Mary Billings

full name Mary Atherton

Mary (unknown) Billings died Feb 27 1718 at Stonington, New London, Connecticut, British Colonial America

Family

Husband:

1. William Billings Children:
2. Margaret Fanning (born Billings)
3. Ebenezer Billings
4. Joseph Billings
5. Captain William Billings
6. Mary Whiting (born Billings)
7. Lydia Billings
8. Dorothy Mackay (born Billings)
9. Abigail Randall (born Billings)
10. Mercy Grant (born Billings)
11. Elizabeth Billings
12. Patience Billings

Disputed Origins

Disputed parents, husband.

The wife of William Billings was not Mary Atherton - Find A Grave Memorial# 6823325 for William Billings states plainly there is no record that indicates this lady was Mary Atherton. Find A Grave Memorial# 20742249 for Mary Atherton reveals another marriage and children born to that marriage that precludes any possibility she was married to William and having children with him at the same time.

The real Mary Atherton, daughter of Humphrey Atherton, married Joseph Weeks April in Dorchester She was not the wife of William Billings You can see the original marriage record attached to Mary Athertons file Her number is LRFJN:

Biography

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/lifesketch/LRF6-J8N

There is a civil record in Dorchester vital records which can be found on ancestry.com of her marriage to William Billing 12(12) 1657. Unfortunately, the record gives no last name for Mary. Based on the year she was married, she may have been born about 1637. She may have been born in England, but since Dorchester was first settled in 1630, it is possible she was born in Massachusetts. Sometimes it can also be reasonably accurate to estimate that a woman's last child was born when she was about 42. Using this estimation method, since Patience was born in 1682, if she was 42 when Patience was born, she would have an estimated birth year of 1640.

I don't know where this couple was living when their oldest children Margaret and Ebenezer were born. It does not appear that this couple had any children christened in Dorchester.

We know that this couple was in New London, Connecticut, as late as 1670. There is a joint baptism record there for 4 of their children in 1672. Mary is not mentioned in any of the children's baptismal records.

Also, in husband William's will, dated 3 Oct 1712 and proved 14 Apr 1713, he mentions his wife Mary, his sons William and Ebenezer, his daughters Margery, Mary, Lydia, Mercy, his daughter Abigail's daughters, his daughters Dorothy and Patience and Beriah Grant (9 living children).

To my knowledge:

• 1. Margaret has no birth or christening record, but was mentioned in her father's will;
• 2. Ebenezer has no birth or christening record, but was mentioned in his father's will;
• 3, 4, 5, and 6. William, Mary, Lydia, and Joseph apparently have a joint baptismal record in New London, 1 Sept. 1672. There was a William, Mary, and Lydia mentioned in William's will, but no Joseph.
• 7. Mercy, daughter of William, has a baptism record in New London, 14 March 1674/5.
• 8 and 9. Abegall & Dorothy, daughters of William, have a christening record in Stonington, 1 July 1677.
• 10. Elizabeth, daughter of William, has a baptism record in Stonington, 28 Sept. 1679.
• 11. Pasiens, daughter of William, has a baptism record in Stonington, 9 April 1682

References

• William Billing in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 Name: William Billing Event Type: Marriage Marriage Date: 1 Feb 1657 Marriage Place: Boston, Massachusetts Spouse Name: Mary Source Information Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. AncestryImage
• Wife Mary mentioned in the will of William Billings: AncestryImage
• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LRF6-J8N
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/UNKNOWN-30369
  
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20742249/mary-weeks
  
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Atherton-87