A Revolutionary War Hero, Maybe Not

The Billingsley connection is a fairly recent find. Until last month, I had never seen the name within my family tree. Even then, there just wasn't much evidence to back it up. I knew that my 5th great-grandfather, Levin Watson, was married to a Sarah but I had no way to prove that she was Sarah Jane Billingsley. At least, not without taking a trip to North Carolina and spending days going through documents.  So I turned to my DNA. This has been an invaluable tool to fill in where documentation is lacking. I found some Billingsley cousins! I am excited to see where this new line will end up. The following story is about Sarah Billingsley Watson's grandfather, James B. Billingsley
 

See Note About Image Below

James Billingsley was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland in 1729. He married Elizabeth Crabtree before he turned 20. In 1758 they moved to Baltimore County and lived there almost ten years before moving to Guilford County, North Carolina. Billingsley was very supportive of the pending revolution. In 1771 he appears as a signer on a petition to grant clemency for John Pugh and Thomas
Welborn who were charged with associating with Insurrectionists. When the Revolution began he sent his sons into service and became quite active in aiding the American cause. This upset his Tory neighbors and they began harrassing him until one day in April 1776 they invaded his home and demanded money. When he told them he had none to give they took him to a nearby tree and hung him.

James's wife, Elizabeth, made a note of his death in the family bible. She lived to know many of her great-grandchildren and she would often tell the tale of her husband's tragic death. One of these great-grandchildren wrote it out into a complete record for the family.

Sources:

• (Ref: For King and country, by the Orange County Genealogical Society, in Orange, California, Vol. I, page 28 (1975)
•  Baltimore County Families 1659-1759,  Robert W. Barnes,  Baltimore, Md, 1989, pg 43
• Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties
• FindaGrave.com 

The image is not of James Billingsley. I believe it is supposed to be John Proctor's execution during the Salem Witch Trials. I just thought it was a fitting image for this story.