Zachariah Connell

Zachariah Connell (1741–1813) was a Revolutionary War soldier and the founder of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, United States. the son of James Connell and Anne Williams. Margaret Wallace, a Virginian and Zachariah's second wife, was also acquainted with the Washington family. and a member of the Virginia Court of Gentlemen Justices Yohogana, Co. (1776-1777). This area was known as the District of West Augusta and was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is probable that Zachariah's former acquaintance with the Crawfords of Virginia and George Washington directed him toward the area that would become his eponymous township. Due to the city’s location in the center of the Connellsville coalfield, which was during the early coal mining years, Connellsville had more millionaires per capita than any other place in the country, and possibly the world.

Zachariah was not only interested in the care of his own land, but also in looking after the estates of others. He served as the local land agent for Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia, He also donated land for the site of the old Market House, the spacious grounds of the City Hall, the High School and the Carnegie Library.

Family Zachariah Connell married (1st) Rebecca Rice, m. 14 July 1825 who also served on the Connellsville, Pennsylvania borough council in 1829 and 1832. John Wesley Phillips was the son of Capt. John Phillips of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, captain in the War of 1812 and descendant of Edward Howell, Lord of Westbury and Thomas Halsey, two of the earliest settlers of Lynn, Massachusetts (1633-1635) Charles William Phillips (1826–1910) m. Eliza Davidson Marshall Zachariah Connell Phillips (1829–1906) m. Eliza Jones John Howell Phillips (1831–1876) m. (1) Mary Virginia Buie (2) Emilie Koester Joseph Wesley Phillips (1834–1834) Eliza Jane Phillips (1836–1922) m. Carey Allen Darlington Thomas Robison Phillips (1838–1866); died from typhoid fever as soldier in Civil War