to one acre, his varieties being Early
York, Flat Dutch and Drum Head, having the best luck with the last
mentioned. He also raises other vegetables in large quantities,
and small fruits in abundance, but considers that twelve acres of land
devoted to this industry are all that a man can successfully manage.
He considers gardening at its infancy in this township and has great
hopes for the future. He was born on January 11, 1842, in Jackson
County, Mo., being a son of Gabriel Philiburt, and during his minority
became thoroughly familiar with the duties of farm life, his father being a successful tiller of the soil. He was given the advantages of the
common schools, acquiring a good practical education, and until 1860
he remained at home, then came to Kansas, and in 1861 went to the
Rocky Mountains, as above stated. He purchased his present farm at
the rate of $36 per acre, but it is now valued at 11,000 per acre. On
this is erected a large, substantial and comfortable dwelling-house,
besides a good barn and other outbuildings. In 1870 he was married
to Miss Elnora Paul, a daughter of George Paul, a native of England,
but who was reared in this country, living at the time of bis marriage
in this country. She was a kind and loving wife and mother, and her
death, which occurred June 20, 1889, was deeply mourned by not only her immediate and sorrowing household, but by all who knew her.
The children she bore Mr. Philiburt are as follows: Clara, John, Cora,
Eleanor, William and Louis A. Mr. Philiburt is a Democrat, and for
the past twelve years has been a school director in his district. He
and his wife were members of the Catholic Church of Argentine and he
is one of the public-spirited and law abiding citizens of this section.
Oliver W. Pierce, horticulturist, Bethel, Kas. Mr. Pierce's parents, Elijah and Elizabeth (Whitwell) Pierce, were both natives of
the Bay State, and his grandfather, Elijah Pierce, Sr., was a native of
Middleborough, Plymouth County, Mass., and a soldier in the War of
1812. The father was a sea captain, and followed that calling most of
his life, dying there when our subject was young. He left a family
of three children � two sons and a daughter: George D. W. was thirty-eight years of age, when his death occurred in 1871, and he left two
children (his wife had died previously): the sister, Lucretia W.,
became the wife of Charles E. Pierce, who is a carpenter in New Bedford, Mass. Oliver W. Pierce was born in Pall River, Mass., January
11, 1842, receiving a good common-school education. When sixteen
years of age, he went into a meat-market with his brother, and remained
there until nineteen years of age. He then enlisted in Company B,
Seventh Massachusetts Infantry (June 16, 1861), and served three
years, being mustered out at Taunton, Mass. He was in the Second
and Third Divisions in the Sixth Army Corps, was in the first battle of
Bull Run, and from that on was in every fight of the Army of the Potomac up to Petersburg, Cold Harbor being the last battle. He then returned to his old business, which he continued for a few years, working
for the South Boston Iron Works several years. He then left his
trade, and engaged in the butcher's business at Fall River, Mass.,
working at that until he came to Kansas City, Mo., in April, 1880. In
March, 1890, he bought twenty-five acres, where he now lives, and intends to devote this entirely to fruit growing, having at the present time
800 apple trees, seventy-five peach and fifty cherry trees. The remainder of the land he devoted to small fruit. Mr. Pierce was
married April 1, 1866, in Fall River, Mass., to Miss Caroline Fiske,
and they have one son, George D. F., now twenty-one years of age.
He has been traveling salesman for Ridenor, Baker & Co., for two
years, but is now at home. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are of the old Quaker
stock and hold to their early training. Mr. Pierce is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, having joined that organization at Fall River, and
he also belongs to the K. of H. He is independent in so far as his
political predilections are concerned. While he still longs for the
salt breeze, he has determined to make his home here, and with that
end in view has set about improving his farm and building it up.
The maternal ancestors of Mr. Pierce run back through the Whitwells and Winslows to the "Mayflower," three brothers of the Whitwells' coming over in the "Mayflower."
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