Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/692

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

r.yrcl. November 22, 1900; Corbin Griffin (2*. January 7. 1906.

Edward M. Tilley. The name Tilley is first on the roll of Battle Abbey among those who accompanied William the Conqueror to England and fought at the battle of Hast- ings, 1066. In America it is first found as among the Pilgrims of 1620, Edward and fohn Tilley, with their families coming in the "Mayflower," John and his wife Eliza- beth, Edward and his wife Ann, all dying during the "first sickness" in the winter of 1620 to 21. In 1623 came John Tilley, who was killed by the Indians, October 22, 1636. I fugh Tilley came in 1629, Nathaniel and William Tilley in 1635 and in 1660 came William Tilley, the ropemaker of Boston, whose cousins, William, John and James, came from England to w^ork for him in his rope walk at Boston.

(I) William Tilley, the elder of these three brothers, is the ancestor of the Tilleys of Norfolk, herein recorded. He is the first of the line known in America and was born in Exeter, England, about 1685, son of Wil- liam and grandson of John Tilley, of Eng- land. This William came to Boston and there in 1736 was married and with his wife Dorcas settled in Newport, Rhode Island, where soon after his arrival his son, AVil- liam, known as "Deacon" William Tilley, was born. October 19. 1738, died April '14, 1825.

(II) Deacon William Tilley, like his father, was a rope maker and owned all the land in Newport, east of the Jewish Syna- gogue, on Touro street, to the burial ground on Kay street, on which his extensive rope walk was situated. His residence was on Elizabeth street, near the Jewish Cemetery. He married (first) Elizabeth Rogers, who bore him seventeen children, thirteen of whom grew to mature years and married. He married (second) Catherine Sabine, (third) Elizabeth Boone, the "Newport Mercury" of November 10, 1821, thus re- porting his third marriage : "Married on Sunday last by Reverend Mr. Northup, Deacon W'illiam Tilley, of this town, age eighty-four 3-ears, to Widow Elizabeth T'.oone. age seventy-three years. The deacon has had seventeen children, ninety grand- children, and thirty great-grandchildren and his oldest child is now sixty-two years old." On .\pril 20, 1825, the same paper published

the obituary notice of the good deacon, stat- ing his age as eighty-seven years and that his death was mourned by surviving children, seventy-nine grandchildren and forty-four ^reat-grandchildren. He w^as a deacon of the Second Baptist Church and devised con- siderable property, an item from his will is of interest: "At the intercession and per- suasion of some of my children, I had my likeness taken and that all my children may have an opportunity of seeing the same, I hereby order and direct that after my de- cease the said likeness be deposited with my daughter, Mary Swinburne, for one year. At the expiration of that term the said likeness to be deposited with the next oldest for the same term and in the same manner to all my children, until they have all had the same for one year; after all my children have had the same for the term above mentioned, it is my desire that all my grandchildren should ha^-e the same in the same manner my children have had it, be- ginning at the eldest down to the youngest. And whereas the likeness of my late wife now in my possession is to be delivered to Mr. Atwell, at my decease, which he has agreed to dispose of to my family, which wdien purchased is to remain with my chil- dren and grandchildren in the same way and manner that my likeness is directed to be deposited with them." It is also of interest to know that the pictures of Deacon Tilley and his second wife started on their journey from house to house, and a half century later were still journeying in accordance with the terms of his will.

(III) Benjamin Tilley, the sixteenth child of Deacon William Tilley and his first wife, Elizabeth Rogers (wdio died August 28, 1800, aged fifty-two years, the mother of all the deacon's children), was born in New- port, Rhode Island, September 7, 1782, died May 12, 1855. ^^ married Rachel Simmons, born April 17, 1783. died April 20, i860, the mother of eight children.

(IV) William B. Tilley, eldest child of Benjamin and Rachel (Simmons) Tilley, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, died May 28, 1864. He was postmaster at Bris- tol, Rhode Island, and a farmer. He mar-, ried. November 29, 1827, Lydia Brown, born October 12. 1808. died in 1870. daughter of Palmer Brown. Seven children : Benjamin, born October 26, 1828, married, November 20, 1852, Bennett Munroe and lived in Og-