Philip A. Altland was born around 1807 in Pennsylvania. He married a woman named Catherine, and they had at least thirteen children: Maria, born around 1831; Daniel, born around 1832; Rebecca, born around 1834; Catherine, born around 1835; Jacob, born around 1836; Samuel, born around 1837; Philip, born on March 1, 1839; Nancy, born around 1840; Leah, born around 1841; Elizabeth, born around 1843; Sarah, born around 1845; John, born around 1850; and George, born around 1862. They lived in Warrington, Pennsylvania, and Altland worked as a farmer. By 1850, he owned $4,000 of real estate. A decade later, he owned $7,000 of real estate and $1,800 of personal property.
During the Gettysburg campaign, he later testified, “a body of armed Rebels passesd through his neighbourhood” and took two horses that he valued at $300. The federal government later compensated him for the loss. By 1870, he owned $10,000 of real estate and $1,775 of personal property. A local writer described him as a “wealthy and highly respected citizen.” He served as a justice of the peace for more than thirty years. He died of dropsy in Warrington on August 1, 1891.