Person:John Bill (1)

From New England Families, Vol. III, Genealogies and Memorials, p. 1284

The best authority indicates that he was the son of John, mentioned above, the book publisher. Little is known of him.

From History of the Bill Family p 25-29

This country had long been known to Europeans prior to the embarkation of hte Pilgrims at Delft Haven for New England. The coast-line had been roughly sketched by the Dutch and other adventurers who had sailed up and down the line of the continent, making lodgements here and there for purposes of trade and colonization; but it was not until 1620 that the Pilgrims, previously driven from England, left Holland for a home in America.

Many thoughts come crowding for expression as we reflect on the mysterious causes that for centuries had been at work preparing, as it were, a people of simple yet of pure faith as seed with which to populate a new world.

The history of Europe and contiguous countries prior to this time forms little else than a series of hideous chapters relating to the conquests of States and races, of wars and despotisms, both civil and religious, ever culmination in martyrdoms, and turmoils, and strifes among neighboring populations, intolerance meanwhile everywhere prevailing, even as late and the sixteenth centuy.

Such, in brief, were the elemental causes inducing emigration; and it is from this point that we proceed to the task of collecting the history of our family in America.

The earliest mention of any of the name of Bill is found in the ancient records of the "Town of Boston," where we read: John Bill died 10 mo., 1638. A month later, January 21, 1638-39, Richard Tuttell (Tuttle) became responsible to the town of Boston for "one Dorothie Bill, widdowe, a sojourner in his house," and "for any thing about her."

Before proceeding further, we will state, for the benefit of the general reader, that prior to 1752 two methods of commencing the year prevailed in England. The Ecclesiastical, as also the Legal year, commenced on the 25th of March, but the Historical year on the first of January. This custom prevailed in the colonies until by an act of Parliament, in 175, the first of January was also made the beginning of the legal year. We may add, also, that the Arabic numbers were frequently written in place of the names of the month; hence the tenth month, as expressed above, was December, while 1638 refers to the legal year, and the addition of the figure 9, in the last quotation above, denotes the historical year.

The ancient phraseology used above, pertaining to Dorothie Bill, means that she had lately become a widow, and Mr. Tuttle, who was probably her brother, engaged to meet any expense that might arise on account of her and her children. "Any this about her" undoubtedly refers to children connected with said Dorothy, who might possibly occasion expense. Dorothy Bill had at this time at least one son, James Bill,who was a full-grown man, aged 23. We also feel quite certain she had two other sons, namely, Thomas, near 20 years of age, and Philip, who was still younger. These sons, if not living with their mother, would be likely to visit her from time to time. A year later, we find Dorothy and her son James living together.

We find no record of the arrival in this country of John and Dorothy Bill, whom we believe to have been husband and wife, although no record makes it certain; but when we consider the record of the death of John Bill, as heretofore given, we are impressed with the belief that it is the death of an adult, and not of a child. Had it been a child, the parents' names would have formed part of the record, as in other cases.

It is assumed that John and Dorothy must have arrived in the colony prior to 1635, for we find that a boy named John Bill, aged 13, came in the ship "Hopewell," in 1635; also, that one Mary Bill, aged 11, came in the ship "Planter" about the same time. There is little reason to doubt these two children were also the children of John and Dorothy, for we find the girl Mary Bill in company with the Tuttles, and apparently one of their family, as her name immediately follows their names in the list of passengers.

It is probable that John and Dorothy Bill, induced by the same reasons that drove the earlier Pilgrims to seek a home in America, and by other reasons mentioned in the previous chapter, came hither, with their three eldest children, as pioneers; and made a settlement, and otherwise provided for the reception of their remaining family and friends, who came, as we have seen, in 1635, in the vessels above. The fact that after the death of the husband of Dorothy, Richard Tuttle became responsible for her and her children; and the other fact, that Mary Bill came in company with the Tuttles, on board of the "Planter," leaves the impression on our minds, indeed, there seems to be no question, that Richard Tuttle was a brother of Dorothy Bill, and consequently an uncle of the children. This in part explains how the parents came to leave their two youngest children behind them in England; also, how it came that Richard Tuttle should volunteer to become responsible for the widow and children of John Bill, and that the widow should "sojourn in his house."

It is not remarkable that neither the names of John or Dorothy Bill, or their three eldest children, appear in any of the volumes in the Rolls Office, London, containing names of the early emigrants, and made by order of the Home Government. They must be incomplete, or else they do not cover the entire period. Drake, in his "Founders of New England," speaks of these volumes as being somewhat damaged by water, and it will be noticed he gives no list of emigrants for New England in 1633. Widow Dorothy Bill did not long remain in the house of her (supposed) brother, Richard Tuttle, for on the 27th of January, 1639-40, Robert Mears sold to Dorothy Bill and her son James Bill his house and garden, "where they now live."

Richard Tuttle, above named, soon became a man of note in Boston. He was made a freeman March 3, 1635-6, and, during the same month, was chosen, with Thomas Oliver, Thomas Leverett, William Hutchinson, Thomas Colbarne, and others, one of a committee to oversee and regulate the internal concerns of the town. In 1638 he had an allotment of land at Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point, which may have led to James Bill, his supposed nephew, settling there. In Nov. 5, 1638, Richard Tuttle was chosen constable of Boston. He died May 8, 1640. His autograph is in Drake's History of Boston, p. 243.

There is no record of the death of Dorothy Bill. We assume, and feel justified in the assumption, that John Bill was the husband of Dorothy (Tuttle) Bill, and that they had the following children:

James- b in England, m. Mary --- Thomas- b in do. about 1618, m. (1) Elizabeth Nichols; (2) Abigail Willis Philip- b in England about 1620, m. Hannah --- John- b in do. 1622 Mary- b in do. 1624

Of the above children, we know that James was the son of Dorothy. Of John and Mary, we only know that they came in 1635. We do not hear of them again. Of James, Thomas, and Philip, and their descendants, we have now to trace; and it will be interesting to see how so small a family as this of John and Dorothy's has expanded and widened, until, in 1867, a period of over two centuries and a quarter, their name should come to embrace, in its geographical limits, a continent.

The Bill genealogy suggests that the widow Dorothy Bill may have been sister of Richard Tuttle based upon her "sojurn in his house" after the 1638 death of her husband. In the standard treatments of the St. Albans Tuttle family (Dawes-Gates, Hale-House, David L. Greene's articles in The American Genealogist, and Vol. 7 of The Great Migration), John and Dorothy Bill are not even mentioned in association with the Tuttles. The fact that Richard Tuttle took her in may imply some kind of family relationship, but one more remote than that of siblings. Until record evidence of a relationship between Richard Tuttle and Dorothy (-----) Bill is seen, there is no reason to call her a Tuttle and include her in the family of Simon.

1. ↑ Ledyard Bill. History of the Bill Family. (75 Fulton Street, New York 1867).
2. ↑ William Richard Cutter, A.M. New England Families Genealogical and Memorial Series. (Clearfield Company, NY, 1913; reprinted Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1996, 1997)
   Vol III.
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Rootsweb Message Boards
   Darlene Brady, viewed 10 Jan 2005.
4. ↑ J W S Chappelle, Canadian Branch of Chappell and Kindred Families (1954)
   p.45.