Copyright 1999 Perry Streeter (c) 1999 Perry Streeter perry@streeter.com www.perry.streeter.com This document is Copyright 1999 by Perry Streeter. It may be freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of the copyright holder. I am seeking all genealogical and biographical details for the family documented below including their ancestors, children, and grandchildren and the spouses thereof, including the full names of those spouses' parents. All additions and corrections within this scope, however speculative, will be greatly appreciated. William Billing of Stonington, Connecticut An article from The New England Historic Genealogical Register by the Reverend Creighton Spencer-Mounsey (April 1927) serves as the principal source for information on the Billing family. During a visit to The New England Historic Genealogical Society in August 1991 your compiler had the pleasure of speaking with the Society's Director, Mr. Gary Boyd Roberts. He informed me that the noble and royal line of descent for William Billing from Sir Thomas and Katherine (Giffard) Billing referred to in the NEHGR article appears to have been fabricated by Somerby. Unfortunately, I had devoted a great deal of time to researching Katherine (Giffard) Billing's ancestry. Mr. Boyd doubts that the Somerby's ancestral line for William is accurate beyond his father William or grandfather Richard. The name is often seen as Billings. 1. William-1 Billing (William-A, Richard-B) was born at Taunton, Somersetshire, England about 1629 and died at Stonington, New London County, Connecticut 16 March 1712/13. He married at Dorchester, Massachusetts 12 February 1657/8 Mary _____, who died between 1713 and 1718. She was not the daughter of Humphrey Atherton as some have indicated, William and Mary were married by Major Atharton. They are both buried in North Stonington Cemetery: "1713 Here lies the body of William Billing who died in the 85th year of his age;" there is only a simple footstone for Mary, "M.B." Somerby stated that the Billing family estate in Taunton was called Deanes and that William inherited it from his father, William, who had inherited it from his father, Richard the Elder. Somerby further asserted that when William-1 left for New England sometime before 1649, he sold Deanes to his brother Ebenezer. This information cannot be confirmed by any primary sources. William is named as one of the original proprietors at Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1654 (Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families). By 1658, William was at Dorchester, Massachusetts. Perhaps that same year, or in 1659 by the previously mentioned directory, but certainly before 1667, he moved to Stonington, Connecticut and acquired a large estate there; his house was located on Cosatuc Hill. In 1675, he served in King Philip's War and was admitted to the Stonington Church 29 April 1677. Although designated as sea captain by some sources, there is no reason to conclude that his occupation was any other than that of "land dealer" as cited in his proprietorship in Lancaster. Children (see NEHGR article for full listing of grandchildren): i. Margaret-2, b. probably about 1659; m. 13 Aug 1678 Edmund-2 Fanning, b. in 1651, d. in 1715. ii. William, b. in 1660, bapt. at New London 1 Sept 1672; bur. 8 June 1738; m. Hannah Sterry., b. 18 Aug 1672, daughter of Roger and Hannah (Palmer) (Hewitt) Sterry, m. (1) Thomas-1 Hewitt; Hannah (Palmer) (Hewitt) Sterry was a dau. of Walter-1 Palmer. See Walter Palmer of Stonington, Connecticut for more details. iii. Ebenezer, b. about 1661; d. 16 Sep 1727; m. 1 March 1680/1 Anna Comstock, baptized at New London 9 April 1661, died after 5 Oct 1727, daughter of Daniel-2 and Palthia (Elderkin) Comstock. iv. Joseph, bapt. at New London 1 Sept 1672; d. young. v. Mary, bapt. at New London; presumably the Mary Billing who married 24 Dec 1688 John-2 Whiting of Wrentham, MA, b. 19 July 1665. * vi. Lydia, bapt. at New London 1 Sept 1672; d. in Aug 1747; m. (1) William-2 Bromley (Luke-1), b. about 1668, d. about 1700, son of Luke-1 and Hannah (Stafford) Bromley; m. (2) Samuel Coye of Preston. See Luke Bromley of Stonington, Connecticut for more information. vii. Mercy, b. at Stonington 27 Oct 1674 and bapt. at New London 14 March 1674/5. viii. Abigail, bapt. at Stonington 1 July 1677; probably died there in 1705; m. at Stonington in 1695 John-2 Randall, b. in 1666. ix. Dorothy, bapt. at Stonington 1 July 1677; m. Daniel Mackey. x. Elizabeth, bapt. at Stonington 28 Dec 1679; dismissed 6 April 1701 to the church at Wrentham, MA; presumably to live with her sister, Mary (Billing) Whiting. xi. Patience, bapt. at Stonington 9 April 1682. xii. Prudence, bapt. 4 March 1683. (Somerby is the sole authority for this daughter and her baptism.)