Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/325

 PHILLEO

PHILLIPS

PHILLEO, Prudence Crandall, educator, was born in Hopkinton, R.I., Sept. 3, 1803. She was educated in the Friends school, Providence, R.I., engaged in teaching and in 1833 opened a select boarding school for girls in Canterbury, Conn., which was patronized by the leading families of the town. Through the admission of a colored student, Sarah Harris, in 1833, her former patrons withdrew their children. After consulting with William Lloyd Garrison, she decided to conduct her school entirely for the education of the Negro, and it was so advertised in the Liberator of March 3, 1833. Town meetings were held denouncing Miss Crandall ; the grocer and the provision dealer refused to sell food to the school, and the pupils were assailed and insulted in the streets. On May 24, 1833, a state law was passed forbidding any person establishing a school for the education of colored people without the written permit of the selectmen. She was arrest- ed and imprisoned in June, and in August and October was tried and convicted at the Windham county court. The supreme court of errors reversed the judgment on a technicality in July, 1834. The townspeople then sacked and burned her house, and she reluctantly abandoned the beginning of higher education for colored people in New England, and shortly afterward married the Rev. Calvin Philleo, a Baptist clergyman, who died in 1876. She spent the remainder of her life in New York, Illinois and Kansas. Her portrait, painted by Francis Alexander for the American Anti-Slavery society in 1838, was presented to Cornell university by S. J.May. See " Prudence Crandall" by John C. Kimball (1886). She died in Elks Falls. Kan., Jan. 28, 1890.

PHILLIPPS, Adelaide, singer, was born in Stratfurd-on-Avou, England, Oct. 26, 1833. She removed to Canada with her parents- in 1840, and they subsequently settled in Boston, Mass. She made her first public appearance in " Old and Young " at the Tremont theatre in January, 1842, where she sang, danced, and represented five characters. She was connected with the stock company of the Boston Museum, 1843-51, mean- time cultivating her voice under Madame Arnoult, who advised her to study for the Italian opera. She sang before Jenny Lind in 1850, who also advised her to go to Europe, recommended her to the care of Emanuel Garcia, her own teacher, and gave her $1000 towards her tuition. Jonas Chickering of Boston came to her finan- cial aid, and in March, 1852, she became the pupil of Garcia. She continued her studies in Italy under Signer Profondo, and made her debut at Brescia, in Lombardy, as Arsace in "Seuiiramide " in the same year. Slie sang in Milan and Rovereto with great success, became a favorite with the Italians, but she was underpaid by the Italian

managers, and returned to the United States in 1855. She made her first American appearance in Italian opera at Philadelphia, as Arsace, in 1855, and from there went to New York where sickness compelled her to close her engagement. She reappeared in 1856, singing Azucena in " II Trovatore " and Leonoro in "La Favorita," and went to Havana, Cuba, where she sang for three or four seasons. She made her first ap- pearance before the Boston Handel and Haydn society, Dec. 30,1860, in the "Messiah," and a second time in the "Stabat Mater" in March, 1861. Later in 1861 she made a professional tour of Europe, winning immediate success. Returning to the United States she appeared in the principal cities in opera, oratorio and con- cert, 1863-81. She was the contralto in the great Peace Jubilee in Boston in 1869 ; organized a quartet in 1874 ; the Adelaide Phillipps Opera company in 1876, and joined the Ideal Opera company in 1879, to which she was attached until December, 1881, when she made her last appearance at Cincinnati. Her health failed there and in August, 1883, she sailed for Europe, hoping to restore her health. Her stage name in Europe was Signorina Fillippi. Her voice was a contralto with a compass of two and one half octaves. She died in Carlsbad, Germany, Oct. 3, 1883, and her body is buried at Marshfield, Mass.

PHILLIPS, Charles, educator, was born in Harlem, N.Y., July 30. 1822 ; son of James (who came from England in 1818) and Judith (Ver- meule) Phillips ; grandson of the Rev. Richard (of Essex county, England) and Susan (Meade) Phillips, and of Cornelius (of New Jersey) and Elizabeth (Middagh) Vermeule. He was gradu- ated from the University of North Carolina, A.B., 1841 ; A.M., 1844 ; was tutor there, 1844-54 ; pro- fessor of engineering, 1854-60 ; of mathematics, 1861-68 and 1875-79, and professor emeritus, 1879- 89. He was married, Dec. 8, 1847, to Laura, daughter of Joel and Mary Battle, of Edgecombe, N.C. He supplied the Chapel Hill Presbyterian church, 1857-68 ; was professor of mathematics and astronomy in Davidson college, 1868-69, and of mathematics and engineering, 1869-75. He received the degree of D.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1868 and that of LL.D. from Davidson college in 1876. He died at Columbia, S.C. May 10, 1889.

PHILLIPS, Henry, author, was born in Phila- delphia, Pa., Sept. 6, 1838 ; son of Jonas Altamont and Frances (Cohen) Phillips ; grandson of Zeligman and Arabella (Solomons) Phillips and of Moses and Rachel (Moses) Cohen. He prepared for college at a Quaker school and at the academy of Henry D. Gregory (q.v.); was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, A.B., 1856, A.M., 1859, and after studying at universities in Europe