Primary Sources

In spite of the large number of primary sources we have found concerning Washington V.B. Tilton, we actually know very little about him. We know that he was born in Deerfield in 1832 (according to Deerfield town records) or 1833 (according to his grave), the fourth of six children of Josia Batchelder Tilton and Nancy Adams Tilton. His middle initials almost certainly stand for "van Buren", the President of the United States in 1832. We know that he worked as a shoemaker in his youth, but was a farmer in Deerfield for most of his life. He was married three times.

• Tilton married his first wife, Susan Veasey in 1865 and they had one daughter named May and a son (Clarence) who died in infancy. Susan died in 1867 of "consumption", as tuburculosis was called at the time. 

We know that Tilton lived alone with his daughter May until at least 1880. (See census records , below.)

• At about that time (1880-82), Tilton remarried. His new wife was Rosilla Stiles, who had moved to Deerfield with her family as a girl. In 1882, they had a son named Perley. Rosilla died very shortly thereafter, possibly as a result of complications from childbirth. This happened in either 1882 (according to her grave) or 1883 (according to Deerfield town records). 

• In 1883, Washington Tilton married again, this time to Rosilla's younger sister, Annie. They remained married until his death in 1905. They had five children together: Washington, Daniel, Olive, Nancy and Gertrude.

We know that Washington Tilton was reasonably prosperous. When Annie died in 1927, she left only a modest estate (see probate documents ), so it is unlikely that her husband had been wealthy. At the same time, we know from several land deeds that Tilton had been prosperous enough to enlarge his farm by buying neighboring properties on Nottingham Road (see map, below ) and in 1900 had two servants living on his farm as laborers.

Below are some of the primary sources the students consulted when researching the life of Washington Tilton:

Photos of the graves of Washington, Rosilla and Annie Tilton and their children.	Deerfield Town Vital Records concerning Tilton and his wives
Primary sources having to do with the death of Susan Tilton, Washington Tilton's first wife.	Census information about Washington Tilton and his family
Deeds detailing Tilton's purchases of various pieces of property.	A pedigree of the Tilton family from Deerfield's official town history
Miscellaneous probate documents that give a glimpse into several aspects of Tilton's life	A description of Deerfield in the 1870s from the same town history
Map of Deerfield Center in 1892, indicating the location of Tilton's house	Deerfield's entry in the 1900 New Hampshire State Directory. This provides a picture of what Deerfield was like near the end of Tilton's life.

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Washington Tilton's Grave

	(FRONT) TILTON 1833    W.V.B. TILTON     1905 HIS WIVES 1850    ROSILLA STILES     1882 1857     ANNIE E. STILES     1927 THEIR SON 1882    PERLEY H. TILTON    1926	Washington Tilton, his wives Rosilla and Annie and their children are buried in the Tilton Family Cemetery in Deerfield Parade. They share one communal gravestone at the rear of the cemetery and have small, individual markers next to it. Perley Tilton is commemorated on the front of the large stone. Gertrude and Daniel are commemorated on the back. Click here to see an interactive map of the cemetery.
	(BACK) 1884 GERTRUDE A. TILTON 1959 1893  DANIEL A. TILTON  1963	(Only Perley, Gertrude and Daniel are buried with their parents.)
Washington Tilton's marker	Rosilla (?) Tilton's marker	Annie (?) Tilton's marker
Perley Tilton's marker	Gertrude Tilton's marker	Daniel Tilton's marker

