Francis was born circa 1607 in Lincolnshire, England to John Billington (1580-1630) and Elinor Armstrong (c1580-1643) and died 3 December 1684 Middleborough, Plymouth County, Massachusetts of unspecified causes. He married Christian Penn (1607-1684) July 1634 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
Vital Statistics
- Son of John Billington (1580-1630) and Elenor (?)
- Born - either 1606 or 1607 - possibly in Lincolnshire, England
- Mayflower passenger at age 13 (1620)
- Married 16-July-1634 to Christian Penn in Plymouth, MA
- Died 13 Dec 1684 in Middleborough, MA
Biography
Francis, born about 1606. He married Christian (Penn) Eaton in Plymouth in July 1634 and had nine children. A survey in 1650 indicated that Francis Billington was then in New England. He died in Middleboro on December 3, 1684.
Francis Billington was named as one of the heirs of Francis Longland of Cowbit, co. Lincolnshire, England. A manorial survey taken in 1650 indicated that Francis Billington was then living in New England and was about 40 years old. Francis himself gave his age as 68 in a deposition from 1674, making him about fourteen when he came on the Mayflower with his parents John and Eleanor Billington.
Francis was an active, rambunctious youth. He nearly caused a disaster onboard the Mayflower shortly after arrival in Plymouth Harbor, when he shot off his father's gun inside a cabin, sending sparks towards an open barrel of gunpowder. After he came ashore, he climbed up a tree and claimed to have spotted a "great sea" in the distance: a small pond that still carries the name "Billington's Sea" even today.
Following his brother's death shortly after 1627, and his father's execution for murder in 1630, he married Christian (Penn) Eaton, the widow and third wife of Mayflower passenger Francis Eaton. The couple had nine children, raised their family in Plymouth, and moved in their later years to the town of Middleboro, where they both died in 1684.
Marriage & Family
- Isaac Billington (1637-1709)
- Martha Billington (1639-1704) - married step-brother Samuel Eaton (1619-1684)
- Mary Billington (1640-1699) - Married to Samuel Sabin
- Dorcas Billington (1641-1711)
- Rebecca Billington (1648-1648)
- Mercy Billington (1652-1718)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Elizabeth Billington (1635-1709) | |||
| Joseph Billington (1637-1685) | |||
| Martha Billington (1639-1704) | 1639 Plymouth Colony, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 9 June 1704 Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts | Samuel Eaton (1619-1684) |
| Mary Billington (1640-1717) | |||
| Isaac Billington (1644-1709) | 1644 Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 11 December 1709 Middleborough, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | Hannah Glass (1651-1704) |
| Baby Billington (1646-1646) | |||
| Rebecca Billington (1647-1648) | |||
| Dorcas Billington (1641-1711) | 1641 Plymouth Colony, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 1711 Massachusetts | Edward May (1646-1691) |
| Mercy Billington (1651-1718) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| John Billington (1604-1628) | 1604 Lincolnshire, England | 1628 Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | |
| Francis Billington (1607-1684) | 1607 Lincolnshire, England | 3 December 1684 Middleborough, Plymouth County, Massachusetts | Christian Penn (1607-1684) |
Vital Records
Mourt's Relations
From Mourt's Relations Part 1 -
"The 5th Day (of December 1620) we, through God's mercy, escaped a great danger by the foolishness of a boy, one of Francis Billington's sons (actually John's son Francis), who, in his father's absence, had got gunpowder and had shot a piece or two, and made squibs, and there being a fowling piece charged in his father's cabin, shot her off in the cabin; there being a little barrel of powder half full, scattered in and about the cabin, the fire being within four feed of the bed betwwen the decks, and many flints and iron things about the cabin, and many people about the fire, and yet, by God's mercy, no harm done."
Pilgrim Monument
National Monument to the Forefathers, commemorates the Mayflower Pilgrims, (including this person) who came to Plymouth Colony in 1620 on the Mayflower. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it is thought to be the world's largest solid granite monument. Located on an 11 acre hilltop site on Allerton Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
References
- MainTour Plymouth Colony
- [Francis Billington - Mayflower History.com