I knew the Tilghman family was prominent on Maryland's Eastern Shore, because I had entered many of them in the Delaware Family Forest. When I checked the database, I found William Matthew Tilghman (b. July 12, 1820) who had moved West, married a woman from Keokuk, Iowa, and had at least four sons. One of those sons was William Matthew Tilghman, Jr., presumably the legendary Oklahoma lawman.

William Matthew Tilghman is lineage-linked to many prominent early American ancestors from the Delmarva Peninsula in the Delaware Family Forest. They include, in addition to Tilghman, surnames such as Bowers, Boynton, Carvill, Gill, Grundy, Harris, Hyson, Lloyd, Neale, Osborne, Phillips, Tilden, and Wilmer.

Bill Tilghman's Colonial Maryland ancestry leaps across the Atlantic in the Presidential Family Forest. One connecting point is Alice Berkeley (pin# 26668). A 40 generation ancestor view of her fills in 5,969 boxes. They include a large number of nobility, royalty, and historically notable figures.

Many of these same ancestors have descendants who will also be featured in an another new program from TNT. It is about Princess Diana, and it was advertised during the "You Know My Name" movie. Who would have guessed that that crusty old lawman Sam Elliott portrayed is connected to Princess Diana?

Kristine and I both find that it enhances our enjoyment of movies such as "You Know My Name" when we use Family Forests to see just where the characters fit within the actually unfolding of history. It puts their lives in meaningful and helpful context and perspective.

Family Forest® - A People-Centered Approach to History®