Leonard Tillotson and Mary Cossitt Thomas

Leonard Tillotson was the son of Samuel Tillotson and Sarah Partridge. Leonard was born on March 11, 1802 in Tyringham, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Sometimes his name appears spelled as "Learned." Both were probably pronounced the same way. Leonard was the brother of my great-great-great-grandfather Daniel Tillotson. Leonard's farm land in Brunswick adjoined that owned by Daniel.

Leonard married Mary Cossitt (or Cosset, Cossit) Thomas (see photo above) in Liverpool, Medina County, Ohio on February 27, 1825. Mary was born about born on August 14, 1805 in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Seth or Cornelius Thomas and Susan (Susanna) Cossitt. Susan Cossitt was the half-sister of Orpha Cossitt, mother of Roxa Adams, mother of my great-great-grandmother Jane Ann Sexton.

Women of the Western Reserve (p. 716) says this about Mary:

Mary C. Thomas was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved with her parents to the Western Reserve in 1816. She became the wife of Leonard Tillotson. She possessed a genial, social disposition and was called "Aunt Mary" by everyone.

Leonard and Mary had six children, all born in Brunswick, Medina County, Ohio:

• William Thomas Tillotson was born on November 28, 1826. He married Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Wooll on September 26, 1855 in Duplain, Clinton County, Michigan. They had five children, all born in Elsie/Duplain, Clinton County, Michigan:
  • Marvin Luzerne Tillotson was born August 16, 1856.
  • Marion Leonard Tillotson was born on September 23, 1860.
  • Myra Luella Tillotson was born April 13, 1864.
  • Hattie Corlista Tillotson was born on May 6, 1868.
  • William Ira Tillotson was born on May 6, 1876.

  See William's page for more information about these children.

  William Thomas Tillotson died on May 30, 1901 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan. Betsy Wooll died March 5, 1921.

• Mary Eliza Tillotson was born January 19, 1829. She married Charles Gurley Wait on May 29, 1850 in Medina County, Ohio. Mary and Charles had three children:
  • Susan Eliza Wait was born August 15, 1853 in Berea, Medina County, Ohio. She married William Reed.
  • Frank Leroy Wait was born April 23, 1857 in Brunswick, Medina County, Ohio.
  • Mary Elizabeth Wait was born June 5, 1863 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan. She married Albert C. Smith.

  See Mary and Charles's page for more information about these children.

  Mary Eliza Tillotson died March 13, 1885 in Fairfield, Shiawassee County, Michigan. She is buried in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan. Charles Gurley Wait died on January 4, 1895 in Ovid, Clinton County, Michigan. He is also buried in Elsie.

• Charlotte Maria Tillotson was born April 19, 1831. She married twice. She first married Abraham W. Dickey on April 10, 1849 in Medina County, Ohio. The Reverend Varnum Noyes presided. Charlotte and Abraham had no children. Abraham died not long after they were married.

  Charlotte married Oscar Wales Darling on October 15, 1852 in Brunswick, Medina County, Ohio. The Reverend Jacob A. Brown presided at the wedding. Oscar was born on April 27, 1826 in Louisville, St. Lawrence County, New York to Orren Darling and Sophia Wood. (Elsie cemetery records give 1829 as his year of birth.)

  Charlotte and Oscar had six children:

  • Della Eveline Darling was born August 31, 1855 in Columbia, Lorain County, Ohio. She married Allen Bradshaw.
  • Ida May Darling was born September 14, 1855 (or 1857) in Brunswick, Medina County, Ohio. She married Charles Edward Bennett on November 20, 1878 in Fairfield, Shiaswasee County, Michigan.
  • Fred Raymond Darling was born November 25, 1858 in Fairfield, Shiawassee County, Michigan. He married Addie Cunningham, daughter of Joseph Cunningham.
  • Mary Estelle Darling was born on September 5, 1860 in Brunswick, Medina County, Ohio. She married Hudson Goodrich.
  • Annette Luella Darling was born on November 7, 1861 in Fairfield, Shiawassee County, Michigan. She married Wilbur Johnson.
  • An unnamed child was born on October 10, 1870 in Ionia, Ionia County, Michigan. Presumably the child was stillborn or died soon after birth.

  See Charlotte's page for more information about these children.

  Oscar Wales Darling died on August 6, 1876 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan. Charlotte died on October 25, 1909 in Fairfield, Shiawassee County, Michigan. She is buried next to Oscar in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan.

