Pioneer Passes Away

Sylvanus A. Phillips died Sunday morning, July 14, at his home just east of Chehalis. He had been ill for several days and the end was not unexpected. Monday he was buried in the Urquhart cemetery. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. W. J. Dickson, assisted by the Episcopal choir. The service was beautiful and impressive, and his funeral was one of the largest ever held in this vicinity, Mr. Phillips was an old pioneer, well known in Chehalis and Lewis county. His friends were counted by scores and he was a good man and a universal favorite. The sympathy of many friends is extended to the bereaved family at this time. Sylvanus A. Phillips was born in Niagara county, New York, 1830, sailed from New York City in 1852, arriving at San Francisco the same year by way of Panama. He remained there one year, then came to Washington Territory, where he had a brother living on Chambers prairie, near Olympia. He took up his residence no the ranch where he has lived so many years, in the year 1856, with the exception of a few months of that year, when he was living on Jackson prairie. This same year he enlisted in Company C, 1st regiment of Washington volunteers, serving in the Indian war as corporal under Charles Bishop, his first lieutenant and old time friend. the following year he married Jane Moore, who died in April, 1867. He had four children by this marriage, two dying in childhood, a son, Edward B. Phillips, who died in 1884, and a daughter, Mrs. Mary Gregg, who survives. Mr. Phillips served as county commissioner for one term very acceptably, but with this exception refused to hold any kind of a public office. He married Mary Jackson, of the well known pioneer Jackson family in the year 1870, who still survives. - Chehalis Bee-Nugget-


Source: The Centralia Chronicle, Thursday, 25 July 1907, page 1.

Transcribed by Diana Smith. She has no further information on this individual.