Elijah Phillips (April 11, 1809 – June 18, 1832) was an early

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

settler who was killed during the 1832

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

, a conflict between white settlers and elements of the Sauk and

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

nations under Sauk leader Black Hawk. Phillips was born in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and settled near Dover, Illinois around 1830. During the war he, along with other settlers, fled their settlements in fear of Native American raids. In June 1832 Phillips returned to his cabin with six other men to retrieve some belongings. The group was attacked early one morning and Phillips was killed.

Early life

Elijah Phillips was born in

Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire Fitzwilliam is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,351 at the 2020 census. Fitzwilliam is home to Rhododendron State Park, a grove of native rhododendrons that bloom in mid-July. History First granted ...

on April 11, 1809, son, and one of ten total children of Elijah Phillips. Phillips left New Hampshire for Illinois at a young age in 1830. He traveled by foot, and steamboat, passing over Lake Erie and the Erie Canal in his journey. He arrived in Illinois, where he met his friends, James G. Forristall and Sylvester Brigham, who had already established themselves and erected a log cabin. This site, in present-day Bureau County, Illinois near Dover, was where Phillips decided to settle.Norton, John Foote and Whittemoore, Joel. ''The History of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, from 1752-1887'',
Google Books
, Burr Printing House: 1888, pp. 391–92, and 668. Retrieved 11 October 2007.

In Illinois

Elijah Phillips settled a site near

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and Dover Townships, in present-day

Bureau County, Illinois Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 34,978. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, and the Hennep ...

. The area was first settled by John L. Ament and his brother Justin, shortly after the pair settled, Justin sold his land to Phillips.''Past and Present of Bureau County, Illinois'',
History of Berlin
" Pioneer Publishing, Chicago: 1906, p. 118. Retrieved 4 October 2007. Phillips erected his own cabin about from John Ament's cabin.

Death

When the Black Hawk War erupted between elements of the Sauk and Fox and the Illinois and Michigan Territorial Militia in 1832 settler families had fled, leaving their goods and livestock behind. Eventually, it was decided that it was safe to return to the settlement to tend to the deserted possessions. About two weeks after fleeing the site, a party of seven men, Elijah Phillips, J. Hodges, Sylvester Brigham, John L. Ament, Aaron Gunn, James G. Forristall and a 16-year-old named Ziba Dimmick left

Hennepin, Illinois Hennepin is a village located on the Illinois River in Putnam County, Illinois, United States. The population was 757 in 2010, an increase of 50 since the 2000 census. It is the county seat and second largest village in Putnam County. Hennepin is ...

for the small settlement along Bureau Creek where Ament's cabin was located. Phillips was a member of the militia, enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Captain George B. Willis' company out of

Putnam County, Illinois Putnam County is the least extensive county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 6,006. The county seat is Hennepin. The county was formed in 1825 out of Fulton County and named after Israel Putn ...

– it is unclear whether any of the other men were militia members.Armstrong, Perry A. ''The Sauks and the Black Hawk War''
Google Books
, H.W. Rokker: 1887, pp. 399–403. Retrieved 4 October 2007. The next morning, either June 17 or June 18, the band of about 30 Native Americans returned to their hidden positions of the day before and awaited the settlers. When the settlers awoke, Brigham and Phillips went onto the porch of Ament's cabin where they conversed for a few minutes, failing to notice the

moccasin A moccasin is a shoe, made of deerskin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole (made with leather that has not been "worked") and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp (additional panel o ...

tracks around the property. Phillips decided to go to his cabin, about a half mile (.8 km) from Ament's property, to finish a letter to his parents. Brigham, intending to accompany Phillips, entered his cabin for a moment, and when he did he heard the crack of musket fire outside. Phillips dropped to the ground, struck by two musket balls, and the band of raiding Native Americans immediately descended upon him with their tomahawks.Matson, Nehemiah. ''Memories of Shaubena'',
Google Books
, D.B. Cooke & Co.: 1878, pp. 226–34. Retrieved 4 October 2007.Matson, Nehemiah.

" ''Map & Sketches of Bureau County, ILL'', via Tampico Historical Society, p. 22. Retrieved 4 October 2007. Phillips' date of death is recorded as June 18, 1832 in the 1888 book ''The History of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, from 1752-1887''.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Elija 1809 births 1832 deaths People from Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire People from Bureau County, Illinois American people of the Black Hawk War