Elizabeth Tilley

     Elizabeth Tilley was baptized on 30 August 1607 at Henlow, Bedford Co, England.¹ She was born in 1607 at Henlow, Bedford Co, England.² She was the daughter of John Tilley and Joan Hurst. Elizabeth Tilley married John Howland, son of Henry Howland and Margaret (?), circa 1624 at Massachusetts; Following his marriage to Elizabeth, John built a house on First Street and as land was allotted to the families there, he acquired four aces on Watson's Hill in Plymouth and considerably more in Duxbury.^2,3 Elizabeth Tilley died on 22 December 1687 at Swansea, Bristol Co, Massachusetts, at age 80.⁴ She was buried at East Providence, Providence Co, Rhode Island; She has a memorial marker.³
     Elizabeth was the youngest of five Tilley children, and the only one to accompany her parents on the Mayflower voyage. After her parents died that first harsh winter in the New World, Elizabeth went to live in the household of Governor Carver.
Her will was dated 17 Dec 1686, and she states she was aged 79.²