The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-11-21
j. B. TILLETT GAVE
MUCH TO PROGRESS
FOR OUTER BANKS
The Man Who Ferried The Island
ers For a Quarter Century,
Dies on A Farm

Jennings Bryan Tillett, (Tobey)
to nearby everybody, is dead. He
went to his final resting place
Sunday, honored by the largest
funeral, and the most flowers ever
seen at Bethany Methodist Church,
Wanchese. The building could not
hold the mourning friends who
came. From many places they
came, numerous people from Hat
teras some of whom had to stay
all night, and others didn't come
because there was no way to re-
turn home at night.
Tobey Tillett had been rest
less man for seven years. Before
then he had operated the ferry
across to Hatteras Island for %
years He was the owner, and with
his father had founded the ferry
business. His uniform courtesy
and friendliness, and his accom-
modating spirit had made him a
great favorite. At one time or an
other, he had ferried across just
about every person living on Hat
teras Island. He had more friends
along the coast than any other
man.
To Tobey Tillett, more than to
any other man, do the people OF
Hatteras Island owe credit for a.
tremendous part in bringing about
a demand for good roads. The
business that Mr.. Tillett built up,
eventually swallowed him up.
Tobey Tillett had stuck by this
business through great hardship.
He was a man of determination,
and spirit. He was not easily dis
couraged. When the hurricane of
March 1882 swept all his boats
away. and left him with nothing,
he never thought of giving up. On
the endorsement of couple of
friends, he borrowed several hun
dred dollars of an Elizabeth City
bank; he used his good credit else
where and he got back in business.
Through all the ups and downs of
a quarter of century, without a
let-up during the great depression
of the early sos he kept going,
and he enabled the people of the
island to go to and fro as they
pleased. This ferry made possible
better mail service; the old, slow
torturOus mail boats were ADAM
doned. A bus line was enabled to
start; freight service had improved,
and a continuous series of devel-
opments were made possible, re-
sulting in the modernization OF all
the villages of the island. Count
less strangers found it possible to
travel to Hatteras, became fasci-
mated by its sport and its beauty.
Clamor and pressure was exerted
for good roads, and free ferries,
and the State bought out Mr.. Til
lett.
Mr.. Tillett never had been so
happy as when he was meeting
everybody while running his ferry
boat. He cast about for something
to do; he built himself party
boat. on land leased from the U. S.
WildIife Service, he built sports
mans center on the south side of
the inlet. These things proved not
to his liking, he sold them, estab-
lished himself in the concession on
the north side of the Inlet, and
operated it successfully for three
years. But he tired of this.
His next venture was to under
taken the improvement of the old
Thos. Tillett homeplace, where he
was born, some 800 acres of land
at Wanchese, skirting Broad Creek.
He had been building canals, clear
ing land, and making ready a new
homesite. Two days before his
death, his tractor had turned over,
almost pinning him down, but he
escaped. Having told his wife
about it, she begged him on Thurs
day not to use it any more. When
he failed to return home Thursday
night, a searching party found his
lifeless body in the darkness OF the
new plowed field, pinned under
the steering wheel of the tractor
which had appended on him.
Tobey Tillett was pioneer, and
he was a restless doer of things.
He could not pin himself down to
mere routine. His name will be
long-remembered for his value to
the amazing chain of events and
people who have made possible
the wonderful progress of the
coastIand during the third of a
century that has just passed.
He was a native of Dare County
and resided in Wanchese, all of his
life. He was the son of Mrs. Mary
Tillett and the late William B..
Tillett, and husband of Mrs. Zeta
Daniels Tillett.
He owned and operated the Ore
gon Inlet Ferry service for over
25 years, having sold it to the
State in 1851. He also operated
the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center
for three years before selling his
franchise to H. A. Greet, ct ais.