John Billingsley (abt. 1625 - bef. 1659)

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Corbreath) Burgh — married about 1650 in Virginia

Died before 1659 before about age 34 in Virginia [uncertain]

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John Billingsley resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Merge Warning - See Caution (below).

Biography

John was a Virginia colonist.

John, son of Henry Billingsley and Agatha Houtmans, was born 1625 or after.^[1]

He immigrated to Nansemond County, Virginia.^[2] His sons George and Henry are found in Chuckatuck Parish, Nansemond County, Virginia in1671 & 1672.^[3]

Children

Major John Billingsley was the father of at least three sons: John, George, and Henry.^[4] The sisters living in Virginia named in George's 1681/2 will - Elizabeth (engaged to marry Thomas Jourdan), Mourning (under 18), and Margaret (under 18) - were the children John's widow and her second husband, William Burgh.^[5]

Evidence of his sons includes documents of the Testamentary Court entered into Maryland records after the death of George Billingsley in Upper Norfolk County, Virginia. George had property in Maryland, including a horse, and this required a hearing regarding his property. The following depositions provide a lot of information:

The deposition of John Cobreath aged 48 or there abouts being sworn before me this 27th day of November 1678 saith that in the year 1658 or 1659 the said deponent carried letters from John Billingsley living then in Cuckahuck in Nansamum County in Virginia unto his mother, Agatha Billingsley, living then in ye city of Rotterdam in Holland, and delivered the said letters to her and brought an answer of them to ye said John, and his mother said unto this deponent at ye same time that if ye said John Billilngsly had sent some tobacco unto this bearer it had been bought for him and ye deponent saith further that the ?? horse of George Billingsley is ye ?? of said John Billingsley of Virginia & further saith not.^[6]

The deposition of John Trosler aged 60 or thereabouts being sworn before me this 17 day of NOV 1678 saith that John Billingsley of Cuckahuck in Nansamum County in Virginia was ye son of Agatha Billingsley of ye city of Rotterdam in Holland, and that George Billingsley is ye son of ye said John Billingsley came into Virginia upon account of Mr. James Deham in Rotterdam Merchant and Treasurer of ye Company of Merchant Adventurers of ye said city of Rotterdam and further saith not.^[7]

"...the will of Agatha Billingsley in the Rotterdam Archives [shows] that John Billingsley of Virginia was her son, and that he in turn had a young son called John Billingsley. The will was dated 1663 and she mentions that John of Virginia was already dead."^[8]

"In 1681 George Billingsley mentioned in his will the legacy that his grandmother Agatha had left to him."^[9][10]

John's widow Elizabeth married William Burgh after March 1661/2. She is believed to have been the sister of John Coalbreath (also spelled Cobreath, Corbreath).^[11]

Evidence of John Billingsley in Maryland

John Billingsley is identified as of Chucatuch in Virginia, Gent in a bill of sale dated September 1657 for a horse that he sold to a George Reed who had the bill of sale recorded in the Maryland record of Judgements and Testamentary Proceedings.^[12]

It is not clear whether Major John Billingsley died in Maryland or Virginia, but he was deceased by 1659 and left property in Maryland. An inventory of his estate was presented to the Testamentary Court by John Cobreath, administrator, in that year. The document in the record book is very difficult to read and does not list very many items, but you can easily read the name of the deceased as Major Billingslea. There appears to be a quantity of fabrics as the word "yards" appears several times and there are also cows listed.^[13] Another document proves that Jno Billingsley was living in the area of Calvert Cliffs by 1657 and deceased by 1659 when his estate was sued for a debt of 5,000 pounds of tobacco.^[14] John Cobreath, the attorney of Elisabeth the widow of John Billingsley had been granted administration on his estate William Burgh who married said Elisabeth is granted administration in his place. ^[15]

The orphans of Major John Billingsley are mentioned in the following statement of Proceedings of the Maryland Assembly 23 May 1674:

