William Phillips and Sarah Jane McCormack

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Husband William Phillips ^{1 2}

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           Born: 1824 - Westmoreland Co, PA
     Christened: 
           Died: 1877 1 2
         Buried:  - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA

       Marriage: 

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Wife Sarah Jane McCormack ^{1 2}

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           Born: 1829
     Christened: 
           Died: 1899
         Buried:  - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA

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Children

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1 F Sarah J. Phillips ^{1 2}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: Bef 1919
         Buried: 

         Spouse: John E. Cribbs (1838-Bef 1919) 1 2 3
           Marr: 31 Jan 1865 3

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2 M John W. Phillips ^{2 4 5}

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           Born: 24 Jul 1850 - Westmoreland Co, PA 1 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 25 Jun 1915 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 6
         Buried:  - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA

         Spouse: Gertrude Power (1853-1890) 6 7
           Marr: 23 Nov 1871 6 7

         Spouse: Alice Harriett "Allie" Hastings (1858-1911) 5 8 9
           Marr: 26 Oct 1898 - ? Venango Co, PA 5 7

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3 F Rachel Phillips ^{1 2}

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           Born: 1854
     Christened: 
           Died: 1917
         Buried:  - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA

         Spouse: Joseph D. Haffey (1847-1902) 1 2

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4 M William Braid Phillips ^{1 2}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: Bef 1919
         Buried: 

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5 M Parks Phillips ^{1 2}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: Aft 1926
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Did Not Marry

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General Notes: Husband - William Phillips

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He was a partner of John Van Ausdell from the earliest oil activities until his death. They were pioneers in various oil fields and made several fortunes, being among the men whose successful efforts were effective in the initial developments of the industry. In 1859, shortly after Drake's development, Mr. Phillips with Frew & Co. drilled a well of forty barrels' flow - one of first. In the winter and spring of 1861 Phil-lips & Van Ausdell bored a well on a tract up the river above Laytonia, in what later became the south side of Oil City, striking a thirty-five-barrel well in April. The oil sold at sixty-five cents a gallon. The excitement over it was of short duration. In September of the same year they brought in the famous four-thousand-barrel well on Oil creek, on the Tarr farm near Petroleum Center, which set the country aflame as to oil possibilities. It was known as the Phillips well. Six months after it was struck it was still producing thirty-six hundred barrels daily. This historic well broke loose at night, thousands of barrels of oil flowing into Oil creek before it could be curbed. In 1863, on the Tarr farm, the partners made the first effort to transport oil through pipes, now universally the means of conveying crude oil from the producing fields to refineries. Before this Mr. Phillips had made and used bulkhead boats to carry oil in bulk to Pittsburgh. He continued to be one of the principal oil producers in the county until his death. From 1859 he made his home at Oil City, that year building the second house on the south side, and he was always foremost in movements for its advancement. He was a director of the old Oil City Savings Bank. [HVC 1919, 613]

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General Notes: Wife - Sarah Jane McCormack

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from Westmoreland Co, PA

1 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 613.

2 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (NW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 48.

3 J. H. Newton, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Columbus, OH: J. A. Caldwell Publishers, 1879), Pg 592.

4 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 613, 622.

5 —, The Duffield Family; A Sketch of William Duffield, of Venango County, PA, and His Descendents (PA: The William Duffield Association, 1905), Pg 39.

6 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (NW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 49.

7 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 614.

8 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 614, 622.

9 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (NW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 49, 322.