2582. Documentation for John Tilley
(Bef. Dec 19, 1571 to Jan to Mar, 1620/1)
father of Elizabeth Tilley
(1607 to Dec 21, 1687)
BAPTIZED: 19 December 1571, Henlow, Bedford, England, son of Robert and
Elizabeth (---) Tilley.
DIED: the first winter, between January and March, 1620/1, Plymouth
MARRIED: Joan (Hurst) Rogers, 20 September 1596, Henlow, Bedford, England,
widow of Thomas Rogers (no relation to Thomas Rogers of the Mayflower), and
daughter of William and Rose (---) Hurst.
*Note. Joan (Hurst) Rogers had a daughter Joan Rogers by her first marriage, bp. 26
May 1594, Henlow, Bedford, England. Joan married Edward Hawkins, probably a
brother of her half-brother Robert's wife Mary Hawkins.
Children:
Rose - baptised 23 October 1597, in Henlow, Bedford, England, she died young, and
was unmarried
John - baptised 26 August 1599, in Henlow, Bedford, England, date of death is
unknown, and unknown if ever married
Rose - 28 February 1601/2, Henlow, Bedford, England, unknown
unknown
Robert25 November 1604, Henlow, Bedford, England
unknown
Mary
Hawkins in
Bedford,
England
Elizabeth
Bedford, England
30 August 1607, Henlow,
21 December 1687,
Swansea, MA
John
Howland, cir
1625,
Plymouth
ANCESTRAL SUMMARY:
John Tilley, his wife Joan (Hurst) Rogers, and daughter Elizabeth came on the
Mayflower. John and Joan died the first winter, but Elizabeth lived, married John
Howland, and had eleven children. John's brother Edward Tilley came with wife Ann
Cooper on the Mayflower as well.
John Tilley did not marry Prijntgen (Elizabeth) van der Velde in Holland. That was
easily disproved in Mayflower Descendant 10:66-67, and by the subsequent identification
of Joan (Hurst) Rogers. Also note that the article in the Mayflower Quarterly 49:16+
entitled "John Tilley Jr, 1599-1636" presents a theory as to what happened to John
Tilley's son John, but the article has been criticized as presenting no proof but just
speculations (Wakefield in MD 43:76; Stratton p. 362).
John's wife Joan is the daughter of William Hurst and Rose (---). William was born
c1530, and died before 1571. He lived in Henlow, Bedford, England. Joan Hurst was
baptized in Henlow, Bedford, England on 13 March 1567/8. She married first Thomas
Rogers (no known relation to Thomas Rogers of the Mayflower), and second John Tilley.
The known ancestry of John Tilley is as follows (from The American Genealogist
52:198-208):
Henry Tilley, b. c1465, d. 1520 === Johan (---)
|
Thomas Tilley, b. c1490, d. 1556 === Margaret (---)
|
William Tilley, b. c1515, d. Jan. 1578/9 === Agnes (---)
|
Robert Tilley, b. c1540, d. Feb. 1612/3 === Elizabeth (---)
|
John Tilley, Mayflower passenger
BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY:
John Tilley came on the Mayflower with his wife Joan and daughter Elizabeth. John's
brother Edward Tilley also came on the Mayflower. SOURCES:
Caroline Lewis Kardell, "An English Line from John Tilley", Mayflower Quarterly,
65(August 1999):208-209.
Robert Leigh Ward, "English Ancestry of Seven Mayflower Passengers: Tilley,
Sampson, and Cooper," The American Genealogist 52:198-208.
Robert Leigh Ward, "The Baronial Ancestry of Henry Sampson, Humility
Cooper, and Ann (Cooper) Tilley," The Genealogist 6:166-186.
Robert Leigh Ward, "Further Traces of John Tilley of the Mayflower," The American
Genealogist 60(1984):171-173.
George E. Bowman, "Jan Tellij of Leyden was Not John Tilley of the Mayflower,"
Mayflower Descendant 10:66-67.
Elizabeth Pearson White, John Howland of the Mayflower through Desire Howland for
Five Generations, vol. 1 (Camden: Picton Press, 1990).
