The McPhillips Family of Kimball
Smith Family Genealogy
Family Tree
“Irish” John Smith married Susan McPhillips at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Keyesville, Wisconsin. Susan was one of eight children born to Michael McPhillips and Mary Smith. Three McPhillips children (names unknown) died in Ireland. Five McPhillips children immigrated with their parents about 1868 on the “Historian”. The children were Patrick, Susan, John, Owen and Mary. Young Mary McPhillips died in 1870 from Scarlet Fever. Family lore says Owen McPhillips was born on the voyage to America. His naturalization papers suggest he was born in County Monaghan. After departing the ship, the McPhillips family moved to Bear Creek Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin. The following diagram shows how the Smith siblings tie into the McPhillips family line.
McPhillips in South Dakota
Part of the McPhillips clan moved to Kimball, South Dakota. When did they first arrive in South Dakota? In 1883 Susan (McPhillips) Smith moved to Dakota Territory. Michael (Mick) McPhillips began living full-time in South Dakota five years before his death in 1912. Mick’s wife died in 1886. His obituary says from 1886 forward he divided his time between Wisconsin and South Dakota. His son, Owen McPhillips, also lived in Kimball, South Dakota. Do we know when Owen moved to South Dakota? Yes. According to his obituary Owen moved to South Dakota in 1899.
As fate would have it, Alice and Owen married. They were married in Mitchell, Davison County, South Dakota, on January 24, 1911. The priest officiating at their wedding was J. J. O’Gorman. Their marriage record shows the following information:
- Owen McPhillips, aged 42, Irish nationality, residence listed as Kimball, Brule County, South Dakota
- Alice Shanahan, aged 26, Irish nationality, residence listed as Kimball, Brule County, South Dakota
Alice Shanahan was originally from Ute, Iowa.
Ryan & McPhillips
Ryan and McPhillips was a fixture in downtown Kimball from 1910 to 1920. Ben Ryan and Owen (Owney) McPhillips ran this general store. The picture above shows Owen with two of his employees although only one name is known. The lady on the left is Mary Farrell. If you look at Irish John Smith’s obituary you will see a Sam Farrell from Madison. Sam was born in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. Is this Mary Farrell related to the Farrell clan of Dane County, Wisconsin?
Who was Ben Ryan, you ask? Ben sold his home to Frank and Adelaide Ryan with the stipulation that he had to live with them. It became part of the ‘deal’. Ben is not related to the Bartholomew ‘Batt’ Ryan clan. You can see Ben Ryan’s name in the 1920 US Census for Kimball, South Dakota, which shows he was living with Frank and Adelaide. One other name appears in this census. It was 10 ˝ month old John W. (Jack) Ryan. (Frank and Adelaide Ryan’s daughter, Ruth, married John W. Smith.)
From “Echoes of the Past” (pages 43 – 44)
“Smith and Ryan had teamed up to dispense groceries and dry goods. In 1909, Smith sold his interest to McPhillips, and so it was Ryan and McPhillips”. (Editor’s note: It is unknown who this ‘Smith’ was that sold his interest to Owney. I don’t believe it was “Irish” John.)
The picture above was taken in 1914. Carloads of apples were brought by A. Skinrood, Louis Lastrico and Ryan-McPhillips. These apples may have come from Washington or Missouri. It is not known for sure. The barrels of fruit were stored in a large cave at the McPhillips home and taken to the store as needed. Men seated on the dray are (top row) Guy Josephson, Leo Herrlein and Mr. Gibson, owner of the dray. On the bottom row was Gibson’s son. Next to Gibson’s son were Owen McPhillips and Louis Lastrico.
The Kimball Graphic printed this piece about Ryan & McPhillips:
“Do you know the two happiest people to welcome gentle spring? It’s the pair of corset models in Ryan & McPhillips’ windows. We actually felt sorry for them on some of those bitter cold days, and if Ben Ryan wasn’t a crusty old bachelor, he would have thrown a blanket over them.” Ben Ryan became postmaster of Kimball in 1922.
January 12, 1912 – Advertisement
The following advertisement appeared in the Kimball Graphic (Kimball, South Dakota) dated September 10, 1912:
January 12, 1912 – Birth Announcement
In fact, the following snippet appeared the same day (September 10, 1912) in the Kimball Graphic:
“Born to Mr. and Mrs. Owen McPhillips, a son, Saturday morning. Congrats Owney.” (Editor’s note: It seems to me Owney’s wife did all the work!)
January 12, 1912 – Death Announcement
September 10, 1912, was a big news day for the McPhillips clan. Michael McPhillips’ obituary also appeared in this same paper. Our website shows Michael McPhillips’ obituary as printed in the Spring Green newspaper. There it said his funeral was held on September 1. This notice appeared in the Kimball Graphic and includes more information. From this notice we can determine the date of death – Friday, August 29, 1912.
McPhillips Facts
In 1920 we see the following McPhillips living in Kimball, South Dakota: Owen McPhilips (age 50), Alice McPhilips (age 35) and Harold McPhilips (age 7). The surname listed on the census shows ‘McPhilips’ and not ‘McPhillips’. Owen listed his occupation as ‘clerk in store’.
In 1930 we see the following McPhillips living in Kimball, South Dakota: Owen McPhillips (age 62), Alice McPhillips (age 46), Harold McPhillips (age 17), Donald McPhillips (age 9) and Owen McPhillips (age 5). This time the census enumerator spelled the last name correctly.
All the McPhillips boys graduated from Kimball High School in Kimball, South Dakota. Harold graduated in 1929, Donald graduated in 1938 and Owen graduated in 1942. Harold eventually moved to Salem, South Dakota, where he spent 41 years working in the retail oil business. Donald owned a farm near Kimball, South Dakota. Harold and Donald did not have children.
Finally, we get to the cemetery records for St. Margaret’s Church in Kimball, Brule County, South Dakota. The following McPhillips are buried in these grounds:
McPhillips Alice f 07 Mar 1884 02 Jun 1966 82y 02m 26d
McPhillips Donald T. m 1920 29 Sep 1983 63y
McPhillips John m 01 Mar 1921 60y A 2 18 7
McPhillips Mary J. f 31 Jul 1896 60y A 2 18 6
McPhillips Mick m 1825 1912 87y A 2 23 1
McPhillips Owen m 12 Nov 1868 17 Aug 1940 71y 10m 05d
Our website also contains obituaries for Susan (McPhillips) Smith, Owen McPhillips and Michael McPhillips. Susan is also buried in St. Margaret’s cemetery.
Dance as if no one's watching, sing as if no one's listening, and live everyday as if it were your last. (Irish Saying)
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November 2007