Person:William Billings (9)

Announcement

With much appreciation to The New England Historical and Genealogical Society for sharing a free article from the Spring 2017 issue of The Register entitled:

“English Origin of Roger, Ann, and William Billings of Dorchester, Massachusetts.”

https://www.americanancestors.org/uploadedfiles/media/the_register/nehgr-2017-spring-freearticle.pdf

As you will read, this article provides important corrections and additions regarding the true origins of William Billings.

In the article, it is stated stated that:

“One reading of William’s gravestone in the 1920s says he ‘died in the 85th year of his age.’ Unfortunately the stone in the Old Plain Cemetery in Stonington is no longer legible.”

Fortunately, there is a good quality image of this gravestone “Taken in the 1930s by Amos Avery.”

Here is the URL for the specific image…

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=6823325&PIpi=142650253

…as associated with William’s Find A Grave entry…

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6823325

As you can see for yourself, the stone appears to read “1713… IN THE 85 YEAR…”

Biography

Individual: The date of his arrival in New England is not known, but was apparently not later than 1649. He was in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1658 and moved to Stonington, perhaps that same year, but certainly by 1667, where he acquired a large estate. His house was on Cosatuc Hill. He was a soldier in King Phillip's War, 1675. He was admitted into the Stonington Church 29 Apr 1677. April 8, 1682, he had a child baptised in the First Church ofStonington, CT; the General Court had granted to Thomas Stafford 50 acres at or near Pachaug (Griswold, CT), the latter assigning it toWilliam Billing, and the land was laid out in November of 1677; in1692 and 1693 he was a selectman of Stonington; he made his will October 3, 1712 and it was proved April 14, 1713; at a Court of Probate held in New London on March 26, 1718, administration was granted to Ebenezer Billings on the lands and other property of hismother, Mary Billing(s). William Billing(s)' Will names his children and wife. According to records in The Town of New Shoreham, Block Island, RI , Block Island, RI, was divided into 17 parcels, one for each of the 16 settlers and one reserved for the minister. William Billing was among the original 16 families that sailed to Block Island, but his property evidently changed hands prior to thedrawing of the official land division plat because he is not shown on it as one of the landowners. The original 16 settlers came to Block Island from Taunton, MA, on April 16, 1661, coming ashore at Cow Cove near Sandy Point, so named for the laughter of the Manissean Indians at the sight of the bovine swimming ashore. The Billings homestead on Cosatuc Hill in North Stonington, CT, is at the location of what in 1996 was known as Billings Pond in North Stonington, CT. It is accessible by Billings Road off of Route 2. William Billing(s)' tombstone in the Stonington Cemetery states "Here lies the body of William Billing who died in the 85th year of his age." This was legible in 1927 but no longer is today. (NEHGR vol 81 (1927) pp 156-78; Creighton Spencer-Mounsey, "Billings family of Connecticut")

1. ↑ Gary Boyd Roberts. Genealogies of Connecticut Families. (Gen.Publishing, Baltimore)
   at 134-36.
2. ↑ Child, Rachelle, and Helen Schatvet Ullmann. English Origin of Roger, Ann, and William Billings of Dorchester, Massachusetts. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Spring 2017)
   171:130.

   Rainforth Willus fs. Richi: Bellinge 24 April 1631 p. 100