Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday: Hon. Benjamin F. Billings

Photo by Jeff Zinsli, used with permission  
When Denison N. Stewart passed away and his sons moved to Kansas, Abby married as his second wife, Honorable Benjamin F. BILLINGS. A descendant of Edward Denison, Abby's son, told me that they lived in Griswold, CT for a time and then, she wanted to move to Kansas to be with her one remaining child.

When Judge Billings died, she buried him with his first wife, Ann P. PALMER in Great Plain Cemetery in North Stonington, New London, CT.

She, so I was told, is buried in Kansas but I have not been able to confirm that she is buried in the cemetery there.  

When Abby married Benjamin Franklin Billings in 1868, she had no reason to be living in the house on Stewart Hill near the cemetery. The 1870 census states they live in Griswold, CT.

What all of this tells me is that my ancestor, Dudley W. Stewart married in 1856, he did not return to the house on Stewart Hill that was once owned by his parents. He lived elsewhere in North Stonington and ran the General Store there.

There are no actual addresses on the federal census records, which is too bad for us researchers. The 1870 census lists Dudley as having 4500 value of real estate and 6500 value of personal estate. I found a tax record that indicates that he owns a carriage and a watch.







2 comments:

SeaThreePeeO said...

Interesting post. It it usual for someone to be buried with their first wife?

Beneath Thy Feet

Midge Frazel said...

Actually, in New England, it is more usual than unusual. The first wife often leaves children and the second might be a former widow herself.

New Englanders buy a burial lot ahead of time and put their names on the stone ahead (without the death date). It might be creepy but it helps with genealogy research.

Thanks for reading my posts!