My Genealogy Hound

DAVID P. BILLINGS, a retired merchant of Ware, was born in Hardwick, Mass., June 1, 1810, son of David and Elizabeth (Pearce) Billings, the former of whom was a native of the same place.

His paternal great-grandfather, who was a patriot soldier of the Revolutionary War, was the father of a large family of sons and daughters. His grandfather, Asahel Billings, who was born in Sunderland, Mass., in 1737, left there when a young man to settle in Hardwick, where he became a successful farmer. Yet he fought for his country in the War of 1812. He married Miss Hannah Robinson, of Barre, Mass., and by the union became the father of several children. She lived over ninety years, and he lived nearly a century. Their son, David Billings, chose medicine for his profession, and for many years was successfully engaged in active practice in the town of Hardwick. He also owned the farm upon which his father settled, and which has been in the family for over a century. He died there at sixty-two years of age; and his wife, Elizabeth Pearce, lived to be seventy-five years old. They reared three of the four sons and four daughters that were born of their union.

David P. Billings, who is now the only living child of his parents, spent his early years on a farm, where he became familiar with the duties of a farm life. At the same time he acquired a good common-school education, which was supplemented by a two years’ course at a seminary. At nineteen years of age he taught his first term of school, and continued to follow that employment for two winters. When he was twenty-three years of age, he secured a position as salesman in a general store in Palmer, Mass. This position he left in 1837, to open a general store in Ware, Mass., in company with his brother-in-law, Dwight Foster. They carried the business on together until Mr. Foster’s death. Thereafter Mr. Billings conducted the store alone for twenty-eight years with continued success. In 1850 he purchased the lot opposite his residence, on which he now has four tenements under rent. He also has about fifteen acres on Muddy Brook, just outside the village. He retired from active business in 1863, and during much of the time since then has been a sufferer from rheumatism.

While engaged as a salesman in Palmer, he met Miss Betsey Foster, to whom he was married on April 5, 1837. She is a daughter of Wilson and Prudence (Brown) Foster, and a grand-daughter of Bryant Foster and Solomon Brown. Her father was a successful agriculturist of Palmer, Mass. He died there in 1864, nearly eighty-seven years of age. His wife bore him eight children, as follows: Rebecca, wife of Luke Hitchcock, of Palmer; Keyes Foster, a successful agriculturist, who died at the age of seventy-seven years, leaving a son and daughter; Sally, who married James Deans, of Eastford, Conn., and died when fifty years old, leaving two sons and a daughter; Dwight, who was at one time in partnership with Mr. Billings; Salina, who married Shepard Blair, of Warren, Mass., who died when thirty-eight years of age; John, a retired farmer, who died in Palmer in March, 1895; Betsey, wife of Mr. Billings; and Freeman S., a prosperous farmer residing in Palmer, who has one daughter living. Mr. and Mrs. Billings were the parents of a son and daughter, namely: Henry, who died in 1842, at the age of four years and six months; and Henrietta, who died March 20, 1845, aged two years and seven months.

In politics Mr. Billings is a Republican. He has rendered faithful service in various town offices. He has been Selectman, Overseer of the Poor, and for ten years Collector of Taxes. He has for over thirty years been a Director in the National Bank, and has also taken an active part in church work. Both he and his wife, who is an estimable woman, are members of the Congregational church; and he was at one time superintendent of the Sunday-school. They reside at 30 Church Street, a fine dwelling erected on the lot purchased by him in 1840.