(Excerpt from “Spes Alit Agricolam” Tilghman/Tillman Book by Stephen Tillman, c. 1945, with our direct line followed)
True surnames, in the sense of hereditary designations, date in England from about the year 1000, from which it will be seen that the Tilghman family traces back as far as most of them, for the first record of our family is about the year 1200 A.D. Surnames were largely introduced in England from Normandy, although there are records of Saxon surnames prior to the Norman Conquest. By the end of the 12th Century hereditary names had become common in England, although as late as 1465 they were not universal.
…Thus, members of the Tilghman Family, tracing as they do the history of their surname back across the seas, and into the dim mists of antiquity, should be rightfully proud of their heritage.
The Coat of Arms
Out of the Middle Ages and down through the centuries to the world of today comes the proud custom and the romantic tradition of the ancestral coat of arms. Devised in remote days of chivalry and strange adventure, borne by armed Knights in tournaments and on ancient battlefields, cherished by illustrious forbears of ages past, and handed down from generation to generation as a sacred emblem of family honor, the coat of arms is an object of pride and distinction for its bearers today and an heirloom and a heritage which generations of descendants will treasure. It is an eloquent symbol of distinguished ancestry and patrician blood.
Since armorial bearings are hereditary, American descendants of British and Continental families have the unquestionable right to use the arms borne by their ancestors. The coat of arms of one’s forebears, moreover, are as essential a part of one’s genealogical record as the name of the ancestors who bore them. With the growing respect for pedigree and the increasing interest in genealogy among cultured Americans, the kindred subject of heraldry, the science of coat of arms, is at the present time experiencing a notable revival of general attention.
The origin of heraldry may be traced back to the dawn of history, Primitive peoples, such as the prehistoric tribes of Europe and the Indians of America had their totems; the ancient Hebrews, Egyptians, Chinese and Japanese used symbols comparable with the insignia of heraldry; the Aztecs of Mexico carried shields and banners bearing personal or tribal devices: and the heroes of ancient Greece and Rome inscribed hereditary ensigns on their shields. Centuries later, the Norman invaders of England (1066) bore shields emblazoned with crudely devised insignia. But all of these early devices lack the essential characteristics of true armorial bearings and may not be regarded as heraldry.
True heraldry, in the sense of a systematized science of hereditary armorial bearings, dates from the early 12th Century. There is no record of the use of such bearings during the First Crusade, and they were extremely rare during the Second Crusade of 1147. But by 1189 a number of the shields borne in the Third Crusade were emblazoned: and the Great Seal of Richard, the Lion-Hearted, in the same year shows his shield charged with a lion rampant.
Three factors contributed to the origin of heraldry: First, man’s natural desire to enhance his personal appearance, which found expression in the ornamentation of his military equipment: Secondly, the need, among warriors who covered their heads and bodies with armor, for identifying marks easily recognizable in the press of battle: and Thirdly, the need, in an age when few could write and personal seals served rather than signatures on official or private papers, for seals of clearly identifiable design. Heraldry was the answer to the needs of the times, and with remarkable swiftness it came into general use. From the beginning of the 13th Century, princes, nobles, knights, and gentry adopted the custom and proudly displayed their arms in architectural ornaments, furniture, jewelry and embroidery, as well as on their paraphernalia of war. From the practice of embroidering the family device on the surcoat, worn over the coat of mail, comes the expression of “Coat of Arms.”
In the earliest days of heraldry, arms were chosen by the bearer to suit his fancy. Crosses in many forms were adopted, in some rare instances perhaps to commemorate service in the Crusades, but more often merely as the symbol of Christianity. Broad horizontal, vertical, or slanting stripes of vivid colors across the shield were chosen as being simple to emblazon and easily recognizable. Beasts, dragons, birds, fishes, the Heavenly Bodies, trees, fruit, plants, and objects familiar to everyday life of the Middle Ages were adopted as charges. Lions, eagles, and foxes, representing the virtues which the medieval mind attributed to these creatures, were frequently employed.
As coats of arms became more numerous, confusion resulted from the unrest – rained adoption or alteration of arms and from the practice by feudal lords of allowing favorite followers to use their bearings. In the early part of the 15th Century a proclamation of Henry, The Fifth, prohibited thereafter the assumption of arms in England except by virtue of inheritance or a grant from the Crown.
Heraldry was introduced into America by the first settlers, many of whom, younger sons of the nobility or the gentry, brought with them from England or the Continent, their hereditary coat of arms. Evidence of the use of arms by the Europeanborn colonists and the early generations of their descendants is to be found in old paintings, in engraved silverware, in seals affixed to letters and to official documents, and in carvings on ancient monuments and tombstones.
When the heart that now dictates this humble mead of praise shall be mingling with the dust of tombs, yet will succeeding generations of Tilghmans dwell with delight upon the recollections of the past which daily call up before them the images of those who have long, long since been gathered to their fathers.
