Marshall County KS Archives Biographies.....Tilley, Samuel Wesley 1865 - 
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 31, 2007, 12:03 am

Author: Emma E. Forter (1917)

SAMUEL WESLEY TILLEY.

    Samuel Wesley Tilley, proprietor of beautiful "Long View Stock Farm," in
Wells township, and one of the best-known breeders of purebred Hereford cattle
and Poland China hogs in Kansas, is a native of the Dominion of Canada, but has
been a resident of Marshall county since his childhood, his parents having come
here in the summer of 1869, and is therefore familiar with the development of
this county since pioneer days. He was born in Canada on October 2, 1865, son of
James and Margaret (Watt) Tilley, natives of the Dominion, who became pioneers
of this county, the former spending his last days here and the latter still
living in this county.

    James Tilley was born in 1832 and was reared in the province of Toronto,
where he married and where he continued to make his home until 1869, when he
came to Kansas with his family, settling in Marshall county in June of that
year. Upon coming to this county Mr. Tilley homesteaded a tract of eighty acres
in Wells township, the place now owned by the subject of this sketch, and there
established his home. He was an energetic and progressive farmer and it was not
long until he began enlarging his holdings, gradually acquiring large tracts of
land, which he later distributed among his sons as they began to branch out for
themselves. Mr. Tilley also was one of the pioneer breeders of pure-bred live
stock and became very successful. He was a Republican and from the time he
secured his citizenship took an active and an influential part in local
political affairs. For five years he filled the important office of
"pathmaster," or highway commissioner. He and his wife were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church and ever took an earnest part in local good works.
James Tilley died in October, 1901, and his widow, who was born in 1834, is
still living at her old home in this county. They were the parents of four sons,
the subject of this sketch having three brothers, Richard Henry Tilley,' of Rock
township, this county; John James Tilley, of that same township, and William
Edward Tilley, who lives on a farm in section 10 of Wells township, north of
"Long View Stock Farm."

    As noted above, Samuel W. Tilley was not yet four years of age when his
parents came to Marshall county and he grew to manhood on the old homestead in
Wells township, a valuable aid in the labors of developing and improving the
same and in extending his father's successful operations, particularly in
connection with the latter's early operations in stock breeding. His schooling
was obtained in district No. 45 and he remained at home until his marriage in
1893, when he built his present house on "Long View Stock Farm," where he since
has resided and where he and his family are very pleasantly situated. Mr. Tilley
is the owner of four hundred and eighty acres in his home place and of another
tract, a farm of two hundred acres, northeast of there, on the Vermillion river.
As early as 1881 Mr. Tilley became interested in the breeding of pure-bred
Hereford cattle, operating along that line in connection with his father, and
has ever since given his close attention to the improvement of the strain of
cattle throughout this section of Kansas. He now has a herd of more than one
hundred and forty registered Herefords, the present leader of the herd being
"Letham Fairfax, 414471," purchased for four thousand one hundred dollars at the
world-record sale held at the Warren T. McCray stock farm at Kentland, Indiana,
May 17, 1916, when seventy-one head of cattle were sold at an average price of
two thousand one hundred and eighty dollars. Another prized bull in Mr. Tilley's
herd is "Kelsey, 415690," purchased as a calf from the herd of the Drennen
brothers, Mr. Tilley thus having two of the finest bulls in Kansas. He also owns
a half-sister of "Letham Fairfax," "Celia Fairfax, 317650," worth two thousand
dollars. Mr. Tilley has admirably-equipped feeding and housing facilities for
his herd and his farm plant is provided with all the modern accessories for the
successful prosecution of agricultural and breeding operations. He has a number
of imported cows and at the 1916 exhibit of the Marshall County Fair Association
at Blue Rapids was awarded first prizes in everything in the class of his
exhibits, and he also won first and sweepstakes at the Washington county fair.
Among his cows are gets from such famous bulls as "Weston Stamp, 86091,"
"Majestic Baron, 190860," "Majestic Prince, 59182," and "Onward XVIII, 151572,"
a prize winner. Mr. Tilley also has been engaged in the breeding of purebred
Poland China hogs for the past thirty-five years and for the past fifteen years
has kept a record of his pens, having done much in the way of improving the
strain of swine throughout this part of the state. Mr. Tilley is a member of the
American Hereford Breeders' Association and of the American Poland China
Breeders' Association and in the affairs of these two associations takes an
active interest, being widely known among breeders throughout the country. In
his political views Mr. Tilley is an independent Republican and he has served
for four terms as clerk of his home township.

    In 1893 Samuel W. Tilley was united in marriage to Mary Catherine Walmer,
who was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of John Thomas and Rachel Elizabeth
(Love) Walmer, also natives of Pennsylvania, the former of whom died in that
state and the latter of whom came to Kansas in the fall of 1903 and has since
made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Tilley. To Mr. and Mrs. Tilley seven children
have been born, namely: John Wesley, who is assisting his father in the
operations of "Long View Stock Farm;" Elverina, deceased; Victor Thomas, now a
student in high school at Frankfort; James Laverne, Marion Walmer, Earl Blair
(deceased) and Margaret Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Tilley are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, in the various beneficences of which they take a
proper part, as well as in the general social activities of the community in
which they live, helpful in promoting all movements having to do with the
advancement of the common welfare thereabout. Mr. Tilley is a member of the
local branch of the Anti-Horsethief Association and has taken an interested part
in the activities of that energetic organization.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

History of Marshall County, Kansas: its people, industries, and institutions
by
Emma E. Forter

Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co. (1917)


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/marshall/bios/tilley498gbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ksfiles/

File size: 7.0 Kb