He is listed as married to Elizabeth in 1860 census for Polk, Jefferson Co, IA. He enlisted in Company M, Iowa 4th Cavalry Regiment on 25 Nov 1861. Mustered out on 05 Dec 1864 at Memphis, TN. They then were settled in 1870 in Mendota, Lasalle Co, IL where they lived most of their lives. Listed in Illinois in 1900 after 43 yrs of marriage to wife Elizabeth (Dec 1847, OH), where it says 7 of their 8 children are still living, and son Arthur C. (Aug 1882, IL) is living with them. It shows Phineas as being born in March 1837 in spite of him being 15 in 1850.

Phineas W Wilcox, a native of Ohio, was the son of Nathaniel Wilcox. In 1855 he went to Fairfield, Iowa with his family, where he married Elizabeth and remained until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion.
Phineas enlisted at Fairfield as a Private on 25 Nov 1861 at the age of 26. He mustered in Co M 4th Iowa Cavalry on the same day as his enlistment. Mustered out 5 Dec 1864 when his term of enlistment expired. He had many thrilling experiences and many narrow escapes, although he was never captured and never seriously wounded.
Phineas married Elizabeth N Shadford. They had the following known children: William, Mary, Edward, Harry, Kate, and Carrie.
In his early life his educational advantages were limited, but his taste for reading stood him instead of schooling, and he was one of the best informed men of the county.
Phineas was in politics a strong Republican, and gave liberally of his time to the cause of his party. He was an eloquent orator, and this talent was used in many campaigns. He was Doorkeeper of the House of Representatives in the Thirty-second General Assembly and Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate in the Thirty-third Assembly.
His wife, Elizabeth, filed for his pension on 16 Feb 1903. App 778.654. Cert 553.403.
Phineas died at his home in Mendota after a long illness. He had recently been operated on for a tumor; cause of death was cancer.