Staggs Family History

BIRTH: 15 DEC 1571, Bedfordshire, England
DEATH: 11 JAN 1621, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
FATHER: Robert Tilley
MOTHER: Elizabeth
SPOUSE: Joan Hurst (1568-1621)

John Tilley was born on December 15, 1571, in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. He married Joan Hurst in 1596 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. They had five children in 10 years. He died on January 11, 1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, at the age of 49, and was buried there.

His story

John Tilley was baptized on 19 December 1571 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England, the eldest son of Robert Tilley and Elizabeth (possibly Ellborne). He married Joan Hurst Rogers, a widow, on September 20, 1596 in Henlow. Together, they had several children, including Elizabeth Tilley, who would become a prominent figure in colonial New England.

In 1620, John, Joan, and their daughter Elizabeth boarded the Mayflower as part of the Pilgrim group seeking religious freedom and a new life in America. His younger brother Edward Tilley and Edward’s wife Agnes also joined the voyage. Upon arrival in Cape Cod, John Tilley became one of the 41 signers of the Mayflower Compact, a foundational document establishing self-governance in the colony.

Tragically, both John and Joan Tilley died during the first winter of 1620–1621, likely between January and March 1621. They were buried in Coles Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth, though no individual gravestones survive. Their daughter Elizabeth, then just 13 years old, survived and later married fellow passenger John Howland, becoming the matriarch of a large and influential family.

John Tilley’s legacy endures through his descendants and his role in the founding of Plymouth Colony. His life reflects the courage and sacrifice of the early Pilgrims who helped shape the future of New England.

Legacy of John Tilley

Married

Married Joan Hurst September 20, 1596, in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England

Children

• Rose Tilley (1597-?) died young
• John Tilley (1599-1636) married Edith
• Rose Tilley (1601-?)
• Robert Tilley (1604-1638) married Mary Hawkins (1603-1660)
• Elizabeth Tilley (1607-1686) married John Howland (1602-1672)

Documents

• Birth Records
  • Mayflower Increasings > John Tilley was baptized 19 Dec. 1571, Henlow, Bedfordshire, Eng., the son of Robert Tilley & Elizabeth (?Ellborne)
  • Find a Grave Birth Date: 15 Dec 1571
• Marriage Records
  • U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900; Name: John Tilley; Gender: Male; Birth Place: En; Birth Year: 1571; Spouse Name: Joan Hurst; Spouse Birth Place: En; Spouse Birth Year: 1567; Marriage Year: 1596; Marriage State: En; Number Pages: 1
  • England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973 > Name: Jn Tylly; Gender: Male; Marriage Date: 20 Sep 1596; Marriage Place: Henlow, Bedford, England; Spouse: Joan [Hurst] Rogers; FHL Film Number: 826473, Q942.565 B4E V. 26;
  • Mayflower Increasings > John married 20 Sept. 1696, Henlow, England, Joan (Hurst) Rogers.
• Death records
  • Find a Grave Death Date: 11 Jan 1621
  • Monument: Coles Hill Burial Ground, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
  • Mayflower Increasings > John Tilley > He died between 11 Jan. – 10 Apr. 1621 (N.S.), Plymouth.
• Other
  • Signers of the Mayflower Compact > Tilley
  • New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635 > John Tilley
  • Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775, Volume V > List of Mayflower Passengers > Name: John Tilley; Death Date: 1621; Death Place: Plymouth, Mass; Spouse: Tilley; Page number: 612
  • Mayflower Increasings > John Tilley
  • Mayflower Increasings > Children of John Tilley and Joan Hurst
  • The Mayflower Reader > Mayflower Genealogies > John Tilley
  • The signers of the Mayflower Compact and their descendants > Grinnell and allied families > John Tilley
  • The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgram Fathers > John Tilley
  • A Jenks genealogy with allied families > Part I. Chapter I. Ancestors of one line only > John Tilley
  • U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s > Name: John Tilley; Age: 47; Birth Year: abt 1573; Arrival Year: 1620; Arrival Place: Plymouth, Massachusetts; Primary Immigrant: Tilley, John; Family Members: Daughter Elizabeth 13; Wife Joan Rogers; Source Publication Code: 6604; Annotation: Date and port of arrival. Mainly extracted from The Mayflower and Her Log … by Dr. Azel Ames (indexed in PILI, first edition, source no. 108). Occupation and names of relatives are also provided.; Source Bibliography: “PASSENGERS ON THE MAYFLOWER.” In The Mayflower Quarterly (General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA), vol. 46:4 (Nov. 1980), pp. 177-182.

Relation of John Tilley to Steven Barry Staggs: 10th great-grandfather

Page last updated November 30, 2025

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