PHILLIPS-BIANCA HOUSE

Photo courtesy of the Yaphank Historical Society

Phillips-Bianca House on the Middle Island Yaphank Road. Photo from the collection of Ruth Wyatt.

Dating from circa 1850. This house is of the basic Federalist design. It is the second house to have stood on this site. The first house stood during the Revolutionary War. It has been said that the Troops of Major Benjamin Talmadge stopped here to drink from the stream that runs behind the house. It remained in the Phillips family until 1945.

William Phillips, a Revolutionary War veteran, was the first Phillips to occupy the house. Before the Revolution he worked as an overseer at the William Floyd estate. Phillips was the son of William and Sibyl (Smith) Phillips. Sibyl was the daughter of Richard "Bull" Smith of Smithtown.

William was born in 1741, and married Urania Buckingham in 1785. The marriage produced five children:

William, b. 1786 d. 1858

Josiah, b. 1789 d. 1807

Anna, b. 1791

Urania, b.1793

Richard, 1796

William died in 1799 and his wife Urania in 1803, both are buried in the Union Cemetery at Middle Island. The farm was taken over by the oldest son William. William married Nancy Phillips in 1822, and began to amass a fortune speculating in wood and other staples. The marriage produced five children:

William, b. 1823, d. 1891

Urania, b. 1825

Mary Ester, b. 1828, d. 1844

Nancy, b. 1831

Philetus, b. 1834, d. 1919

William Phillips died in 1858, and his wife Nancy died in 1839. Philetus, who married Hannah (Van Horn) took over the farm. This marriage produced eight children.

Hannah Phillips and her husband Philetus Phillips. Photo from the collection of Ruth Wyatt.

William, b. 1856 d.1938

Inez, b. 1858

Daniel b. 1860

Joseph, b. 1861

Sidney, b. 1863

Sarah (Sadie) b. 1869, d. 1955

John, b. 1869, d. 1925

Arthur, b. 1877

The last of the Phillips to own the house was Sarah (Sadie), who sold the home and 70 acre farm to Frank and Ella Bianca in 1945. Mr. Bianca a county social worker did not operate the land as a farm, but did cultivate blueberries for a short period of time. The home is still owned by the Bianca family.

Information for this page provided by,

Mrs. Ella Bianca

Mrs. Ruth Wyatt