Thomas Billingsley (b. 1769 - d. 1842)
MSA SC 5496-050659
War of 1812 Claimant, Calvert County, Maryland, 1828
Biography:
Thomas
Billingsley was born November 11, 1769 at Trent Hall in St. Mary's County, MD to Allen Billingsley and his
wife Elizabeth Broome. Billingsley married first Mary Barber of St.
Mary’s County on August 25, 1796. Together Thomas and Mary Billingsley had three children
Mary, John Allen, and Thomas Barber Billingsley. Mary Barber died in 1811 leaving
Billingsley a widower with three minor children. Billingsley then
married Catherine Barber on June 10, 1812. Catherine Barber Billingsley was the younger sister of his first wife Mary.
Thomas and Catherine Billingsley had the following children: John
Myvert, Hatch, William, Elizabeth, and William. Billingsley was one of
the largest land and slave holder’s in Calvert County.
Billingsley
rose to the rank of Colonel by serving in the militia during the War of
1812. During this time many residents of the county suffered the loss
of their homes and personal property at the hands of the British. The
presence of the British military offered an opportunity for the
enslaved community to escape. While Billinglsey served in the
militia his enslaved man Joseph "Joe" Spicks
escaped to the British ships lying in the Calvert county side of the
Patuxent River. Joe joined the British as a Colonial Marine, the corps
of black solders that fought in His Majesty's military. He
assisted the British in burning down the county courthouse. At the end
of the war Joe was carried to Trinidad where he settled on land offered
to members of the Colonial Marines.
Following
the war American citizens filed claims for indemnity with the
Department of State for the loss of their property. A commission was
formed to handle the claims and make awards to individuals who lost
enslaved people during the war. It was decided by the commission that
residents from Maryland and Virginia would be compensated $280 for each
enslaved person that ran off or were carried away by the British.
Thomas Billingsley filed a claim for the loss of his enslaved man
Joseph Spicks who was valued at $500. An
agent argued that Billingsley should be compensated at the Georgia
valuation of $390 because Joe Spicks was enlisted in the Colonial
Marines. However, Thomas Billingsley was awarded $280 for the loss of Joe.
Colonel
Thomas Billingsley died February 5, 1842 in Prince Frederick, Calvert
County, MD. Billingsley's funeral which took place at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Cemetery was the first to be held at that church. He was buried in the church cemetery following the funeral.
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