HISTORY OF THE TILTON FAMILY IN AMERICA By FRANCIS THEODORE TILTON VOLUME I NUMBER 1 Francis Theodore Tilton 426 Clifton Avenue Clifton, New Jersey Preface A wo.rd of introduction is perhaps necessary. For a period of some twenty years I have been engaged in research work on the history of the Tilton famify in America. Naturally during these years a great amount of data of a very in­ teresting nature has been accumulated. It has always been my desire to put this material into a printed book, but there are two reasons that compelled me to abandon this idea. In the first place I found as the years went on that I ·could not find sufficient time to prepare properly a large volume for pub­ lication. In the second place the great financial risk involved in a work of this character was more than I cared to assume. Nevertheless, I felt that to keep these records in a private collection was an injustice to those who are interested in the sub­ ject. I have, therefore, dec:ided to do the best thing possible, and that is, to release the material I have accumulated in booklet form from time to time, provided always there is sufficient interest to warrant a continuation of this course. · This booklet is the first to be published with this idea in mind. The series as planned will progress in logical order, genera­ tion by generation, and will comprise the history (so far as is known) of both the William and John Tilton lines. When suffi­ cient booklets have been issued to make ·up a volume an index will be prepared and the series may be bound by those who may desire to do so. For many years I have been in close touch with the late Frank W. Hine, Esq., of Grand Rapids, Michigan, a descendant of William Tilton and an authority on the Tilton .family history, from whom I received much valuable advice, assistance and material. After giving considerable thought to the matter of publication, both Mr. Hine and I agreed that the plan outlined above was the only practical and satisfactory course to pursue in publishing this Tilton material. Much of Mr. Hine's valuahle data will appear in this series of booklets. I wish to record at this place my deep sorrow at the passing of that splendid gentleman, Mr. Hine, on July 29th this year. He was unquestionably the best informed nian in America on the Tilton family history, and it is indeed a great regret to me that he could not have lived long enough to see this work actually started, for -it was his heart's desire to see this material properly and perma­ nently preserved in printed form anq made accessible to all _Tilton descendants. I am very frank to say that had it not been for the constant and untiring support and encouragement given me by Mr. Hine I would probably neYer ha~e attempted any printed work on this subject. It is hoped that with the progress of this series of booklets further interest will he stimuiated, with the result that much new_ data not already accumulated by Mr. Hine or myself may come to hand and find a lodging place in this series before it is completed. Care bas, of course, been used to make these records as authentic and reliable as possible. That errors may creep into a work of this magnitude is self-evident. I would appreciate being advised wherever these are detected in order that they may be prop­ erly corrected in subsequent issues.' In conclusion I would say that I sincerely hope this book­ let, the first of the series to be published, will meet with general approval. I also hope that those who are interested will take kindly to the proposition as outlined and will give it their support. With­ out support the undertaking cannot succeed. FRANCIS THEODORE TILTON. November 10, 1927. Clifton, New Jersey. Tilton HE name TILTON is Anglo-Saxon. It was the name given to a hill in Leicestershire, England, by the Anglo-Saxons who settled there, because they had found on this hill the remains of the forti­ GJ fications constructed hy the Romans during their invasion of Eng­ land. · It signifies "the place where the soldiers have been," "a place of tournament," or "a village of tents." We believe the first to be preferable from the historical standpoint. As was the custom when people were first designated by surnames, the family that settled there was named from their place of residence. We do not know the original spelling of the name, but among the very earliest forms were Tillintone and Tiletone. In some of the English records of a later period (but before the colonization of America) it was also spelt Tylton, and in this country the first few generations spelt it Tillton. · The ·town of Tilton in Leicestershire was in existence when William the Conqueror •conquered E~gland, and the name of the family and of the town appears in "Domesday Book," which was a census of the inhabitants of Britain and their property, prepared by direction of the new Norman king in the year or years just pre­ ceding 1086, and is one of the oldest and most valuable of English historical records. During the reign of King Henry II ( 1154-89), Sir John Tilton possessed a fair estate, and it is recorded that he gave cer­ tain parcels of land i~ Billesdon and Kirby, in Leicestershire, to the lepers of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem and the infirm brethren of Burton-Lazars, which gifts were confirmed by the king. ( Collin's "Peerage of England," Vol. V, p. 348.) Honorable records were made in the Crusades by Sir John Tilton, Knight, and other members of the family. This Sir Johr, Tilton was living about 1216, and on his tomb in Tilton Church, founded by the Tilton family, in Tilton, England, are engraved his arms. It is possible that these arms were used by the Tiltons in this country upon their arrival here, for it is said that there is evidence that they were in use in ~ew England around the year 1700. It is also stated that in an ancient document, Peter Tilton, of Hadley, Massachusetts, is styled "Petru Tylton, Armiger," 6 thereby indicating that be was of an armigen,us English family and entitied to armorial hearings, In 1256, during the reig11 of Henry Ill, some of the family remo-ve<l from Tilton to Dighy, in Lincolnshire, and in this way the name of that branch of the family became Tilton de Digby and final!y Digby. The Dighys of England, among whom have been some very fam{)IJ8 men, are of the Tlilon family. ( CoHin's "Peer­ age of England,'' Vol. V, p. 348; also Burke, p. 418.) Tradition i,ays that the !ivl'S of both Edward I (1272-1307) and Edward III 11327-7:7) were saved hy Tiltons, and that on Bos­ worth Field !l-l85), during the '·V?ar of the Roses," sev-en of the family held positions under Henry VD in his succes;,ful fight against King Hichard HI, several of them losing their lives that day. (Lewis' "N. H, Gen.," Vol. IV, 1908, p, 1967,} The frrnt representatives of this family pa!:ronymie in this country were William Tilton and John Tilton, helieved by some to have been younger inernbt:rs of the Digby hrnnr.-h of the family, who emigrnted from England and ;settled at Saugus (Lynn j, Massachusetts, between the year;, 1630 and 1640, during tlie. great i Puritan emigration to this country and during the troublous times of King Charles I (1625-49). That the family did not sympathize with King Charles I in his method of "ruling England is evidenced by the fact that Peter _Tilton, of Hadley, Massachusetts, a son of William Tilton, gave material aid in this country to General Edward Whalley and General William. Goffe, t\vo of the judges who sentenced King Charles I to execution (1649) and who later fled to New England. It has long been a· tradition (although no documentary evidence has so far been found to substantiate it) that when King Charles II succeeded Oliver and Richard Cromwell (1660), he issued a wa1- rant for the arrest of Peter Tilton because of the !lid which he wa,; giving to these two "regicides." At any rate, if there ever was such a warra~t the king's deputies were never able to execute it, no doubt because the Puritans of New England, in contradistinction to the Cavaliers of Virginia, never sympathized with the cau~e of Charles I. It is supposed that General Goffe spent the last days of his life at the home of Peter Tilton, in Hadley, Massachusetts. William Tilton William Tilton (the founder of the New England _branch of the family an_d ancestor of Millard Fillmore, President of the United States), seems .to have been older than John, and by some it is claimed that John was a son, but it seems more probable that he was a brother. There is, however, little doubt but that they were closely related. Both John and William Tilton were men of education. Wil­ liam Tilton was a freeman in Lynn and was engaged in the settle­ ment of estates, was allowed his own seal· by the court, and seems to have been· a professional man. In 1643 he presented the in- On May 14, 1861, Kenelm Henry Digby, Esq., of England, in a letter to General William S.