I submit the following evidence of the possible French origins of the Dilles
(Dilleys) from accounts on the earliest Dille families in Ohio: From
Gertrude Van Rensselaer Wickham's, The Pioneer Families of Cleveland
1796-1840 Vol I, (1914) p. 68 "Ninety years ago there was no family name in
this locality more familiar than that of Dille, and no other family so
numerically numerous. There were three separate branches of the Dille in the
county, headed by two brothers and their nephew. David Dille Jr. came in
1797 from Washington Co., Pa. to spy out the land ... he finally decided
upon a 100 acre lot in Euclid... His brother Asa Dille settled in East
Cleveland on Mayfield Road and the nephew Samuel Dille Sr. on Broadway. The
Dille were of Huguenot descent. One of them emigrated 250 years ago from
Scotland to Jamaica and from thence to South Carolina. One of his sons - who
went north into New Jersey - spelled his name Dille. Those remaining spelled
it Dilley, and it is claimed that people who write their names either way
will be found usually to have descended from the same ancestor." From a
Belmont Co., Ohio History published in 1988, "The History of Dilles Bottom -
Early in 1793 John and Samuel Dille settled land since known as Dilles
Bottom. They were French and their named was often pronounced Dill by the
people here. To preserve the French pronunciation, they changed the spelling
to Dillie or Dilley and it continued to be spelled that way until about 1900
when the original spelling became official. Fort Dille was also built in
1793 for the protection of the settlers who seemed to have increased
rapidly.... It was recorded that this fort was once attacked by Indians and
some settlers were killed." Letter from A.D. Miller, executive assistant to
the administrator, to Delia E. Neece dated July 21, 1939, from National
Archives concerning David Dille's, Revolutionary War Pension File relates
that father of David and Asa Dille (subject of above article on Cleveland)
moved with his family to Western Pennsylvania in October 1776. David moved
there in April 1776. David volunteered in March 1, 1778, and served for
about a year as an orderly sergent in a company guarding the frontier
between Wheeling and Pittsburg. He was frequently called out on scouting
parties and in 1782 was part of Col. William Crawford's campaign against the
Indians which resulted in their disastrous defeat and Crawford's burning at
the stake. In 1789 he moved to Belmont County. At the time of his pension
application he was living in Euclid Township, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. His
brother Asa was born in 1767 in Morris Co., New Jersey, and lived in Euclid
Township at time of his pension application.

Fritz Milligan

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