Bill Tilghman Family History
As told by
Paul Stewart: G. G. Grandson
The
Tilghman family originated in Germany.There they were called the
Von Tills. When the Tilghman family moved to England they
anglicized
he name to Tillman, which later became more anglicized with the
Tilghman spelling. My great great grandmother married Bill
Tilghman
when she was 17 years old. She and Bill had courted on and off
for a year
before but Bill kept leaving to go on long hunts or drives. On
one very
long hunt Bill came back to find Flora married and expecting.
When
Flora's baby was only 3 months old her husband, Joe Robinson was
killed when his horse fell on him. Flora knocked on Bill's door
not long
after destitute and starving. Bill took her in, let her stay, and
adopted the
boy as his own. They were married soon after and had three more
children.
Flora divorced Bill in 1890 (absolutely unheard of at the time),
and went
to live with her mother in Dodge City KS. She and Bill had fought
for years
over the huge periods of time Bill would be away. It drove her
literally insane. Finally she couldn't take it and left him,
(their bible is at OU's Western Collection). My great grandmother
was born at Fort Wingate
NM, she was Bill and Flora's oldest child. Dorthy grew up near
Chandler
and married Daniel Norton. Dorthy spent her entire life in
Chandler
and is buried very close to her father.
Bill
Tilghman married
1. Flora Kendall: 3 Children
Dorthy
Tilghman,
oldest child of Bill & Flora, married Daniel Norton
Children of Dorthy & Daniel Norton:
Burford, Jessie, Agnes and Bill
Agnes Norton married Gerald Stewart
Children of Agnes & Gerald Stewart: Norton
& Richard
Richard
Stewart
married Judith Matson
Children of Richard & Judith Stewart:
Paul, Lynn and Jerry
Paul
Stewart
married Madeleine McGrath
Children of Paul & Madeleine Stewart: Aidan
and Allis
Lynn Stewart married Mark Lightman
Children of Lynn & Mark Lightman: Booker
Bill
Tilghman married
2. Zoe Stratton in 1903
I would like to thank Paul Stewart for sharing this information.