phillips Family of ohio
from Spitty Farm to the USA
Our Phillips and Williams family lines came together in 1868 with the marriage of our 2x great-grandparents, Ebenezer Phillips of Nash and Catherine Williams of Spitty Farm. While researching Catherine’s parents – Lewis Williams and Catherine Morgan – and her siblings, we were intrigued to discover a previously unknown American branch of the family tree, who, coincidentally, also carried the Phillips name. This transatlantic connection traces back to Catherine’s sister, Mary Elizabeth Williams.
Mary Elizabeth was born on 28 June 1850 at Spitty Farm in Newport, Wales. She was one of five children born to her parents, alongside two half-siblings. Growing up on the family farm, Mary took on many household duties, helping her mother run the home. At just 16 years old, on 9 May 1867, Mary married John Phillips – affectionately known as ‘Handsome Jack’. John was born in the former parish of Mynyddislwyn near Blackwood and raised by his grandparents in Gelligaer.
A Life Changing Decision
After their marriage, Mary and John settled on a small farm in Clawrplwyf, a hamlet in the parish of Mynyddyslwyn, some 7½ miles SW of Pontypool. There, they began raising a large family, having eight children in Wales – though tragically, three died in infancy. John worked as a farmer on the 20 acre property, but after relocating to Crickhowell, where the family lived at 5 Worcester St West, he found success as an insurance agent.
In 1887, the couple made the life-changing decision to emigrate to the United States. We don’t know if this was directly related to the death, of their three children or if they had planning the move for some time. On arrival they they settled in Cleveland, Ohio with their five surviving children: John (b. 1868), Thomas (b. 1870), William (b. 1873), Catherine (b. 1874), and Alice (b. 1883). After arriving in Cleveland, they welcomed one more daughter, Beatrice, in 1889. John continued to work as an insurance agent and was building a successful career.
Settling in Ohio
In the 1890s, Cleveland was a booming industrial city, driven by shipbuilding, oil refining, and a growing immigrant population. It was also a time of labour unrest and major social change. Sadly, John’s time in the U.S. was short-lived. He passed away on 15 January 1898 at the age of 53 and was buried at Harvard Grove Cemetery, Cleveland. The cause of death was typhoid fever, a significant public health concern, especially in urban areas. It was a widespread, waterborne disease that caused considerable illness and death.
Two years later, on 5 April 1900, Mary remarried. Her second husband was Evan R. Jones, a Welsh widower who had emigrated to America in 1867. Evan worked as a foreman at a tin mill, and the couple made their home at 2021 Groton Street, Cleveland, along with Evan’s adopted daughter, Sadie, and Mary’s youngest, Beatrice. By the 1910 Federal Census, the family had moved to a large property at 3524 East 75th Street, Cleveland.
A Move to Cincinnati
In October 1912, Evan passed away at age 76, leaving Mary widowed for a second time. In her later years, Mary moved to Cincinnati, where she lived with her daughter Beatrice, son-in-law John Garvey, and their son, William. The 1920 census records them living in a rented home on Vine Street. John, a Jamestown-born sports reporter of Irish descent, was supporting the household. In the 1920s, Cincinnati was a city on the cusp of change – energized by post-war optimism and the Cincinnati Reds’ 1919 championship, yet shaped by the rise of Prohibition and early urban renewal efforts.
By 1930, the family had moved to 3400 Ridgeway Avenue, where Mary remained until her death on 27 April 1936, aged 85. She was laid to rest back in Cleveland. From her birth on a Welsh farm to her final years in bustling American cities, Mary Elizabeth Williams lived a remarkable life – one that forged a lasting connection between Wales and Ohio, and added a fascinating chapter to our family’s story. So, what became of the six surviving children of Mary and John?
John Augustus Phillips
John was born 15 January 1868 and emigrated to the U.S. with his family at age 19. He later moved to Quebec, Canada, where he married Ethel Isabella Manson and became a successful factory owner and employer. He died in 1961 aged 93 and was buried in Outremont, Quebec.
John and Ethel had two children: Marion and John. Marion holds special significance to our family story, as in her later life she visited her Welsh cousin, Meriol Rosser, of Cwm Farm in Newport. Their exchange of letters and photographs now enrich our family archive. Interestingly, Meriol’s father – also named John Augustus Phillips – was named in honour of Marion’s father.
Thomas Lewis Phillips
Thomas was born 20 September 1870 in Crickhowell, and was noted in the 1880 U.K. census as being “dumb from birth” (the historical term for mute). He was 17 when the family emigrated and was later institutionalized at the Ohio Institution for Feeble-Minded Youth in Franklin due to lifelong health issues. He died there on 30 October 1905, aged 35, and was buried in Harvard Grove Cemetery, Cleveland.
William Samuel Phillips
William was born 12 April 1873 in Crickhowell and emigrated at age 14. He married Mabel Katherine Massinger in Cleveland in 1899, and they had two children: William and Mabel. The family lived an adventurous life – first in New York, then for many years in Santiago, Chile, where William worked as a mining engineer. He also sailed back to Wales in 1914 to visit family. Later, he and Mabel settled in San Diego, where William became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He died there on 8 June 1962, aged 89.
Catherine Martha Phillips
Catherine was born in 1874 and emigrated to the U.S. at age 13. She soon moved to Jamestown, New York, a thriving industrial city known for weaving and furniture manufacturing. There she worked as a weaver and met Thomas Maher, whom she married on 8 April 1896. Thomas, born in Jamestown to Irish parents, began as a machinist and eventually became a successful foundry owner. The couple had four children: Thomas, John, Edwin, and Catherine. They lived out their lives in Jamestown; Catherine died in 1949 aged 75, and Thomas in 1948 aged 81. They are buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in the city.
Alice Helen Phillips
Alice was born in 1883 in the small Welsh town of Crickhowell and was just four years old when she emigrated to America with her family in 1887. Sadly, her life in Cleveland was tragically short. Alice passed away in 1893, aged only 10, and was laid to rest at Harvard Grove Cemetery in Cleveland.
Beatrice Louella Phillips
Beatrice was born in 1889 in Cleveland, the only child of John and Mary born in America. As a young woman, she lived with her parents and worked as a hairdresser. On 19 August 1916, she married John Patrick Garvey, whom she met while visiting her sister in Jamestown. John was born in Jamestown to Irish parents on 2 August 1889.
John had a vibrant career as a sports reporter, boxing manager, advertising salesman and PR director. Beatrice returned to work later in life as an advertising manager at a department store. They had one son, William, and provided a home for Mary in her final years. Beatrice and John lived long lives in Cincinnati – he died in 1971 aged 82, and she in 1979 aged 89. They are buried together in Cincinnati.
A Legacy Across Generations
This concludes our overview of the Phillips family – a branch that began with Mary Williams of Spitty Farm, who left Wales with her husband John to begin a new life in America.
Mary endured many tragedies in her life, but the achievements of her children stand as a testament to their upbringing, education, and the indomitable spirit of settlers forging a future in a new land. We look forward to exploring more of about the lives of Mary and John’s children in future installments.