Surnames: Phillips, Lilley, McIlvaine
Ellis Phillips, MD, a prominent physician of New Haven, was born in North Union township, Fayette county, Penna, August 31, 1843, and is a son of Ellis Phillips who was born November 12, 1798, near West Brownsville, Washington county, Penna.In 1824 Ellis Phillips married Phebe Lilley, daughter of Thomas Lilley, and afterward removed to a farm in North Union township, Fayette county. Their children were eight in number, five sons and three daughters, of whom Dr Phillips is the youngest.
Solomon Phillips, paternal grandfather, was born in Delaware and married Martha Nichols of Wilmington. He came to Washington county, Penna, in about 1786.
Dr Ellis Phillips at the age of sixteen went to Madison Academy at Uniontown, remained for two years when he entered Washington College and was graduated in the class of 1864. He entered the office of Drs Smith and J M Fuller of Uniontown in the study of medicine, attended lectures at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and from there was graduated in 1867.
Between courses of lectures he practiced at Upper Middletown but after his graduation he located at New Haven where Dr J K Rogers became his partner; the partnership lasting until Dr Rogers's death in 1870. He then associated himself with Dr J J Singer; the partnership after several years dissolved. Since that time Dr Phillips has practiced alone.
He has never aspired to political honors although he has held the offices of school director, town councilman and president of the board of pension examiners.
May 16, 1872, he was married to Ada A McIlvaine of New Haven, daughter of Robert McIlvaine who was born in Washington county, Penna, and early in life removed to New Haven. Dr Phillips has two sons and one daughter living: Ada Josephine Phillips; James McIlvaine Phillips; and Arthur Morton Phillips.
At the close of his partnership with Dr Rogers he returned to Philadelphia and took several special courses of study: one on diseases of the eye and ear under Dr George C Harland, the celebrated specialist. Immediately after his marriage he made a trip to Europe accompanied by his wife. He remained in Europe some time and was instructed in the celebrated Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, then ce to London where he studied diseases of the eye at the Royal Eye Infirmary; but owing to a severe attack of illness he was obliged to return home in about four months.
He resumed his general practice at New Haven until 1883 when he went to New York City and entered the offices of Dr Mittendorf as a student of diseases of the eye, taking also a special course of instruction in diseases of the throat. He began his special studies of throat diseases under the instructions of Sir Morrel Mackenzie of London, and was among the first physicians to introduce the use of the ophthalmoscope and the laryngoscope sucessfully in this section of the State. Of his specialties Dr Phillips is the pioneer of Fayette county.
Dr Phillips is an eye and throat specialist of note and reputation, but he does not, however, confine his practice to those specialties alone. In addition to a large and lucrative general practice, he is building up a fine practice in his specialties and his patients are from all parts of the country.