Re: Col.John Tillman in NC

Hi Jennifer-

I just found this post and hope it's not too old to reach you.

I've been chipping away at this family for a few years. Most of what's out there floating around the internet is incorrect so I've tried to start with original records.

I believe the John Tillman you mention was the son of John Tillman Sr. (b. abt. 1721 in Somerset County, Maryland) who was the son of John Tilghman (b. 1689 in Somerset), the son of Gideon Tilghman Jr.

John Tilghman I died in Somerset in 1733. His wife Rose remarried within two years and John Tilghman II was sent to live with his uncle Gideon. His older brother Moses came to NC around 1737 and was established by 1739. Other family members followed including John's other bother Benjamin and at least one of his cousins, Gideon's son Stephen. This group made up the core of Tillman/Tilman/Tilghman families found in Eastern North Carolina and Coastal South Carolina in the mid-late 1700's, then eventually the Eastern and Wiregrass areas of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi by the 1800's. Most of Tilghman/Tillman books and histories either miss or badly mangle this family's genealogy.

Many researchers conflate the John Tillman you mention with his father. Some even compress father, son and grandfather to form a mythical man that lived over 120 years. There are clearly two men in North Carolina in the 1769 tax rolls called "Sr." and "Jr.". I believe John Tillman Sr. was the man elected to the State House of Representatives in 1776 and John Tillman Jr., his son, was the man commissioned as a Major (April 1776), then Colonel in the Craven/North Carolina Militia. I've never seen a name presented for his wife so I'm curious as to where you found it. The last name "Jones" makes sense as there were several Jones families living around the several related Tilghman/Tillman families in the same small area of Johnston/Dobbs/Craven/Lenoir counties in the 1700's and they sold land back and forth to each other. The birth date you list would certainly help separate the two John Tillmans as I believe John Tillman Jr.(really John Tillman III) was probably born around 1745-55 and the age of this wife therefore makes sense.

I'll be finishing up with my research soon and happy to share what I've collected if you're still in need.

Brian