(William 4, William 3, John 2, Francis 1.) Born St. Mary's County, Maryland in
1726. He was legatee in his father's will in 1745. He mar-ried prior to 1747
Elizabeth Crabtree, born 1726 in Maryland. They moved to Baltimore, Baltimore
County, Maryland, USA about 1758 where they resided to about 1768 then moved to
Guilford County, North Carolina, USA. He appears to have owned considerable
land but there does not appear any deeds to account for it. In 1771 he appears
as a signer to a petition asking clemency for John Pugh and Thomas Welborn who
appear to have been associated with the Insurrectionists. (N. C. Rec. Vol. ix,
25, 26, 29, 30.) When the Revolution began he became quite active in aiding the
American cause, sent his sons into the service and incurred the enmity of the
-Tories of the vicinity in particular. He was continually harassed by them
until the year 1776 when they invaded his home and asked for money, on being
told he had none they took him to a near by tree and hung him. This statement
comes from his wife who made note of his death in the family bible, and as she
lived to know many of her great grand children she often repeated the tragic
death of her husband to them. One of these, the son of John Billingsley,
Junior, heard the story, and it was also often repeated to him by his grand
father and as he was a lad of some 15 years of age at the time of the death of
his grand father he wrote all of it down at the time. Before his death he wrote
out all that he had made note of into a complete record of the family for his
children.
James Billingsley was killed in April 1776. He dated his will 25 Jan. 1776 and
it was probated at the May term of, court 1776, an abstract follows:Item: In consideration of my children that is in being already por-tioned, that
is to say, James, Elizabeth, Claranna, Samuel, and John, to each 2 shillings
and 6 pence.
Item: To son, William H., one bed & furniture to be recorded in with his equal
part with the following children, to wit: Martha & Walter & Bazil.
Item: To Martha, my daughter, one bed & furniture, one Chist & one Cow to be in
part her equal share in the list above mentioned.
Item: My two youngest sons, Walter & Bazil, plantation when they come of age,
&- that they share an equal part of the movable estate with others of my so
last mentioned fore children.
Item: To my well beloved wife during her widowhood one bed & furniture, one
horse, one mare, two Cows & calves & Plantation, and if a widow when my sons
come of age for her to have her right in the land so long as a widow, this
exclusive of her one third in movable estate, said wife to be executrix.
Item: To daughter Claranna, value of 3 pounds of estate exclusive of the above
2 shillings 6 pence.
This will witnessed by Teldeau Lane and William Hamer.
Elizabeth survived him many years, moved to Tennessee with her sons and resided
many years with her son, John, in Warren County, Kentucky, USA, about 1838 she
made the trip to McMinn County, Tennessee, USA to spend a while with her son,
Walter, she did not long survive this trip and died early in 1839 aged 113
years. Walter was given the family Bible a part of the record he filed with his
claim for a pension.
Children:
36 i Samuel (6): b 1747 Md.
37 ii James (6): b Oct. 1749 Md.
iii Elizabeth: b 1751-52 Md., m Teldeau Lane prior to 1776.
38 iv John (6): b 17 Aug. 1754
v Claranna: B 1756 Md., m prior to 1776 William Hamer.
She died sine prole in 1781.
39 vi William Henry (6): b 11 Oct. 1758 Baltimore Co., Md.
vii Martha: b 3 May 1760 Baltimore Co., Md., m 1783 William Hamer, his 2d wife,
she died Jan. 1786. They had:
1 Barbara Hamer: b Dec. 1785, m James Billingsley, No.
94, which see.
40 viii Walter (6): b 14 July 1761 Baltimore Co., Md.
41 ' ix Bazil (6): b 2 June 1764 Baltimore Co., Md.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
(James 5, William 4, William 3, John 2, Francis 1.) Born Baltimore, Baltimore
County, Maryland, USA in 1758, moved to Guilford County, North Carolina, USA
with his parents about 1767. Was legatee in his father's will. He married 11
May 1784 Elizabeth, daughter of William Gowdy, born 1765, Guilford County,
North Carolina, USA. She is mentioned in the will of her father 15 November
1786 and is also legatee in the will of her brother James Gowdy 22 January
1809.
On 22 November 1785 James and Ann Billingsley land on Meares Fork deeded him.
(Deeds 5-458.) On 16 August 1790 he was deeded 320 acres of land by John
Carnahan. (Deeds 5-435.) On 19 November 1792 he was deeded 264 acres of land by
Thomas Anderson. (Deeds 5-483.) On 6 November 1792 he sold 160 acres of land to
Hezekiah Bevil, .this deed not recorded until 1808. (Deeds 9-391.) On 23
November 1792 he sold to George Donnell 264 acres of land bought of Thomas
Anderson. (Deeds 5-474.) On 22 August 1793 he sold to James Murry 160 acres of
land on Meares Fork bought of James and Ann Billingsley in 1785. (Deeds 2-293,
and 5-451.) On 8 December 1795 he sold 160 acres of land to Stephen Gauft.
(Deeds 5-578.) On 22 February 1804 James Murry 210 acres of land on both sides
of Meares Fork, this deed not recorded until 1818 deeded him. (Deeds 13-180.)
He died about July 1820 as on I May 1821 Elizabeth was party to a deed
disposing of l2l 1/2 acres of land.Children
Jean BILLINGSLEY b: 1787
James BILLINGSLEY
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
Children
Elizabeth BILLINGSLEY b: 29 OCT 1794 in South Carolina, USA
Martha BILLINGSLEY b: 1795 in Jackson County, Tennessee
William BILLINGSLEY b: 5 MAY 1797 in Marion County, Tennessee
Walter BILLINGSLEY b: OCT 1802 in Jackson County, Tennessee, USA
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996.