One of the largest clans of the Virginia Dilleys is that I call the Cumberland" Dilleys. The town of Cumberland is located on the southern boundary of Guernsey Co., OH. This location is critical and difficult for research because the county boundaries were changed, and a new county of Noble was founded in 1851 from Guernsey, Morgan and Monroe counties. Some of the Cumberland Dilleys lived in the town as tradesmen and others just south of it in Morgan Co. Therefore, they appeared in several county censuses, although often the same townships, including Morgan and Muskingum counties. They may have lived in the same places but the county boundaries around them changed during the 1840s and 1850s and particularly in 1851 when Noble Co. was created. My purpose here is to give a descriptive account of the clan with my interpretations of their relationships. The supporting data are listed in several sets of census, bible, newspaper, and other records. 

In 1839, four brothers appeared in Cumberland town and Morgan Co. In the newspaper article entitled "Tales of Old Cumberland," May Stranathan describes the families of Jonathan, James and Hiram Dilley living in or near Cumberland village. The 1840 census showed Luke and Hiram in Cumberland, Spencer Twp, Guernsey Co., whereas James and Jonathan were living together in Morgan Co., Noble Twp. Living with James the oldest son and Jonathan in 1840 was an old couple, and in 1850 a Jesse Dilley age 80 was living with Jonathan in Morgan Co. Both James and Jonathan were merchants in 1850 which may mean country stores. but Jonathan was living in Guernsey Co. The importance of finding Jesse Dilley living with these two 'Virginia-born brothers is that a Jesse Dilley appeared in the 1820 census for Shenandoah Co., Virginia with eleven children of whom five were males. He was still there for the 1830 census. 

In a biography of Judge Jonathan Dilley of Noble Co., OH, he is reported as born on the Potomac River some 30 miles from Washington, but that he was reared in Shenandoah Co., VA. This makes a second circumstantial evidence of a connection of Jonathan to Jesse and Shenandoah Co., VA. The ages of Hiram, James, Jonathan and Luke in 1850 were 38, 43, 45, and 50 years respectively. The Stranathan account reports James, Jonathan and Hiram to be brothers. Luke was the oldest and is linked mostly by association with the others at Cumberland as a probable brother. Luke would have been about 20 years of age in 1820 and Jesse had a son in the 15-20 age category then; The ages of the other three brothers fit the categories in Jesse’s census record fairly well (males 2-1-1-1-0-1-0). Jesse would have been 50 in 1820 (b 1770 in New Jersey), so he could have had older sons who had left the nest if they were born before 1800 when Jesse was 30, such as Moses b 1794. 

There is an older generation of Virginia-born Dilleys who settled in the corner around SW Guernsey Co. near Cumberland. John and Moses Dilley arrived in Guernsey Co. about 1812, and they appeared in the 1820 census with families. Moses left a military record for the War of 1812 (may have paid a substitute) from Guernsey Co. He and John appeared in tax records for Morgan Co., which bordered Guernsey on the south, from 1827 to 1829. John disappeared, but Moses continued to live in Morgan or an adjacent township of Muskingum Co. until 1870, when he was found in Ross Co. Harrison Twp with three other Dilley families including a Moses age 49 close by and a Thomas age 54 who may be sons of Moses. apparently, Moses had moved a little SW to join one or more of his sons in Ross Co., OH. Moses married Jane McGill 5 Aug 1813 and Moses Jr. was born about 1821. Both Moses Jr. and Thomas were born in Ohio, which is possible if Moses Sr., who arrived in Ohio about 1812, was their father. 

There were several more Virginia Dilleys who appear to have links to the Cumberland area. Aaron Dilley and his wife Mary, both born in Virginia, appeared in the 1850 census for Allen Co., IN ages 70 and 60. In the same Lafayette Twp lived George Dilley age 8I whose sons were Ichabod, Moses and Silas. These are typical of the biblical names of Virginia Dilleys. This George Dilley enlisted for the Civil War at age 40 and was killed. George was b 17 Dec l819 in Muskingum Co., OH near where Moses lived some 30 years; but Aaron was some 1 years older than Moses and probably belonged to Jesse's generation. 

Two Virginia-born Dilleys, James C. and George were living in Licking Co., OH in 1850, ages 31 and 40. These ages would put their birth years at 1819 and 1810 in Virginia. George was a merchant. There is no firm evidence at present to link them to a particular Virginia clan, however, George age 60, and with the same wife and sons, had moved to 2anesville, Muskingum Co., OH by the 1870 census, which is a possible link to the Cumberland clan. His grown sons were still living with him to operate a mill. The Abraham Dilley living in Muskingum Co., OH in 1870 was a farmer age 54 and a son of Joseph (Ephraim Sr. clan). James C. Dilley was still living in Licking Co., OH age 40 years in 1860. (George and James C. were sons of Jesse Dilley) 

There seem to be few records from Jesse's residence in Shenandoah Co. VA around the 1820 and 1830 censuses. Jesse lived in Loudoun Co., VA for the 1810 census and he married there Ann Smallwood of Maryland sometime before 1800. John Dilley, who lived in Shenandoah Co. in the 1770s, sold land twice during the decade. The land was in the valley between two branches of the Shenandoah River and across a Mountain and a river east of Woodstock, VA. This county is on the present boundary between Va. and W. VA. I presume that John emigrated from New Jersey because he appears to be the only Di1ley in Shenandoah Co. who could have been the father of Jesse born in N J. in 1770. I presume also, that John was the same man who was on John Denton's 1775 list of eligible military men in the old Dunmore Co., VA which later became Page and Shenandoah counties. This John would have been a relatively young man. John disappeared after 1780 although he may have been the same as John of Stafford Co., VA. He lived in a county west of the Potomac River area of Virginia and was cut off in winter by having to cross a mountain to get to the county seat at Woodstock; but he was the owner of considerable land in a river valley. 

There was another John Dilley who lived in Stafford Co., VA on a small branch of the Potomac River. His record is almost as faint as that of John of Dunmore and Shenandoah counties. John leased land in 1792 but apparently owned none. He appeared on the Stafford Co. tax list for 1789 with one male above 16 years (himself?). From 1790 to 1793, he is listed with two males above 16 years and in 1794 and 1795 with three males above 16. John had two or three sons, named John, Richard and Joseph. The latter two married McCoy girls in adjacent Fauquier Co. in 1801 and 1802. John continued on the tax list through 1805 but was gone after that. Joseph leased five acres of land with a house and shops in 1802, but he, John and Richard moved to Washington Co., OH before the 1810 census was taken. The leased land was back in the owners name on the tax list in 1810. The three brothers began the Washington Co., OH Virginia-Dilley clan which has been extensively documented by Don Dilley of CA in the publication entitled "Our Ellenwood Clan" by Nellie Gard. What happened to the father John Dilley is unclear.