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Patrick McPhillips - Sauk County

Sauk County Historical Notes

Patrick McPhillips

Bear Creek Township

Bear Creek got its name from the little river which wends its way in and out among its rugged hills. The Winnebago word for Bear Creek is Hoonge-Nee-Shunick. From early reports there were many bears living in and around this vicinity. Another town that we saw mentioned in Irish John’s story is Marble Ridge. In the Eighteen Seventies Marble Ridge was Irish John’s mailing address. Marble Ridge was the post office station for Bear Creek. Bear Creek is where our Irish ancestors lived in Wisconsin.

Patrick McPhillips

Patrick McPhillips was Susan McPhillips’ brother. The following biography appeared in ‘A Standard History of Sauk County, Wisconsin: Volume II (1918) by Harry Ellsworth Cole. What is interesting about this book is that it also cites the woman’s maiden name, which is wonderful for genealogy.

Page 946

PATRICK MCPHILLIPS is one of the progressive agriculturists of Bear Creek Township. His affairs are in a prosperous condition, and he is possessed of that intense energy and enterprise which are characteristic of the farming element of this county.

Mr. McPhillips was born in Ireland February 14, 1855, son of Michael and Mary (Smith) McPhillips. He was about thirteen years of age when his parents came to Wisconsin in May, 1868. The family lived at Bear Creek about a year and then settled on sixty-eight acres near Spring Green. The father was a man of much industry, and finally added forty acres to his original estate and continued a resident of the country districts until his death in August, 1912. The mother died in 1886. Their children were Patrick, Susan, John, Mary and Owen. Of these Mary is now deceased.

Patrick McPhillips finished his education in the public schools of Spring Green, and for the past forty years has been an industrious farmer, steadily forging ahead in the business of making a home and providing for those dependent upon him. In October, 1910, he settled upon his present farm, where he owns 320 acres. Some of this land he has since cleared, and most of it is in cultivation and in itself represents a competence. Mr. McPhillips has interested himself in community affairs, was for three years clerk of School District No. 2, is a democrat and a member of the Catholic Church.

In November, 1879, he married Catherine Burns, of Middleton, Dane County, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. McPhillips are the parents of eight children, Mayme, James, Anna, Elizabeth, Rose, Susan, Leo and Genevieve. Mayme is the wife of Henry Ellefson; Anna married George Bauer; Elizabeth is the wife of Anton Weitzel; Rose married William Coyle, while the other children are still unmarried and at home.

Mayme McPhillips is a graduate of Spring Green High School and taught in the schools of Sauk County for fourteen years. Anna and Elizabeth graduated from Richland County Normal and taught in the schools of Sauk and Richland counties for a number of years. Leo is the proprietor of the Muscoda Cheese Factory at Muscoda, and has operated the same for several years.

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You may have noticed that this article did not mention Susan McPhillips’ husband, John Smith. Our previous information suggested Patrick’s wife was named ‘Catherine Smith’; however, this book identifies Catherine’s maiden name as Burns. Catherine lived in Dane County, and as you may recall that Irish John lived in Dane County prior to joining the military.

Below is the 1900 US Census for Bear Creek, Wisconsin. It shows Patrick and his family as well as his father, Michael. Michael or Mick McPhillips later moved to Kimball, South Dakota, where his son, Owen, and daughter, Susan, lived. Nearby lived two other men - Arthur McCluskey and Frank McCarville. Both men attended Irish John’s funeral in 1928.

You may recall that Patrick McPhillips worked as a laborer for Patrick Smyth on his family farm. The Smyth family lived near Patrick McPhillips in 1900; however, Patrick Smyth died in 1896. By this time Peter Smyth was head of the family farm. Peter’s sister, Mary Benson, was living in the same house. Mary Benson was Susan McPhillips’ best friend and bridesmaid. She was also present at Irish John’s funeral in 1928.

You may wonder why I added all these names. I noticed a Peter Smith family living next to the Peter Smyth family. We know Michael McPhillips married Mary Smith. Were these Smith (Smyth) names related to her? Also, you may recall that Patrick McPhillips’ daughter married into the Weitzel family. The following came from the same book written by Harry Cole (page 1124).

Joseph J. Weitzel has been a resident of Bear Creek Township since 1893, in which year he located on 163 acres. This hardly constituted a farm at that time, certainly not in the modern sense, and in the past twenty-four years Mr. Weitzel has expended a tremendous amount of personal energy and of time and means in its clearing and development. He has now a place which to a large degree satisfies even his particular and critical standards, and is regarded as one of the fine farms of the township. Mr. Weitzel conducts a dairy of about twenty-eight cows.

Hew was born in Richland County, Wisconsin, September 23, 1863, a son of John and Catherine (Dick) Weitzel. His father was born in Germany and his mother at Waukesha, Wisconsin. They were married in Keesville Church in Bear Creek Township in 1862. The father was a well known citizen of Sauk County and died here February 22, 1917, while the mother passed away October 18, 1914. Their children were: Joseph J., Mary, Louise, Edward, Julia, John, Clara and Winnie.

Joseph J. Weitzel married Susan Smyth, daughter of Peter and Margaret (Quigley) Smyth of Bear Creek Township. Mr. Weitzel is a democrat in politics, and a member of the Catholic Church. He has served on the school board of his home locality.

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This last entry suggests that the other Peter Smith family was actually named ‘Peter Smyth’. What is more intriguing is the wife’s maiden name, Quigley. Quigley is a very common surname in County Monaghan, including Aghabog Civil Parish. Aghabog is where Irish John Smith lived in Ireland.

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