author
Jonathan Prince Cilley
1835–1920
A Maine lawyer, Civil War cavalry officer, and family historian, he left behind books that tie personal memory to a wider American story. His writing is especially interesting for readers drawn to genealogy, local history, and the lives behind the records.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Thomaston, Maine, on December 29, 1835, Jonathan Prince Cilley was the youngest son of Congressman Jonathan Cilley and Deborah Prince Cilley. He studied law and practiced briefly in Thomaston before entering the Union Army in 1861, serving with the 1st Maine Cavalry. During the Civil War he rose through the ranks and later received the brevet rank of brigadier general.
Alongside his military career and public service, Cilley became known as a careful recorder of family history. He helped compile works on the Cilley family and contributed to preserving the story of several generations of his family, blending genealogy with biography and memorial writing. That makes his books valuable not just as records of lineage, but as windows into how families remembered themselves in the 19th century.
He died in Alameda, California, on April 6, 1920. Today he is remembered both as a Union officer and as an author whose work preserved a rich piece of New England family history.