John Tilley (1571 – 1620 or 1621) was one of the settlers who traveled from England to
North America on the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower Compact. Tilley died
shortly after arrival in New England.
Overview
Tilley was christened in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England on 19 December 1571. He was
the eldest child of Robert and Elizabeth Tilley. He had four sisters (Rose, Agnes,
Elizabeth, and Alice) and three brothers (George, William, and Edward or Edmund).
Research done by Robert Ward Leigh, using probate records, show that Tilley's paternal
grandparents were William and Agnes Tylle, his great-grandparents were Thomas and
Margaret Tylle, and great-great-grandparents were Henry and Johann[a]? Tilly, all of
Henlow.
On 20 September 1596 in Henlow, John married Joan Hurst Rogers, the daughter of
William and Rose Hurst and the widow of Thomas Rogers of Henlow. Joan had had
one daughter from her previous marriage. John and Joan had five children between
1597 and 1607. At least one child died young. Research by George Ernest Bowman
shows that John was not the Jan Tellij that married Prijntgen Van den Velde in Leyden.
In September 1620, John and Joan embarked on the Mayflower along with their teenage
daughter Elizabeth and John's brother Edward Tilley and his wife Ann or Agnes
(Cooper) Tilley. Edward and Ann brought along Ann's relatives Henry Sampson and
Humility Cooper. They left behind their older children, who were married by this time.
They arrived at what would become Plymouth in November. John and brother Edward
were amongst the men who signed the Mayflower Compact.
Unfortunately, the first winter after their arrival was extremely difficult and a number
of the settlers died. Amongst these were John, wife Joan, brother Edward, and sister-inlaw Ann. William Bradford reported, "...Edward Tillie, and his wife both dyed soon
after their arrivall; and the girle Humility their cousen, was sent for unto Ento England,
and dyed ther But the youth Henery Sampson, is still liveing, and is married, & hath .7.
children. John Tilley and his wife both dyed, a litle after they came ashore..." This left
daughter Elizabeth the only surviving member of the Tilley family in America. The
orphan was taken in by John Carver but he and his wife both died that spring. Elizabeth
later married John Howland, Carver's former servant, and left a numerous
posterity.[citation needed]
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Children[citation needed]
Rose Tilley, baptized 23 October 1597 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England, died young
John Tilley, baptized 26 August 1599 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England
Rose Tilley, baptized 28 February 1602 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England
Robert Tilley, baptized 25 November 1604 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England, served
as an apprentice to a tailor, married Mary Hawkins on 1 November 1632 at St Paul’s
Church, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.
Elizabeth Tilley, baptized 30 August 1607 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England, sailed
on the Mayflower in 1621, married John Howland presumably in Plymouth, Plymouth,
Massachusetts, died 21/31 December 1687 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts, will
written 17 December 1686 and proved 10 January 1687/8.
In addition, Joan Hurst Rogers Tilley had a daughter, Joan Rogers, from her first
marriage. She was christened on 26 May 1594 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England and
married Edward Hawkins on 27 June 1620 at St. Paul’s Church, Bedford, Bedfordshire,
England.[citation needed]
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References
Marriage and christening records found on the International Genealogical Index
(extracted from original source records by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints).
Bradford, William, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647.
Bowman, George Ernest, “Jan Tellij of Leyden was Not John Tilley of the Mayflower”,
Mayflower Descendant, Vol. 10, No2, April 1908. pgs. 65-67.
Ward, Robert Leigh, “English Ancestry of Seven Mayflower Passengers: Tilley,
Sampson, and Cooper”, The American Genealogist, Vol. 52, pgs. 198-208.
Bowman, George Ernest, “Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland’s Will”, Mayflower Descendant,
Vol. 3, No. 1, Jan 1901, pgs. 54-57.
Forster, Joy, “The Lost Children of Bedfordshire's Pilgrim Fathers: The Tilley family
of the Mayflower”, The Mayflower Quarterly, Vol. 65, No. 4, Nov 1999.
Bowman, George Ernest, “Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland’s Will”, Mayflower Descendant,
Vol. 3, No. 1, Jan 1901, pgs. 54-57.
Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 16201633, vols. 1-3. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995 (entry on
John Howland).