This story comes out of a clan of Dilleys living in Barren and Metcalfe counties, Ky. Annie (Dilley) Rodgers pieced together a family sheet for a James? and Elizabeth Dilley who lived in Stafford Co., VA before 1810. It was retold in the family that Elizabeth's husband died while crossing a swollen stream with a bundle of wool tied to his waist on his way to a carding mill. Some say that he was riding a horse. Annie prepared a family sheet with these traditions and a brief outline of the two surviving families that lived in Barren Co., KY. 

The widow Elizabeth migrated to Barren Co., KY in 1818, apparently, where she appeared in the 1820 census with three sons and one young daughter. Apparently the migration occurred by covered wagon with several other families from Stafford Co., VA. These Reads and Starks lived on adjacent farms in Barren Co., and some are buried close to Elizabeth's grave with one inscription that states the person came from Stafford Co. all of these people are buried in a family cemetery called Smith Cemetery in Metcalfe Co., KY. Elizabeth died in 1850-51. The two sons of Elizabeth were James G. Dilley b in 1807 and Joel Washington Dilley b 1809. Annie's family sheet shows James C. born in NY but my reading of the 185Q censuses indicated they were both born in VA. Both James and Joel had large families and James C. had three wives. 

Annie sent a brief letter, with a copy of the family sheet listing the two sons of Elizabeth, to Thelma Reeder and to me. We both began recalling unclaimed Dilleys in the Potomac River area of VA. An Elizabeth Dilley of Stafford Co. sold her household property in toto to a Mr. Read in 1812. This is recorded in the land records of Stafford Co., and it shows no evidence of her identity. It almost seemed that she was assigning her goods to Read for some unknown assistance to her family. Elizabeth never remarried. Annie’s relatives put the migration in 1818. 

Recent descendants of these KY clan believe that the father of these two KY Dilleys was James, perhaps because the first son was named James. There is no proof for the name James. There were three Dilley brothers (John, Richard & Joseph) living in Stafford Co. from 1789 to about 1810 when they appeared in the 1810 census for Washington Co., OH. Another John Dilley appeared in the 1810 census for Prince William Co., VA, which borders the NW edge of Stafford Co. where the three brothers lived. This John of Prince William had three sons and an older girl (probably a relative & not a dau). In 1820, Elizabeth had three sons 10-16 Years of age and one girl <10 years. 

Thelma & I (JDA) speculate that John of Prince William was the father of these Dilleys found in the 1810 census, and that Elizabeth who sold her goods in 1812 was his widow. This would mean that John died between 1810 and 1812 after producing another girl baby during that time. There is no evidence of Elizabeth's life between John's death and her migration. Annie's relatives believe the report that a Dilley boy ran away during the migration; I doubt this tradition, because the oldest boy would have been only 11 Years of age in 1818, and unlikely to survive in the mountains of VA. Annie feels strongly that there was no third son or a Young girl in Elizabeth's family despite the 1820 census that shows both present. The John Dilley of Prince William Co. did not appear in later censuses in VA. This John is one of about a dozen Dilleys born in VA around 1780 for whom no parentage has been found. 

Note: Most of these records were collected by Annie (Dilley) Rodgers and she has been most generous in sharing them. Michael J. Davis of Pentwater, MI is also a descendant of Elizabeth Dilley who is searching for records too.