• Jane Minerva Tillotson was born August 14, 1834. She married first Daniel H. Francis on November 2, 1852. He died on July 25, 1854. Jane and Daniel had no children. Jane later married Belden Colton Linzee on September 17, 1862 in Nelson, Portage County, Ohio. Jane and Belden had one child:
  • Henrietta Irene "Etta" Linzee was born in Ovid, Clinton County, Michigan on March 7, 1865. She married Emory Albert Fuller on May 7, 1884 in Ovid. They had one daughter:
    • Norma Altha Fuller. She married Perry Empey Mason on December 17 , 1921. They had two children.

    Emory Albert Fuller died on May 16, 1943 in Berkeley, Alameda County, California. He is buried in Ovid, Clinton County, Michigan. Etta Linzee died in Berkeley in December, 1952. She is also buried in Ovid.

  Jane Minerva Tillotson died on July 10, 1913 in Ovid, Clinton County, Michigan. Belden Colton Linzee died in 1918. He is also buried in Ovid.

• Elizabeth Ann Tillotson was born November 25, 1837. She married Charles Green Munson on April 3, 1863. Elizabeth and Charles had four children:
  • Ezra W. Munson was born June 23, 1864 and died July 28, 1931. He was married twice, first to Anna Wooll, and second to Stella Snyder.
  • Henry Noyes Munson was born June 14, 1866. He married Eliza Bradley.
  • Albert Munson was born in January, 1870 and died two months later on April 1, 1870.
  • Milo Chester Munson was born July 4, 1874. He married Nellie Swarthout. He died August 28, 1947.

  See Elizabeth and Charles's page for more information about these children.

  Elizabeth Ann Tillotson died on February 18, 1899 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan. Charles Green Munson died on January 3, 1907.

• Leonard Tillotson Jr. was born March 19, 1844. (The Elsie cemetery records give 1845 as his year of birth.) Leonard married Julia Ann Brainard on January 14, 1865 in Fairfield, Shiawassee County, Michigan. Ebenezer Nethaway presided at the wedding. Julia was the daughter of Lyman Brainard and Cornelia Sophia Kelly. Julia was born on November 10, 1845 in Brooklyn, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Leonard and Julia had two children:
  • Fred B. Tillotson was born on July 26, 1867 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan and died there on March 19, 1869.
  • Nina May Tillotson was born on May 19, 1870 after her father's death. She married James Craig Morrison on June 26, 1900 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. James was the son of Matthew Morrison and Catherine MacDonald. Nina died on August 28, 1915. Nina and James had no children.

  Leonard Jr. was a farmer. Politically he was a Republican and Prohibitionist. He owned a farm on the state line five miles south of Bristol, The local post office was located in his farmhouse.

  Leonard Tillotson Jr. died on January 27, 1870 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan.

All of Leonard and Mary's children eventually moved to Michigan.

Leonard Tillotson died December 1, 1862 in Brunswick, Medina County, Ohio. He is buried in Westview Cemetery. An extract from his will reads as follows:

1. that my wife shall have the dower in all my property both real and personal.
2. that all debts owing by me financial expenses to be paid.
3. I give to my daughters the following sums. To Eliza Fifty-Dollars. To charlotte Fifty-Dollars. To Jane Twenty-five Dollars & To Elizabeth twenty-five dollars to be paid one year after my decease.
4. All the property left after the above shall be paid is to be divided between my two sons William and Leonard. William to have one-third and Leonard two-thirds provided that Leonard shall remain upon the farm and attend to things for two years. I authorize my son William if it become necessary to my debts to sell my Michigan land at private sale upon such terms of credit or otherwise as he may think proper and apply the proceeds of said sale to the payments of my debts or the amounts bequested to my daughters.

   signed 23 Oct 1862

   witnessed by Ella Wilmot and James A. Root

   Proved 9 March 1863, 2 May 1863

Mary Cossitt Thomas Tillotson died January 18, 1890 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan (see her obituary). See William Kidder's Leonard Tillotson Family for more information about Leonard and his children.

Children of Leonard and Mary Tillotson.

Left to right: Charlotte Maria Tillotson, Elizabeth Ann Tillotson, William Thomas Tillotson, Jane Minerva Tillotson, Mary Eliza Tillotson.

Photos and portions of the biographical information courtesy William L. Kidder. Biographical information about James Wait courtesy Greg Wait.

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Last modified by pib on May 24, 2006.