Billington (Y-DNA)

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Status summary

As of June 25, 2022:

  • Recruiting Billington Y-DNA descendants for NGS/WGS testing. Interested parties should Read me First

IMPORTANT: Read me First

Paper trail

For more information see: Hodge, Harriet Woodbury (rev. 2001 by Robert S. Wakefield) (rev. 2014 by John Bradley Arthaud), Mayflower Families through Five Generations. Vol. 21 Billington. Names in bold text have had a Y-DNA descendant Y-DNA tested.

First Generation

John BillingtonPilgrim Hall Museum John Billington Biography was born circa 1580 in England.[1] His life in England is basically unknown. He had a wife Elinor/Ellen and two sons. The Billingtons were not part of the Separatist Congregation in Leiden, but were apparently recruited in England. The family was often in trouble with the authorities in Plymouth and the senior John Billington was hanged for murder in September 1630 and the widow married in Sep 1638 to Gregory Armstrong. John and Elinor had two sons. The older son John had died before his father (apparently never married) so all of the descendants are from the younger son, Francis.

Second Generation

Francis BillingtonPilgrim Hall Musuem Francis Billington biography[2] deposed on 10 Jul 1674 that he was "68 years of age"[3] so he was born about 1606, possibly in Lincolnshire, England. He married in Plymouth in Jul 1634 Christian PENN Eaton, the widow of Mayflower passenger Francis Eaton. They resided in Plymouth for most of their married lives, but late in life they moved to Middleboro, where they both died.

Children: Francis and Christian had nine children (Plymouth): Elizabeth (1635), Joseph (c1636), Martha (c1638), Mary (c1640), Isaac (c1644), Rebecca (1648, d.y), Dorcas (c1650) and Mercy (1651/2).

Third Generation

Joseph Billington was born in Plymouth on 2 Feb 1636. He married a wife named Grace at New Shorham, RI on 26 Sep 1672. Joseph died at Block Island, RI on 7 Jan 1684. Joseph and Grace had three children (New Shoreham [Block Island], RI): Mary (1674), Francis and Elisha (1676).

Isaac Billington was born in Plymouth in 1644. He married Hannah Glass about 1674. They had six children: Desire (c1675), Lydia (1677), Eleanor (c1683), Mary (1685), Seth (c1687 likely never marr.) and Isaac (c1692).

Fourth Generation

Francis Billington born Block Island, RI abt 1676 and died bef. 29 Jul 1724. He married Plymouth 17 May 1702 Abigail Churchill[4]) and they had seven children: Sarah (1702), Marcy (1704), Francis (1708 likely never marr.), Jemima (1710), Content (1712) Abigail (1716) and Joseph (1718/9 likely never married).

Elisha Billington was born Block Island abt 1660 and died bef. 13 Apr 1741. He married Jane ___ and they had five children: Daniel (1710 m Mary Austen), Joseph (c1712 m Abigail Braman), Jemima (1715), Sarah (1718) and Mary (1720).


Isaac Billington (II) was born abt. 1692 and died Middleborough 19 Jun 1779. He married there 5 Mar 1729/30 Mary Donham and they had five children: Isaac (1730/1 poss. never marr.), Nathaniel (1732/3 m. Mary Donham), Seth (1735 m Deborah Smith), Ichabod (1737 m Betty Pack) and Mary.

  1. ↑ There are some indications where he may have been from Spalding, Lincolnshire, especially after his marriage.
  2. ↑ A Francis Billington, son of John (John was named heir to a lease of crown land in Lincolnshire in 1613). In 1650 Francis was stated to be living in New England and aged 40 years or thereabouts. There are some issues with assigning This Francis Billington of Lincolnshire as identical to the Mayflower passenger.
  3. ↑ MD 2:46, citing PCR 1:81
  4. ↑ After the death of Francis Billington, Abigail married Nathaniel Howland

DNA Results R1b-FTA18300

Previous testing

The Mayflower DNA Project lists two patrilineal (all male line) descendants of John Billington. Neither of these individuals currently have any Y-SNP results. One individual has tested 111 Y-STRs. FTDNA has only predicted where the family falls under the R-M269 Haplogroup. Plugging in the 111 Y-STRs in the Nevgen Y-DNA Haplogroup Predictor gives a prediction falling somewhere below R1b-U106>>Z381>>L48>>Z8>>Z12>Z8175>CTS10742.

Next Generation Sequence/Whole Genome Sequence testing

As of June 25, 2022 two Big Y-700 test results have been posted to the Mayflower DNA web site. This result came back with a subclade of CTS10742, BY14508>BY145737>FTA18300. Further testing of Billington patrilineal descendants would possibly define subclade branches of the Billington family.


Related Families

The following families married daughters of John Billington.

Richard Bullock was the first husband of Elizabeth Billington

Robert Beere was the second husband of Elizabeth Billington[1]

Samuel Sabin married Mary Billington

Edward May married Dorcas Billington

John Martin married Mercy Billington


  1. ↑ Elizabeth had a third husband, Thomas Patey, but no children by this last marriage.

References and External Resources

  • Hodge, Harriet Woodbury (rev. 2001 by Robert S. Wakefield) (rev. 2014 by John Bradley Arthaud), Mayflower Families through Five Generations. Vol. 21, Billington General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA 2nd Ed. 2014
  • Arthaud, John Bradley, Mayflower Families through Five Generations vol. 21 [Billington], part 3. General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA, 2018
  • Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Increasings From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, Second edition 1995, 1996. pp. 16-18.
  • Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Passenger References, (from contemporary records & scholarly journals) [www.stewartbooks.com Stewart Publishing & Printing], Canada. Second edition 2015


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