John Tilley

Abt 1571 - 1621  (~ 50 years)

• Name	John Tilley  [1, 2]
  Born	Abt 1571  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	19 Dec 1571	Henlow, Bedforshire, England
  Biography	From Wilipedia: John Tilley (c.1571- winter of 1620/21) and his family were passengers on the historic 1620 voyage of the Mayflower. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact, and died with his wife in the first Pilgrim winter in the New World. Both he and his brother Edward signed the Mayflower Compact. John Tilley was baptized on December 19, 1571 at Henlow, co. Bedford, England. He was the eldest child of Robert Tilley and his wife Elizabeth. John had a younger brother, Edward, who also came on the Mayflower with his wife. Both John Tilley, his brother Edward and their wives all perished that first winter in the New World. There are few records of John Tilley’s life in England. His name appears in the will of George Clarke of Henlow, dated September 22, 1607 which notes that Thomas Kirke, then residing with Tilley, owed money to him. There is a record of a John Tilley, yeoman, residing at Wooton, Bedfordshire, who made a disposition on April 7, 1613 with his age stated as 40 years, which would probably make him the Mayflower passenger of that name. There is little information about the lives of John Tilley and his wife Joan. John Tilley was documented as a member of the Leiden Separatist congregation as well as his brother Edward. Edward’s ward Henry Samson may also have been a member. On the Mayflower and in the New World Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620, a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris 1899 Per William Bradford’s later recollection of this family on the Mayflower: “John Tillie, and his wife; and Elizabeth, their daughter.” The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship‘s timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter. On November 9/19, 1620, after about 3 months at sea, including a month of delays in England, they spotted land, which was the Cape Cod Hook, now called Provincetown Harbor. After several days of trying to get south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod hook, where they anchored on November 11/21. The Mayflower Compact was signed that day. John Tilley was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact. In the New World Both John Tilley and his brother Edward were involved in the early exploring expeditions of the Cape Cod area in November and December 1620, with both suffering the effects of being ill-clad and wet in freezing temperatures. Edward, and it may be that John also died from the effects of the exploration weather. One such extensive exploration in which the John and Edward Tilley are named as having taken part began on Wednesday, December 6, 1620 in freezing weather using the ship’s shallop – a light, shallow-water boat with oars and sails navigated by two pilots and crewed by a master gunner and two sailors. The Pilgrims on board for this expedition, in addition to John Tilley and his brother Edward, were John Howland, Stephen Hopkins and his servant Edward Doty. Senior members on the expedition included John Carver, William Bradford, militia captain Myles Standish and Edward Winslow. The number of persons on this exploration was less than half of a prior expedition due to many having been felled by illness, the English facing freezing weather wearing unsuitable clothing due to not planning for the severity of the New England winter. As recorded – “..very cold and hard weather..in which time two were sick.. the gunner also sick unto death..” This exploration would not turn out well for the English in their first encounter with Indians as they found that slow-firing muskets were no match for rapid-fire arrows. This Indian challenge to the Pilgrims was later known as the First Encounter. John Tilley and his wife Joan both died the first winter as did his brother Edward Tilley and wife Ann. The only Tilley surviving from the Mayflower was John’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. Death, burial and memorial of John Tilley and wife Joan This family in the later recollection of William Bradford: “John Tillie and his wife both dyed a little after they came ashore; and their daughter Elizabeth married with John Howland, and had issue as is before noted.” John Tilley and his wife Joan died sometime in the winter of 1620/1621, possibly after coming ashore, per Bradford, to the new Plymouth settlement. They were buried in Coles Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth, most likely in unmarked graves as with so many who died in that first winter. Their names, along with many others who died that winter, are memorialized on the Pilgrim Memorial Tomb on Coles Hill as “John Tilley and his wife.”
  Died	Feb 1620/21	Plymouth, Massachusetts   [1]
  Person ID	I3910	Our Family
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016

  
  

  Father	Robert Tilley
  Mother	Elizabeth
  Married	Y  [1]
  Family ID	F1410	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Joan Hurst,   b. 1567, England ,   d. Abt Feb 1620/21, Plymouth, Massachusetts  (Age 54 years)
  Married	20 Sep 1596	Henlow, England   [1]
  Children	1. Rose Tilley,   b. Abt 1597   2. John Tilley,   b. Abt 1599   3. Rose Tilley,   b. Abt 1601   4. Robert Tilley,   b. Abt 1604   5. Elizabeth Tilley,   b. Abt 1607, Henlow, Bradfordshire, England ,   d. Dec 1687, Swansea, Massachusetts  (Age ~ 80 years)
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1409	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S324] Great Migration Begins. Page 1822 [S249] Wikipedia. John Tilley