Stephen Frederick Tillman
October 1, 1945
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THE TILGHMAN FAMILY
1. JOHN TILGHMAN. The name of Tilghman or Tillman is derived from the occupation of its first bearers, either as “tilemen,” – the “tiler,” – one who covered roofs with tiles, or as “tillman,” a husbandman or farmer. The family motto of “Spes Alit Agricolam” (Hope sustains the Farmer), would indicate the latter origin.
The family name is found on ancient records of England in the various forms of Tyleman, Tylman, Tyllman, Tylghman, Tilman, Tillman, and Tilghman. In early German records it is Tillmann. Such changes in the spelling, resulting from ignorance of spelling on the part of early-day clerks, variations in pronunciations, or merely from the preference on the part of the bearer, tend to baffle both the Genealogist and the Etymologist. For example, the marriage licenses issued in London to Oswald Tilghman (par. 24) reads Tilghman for the first license and Tilman for the second one.
It is believed that the family originated in Southern France from whence they settled in the Reinland (meaning the Territory along the River Rhine), as the Von Till family. This name appeared later in Germany as Tillmann. When the first of the Tilghman family appeared in England it was a Tilman. About the year 1000 it became Tilghman. The arms of the Von Till family shows a shield, two lions, a helmet, and a crown, which is identical to the arms of the Tilghman family.
In the absence of factual information on the family prior to 1225 A.D., it may be assumed that the family came to Kent County, England, with the Jutes, one of the three great Teutonic Nations, in their invasion of England in 449. As early as 690 (Vol. 1, Beade’s Opera Historical), the Tilghman family was established in Kent County, for it is recorded that “Tilman was the name of one of the English priests who accompanied the ill-fated Hewalds in their mission to the Continental Saxons,” and was a “man of great renown and also noble, as the world judgeth, who from a thane (thegn) was become a monk.”
The dictionary states that in Anglo-Saxon England the word “thane” or “thegn” denoted originally a warrior companion of a King, assigned to particular military duty. A later meaning of the word is a “freeman who possessed five or more hides of land and had a special appointment in the King’s Hall, and was bound to render services in war as a landowner.” Then there were others who were “thanes” on account of their birth and thus we find that “thane-hood” was partially inherited and partially acquired.
English records point out that the King of Kent surrounded himself with a chosen war band of companions known as “thegns” who were rewarded for their services by gifts from the public land. Their distinction rested, not on hereditary rank, but on service rendered to the King, and they at last became a nobility which superseded the “eorls” of the original English Constitution. The thegnmen became great officers of the State. They advanced with the advance of the King. They absorbed every post of honor: they became ealdormen, reeve, bishop, and judge; while their wealth increased as the common folkland passed into the hands of the King and was carved out in estates of goodly size for dependents.
Thus it is found that “Tilman, the Thegnman,” was in Kent County as early as 690. The connected genealogy of the Tilghman family begins with the year 1225. It should be emphasized, however, that all English records speak of the family as “an ancient family of Snodland.”
Records show that the first of the family was Johannes or John Tilghman, born about 1225 (see Harris’ History of County Kent, Hasted’s History of County Kent, Berry’s County Genealogies, and the several Visitations of Kent). John Tilghman had one son Richardus or Richard. The records indicate that John Tilghman lived in Snodland Parish, Kent County, England. Several of the descendants settled in Faversham Hundred or Parish, Kent County. Reference is made to the Kent and Sussex “lines” of the family (Martin and Allardyce). The Sussex “line” is the Faversham branch of the family.
The Tilghman family owned Holloway Court in Snodland Parish as well as several courts in Faversham. In the days of feudalism the tenure of such ownership was vested largely in possession, with loyalty to the reigning sovereign and the rendering of military service thereto, and the ability to hold the same by force may have had much to do with proprietorship in relation to the courts or castles mentioned. Philipott, in his “Villare Cantiancum,” states that he had “examined all of the records very carefully and reached the conclusion that the Tilghman family had come into possession of Holloway Court in the reign of King Edward, the 3d (between 1313-1377). In the History of Kent, it is stated that “Henry de Holeweye paid aid for Holeweye Court in the beginning of King Henry, 3d. His descendant William de Holeweye possessed it in the 30th year of King Edward, 1st, from which name it passed into that of Tilghman, who were owners of it in the reign of King Edward, 3d, and that Richard Tilghman had his arms painted on very old glass in the windows of the house.” Holloway Court passed out of the ownership of the Tilghman family while owned by Edward Tilghman (see par. 12).
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2. RICHARD TILGHMAN, son of John (1) Tilghman, lived in Snodland Parish, Kent County, England, according to the Visitation of Kent (Vol. 42) in which the name is listed as Richardus Tilghman. No other information is given on the family except that Richard Tilghman had a son Thomas.
