There are Tills up north who came from England, but most Tills down south -- North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas -- descended from one family that arrived in Charleston from Switzerland in 1736. Some of them later moved westward. We are what's called a First Family in Orangeburg, SC, and there's a high likelihood that one Till born in the south is related to another.
He and I spoke for quite a while and confirmed that we did have a common ancestor way back. I never spoke with him again. I remember reading his obituary in 2001 when he died at age 88. His wife Frances died in 2006.
And here is the rest of the story: his son, five years older than I, a recipient of the Silver Star, KIA in Vietnam near the DMZ at age 20. Willard, Sr. didn't mention Willard, Jr. on our phone call. I wish I had known.
Thank you, my distant cousins, for the sacrifices you made.
