Histories

Samuel Billingsley, 1747 St Mary's Co, MD - 10 Jun 1816 Bledsoe Co, TN

5*Great Grandfather of Robin Richmond

Married Mary Griffith (1 Sep 1753 Edgecombe Co, NC - 1 Sep 1838 Bledsoe Co, TN) ​

6 SAMUEL (6) BILLINGSLEY

(James 5, William 4, William 3, John 2, Francis 1.)

Born St. Mary's County, Maryland in 1747, moved to Baltimore County, Maryland with his parents about 1758 and with them in 1768 to Guilford County, North Carolina. He married prior to 1772 Mary, born North Carolina in 1753. We have never been able to learn the maiden name of this Mary, one entrant to the Daughters of the American Revolution has this name recorded as Mary Griffith, she has not been able to furnish us any documentary evidence supporting the claim. Samuel was provided with his portion of his father's estate at the time of his marriage as he is mentioned in his father's will as "being already portioned" and was bequeathed two shillings and six pence.

He moved to Onslow County, North Carolina and was granted 300 acres of land on both sides of 2d Creek, entered 1 April 1779 and issued 29 March 1780. He enlisted in 1781 as Private, Captain J. Sharpe's Company, Colonel Francis Locke's Light Horse Service. He is shown on a Pay Roll 11 March 1781 as due pay for 12 days service. (N. C. Col. Rec. vol. xvii, fol. 1056.) On the 3 August 1779 he entered a claim for 100 acres of land in Sullivan County, now Tennessee. They removed to Sullivan County in 1787 and he was issued a patent for this land 9 August 1787. They subsequently moved to Sequatchie Valley and located in Bledsoe County where he became an influential citizen of his County.

He was a charter member of the first Masonic Lodge in the County, was a staunch member of the Missionary Baptist church. He was generally called "Captain" but it is not stated the origin of the title. He died at his home in 1816. Mary survived him and died in 1838 aged 85 years. There is a sketch of this man given in Biographical Album, Ogle, 1898. "I visited the old Smyrna graveyard Sunday where some of the Billingsleys are buried but the biggest thing I got was poison ivy. I found the grave of my great grandfather, John Billingsley and that of his second wife, Jane Hoodenpile, but could not identify that of his first wife, Martha Blackwood. There is a grave stone on the other side of John's which I imagine is that of her but there are no markings that I could find on it whatsoever. I have been told that the grave of Samuel Billingsley, my great great grandfather is in this graveyard and that it was the first grave ever placed there, but if so the markings are all gone and I could not find it. There are a number of old graves there, but the most of them are beyond recognition. I do not know of any old people who could identify those from which time has erased all markings."

Children

1. James: b 1772, died infancy.
2. Mary: b 1773.
3. Samuel (7) : b 9 Apr. 1775.
4. William (7) : b 16 Jan. 1779.
5. Jeptha (7) : b 1780 Onslow Co., N. C.
6. John (7) : b 10 Sept. 1781.
7. Thomas (7) : b 30 Dec. 1782.
8. Amanda: b 178? .
9. Elijah (7) : b 1786 N. C.
10. Sarah: b 178? Tenn.
11. Nancy: b 179? Tenn.