Francis Billington lived at Plymouth until 1669, when he moved to Middleboro and occupied land granted to him as one of the "First Comers." He lived there until his death, except for a few years during King Philip's War when he fled to Plymouth for safety. On 18 April 1642 his daughter Elizabeth was apprenticed and 14 January 1642/3 he bound out son Joseph, "aged vi or vii" and two daughters, probably Martha and Mary, one five years old and the other even younger. Bradford stated in 1651 that
Francis Billington had eight children.

In his old age Francis was dependent on his son Isaac for support and died intestate. No probate record appears, although son Isaac petitioned the probate court in 1703/4 for title to all his father's Middleboro lands, stating he had had sole care of his parents in ther old age. A Plymouth County court case of Sept. 1722, brought by Isaac's daughter Desire Bonney and her husband, James shows that Francis Billington died
intestate leaving issue two sons and five daughters, viz: sons Joseph (eldest who inherited a double portion) and Isaac; daughters Elizabeth, Mary, Dorcas, Mercy and Martha, with a total of eight shares in the estate. A 1719 quitclaim deed from Francis's grandson Francis Billington, reading "my father Francis and grandfather (unnamed)
Billington" seems to imply a son Francis, Jr. but in the absence of any mention of such a son in contemporaneous Plymouth records, coupled with the fact that Francis's deed evidently transferred the shares of Joseph Billington, we conclude that the deed contains a clerical error. The original must have read " my father Joseph and grandfather Francis Billington." Indications are that the seven children named in the Bonney suit and their progeny were the only survivors of Francis Billington.

Francis Billington came with his parents and brother John. He was born about 1606 and was too young to sign the Mayflower Compact. He nearly blew up the Mayflower" when he discharged a firearm near a small barrel of gun powder. About January 1, 1621, he mounted the top of a tree on a high hill and announced that he had discovered in the distance another great sea. A week later he went with one of the master's mates to have a view of the place. They found the water divided into two lakes; the large one had five or six miles compass, the smaller one had three miles. Thereafter the larger was known as Billington Sea. He married at Plymouth in July 1634 Christian (Penn) Eaton, widow of Francis Eaton.

She died at Middleborough about 1684. They seemed to have ill fortune because they were forced to bind out most of their children to secure means for their existence. Francis was occasionally sued and fined and once had the choice of a whipping or paying twenty pounds. In later life he did better and served on committees, etc. He died at Middleborough, December 13, 1684.


Source: Cameron F. Hutt

1. 2. Unknown BILLINGTON  
2. 3. Elizabeth BILLINGTON   b. 10 Jul 1635, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 19 Aug 1675, Providence, Rhode Island.
3. 4. Joseph BILLINGTON   b. Abt Feb 1635/1636, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. Abt 1692, Block Island, Rhode Island.
4. 5. Martha BILLINGTON   b. Abt 1638.
5. 6. Mary BILLINGTON   b. Abt 1640.
6. 7. Isaac BILLINGTON   b. Abt 1644.
7. 8. Rebecca BILLINGTON   b. 8 Jun 1648.
8. 9. Dorcas BILLINGTON   b. Abt 1650.
9. 10. Mercy BILLINGTON   b. 25 Feb 1651/1652, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 28 Sep 1718, Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts.

1. 11. Desire MARTIN   b. 20 Mar 1681/1682, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; d. 12 Sep 1727, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.
2. 12. John MARTIN   b. 10 Jun 1682.
3. 13. Robert MARTIN   b. 9 Sep 1683; d. 16 Sep 1705.
4. 14. Francis MARTIN   b. 7 May 1686.

1. 15. Jotham CARPENTER, , Jr.   b. 1 Aug 1709, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; d. 10 May 1777, Cumberland, Rhode Island; bur. Elder Ballou Meeting House Cemetery, Cumberland, Rhode Island.
2. 16. Amos CARPENTER   b. 1 Sep 1710.
3. 17. Hannah CARPENTER   b. 6 Jun 1712, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; d. Between 1751 and 1807, Tiverton, Rhode Island.
4. 18. Renew CARPENTER   b. 6 Jun 1714, Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts.

Resided in Cumberland, RI He was constable of Rehoboth in 1735. He served as deacon of the Baptist church in Rehoboth for a number of years, and on removing from Rehoboth he was deacon of the Baptist church in Cumberland until his death. He mentions in his will: Wife Freelove, sons Jotham and Oliver,
daughters Dorcas Bullock, Sybil Ingalls, Mehitable Mason, Elizabeth Carpenter, Freelove Whipple and Desire Ballou.

1. 19. Oliver CARPENTER   b. 1 Mar 1728/1729, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.
2. 20. Dorcas CARPENTER   b. 16 May 1731, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.
3. 21. Lydia CARPENTER   b. Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts.
4. 22. Isaiah CARPENTER   b. 8 Jan 1734/1735, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; d. 17 Jan 1809, Salisbury, Vermont.
5. 23. Nathan CARPENTER   b. 18 Feb 1737/1738; d. Abt 1818, at John Royce's in Willington, Connecticut.
6. 24. Anne CARPENTER   b. Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts.
7. 25. Sybil CARPENTER   b. 26 Feb 1738/1739, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.
8. 26. Mehitabel CARPENTER   b. 28 Jul 1742, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.
9. 27. Elizabeth CARPENTER   b. 20 Dec 1746, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.