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3. THOMAS TILGHMAN, son of Richard (2) Tilghman, lived in Snodland Parish. He was the father of two sons, Nicholaus, and William.
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4. NICHOLAUS TILGHMAN, son of Thomas (3) Tilghman, is recorded in the Visitation of Kent as living in Snodland Parish. He was the father of Richard de Fauersham: and William, who d. without issue. Nicholaus is Nicholas in the modern sense. Richard de Fauersham means Richard that lives (lived) in Faversham Parish.
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5. RICHARD TILGHMAN, son of Nicholas (4) Tilghman, is described in the Visitation of Kent as “Richardus Tilghman de Fauersham,” meaning Richard Tilghman that lives (lived) in Faversham Parish. In the History of Kent County reference is made to the fact that the Tilghman family of Faversham Hundred and the Tilghman family of Snodland Parish were related. Issue: William, Thomas, and Nicholas.
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604. NICHOLAS TILGHMAN, son of Richard (5) Tilghman, is described as “de Faversham, Kent County,” (Visitation of Kent). He d. prior to 1591, for on Page 195, Harleian Mss. 25, it is stated that on “December 13, 1591, Margery Tilghman, daughter of — Tilghman, of Faversham, Kent, Gent., deceased, m. Thomas Bromelye. She doubtless was the daughter of Nicholas Tilghman. Issue: Nicholas, Margery, and Thomas.
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605. THOMAS TILGHMAN, son of Nicholas (604) Tilghman, is shown in the book: “History of Kent,” as owning Beechworth Castle, in Surrey County, England, which he sold to John Cassock of Faversham. This same authority refers to this Thomas Tilghmas, as a younger member of the Snodland Tilghmans. He later settled in Sussex County. The coat of arms of the Sussex Tilghman family is the same as that of the Snodland family with the exception that the Sussex branch has the motto: “Spes Alit Agricolam.” Issue: Nicholas.
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606. NICHOLAS TILGHMAN, son of Thomas (605) Tilghman, m. Jane Benson, according to the family Bible of Christopher Tilghman, the Emigrant. On Page 184 “Miscellanea Genealogical et Heraldica, 5th. S. 4,” it is stated that Nicholas Tilghman, yeoman, was living 1660 in Selling, Faversham, Hundred, Kent County, England. Issue: Christopher, and John.
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607. CHRISTOPHER TILGHMAN, son of Nicholas (606) and Jane (Benson) Tilghman, is described in the “Visitation of Kent,” as being “de Selling,” which is to say that he lived in the Parish of Selling, Faversham Hundred. He m. Anna Sanders, daughter of Edward and Anna (Pandreth) Sanders. English records indicate that Anna Sanders was a direct descendant of William, The Conqueror. See paragraph 11 for descent from the English Royal family. Christopher Tilghman d. prior to 1619 for Berry in his “County Genealogies,” speaks of Anna Tilghman, widow of Christopher, in that year. Issue: Isaac, Christopher, b.
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613. CHRISTOPHER TILGHMAN, son of Christopher (607) and Anna (Sanders) Tilghman, was b. circa 1600 in Selling, Faversham Hundred, Kent County, England, and d. in James City County, Virginia. He m. Ruth Devonshire. Issue: Roger, b. 1650, Gideon, and John. The time of his arrival in Virginia is listed in Greer’s “Early Emigrants to Virginia,” and “Patents of Virginia,” May 9, 1635. In the “Visitation of Kent,” is shown the fact that Christopher Tilghman came into possession of Rhodes Court, formerly owned by Thomas Bealde, and that Christopher sold this estate to Thomas Carter. The Court is described as being a Manor situated in the Southeast extremity of the Parish of Selling, in the borough of Rhodes. Selling and Boughton are two parishes on the South or opposite side of the London road.
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1687. GIDEON TILGHMAN, son of Christopher (613) and Ruth (Devonshire) Tilghman, was b. in Accomac County, Virginia, and d. May 7, 1720, in Somerset County, Maryland. Records of the Eastern Shore of Virginia show that he was living November 22, 1665, in Accomac County, and on that date designated one Thomas Clark to be his attorney in Virginia and Maryland. On Apr. 1, 1669, Gideon Tilghman purchased more than 100 acres of land from Edward Lunn, known as “Golden Quarter,” and ran “from a marked pine upon Back Creek on up that creek.” Later Gideon Gilghman made other land purchases which he named: “Tilghman’s Adventure,” “Tilghman’s Care,2 “Pool-shape,” “Small Hopes,” “Dale’s Adventure,” and “Gideon’s Luck.” In “Sidelights of Maryland History,” Page 448, by Richardson, it is stated that Gideon Tilghman owned 1,000 acres of land in Somerset County, Maryland, which he acquired between 1682 and 1720. The records at Princess Anne, Maryland, show that he m. Feb. 15, 1681, Margaret Manen or Maneux. Issue: Gideon, b. Oct. 18, 1682, Solomon, b. Feb. 13, 1685, Elinor, b. Feb. 13, 1688, John Stephen, b. Sept. 15, 1689, Moses, b. June 6, 1692, Elizabeth, b. Jan. 5, 1694, and Joseph, b. Mar. 4, 1700.
