Family History

Like most slaves during this time, Lloyd’s life while with his mother Eliza on the Dorsey Plantation was horrific and traumatic. In notes found in an original manilla envelope at the John Paulding Historical Society in the George Augustus Phillips room written by Lloyd he shares,

“My name is Lloyd, and I was born a slave on the plantation owned by Caleb Dorsey. My birth date was August 24, 1840. My father, Abraham, was born in Kentucky around 1811 on the Phillips plantation. Master Phillips had no children and felt that he had enough property to sustain his widow in the event of his death. He declared in his will, therefore, that if he died before his wife, his slaves should be set free and carried to a free state. Father Abraham and Master Phillips’ other slaves were set free before the war began.”

“Aunt Nellie (her real name was Nancy) also was a slave. She and Abraham were on the same plantation. Her master had given her some money and she loaned it to Abraham to help him get his wife (Lloyd’s mother), who was on an adjoining plantation. He had to pay $450 for her freedom.”

“My family was like so many families whose members were torn apart during slavery, and paths to freedom were varied. Caleb Dorsey was my old slave owner. He was cruel and mean and old and feeble. Dorsey was bad. Morals on the plantation were bad. I was a small boy at the time, but I know liberties were taken with slaves. Dorsey was so mean to his colored slaves and also to his wife that she committed suicide by taking a gun and putting the muzzle under her throat and discharging the gun with her foot. Dorsey looked about for another wife, but he was so mean to his first wife that he found that it was not an easy task to find a second one. He died before finding a new wife.”

“When Dorsey’s slaves gave out or were overcome by heat in the harvest field, Dorsey was so cruel that he would order them dragged to the woods. Many times, he would go out in the woods and try to lash them up with a cowhide. If any slave died in the woods, he would not take time to bury them until night, and then he would dig a hole and throw them in.”

“After the death of Dorsey, the estate was divided between his three heirs: two boys and one girl. The daughter was married to a slave owner by the name of Phil Barbour. The slaves were divided into three bunches and straws were drawn for us. My gang fell to the daughter who was General Phil Barbour’s wife, so Master Phil Barbour became my owner. He was mean as a dog, and it was from this new master’s plantation that I, Lloyd, would make my escape to freedom.”

“As stated, Phil Barbour was a cruel master and at times treated his slaves badly. An adjoining plantation was owned by Mr. Harboldt. The Harboldt plantation’s owner was by and large a good master. Mr. Harboldt was regarded as a high-class slaveholder with a 30-acre plantation. He was considered a good slave holder who allowed free Negroes and others to come onto his plantations and to marry his slaves with the understanding that the offspring would become his property.”

“This was the condition under which I was able to marry Lucy, a slave on the Harboldt plantation. Lucy’s mother was a slave, and her father was a free man. But my master, Phil Barbour, was not one of those slave holders which allowed such practices. However, I was such a good housemate that Master Barbour made arrangements with Master Harboldt for me to come on his plantation and take as my wife his slave Lucy. She was my first wife, and we married at a very early age of 16 years in 1856. A total of nine children were born to this union including one child who was born dead. Five of the children were born in slavery and died in slavery. Later when my wife and I escaped from slavery, the rest of our offspring were born in freedom.”

“Fifteen or 20 of us made up our minds to run off of our different plantations. Sam and Pap and I were from the same plantation, and the other boys were on neighboring farms. All were single except me, and I hated to leave my wife. The man who took us across the river was a white man who was a fisherman who lived on the Indiana side. We crossed the river 3 or 4 miles east of Louisville. A recruiting officer was there to take charge of all who escaped. He received $10 per head for everyone that he got to join the army. This recruiting officer acted as foreman and took those whom he secured to Pittsburgh to be examined free of charge. There were about 20 men in the group with me. All of the boys in this group were single – but me. I had three cousins in the group. The boys leaving Louisville for Pittsburgh had their ways paid by the government.”

“After crossing the river, the recruiting officer took them to Pittsburgh to make up a regiment. There were about a dozen of the boys at Pittsburgh. The boys were examined, and all passed as able-bodied men but me! I was the only one who did not pass the examination to go into the army. Typhoid fever, which settled in my leg, lamed me and disqualified me for service.”

“When the other boys joined the army, they each gave me a dollar apiece to help me. They chipped in and made me up a purse of five dollars. They also gave me their citizen’s clothes. I went out to the edge of town, bought a couple of grain sacks, and filled them with the clothes given to me by the boys in my group. I also had a little money of my own that I had saved up.”

