Christopher ‘the immigrant’ Tilghman, Jr.

613. CHRISTOPHER TILGHMAN, son of Christopher (607) and [Anna (Sanders) Tilghman], [sic: unknown] was b. circa 1600 in Selling, Faversham Hundred, Kent County, England, and d. in James City County, Virginia. He m. Ruth Devonshire.

Issue:

1. (perhaps) Mildred Tilghman, b. ca. 1631 in Boughton Under Bleane, Kent [citation needed]
2. John Tilghman, b. ? in Faversham Hundred, Kent, England
3. Roger Tilghman b: 1641 Charles River, Charles City Co., VA
4. Gideon Tilghman b: ca. 1652 in Accomack Co, VA

The time of his arrival in Virginia is listed in Greer's "Early Emigrants to Virginia," and in "Patents of Virginia," as 9 May 1635. In the "Visitation of Kent," it is recorded that Christopher Tilghman came into possession of Rhodes Court, formerly owned by Thomas Bealde, and that Christopher, in turn, sold this estate to one Thomas Carter. Rhodes Court is described as being a Manor situated in the southeast extremity of the Parish of Selling, in the borough of Rhodes. Selling was parish on the south, or opposite side, of the London Road.

had had a violent dispute with his older brother John, agreed to "seek his fortune" in Virginia. This solution would have met with favor among those who knew his wife's origins and who sought to "export" her to the distant British colony of Virginia.[1]

In "Cavaliers and Pioneers," by Nell Marion Nugent, it is stated that Christopher Tilghman came to Virginia in the party organized by George Mynifie, a merchant, on April 19, 1638.[citation needed] No mention is made of exactly where he settled, nor of his wife and children (leading some to guess that he married Ruth Devonshire in Virginia, but 38 was very old for either a man or woman to marry at that time). Land records indicate that the family settled on land near the Charles River in Charles City County and later moved across the Bay to Accomack County on Virginia's "Eastern Shore".[2]

Christopher Tilghman died in 1673 either in James City County, Virginia, or, as family tradition asserts, at the home of his son Gideon Tilghman, located on the Manokin River in Somerset Co., Maryland.

His wife survived him and died in 1694, most likely also at her son Gideon Tilghman's home in Somerset Co., Maryland.

For those who used the old Christopher Tillman lineage to connect to Magna Charta barons and Charlemagne, that lineage has been disproven.

References

1. Tillman, Stephen F. The record and genealogy of the (Tilghman-Tillman-Tilman-Tilmon) family, 1225-1938. (1939) < FamilySearch >; “Chapter Two: Christopher Tilghman and his family.” < PDF >. Book page 8, PDF page 18. (document attached)
2. Tillman, Stephen F. Tilghman-Tillman family, 1225-1945. (1945) page 98. < Archive.Org >
3. Roberts, Gary Boyd. The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. Page 207. < AncestrySharing >. S.F. Tillman, Page 72, Christopher Tilghman, husband supposedly of Ruth Devonshire. … a probable nephew, not grandson, of the Christopher Tilghman who married Anna Sanders. (document attached)
4. WikiTree contributors, "Christopher Tilghman Jr. (1600-abt.1672)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tilghman-5 : accessed 25 May 2024). Cites
   1. he death and Find A Grave (83489188) data of Roger Tillman, son of Christopher Tilghman, explained the life of his father, Christopher Tilghman, and is used on this profile for that purpose. As of Sep 2018, that Find a Grave has been removed.
   2. Stephen Frederick Tillman, "Spes Alit Agricolam" (Hope Sustains the Farmer) : Covering the Years 1225 to 1961 of the Tilghman (Tillman) and Allied Families, (Washington, D.C.: The Goetz Co., 1962), 72 (entries 1467: Christopher Tilghman & 1460:Christopher Tilghman); digital images, Google Books, (https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=tBhWAAAAMAAJ : accessed 20 Sep 2021).
   3. Marye Jo Millard. Message Board Post, 8 September 2000, re Christopher Tilghman, citing a Tilghman book. https://www.ancestry.ca/boards/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=32&p=surnames..... Accessed June 27, 2017
   4. Family Data Collection - Births Publication: Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Births [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001. http://www.Ancestry.com
   5. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900; Yates Publishing - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
   6. Millennium File Publication: Heritage Consulting. Millennium File [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.
   7. Kate and Bill Matthews, Provider of Information to Genealogy Archives, Ocean City Life Saving Museum Tilghman Accessed 7/19/2019 jhd
   8. "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NNZ6-33V : 12 March 2020), Christopher Tylman, 1598.
   9. https://wills.canterbury-cathedral.org/ ; Will; Tilman/Tylman; Christopher; made 1599; probate 1602; Register Ref. PRC/17/52/278b; Original Ref. PRC/16/121 T/2
   10. Place: Virginia; Year: 1638; Page Number: 118 Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.