November 11, 1865
Peter Phelps, a colored man, who has lived in St. Albans for nearly a half century, died recently at the advanced age of 111 years.
According to the 1850 St. Albans, Franklin County, Vermont Federal Population Census, Peter Phelps was 70 years of age, thereby making his estimated birth year as ca. 1780.
We know that his children William Phelps Sr. (who married Rosanna Prince) and Lewis Phelps (who married Frances Caroline Parkis) were identified throughout their lives as persons of color (Black, Mulatto, Negro, etc).
Antoine Philips Sr. himself was identified as B for Black in the 1850 Highgate, Franklin County, Vermont Federal Population Census as well. Married to a French Quebec woman (Catherine Emery dite Coderre of Ste. Hyacinthe Parish) their children were identified in that same household as being 'Mulatto'.
Interestingly enough, looking at Peter Phelps Death Record per Nov. 1865 in St. Albans Town Records:
Peter Phelps was not identified as Black or White or even any ethnicity whatsoever, interestingly enough. Even more interesting is this Death Record does not imply any age at the time of his death.
But the Burlington Sentinel Newspaper does ... as do other Vermont and outlying newspapers do as well ... as see in this posts first image of such Death Announcement.
And how do we KNOW that this Peter Phelps is the father of Antoine Philips / Phillips Sr. (?)
Surprisingly, the answer is within the Vermont Eugenics SURVEY records for this Phillips family in the 20 Page SUMMARY.
And how do we KNOW that this Peter Phelps is the father of Antoine Philips / Phillips Sr. (?)
Surprisingly, the answer is within the Vermont Eugenics SURVEY records for this Phillips family in the 20 Page SUMMARY.
Now, you may be already asking yourselves, what does this have to do with Abenakis? Well it has a lot to do with Vermont's so-called "Abenakis" and the process of Recognition by the State of Vermont, as well as Frederick M. Wiseman Ph.D. as well as a Phillips descendant, Donald Warren Stevens Jr. of the "Nulhegan" group up in Orleans County, Vermont.
Following up on the Phelps and Phillips Time Line research that's been done, recently I ran into this Burlington newspaper article:
September 11, 1885
Antoine Phillips, (colored) who died last week in this town, was undoubtedly the oldest man in this neighborhood. As near as can be ascertained his age was, at the time of his death, 100 years. He has been a resident of this town for about sixteen or seventeen years.
Obviously, doing the research, we have found that very likely, Antoine (Phelps) Philips / Phillips Sr. was born ca. 1812-1814.
Doing Y-DNA research with two direct-male-descendants of this Antoine Phillips Sr. we have ascertained the confirmed Haplo-group of B-M181 ... through both Family Tree DNA (FTDNA).
Haplo-group Y-DNA B-M181 originates from and of AFRICA. After the dynamics of slavery of African People's to the West Indies into Connecticut (etc) within the United States of America, we see that this Haplo-group is found in descendants of those enslaved.
So how is it that Donald Warren Stevens Jr. of this "Nulhegan" group in Orleans County, Vermont can sit there and claim as he has about his ancestors, the Phillips family of Franklin and Chittenden County, Vermont, being "Abenakis" when in FACT, both socially, historically, genealogically and genetically, it is PROVEN beyond any shadow of a doubt, that his Phillips ancestors were paternally African and maternally French?!
How can Mr. Don Stevens sit there in the Wabanaki Confederacy Meetings claiming he is "Abenaki" ... when he's not? Same dynamics for that Italian and French descendant Mr. Tomo Wounded-Bear / Thomas Snizek
Apparently the State of Vermont is so thoroughly complicit in creating and maintaining this FRAUD (which is against the Abenaki Peoples, both ancestrally and the contemporary Abenaki Communities of Odanak and Wôlinak whose people are living throughout the United States today), that the likes of Don Stevens Jr. can put on his bastardization and appropriate the Abenaki persona and no one bats an eyelash or questions the basis or foundation of his claims and merits, not even the Wabanaki Confederacy?!
Recently, Vicki Garrison, in the SevenDays Article spoke of "promoting ...the erasure of people of color within Vermont."
Ok, so what about the promotion of the erasure of Abenaki People and appropriation of Abenaki culture and language, dances and songs within Vermont etc. by those who are of color, who 'pass' as "Abenaki" such as Donald Warren Stevens Jr. and some of his Phillips family relatives?
