My Genealogy Hound

Samuel Tillett. Prominent among the representative men of the county, and among those deserving special recognition for their long residence in the same, stands the name of Mr. Tillett, who was born in Canton, Ohio, in 1836. He is the son of Edward and Elizabeth (Bemenderfer) Tillett, and the grandson of Capt. William Tillett, who was a captain in the War of 1812. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Peter Bemenderfer, was also a soldier in the War of 1812, and was a musician. Edward Tillett was born in Loudoun County, Va., and followed agricultural pursuits all his life. He died in Carroll County, Ohio, at the age of sixty-two. The mother was born in Hagerstown, Md., and died in 1887, at the age of seventy-six. As is usual with the majority of the farmer boys, Mr. Tillett received his education in the common district school, such as a new country would afford, and at the age of nineteen left his father’s farm and went to Canton, Ohio, and there served an apprenticeship at the carpenter’s trade for two and a half years. While there he was married to Miss Magdaline Fockenroath, a native of Canton, Ohio, and the same year (1858) they came to Missouri, first renting a portion of Editor McCracken’s residence, the first editor of Jefferson City. At the breaking out of the late war, in 1862, he enlisted in the Fifth Missouri Cavalry, Company C, as a private. He participated in the battles of California House, Hartville, Salem, and was all through Price’s campaign. He was in the saddle fifty-two days at one time. He was first promoted to the rank of corporal, and then to sergeant. During the year 1863 he did a great deal of scouting, having charge of a squad of men hunting bushwhackers, and during the Price campaign he took part in the Jefferson City fight, the skirmish at Tipton, Mo., Boonville, Lexington, Big Blue, Independence, and took part in some severe skirmishes along the Kansas border. In April, 1865, Mr. Tillett went back to Ohio, where his family had stayed during the war, remained there six months, and then came back to Versailles, where he remained four years, being in the furniture business, and conducted this in connection with the carpenter business until 1870, when he moved to the farm, and there resided until 1877. In the last named year he returned to Versailles, where he has since been engaged in carpenter work. To Mr. and Mrs. Tillett were born six children: Eleanora, deceased wife of Henry Enscom; Edward, died at Tipton, Mo., in the spring of 1862, at the age of two years; Lorena, wife of E. O. Pike, of Nebraska; Malinda J., wife of Thomas Williams, of Lincoln, Neb.; Samuel Grant, of Versailles, and Charles Wilson. Mr. Tillett took for his second wife Mrs. Hineman, nee Amelia Fritshie, widow of John F. Hineman, a native of Steubenville, Ohio, who bore him two children: Logan B. and Julia. Mr. Tillett is the owner of four houses in town, and also the owner of forty acres of land. He is a Republican in his political views, takes a deep interest in public affairs, and is one of the prominent men of the county. Directly after the war, and before affairs had settled down, Mr. Tillett was appointed constable, to take the place of a man who had been shot in discharge of duty. This position he filled to the satisfaction of all. In 1866 he was elected coroner. He is a member of the Lutheran Church. He was twice appointed one of the board of registration at the close of the war. He is one of the charter members of Jeff. C. Davis Post No. 108, G. A. R., of Versailles, and also had the honor of naming the same. He is S. V. C. at present.