VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
465
with a frank, open and ])leasant counte-
nance, he looked at all times exactly what
he was, a prosperous and worthy citizen, an
honest, upright man, and a Christian gentle-
man, whose pathway through the passing
years was bright with the consciousness of
integrity and usefulness. Successful in
business, constant and unswerving in his
religious duties, and earnest, sincere and
devoted in his home and social relations,
Major Winfree left behind him a record that
will stand as an honorable monument to his
memory and distinguish him as one who
wrought well and accomplished much. Of
all the sotirces of recreation and entertain-
ment that the world offered. Major Winfree
perhaps found more pleasure and satisfac-
tion in the art of Melody than in any other,
and he never lost an opportunity to encour-
age an interest in music among the people
of Lynchburg and inspire love for its beauty
and sweetness.
Major W infree married (first) November 14, i860, Virginia A. Brown, daughter of Henry J. and Susan Ann (Hobson) Brown (see Brown). She died in 1884. He mar- ried (second) in 1886, Sarah C. Doniphan. His children, all by first wife, were: i. Minnie Ivey, born February, 1862, died young. 2. Henry Lee, born January 16, 1864; married. July, 1912, Elsie Cleaveland, of Greenville, Pennsylvania. 3. Lizzie Kent, see forward. 4. Peyton Brown, born Sep- tembc/ 10, 1868; married Mabel Louise Wilbur ; children : Christopher Valentine, born December 8, 1899; Wilbur; Virginia, deceased ; Mabel Louise. 5. Lucy Virginia, born August. 1871. died October 12. 1902. 6. Walter Russell, born August 3, 1875 ; mar- ried. November 12, 1902, Louisa C. Estill; children : Louisa Estill, born February 19, 1904; Sarah Doniphan, born March 23, 1906; Reverdy. born May i, 1910.
(V) Lizzie Kent Winfree. daughter of Major Christopher Valentine and Virginia A. (Brown) Winfree. was born November 23, 186C). She married, November 16, 1893, Walter B. Ryan, son of Philip H. and Louisa T. (Bowman) Ryan. Children: Walter, born October 2, 1896; Christopher Winfree, born April 29. 1898 ; Philip Henry, born December 31, 1899; Lee Winfree, born Au- gust 7, 1904.
(The Tilden IJne).
The Tilden or Tylden family is one of great antiquity in England ; as far back as
VIR— 30
the reign of Edward III. we find William
Tylden paying aid for land in Kent, when
the I Hack Prince was knighted.
( I ) The first Tilden of whom we have record in America was Captain Richard Til- den. of England, who died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October, 1762. Fie married Anna Meyer, born in New York, August 31, 1731, daughter of John Meyer and Eliza- beth (Pell) Meyer, and granddaughter of William and Elizabeth (Van Tuyl) Pell. She bore him two sons: John Bell, see for- ward, and one who died in infancy.
(11 ) Dr. John IJell Tilden, son of Captain Richard and Anna (Meyer) Tilden, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Decem- ber 9. 1761, baptized in the Episcopal church, and died July 31. 1838, in New Town, now Stephen Cit}-. Virginia. He was a student at Princeton College at the time i)f the revolutionary war and left college to join the Continental army, receiving a com- mission as ensign, ]\lay 28, 1779, in the Sec- ond Regiment Pennsylvania line, com- manded by Colonel Walter Stewart. He was subsequently promoted to second lieutenant, his commission to date from July 25. 1780. His regiment left York. Pennsylvania, for the southern campaign in the spring of 1781, and he was present at the siege of York- town and surrender of General Cornwallis. At the close of the war he was honorably mustered out of service, and became a mem- l)cr of the Pennsylvania Society of the Cin- cinnati. During his entire service he kept a diary, which is now in the possession of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, in Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Tilden settled in Frederick county, \'irginia, where he practiced medicine until the close of his life. Some time prior to 1824 he was ordained to the ministry of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and during the agi- tation of the question of lay representation, he advocated the equal rights of the laity with the clergy in the legislative department of the church, for wdiich he and other promi- nent members were expelled for so-called heresy. In 1872 the church admitted its error by adopting lay representation into its polity. Long before the subject of African slavery took a political shape. Dr. Tilden manumitted his slaves and sent them to Li- beria with one year's outfit.
Dr. Tilden married. August 9. 1784, Jane Chambers, born in York county, Pennsyl-