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Deerfield Town Records

Marriages - 1865: Name- W.V.B Tilton and Miss Susan J. Feasey Age -     32                          32 Residence - Deerfield         Deerfield Returned by W.A. Patten, Clergyman Attest. - John H. Law, Town Clerk	Deaths - 1867: Susan J. Tilton, 35 November 5, 1867 of Consumption	Deaths - 1883: Name - Rosella Tilton Years - 32 Months - Days - Sex - F Color - W Condition - M Occupation - Housekeeper Place of Birth - Chatham, NH Place of Death - Deerfield Date of Death - Feb. 4, 1883 Disease or Cause of Death - Apoplexy Names of Parents - John Stiles, Dolly Stiles Residence of Parents - Deerfield
Marriages - 1883: Names- Washington V.U.B Tilton and Annie Styles Residence -      Deerfield                Chatham Place of  Marriage -        Deerfield Age -         51                     27 Color -      W                     W Occupations -  Farmer         Housekeeper Condition -      3rd                      1st Birthplace -      Deerfield          Strafford Officiating Clergyman or Justice - N.C.(?) Lothrop, Clergyman, Deerfield Names of Parents - [His] Josiah B. Tilton, Nancy Tilton [Hers]  Styles Birthplace of Parents - [His] Deerfield [Hers] Chatham, NH, Newbury, Mass   Residence of Parents - [His] Deerfield, Deceased [Hers] Portsmouth Occupation of Parents - [His] Farmer, Houskeeper [Hers] Farmer, Housekeeper Color of  Parents - [His] W, W [Hers] W, W	Deaths - 1905: Name - Washington V.B Tilton Place of Death - Deerfield Date - Jan. 22 Sex - M Color - W Condition - M Years - 72 Mo's - 4 Days - 5 Place of Birth - Deerfield Occupation - Farmer Disease or Cause of Death  Senile Bronchitis Name of Father - Josiah B. Tilton Maiden Name of Mother - Nancy Adams Birthplace of Father - Deerfield Birthplace of Mother - Newbury	Deaths - 1927: Name - Annie E. Tilton Place of Death - Deerfield, NH How Long a Resident - 44 years Previous Residence - Nottingham, NH Date of Death - Year: 1927           Month - 3           Day - 30 Age - Years: 69           Months: 5           Days - 18 Place of Birth - So. Chatham, N H Date of Birth - Year: 1857          Month: 10          Day: 12 Sex - F Color - W Married, Single, Widowed - W Occupation - Housewife Cause of Death - Apoplexy Name of Father - Jonathon Stiles Maiden Name of Mother - Dolly Heath Birthplace of Father - So. Chatham, NH Occupation of Father - Farmer Widow of - W.V.B. Tilton Name of Physician - Fred Fernald, M.D. PO Address - Nottingham, NH Place of Internment - Deerfield, NH Date of Internment - Apr. 1, 1927 Name of Cemetery - Tilton Undertaker - J.H. Prescott PO Address - So. Deerfield I certify that the above death record is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief: Geo. W. Brown Clerk of Deerfield, NH Date - Apr. 3, 1927

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Washington V.B. Tilton's Family
from History of Deerfield by Elliott C. Cogswell (1878), p.477.

This record of the Tilton family contains at least two errors: 1) Washington Tilton's initials appear everywhere else as "V.B", not "B.B" 2) His eldest daughter was almost certainly named May, not Mary, as it appears that way in Susan's will as well as in several census documents.

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Census Records for Washington Tilton and His Family

1850		It is very difficult to read this record, but the occupation of Washington Tilton's father Josiah is listed as "Merchant" and 17 year old Washington Tilton's is listed as a  "Shoemaker".
1860		In 1860, Washington Tilton was still living in his father's house. It is hard to make out what his job was.
1870		In 1870, Washington Tilton, aged 37, was living alone with his four year old daughter May.
1880		In 1880, Tilton was still living alone with May, but would shortly marry Rosilla Stiles.
1900		By 1900, Washington Tilton had a very large household, including his wife Annie, three children at school, two very young children and two servants.
1920		In 1920, Annie Tilton lived with two sons, a daughter and a daughter-in-law.

Click on any census detail to see the entire page from that year's Federal Census.
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Map of Deerfield Center in 1892

A house belonging to "W.V.B Tilton" is indicated near the intersection of Nottingham and Cate Roads. We know from deeds that Washington Tilton bought land from the Cate family and other members of the Tilton family, including Eben Tilton, one of our other "Dead Guys"!

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