“Before I left the rest of the bunch in the barracks at Pittsburgh where they were waiting to be sent to Philadelphia, I got someone to write a letter to master Barbour telling him that I could no longer be a slave and be dogged at and treated so cruel and mean. I discussed the mean things which he had done.”

“After the war I went back on the old plantation to visit my birthplace and found my old master Barbour still living. Barbour asked me why I would choose to come back on his place after writing such a letter. I apologized for writing the letter and told him that I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Freedom Without My Family – Columbus, OH

“Fifteen or 20 of us made up our minds to run off of our different plantations. Sam and Pap and I were from the same plantation, and the other boys were on neighboring farms. All were single except me, and I hated to leave my wife. The man who took us across the river was a white man who was a fisherman who lived on the Indiana side. We crossed the river 3 or 4 miles east of Louisville. A recruiting officer was there to take charge of all who escaped. He received $10 per head for everyone that he got to join the army. This recruiting officer acted as foreman and took those whom he secured to Pittsburgh to be examined free of charge. There were about 20 men in the group with me. All of the boys in this group were single – but me. I had three cousins in the group. The boys leaving Louisville for Pittsburgh had their ways paid by the government.”

“After crossing the river, the recruiting officer took them to Pittsburgh to make up a regiment. There were about a dozen of the boys at Pittsburgh. The boys were examined, and all passed as able-bodied men but me! I was the only one who did not pass the examination to go into the army. Typhoid fever, which settled in my leg, lamed me and disqualified me for service.”

“When the other boys joined the army, they each gave me a dollar apiece to help me. They chipped in and made me up a purse of five dollars. They also gave me their citizen’s clothes. I went out to the edge of town, bought a couple of grain sacks, and filled them with the clothes given to me by the boys in my group. I also had a little money of my own that I had saved up.”

“Before I left the rest of the bunch in the barracks at Pittsburgh where they were waiting to be sent to Philadelphia, I got someone to write a letter to master Barbour telling him that I could no longer be a slave and be dogged at and treated so cruel and mean. I discussed the mean things which he had done.”

“After the war I went back on the old plantation to visit my birthplace and found my old master Barbour still living. Barbour asked me why I would choose to come back on his place after writing such a letter. I apologized for writing the letter and told him that I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Freedom Without My Family – Cincinnati, OH

“Being unable to find my father, I made up my mind to go back after my wife [Lucy]. I went to Cincinnati and got a job running the river. I ran the river for one year and made four trips to New Orleans. The war was still going on when I made these trips. Silver Moon, Golden Eagle and Alice Dean were some of the boats making the trip to New Orleans from Cincinnati.”

“I served as a deck hand on Silver Moon and Golden Eagle. We received wages going down the river to New Orleans, but all we received coming back was our board. The wages ranged from less than $.50 a day to $2 per day. But the wages paid averaged from $1.50 to $2 per day going down and nothing but board coming back. This made it hard to save anything so one had to be economical.”

“Deck hands were called roustabouts. Being in rebel country, the colored deck hands were afraid to leave the boat. So, it was an easy matter to keep us on the boat. I remained on the boat until the river froze up. I had to save my money and had to get it in the form of bills and sew it up in the lining of my britches in order to keep the other deck hands from knowing that I had it and to prevent them from stealing it. By being economical I saved about $25 or $30 during the times I served as deck hand. After saving up this amount I decided to quit the river and to steal my wife out of slavery.”

“I made a trip out to the Harboldt plantation and told my wife to sell off all the things and make preparation for leaving when I called for her. I made two more trips to New Orleans and then I called for her. I gave a man $25 to set me and my wife across the river on a flat boat. We arrived at the river at daybreak and were followed by both Harboldt and Barbour in pursuit. I got the man to go out from Louisville to get my wife and had to pay him part of it down. The man who moved them was a colored man. The agreement was to go after my wife and a few pieces of furniture. The furniture consisted of a bureau, a trunk and a few bed clothes.”

“After getting on the Indiana side, we took a boat with our freight to Cincinnati. We did not stay there long, but I again took up the search for my father, Abraham. I inquired around there for my father, and I worked there for a while in Cincinnati loading boats. I worked for two weeks and saved up my money and paid board and room in Cincinnati while inquiring for my father. Some minister told me that some Kentucky folks had gone to Greene County, Ohio around Xenia and if I went there, I may get on track of my father. So, I went to Xenia and while there I got on track of my father.”