"The ffollowing Vote sent downe by Mr Truman Vizt That the Mattapany & Patuxon Indians doe Continue upon the Land on wch they now live it being the Quantitie of Seaven Hundred acres more or lesse according to Pattent & th? the same be Purchased by the Countrey of the Orphans of Major Jo. Billingsley to whom it now belongs the sd Billingsley having formerly Purchased it of the s.d Indians & the Upper house doe desire the Concurrence of the Lower House in this Vote."^[16]

This land purchase directly from the Native Americans is very unusual. Settlers were supposed to claim land through the patent office and pay rent to Lord Baltimore. Apparently this tract the Indians were living on eventually went through the usual process to claim land, as George, Henry & John Billingslely were granted a patent for a 700 acre tract called Our Legacy due on the certificate of their father, John Billingsley.^[17]

Research Notes

Birth year: Previously 1615, based on documents showing that his mother's son by a previous marriage would have been born about 1615. (See her profile.) It was changed to about 1625 because Henry and Agatha married in December 1624.^[1] Agatha of Rotterdam, is shown in Rotterdam records as the widow of Henry Billingsley (see their profiles for details).

Caution

John Billingsley, born before 1601, Astley Abbotts, Shropshire, England, is a different person than John Billingsley of England, Rotterdam, and America, born after c1625 (son of Henry Billingsley and Agatha Houtmans).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Henry & Agatha married 22 December 1624 (record online (accessed 1 June 2020).
   • Church records marriages. Collectie Doop-, Trouw- en Begraafboeken van Delft, Delft, archive 14, inventory number 00006, Ondertrouwboeken, met vermelding van trouwdatum, 1621 april - 1626 december 27 (1627 januari 3), folio 56v (permalink, page 115).
2. ↑ A year & source citations needed.
3. ↑ "Church of Chuckatuck Parish, Nansemond County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 29 (page 109)
4. ↑ Discussion of sons above.
5. ↑ See the profiles of George and Elizabeth. Since Mourning and Margaret were under 18 in 1681/2, they would have been born in or after 1663, and John died before that date (March 1661/2 court records name Elizabeth the relict of Maj. John Billingsley (see this page).
6. ↑ Testamentary Proceedings Liber 11 folio 283
7. ↑ Testamentary Proceedings Liber 11 folio 284
8. ↑ GenForum post #1015 by Luke Potter in 2004.
9. ↑ From GenForum post #1001 by Luke Potter in 2004.
10. ↑ Prerogative Court Wills Liber 4 folio 118
11. ↑ see Elizabeth (Geni) and this transcription of colonial Virginia court records
12. ↑ Archives of Maryland Vol. 10 pg. 563
13. ↑ Testamentary Proceedings Liber 1D folio 20
14. ↑ Archives of Maryland Vol. 41 pg. 353
15. ↑ Testamentary Proceedings Liber 1C folio 18 & 1F folio 1
16. ↑ Archives of Maryland Vol. 2 pg. 354
17. ↑ Maryland Land Patents Liber 6 folio 237

See also:

• Luke Potter's Billingsley research posted in this Rootsweb thread
• 2015 post by Billingsley researcher Luke Potter
• Colonel Davis's Billingsley book:
  • The Billingsley Family (Billingsly-Billingslea) in America, by Harry Alexander Davis. Washington, DC; Rutland, VT: Tuttle Publ. Co., 1936. (available online; archive.org link - 2016 capture by the WayBack Machine, accessed 20 November 2020)
  • Note that this source should be used for leads & information verified when possible (see this GenForum post, and this one also).

Leads

A John Billingsley born about 1647 in Holland would be a good candidate for his son John. The biography of Billingsley-58 appears to describe such a person. He was previously attached to different parents, Ann Hale and Francis Billingsley, which meant he was married to his 1st cousin, Sarah Billingsley, daughter of William. The change of parents for John (b c1647, son of this John) changed his relationship with his wife Sarah to 3rd cousin 2ce removed.