Biography/History:

Sarah Phillips was probably born in Kentucky around 1816. She was residing in Claiborne County, Mississippi, by 1846. Phillips had three children: Elizabeth O. (b. ca. 1846), Alexander W. (b. ca. 1848), and James Lewellyn (b. ca. 1849). She was a small planter with real estate valued at two thousand dollars and personal property valued at seven thousand dollars in 1860. Phillips and her children still resided in Claiborne County in 1874. James Lewellyn Phillips was residing in Martin (now Pattison), Claiborne County, in 1926.

Scope and Content:

This collection contains legal, financial, and miscellaneous papers of the Phillips family of Claiborne County, Mississippi. The legal and financial papers consist of a deed, a fidelity oath, a licensing agreement, promissory notes, and tax receipts. A September 12, 1871, quitclaim deed documents the sale of Claiborne County property, which was owned by Sarah Phillips, her children, and son-in-law, to S. A. F. Hendrick of the same county. There is an 1865 fidelity oath of Sally Phillips. There is also an 1880 licensing agreement for a bailing press purchased by A. W. Phillips. The promissory notes date from 1918 to 1926 and represent amounts owed by A. B. Phillips, probably Alexander Barrett Phillips, and J. L. Phillips of Claiborne County. The tax receipts date from 1857 to 1865 and pertain to Sarah and Susan Phillips.

The miscellaneous family papers consist of a postcard, a menu, and two envelopes. The 1910 postcard is addressed to J. L. Phillips in Martin and mentions family news. The menu is from a 1919 New Year’s dinner at the United States Naval Hospital, Hampton Roads, Virginia. One envelope is addressed to J. L. Phillips in Martin, and the other is addressed to Minnie Phillips in Pattison.

Series Identification:

1. Legal and Financial Papers. 1857-1926. 2 folders.

   Box 1, folders 1-2

2. Miscellaneous Family Papers. 1903-1928. 1 folder.

   Box 1, folder 3