According to an article printed in the Weekly Maysville Eagle, dated March 29, 1876, George Phillips came to Kentucky in 1790, after having fought in the Revolutionary War battles of Saratoga, Trenton, Princeton, and Valley Forge. The article states that George "settled first in Scott county, where he remained until 1796, and then moved to Mason county, locating near the mouth of the creek which bears his name." Subsequent land records clearly show that George settled on land that comprises the current Triple-J and Windy Hill farms, and of course Phillips’ Creek empties into the North Fork at the southern boundary of the farms.

George Phillips did not actually purchase the property on which he settled until 1813, but he and his family lived and worked the farm during those 17 years, nonetheless. Therefore, we can celebrate 8 generations and 200 years of family ownership of the homeplace in 1996.

A synopsis of the farm history follows:

Triple-J and Windy Hill Farms…, owned by four cousins, are located near Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky. All current owners are direct descendants of George Phillips who purchased 284 acres on Phillips’ Creek and the North Fork on April 23, 1813, only 21 years after Kentucky became the 15th state. Although Mr. Phillips, between 1815 and 1819, was to buy an additional 100 acres then twice sell 100 acre tracts, it is the original 284 acres that are the beginning of what today are the Triple-J and Windy Hill Farms, many transactions later. The land that is now these two farms has been in the family ownership over 180 years for seven and eight generations respectively.

George Phillips and his wife Mary Bell Phillips had six daughters and one son. One of his aforementioned sales of 100 acres was to their eldest daughter, Stella, and her husband, Benjamin Davis. This 100 acres, less a half acre donated for the establishment of [Mount Olivet] church, will reappear as part of the original 284 acres during the third generation ownership. Mr. Phillips died September 21, 1823, leaving "some" land to his wife (most of this land passes out of the family ownership) and approximately 100 acres to another daughter, Ann Helm, who had two daughters, Mariah and Mary Sarah Ann Helm. The stipulation was that the land be passed to Mariah upon Ann’s death, then to Mary Sarah Ann after Mariah’s death.

The third generation ownership centers mainly around the marriage of Mariah Helm and George Washington Pollitt. In 1835, the 100 acres (less the half acre donated) owned by Stella and Benjamin Davis were sold to Severn Pollitt, father of George Washington Pollitt. The latter then purchased the "rights" to his father’s estate on March 1, 1849. Between 1858 and 1863, he purchased an additional 57 acres (approximation). In 1849, Mary Sarah Ann Helm sells him her "rights" to Mr. Phillips’ land. These transactions and the death of Mr. Phillips’ daughter, Ann Helm, would leave Mariah and George Washington Pollitt with the original 284 acres, less donations and what went to Mr. Phillips’ wife. The Pollitts had five sons, thus the beginning of the fourth generation.

Of the five Pollitt sons, only four received Mason County property. William T. received 59½ acres, George F. received 60 acres, John J. received 55 acres and the house, Senecah H. received 67 acres, and Albert C., of Lewis County did not receive any Mason County property. They obtained these inheritances in 1883, at their mother’s death. Their father, George Washington Pollitt, had died seven years earlier. George F. sold his land in 1891. William T. sold 4½ acres of his inheritance in 1893 and the remaining 55 acres were sold to his nephews, sons of John J., in 1912. Senecah H. sold 20 of his 67 acres in 1891 and nothing further is mentioned of the remaining 47 acres. To conclude this fourth generation, only John J. Pollitt and Senecah H. Pollitt have land that was a part of Mr. Phillips’ original 284 acres. The next generation of ownership shifts to the three sons of John J. Pollitt, who died in 1916. His widow, Nettie Webster Pollitt inherited the property and she died in 1931.

The fifth generation has two distinct characteristics. This is the point where Triple-J and Windy Hill, although unnamed as of yet, begin the appearance of two separate farms, ownership-wise. The sons of John J. Pollitt were all referred to as "Pollitt" but only William O. Pollitt retained this spelling throughout all references. The other two brothers, Edward E. and Albert W., were referenced both ways—Pollitt and Pollitte. All children of all three of these men were recorded as spelling their family name as Pollitte. These three brothers made several land transactions and by 1949, Edward D. and Albert W. owned 89.72 acres, while the heirs of William O. had 64.6 acres. In 1950, Edward D. and Albert W. Pollitte transferred their holdings to James J. Pollitte, son of Edward D. Pollitte. William O. Pollitt and wife, Hattie L., had six children and each held undivided equal interest in his land. He died in 1947.

The sixth generation is marked as a period of cooperation between cousins, the six children of William O. Pollitt and the one child of Edward D. Pollitt(e). In 1951, the combined properties of all seven members were farmed as a unit under the management of James J. Pollitte. In 1959, he initiated a full dairy operation and began several major improvements and named the farm "Windy Hill." This same year, he purchased Earlbert Pollitte’s and George O. Pollitte’s 1/6 undivided interest in the William O. Pollitt estate. In 1966, James J. enters into a farm management partnership and Mr. Harold Bruner takes over the daily management of the farm. They held a dispersal sale in 1969 and dissolved the partnership. James J. Pollitte died in 1985, but not before he entered into a contract with three first cousins whose grandfather was William O. Pollitt. These three cousins are the seventh generation and current owners of the Triple-J Farm. At his death, James J. Pollitte’s land, which consisted of 14 acres after the previously mentioned contract with his cousins, went to his daughter Sandra Pollitte Columbia, another seventh generation. She was to transfer this 14 acres eventually to her son, James R. Columbia, the current owner of Windy Hill and the eight generation to own the land.

Triple-J Farm. Currently a 169-acre farm owned by three cousins since September 1, 1988. Approximately 107 acres are now being used in raising beef cattle and tobacco and in dairy operations. Current owners are James Howard Pollitte, James D. Pollitte, and Julian Carlyle Ackley whose great-great-great-great grandfather was George Phillips. All but 9¼ acres of their farm is fully contained within the 284-acre tract Mr. Phillips bought in 1813.

Windy Hill Farm. James Redmond Columbia has full title to this 14-acre tract of the land that is fully contained within the 284 acres originally purchased by his great-great-great-great-great grandfather George Phillips in 1813. He actively farms a little over nine acres growing alfalfa hay with a Holstein dairy herd pasture. He bought the land March 23, 1990.

Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Historic Farms Program, and Turner Publishing Company Staff. 1994. Kentucky’s Historic Farms. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Publishing Company.