Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-09-18
ny CIRCUMCISION, SMITH u JAYNEs.
TilI,nan's Biography.

party eor Governor of South Caro-
lima, was born in Edgefeld County
on the 18th of August, 1847. His
place Of birth was at the Tillman
homestead, Chester, which is but q
part of the family estates, which
cover about 10000 acres. This
homestead has been inthe possession
of the family for moro than ono hum
rdred and twenty years. The Till
mans came to America with lord
Baltimore, and first settled in Mary.
land. The name was probably, at
that early date, spelled Tilghman, as
tho well-known general Of that name
belongs to the family which came
over with Lord Baltimore.
The settlement in South Carolina
of the ancestors of the subject OF
this sketch was made on Horse
Creek, Edgofield County. Capt. Ben
Tillman's father was named Bcnia-
min Ryan Tillman. His colonial
ancestors, Ryans and Tillmans, were
Wings and did good service in open
nd guerilla warfare against the TO.
ries and other followers of Lord
CORVALLIS, They snffcred nersocn-
ton and rctaiiated in kind, as was
tho custom in the guerilla warfare of
those days. On n tract of the
Tillman lands is a place known as
Shelving Rock, which was often the
refuge of the Tillmans and Ryans
and other Wing families. At another
place is an historic tree, on which a
Tory paid the penalty of his crimes.
At a third place is the Murder Field,
so.oa]led from the fact that in that an
ancestor of Capt. Tillman, a Ryan, was
murdered by two of his slaves. Capt.
Tillman now owns about 1900 acres
of the original tract and lives at his
own homestead, called "IIigh Vicw,'
near Roper's Station, on the Char.
lotte, Columbia and Augusta Rail
road.
Capt. TillmaE obtained his Gle.
mentary education at the old field
school Of George Dolphin, at which
school Senator Butler and Mart Ga.
roy were prepared for college. lie
left school in 1864, and soon there.
after was FRUSTRATED by a severe Mt,
tack of fever by which he lost his left
eye. This affection made the young
Tillman an. invalid for two years
When he recovered he applied him.
self to reading and "read everything
he could lay his hands on" Hi
chief delight was in poetry an6
novels. In poetry his taste was fol
the British classics, Milton, Pope
Dryden and Scott; in novels he haf
all the standard works, including
Scott, Bulwcr, Dickens and Thacke
ray. The library at his home, a
High View, contains a number. O
the best books of this period ant
tho period of the others just named
Considering that tho bcnt of hi.
mind has been in the direction o
poetry and romance, it is somewhn'
remarkable that his life work should
have been mapped out as one dcvo
ted to political and economic reform
This is all the more remarkable AZ
Capt. Tillman has not read n O
the works Oh political economy Of
literature related to that subject
He paid a great deal of attention
however, to the condition Of the State
its finances, needs, ETC., as he saw
them discussed i" the newspapers.
In 1867-68 Gu, t. Tillman lived il
Florida, and on his return to Soutl
| Carolina in 1868 married Miss Sal
lie A. Starkc, of Elbcrt County, Ga
Miss Starko, although living in Geor
gia, was of the South Carolina famil,
of the Starkcs who reside in Fair
field County. On returning to Soutl
Carolina he devoted himself exclu
sively to farming, the study Of agri.
culture and general reading.
When the revolution of 1876 was
being brought about Capt. Tillmar
took an active part in the organiza,
ton of the Democracy of his sec.
ton of Edgefield, and subsequently
participated in some Of the most
p%erilous undertakings on behalf OF
tho redemption of the State. AS
early, however, as 1874, he was act,
lively Engaged in tighing for white
supremacy, and was or hand in the
Ned Tenant riots of hat year
Under Capt. A. p. Butler, as a Nom.
ber of the Edgeficld Hussars, he
took part in the Hamburg riot, the
history Of which is familiar to tho
country. Again, at the Ellcntor
riot, he went down from his town,
ship with a company to the rescue
but on reaching Rouse's Bridge he
found that the difficulty had beer
settled by the United States Troops
The company which he commando
then was armed and equipped at pri.
vate expense.
Capt. Tillman followed tho for
tunes of the Democracy up to the
State House in 1876, at the time OF
tho formation of the Wallace House
1t was he who took the message tt
Hampton inviting him to attend tho
conference Of the straightout party
on the night before tho State House
was invested nv Federal troons TT