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1688. GIDEON TILGHMAN, son of Gideon (1687) and Margaret (Manen) Tilghman, was b. Oct. 18, 1682, in Somerset County, Maryland, and d. 1770 on his plantation “Tilghman’s Adventure.” He m. Esther Holland. Issue: John, b. 1705, Aaron, Elisha, Anne, Nehemiah, Margaret, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Margaret or Peggy, Sarah, Gideon, Stephen Holland, b. June 24, 1738, Tabitha, and Joseph.
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2622. ELISHA TILGHMAN, son of Gideon (1688) and Esther (Holland) Tilghman, was b. in Somerset County, Maryland, and d. 1785, in Beaufort County, South Carolina. His full name was William Elisha Tilghman, and under that name served as a Captain with the North Carolina Line in the Revolutionary War, although he later used the name of Elisha only. Captain Tilghman m. Charity Payton, and settled in Dodds County, North Carolina. Issue: Joseph R., Daniel, Michael, Sandord, Elisha, Georgia, and Jesse.
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2658. DANIEL TILLMAN, son of Elisha (2622) and Charity (Payton) Tilghman, was b. in Dodds County, North Carolina, and d. in Mississippi. He m. Sarah Harris. In the War of 1812 Mr. Tillman served with Borrows’ Company, 16th Mississippi Militia. Issue: Robert, b. 1770, John, b. 1772, Haden, b. 1774, Francis, b. 1775, George, b. 1780, Sarah, b. 1786, Amanda, b. 1780, who m. Feb. 21, 1818, W. G. Avant, of Pike County, Alabama.
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2726. HADEN TILLMAN, son of Daniel (2658) and Sarah (Harris) Tillman, was b. 1774, in North Carolina, and settled in Claiborne County, Mississippi. He m. –. Issue: James Alfred, b. May 1800, George K., b. Oct. 5, 1802, and Malachi, b. Oct. 12, 1812.
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2742. GEORGE K. TILLMAN, son of Haden (2726) and – Tillman, was b. Oct. 5, 1802, and d. Oct. 5, 1864. He m. 1825, Sarah –, who was b. June 18, 1805, and d. June 30, 1865, and settled in Copiah County, Mississippi. Issue: Isaac L., b. Sept. 9, 1827, Melissa A., b. Apr. 14, 1829, James R., b. Oct. 19, 1834, and d. Aug. 28, 1907, who m. Arline E. Sandifer, who was b. Apr. 10, 1844, and d. Feb. 22, 1921: Pernicy M., b. Jan 8, 1826, and d. Sept. 18, 1881, who m. Mr. Paul: Narcissus A., b. Dec. 24, 1827, R. Lafayette, b. Oct. 9, 1840, and d. Sept. 12, 1860: John Francis Haden, b. Sept. 10, 1842, and George L., b. Sept. 5, 1859.
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2745. JOHN FRANCIS HADEN TILLMAN, son of George (2742) and Sarah (-) Tillman, was b. Sept. 10, 1842, in Copiah County, Mississippi, and d. June 16, 1911. In the War Between the States he served with Company F. 6th Mississippi Infantry. Mr. Tillman m. Feb. 7, 1867, Martha Ann Sandifer, who was b. Feb. 13, 1850, and d. July 6, 1922. Issue: George K., b. Dec. 23 1867, Martha Lena, b. Oct. 30, 1871, Oscer Joseph, b. Jan. 3, 1873, Robert Edgar, b. Feb. 8, 1875, who m. May 30, 1900, Lela Donald: Dan Longino, b. Feb. 14, 1877, Ruth Beatrice, b. August 27, 1876, and d. May 19, 1890: Melissa Arline, b. Dec. 2, 1881, who m. Roy W. Gray: Ben Grover, b. Sept. 20, 1884, John Sexton, b. Feb. 3, 1889, Fannie Belle, b. Feb. 10, 1887, who m. firstly Lee Arterbury, and secondly, H. B. Haley: Ernest Emmett, b. 1890, and Dudley Dampeer, b. Sept., 1894, who m. July 2, 1930, Olive Pearl Sexton, and is now living Greenwood, Mississippi.
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871. OSCAR JOSEPH TILLMAN, son of John (869) and Martha (Sandifer) Tillman, was born January 3, 1873. He married May Wainwright. Issue: Elmer.