“I had run the river before getting my wife and settling in Greene Co. Now, I raised crops in Greene County, and I worked in the slaughter house in Xenia. Lucy and I had three children born in Greene County: Lloyd, Charlie, and William (Will). While in Xenia, I got on track of my father Abraham who had settled in Paulding County, Ohio. In 1872, I moved to Paulding County and settled in Washington Township. Will was just a baby at the time we moved to Paulding County. Two other children were born in Washington Township, Paulding County. They were named Victoria and John.”

“After Lucy died in 1880, I married Miss Georgiana Howard on March 17, 1881 and had my second set of children. Their names were: Thomas H., James, George, Arthur, Iola, Alonzo, Elizabeth and Golda. Georgiana died in 1915.”

“It was here in Paulding County that I found my father Abraham, and here is where I moved my family and settled in Washington Township. Here is where I built a log house beside my father’s small shanty. Father Abraham had been given a mortgage on the forty acres, and when I arrived, he told me that he wasn’t well. Also, he said he was unable to pay off on a loan and was about to lose the property. He talked to me and urged me to pay off the mortgage and take half the land. I agreed to do so and I also bought Aunt Nellie’s portion of 20 acres on the east sector. Here, I cared for my father Abraham, until he passed away in 1874. After freedom, I attended Sunday school and learned my alphabet. I had as my teacher, Professor J.R. Blackburn. I was ordained at Middle Creek Church by Elders Young & Moss of Lima (& Goings).”

Lloyd was licensed to preach in 1870 and was a pastor of four different congregations of the Baptist denomination. He was a farmer, raised fine horses and his land was well maintained. As both a farmer and citizen he was esteemed as an honored resident of the community.

References:

• Article in Paulding County Progress 2/16/1994 – Escape to Freedom
• Article in Paulding County Progress; 8/14/2020 – Journey of an escaped slave to Paulding County-Part 1
• Article in Paulding County Progress; 8/20/2020 – Journey of an escaped slave to Paulding County-Part 2
• Article in The Van Wert independent; 8/14/2020 – Paulding County Tells Slaves’ Story

George Augustus Phillips was the third son born to Lloyd and Georgiana Phillips. He was born on December 22, 1885 in Washington Township and died on August 26, 1979 in Cincinnati at the age of 94. He graduated from Paulding High School in 1907 and began teaching and serving as a Principle in Ohio and Michigan for the next 50 years. He later took up farming but went back to teaching in 1917 when he moved to Cassopolis, Michigan. Phillips attended Western Michigan State College in Kalamazoo during the early twenties and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1924.

• He moved from Michigan to Cincinnati where he received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1927. He taught from 1924 to 1935 at the Stowe-Jackson School, Cincinnati, and was principal of the Stowe School organization from 1935 to 1956, when he retired. His Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education was recognized and accepted in 1939 and he received an honorary degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1968.

George married Myrtle Ann Reynolds on October 31, 1909. She was born on March 24, 1889 to Orlando Reynolds and Casselia (Allen) Reynolds in Ridge Township, Van Wert County, OH. His wife for 64 years, she died July 14, 1973, in Cincinnati. They had no children and are both buried in the Middle Creek Zion Baptist Church cemetery near Roselm.

Dr. George A. Phillips bequeathed part of his estate to the John Paulding Historical Society. It was with this legacy that the society built the main museum building across from the fairgrounds in Paulding in 1984. Dr. George A. Phillips’ room remains virtually intact as it was in his home in Cincinnati. The trunk and bureau (spoken of earlier) brought out of slavery are on display at the museum.

The notes and writings on which this narrative is based have been organized and edited by Sandra Phillips, Kim Sutton and other members of the John Paulding Historical Society. Sandra Phillips is a great-great-granddaughter of Abraham Phillips. This article would not have been possible without the dedication and devotion of Sandra Phillips in deciphering and transcribing the written narrative of Lloyd Phillips 1840-1929.

References:

• Bowling Green State University archives – George & Myrtle Phillips Collections
• Bowling Green State University archives – George & Myrtle Phillips Collection-Photographs
• Bowling Green State University archives – George & Myrtle Phillips Collection-Transcript