Biographical Sketch (1887):2717, p. 361. "William Billingsley, farmer and stock-raiser, on section 9, township 77, range 7 west, English River Township owns 782 acres in this county, divided into three well-improved farms. He is also the owner of 1,068 acres of land in Florida. He was born in Monongahela County, now W. Va., August. 29, 1828, and is the son of Samuel W. and Hannah (Smith) Billingsley. He removed to Greene County, Pa., in 1849, and one year later came to Iowa, settling at Richmond in April 1850. He purchased the farm where he now resides in 1856.

Mr. Billingsley was married, Nov. 3, 1853, in Washington, this county, to Miss Sophia J. Moore, daughter of Phillip B. and Lydia Moore. She was born in Licking County, Ohio. They are the parents of four children, three boys and one girl, all except the youngest born in this county: Ray, born Nov. 10, 1854, married Eleanor Patterson, and resides in Santa Ana, Cal., and they have three children, two boys and one girl; May, born Sept. 6, 1856, is the wife of Frederick Lathrop, and also resides in Santa Ana, Cal., and has one daughter; Jay married Eleanor Benjamin, lives in Oskaloosa, and has one daughter; Jones, born March 21, 1870, died August 8 of the same year. Mrs. Billingsley died in 1870. Mr. Billingsley removed to Iowa City in 1869, and resided there nine years, engaged in horticulture. He returned to Washington County in March, 1878, and has continued to reside here since. He still owned this farm while at Iowa City.

Mr. Billingsley has been a member of the Board of Supervisors five years. He was a member of the County Board when the whole board was arrested for contempt of the United States County. The board was obliged to disobey a State law to submit to a Federal law. He served as Trustee of his township six years, and two years as Assessor. Politically, he is a Democrat, and religiously, he is liberal in his views.

Samuel W. Billingsley, the father of our subject was born in 1790, in Monongahela County, Va. His wife, Hannah (Smith) Billingsley, was born in 1800, in the same county. The former was of English, and the latter of Irish descent, but the family was of American birth for several generations. The father died in September, 1855, and the mother in 1870. They were the parents of five children: William, the subject of this sketch; Mary died when but two years old; George W., who married Louisa E. Todd, and is a farmer of this township, where he has resided since 1850, and owns 272 acres of land; Cyrus married Margaret Stinson, and is a farmer of Girard, Kan., and is the owner of 300 acres of land, and John M.

We are pleased to present to the patrons of this Album the portrait of Mr. William Billingsley, which will be found on an accompanying page."

1828 Birth:3054 Birth date of 29 August 1828 taken from 1909 tombstone in Middleburg Cemetery, English River Township, Washington County, Iowa. Birth place of Virginia taken from 18602381 census enumeration.

1860 U.S. Census:2381
Washington County, Iowa (English River Township, Richmond Post Office)
Enumerated 11 July 1860
Wm. Billingsley •• 32, male, farmer, real estate value $16,500, personal property value $1,168, born in Virginia
Sophia J. •• 27, female, born in Ohio
Ray •• 5, male, born in Iowa, attended school within the year
May •• 3, female, born in Iowa
Jay •• 1, male, born in Iowa
Philip Moore •• 64, male, retired, real estate value $1,500, personal property value $250, born in Virginia
E. B. Moore •• 23, male, farmer, real estate value $1,680, personal property value $75, born in Ohio
Wilson Morey •• 22, male, laborer, personal property value $100, born in Ohio

1870 Death of Wife:3053 Sophia Moore died 1 March 1870 based on her tombstone in Middleburg Cemetery, English River Township, Washington County, Iowa.

1870 U.S. Census:2394
Johnson County, Iowa (Iowa City Township, Iowa City Post Office)
Enumerated 21 July 1870
Wm. Billingsley •• 42, male, white, farmer, real estate value $35,000, personal property value $1,190, born in Virginia, male over 21 years of age
Ray •• 15, male, white, at home, born in Iowa, attended school within the year
May •• 13, female, at home, born in Iowa
Jay •• 11, male, at home, born in Iowa
Not named •• 4 months, male, white, at home, born in Iowa, born in February << Later named Jones (Jonas) ??
M. V. Morey •• 27, male, white, farm hand, born in Ohio, male over 21 years << Martin Van Buren Morey
Elisha Moore,2223 age 32, brother of recently deceased Billingsley wife, Sophia Moore, resided in the immediately preceeding household.

1895 Iowa State Census:2951
Washington County, Iowa (English River Township)
William Billingsley •• 66, white, born in West Virginia

1909 Tombstone:3054 Middleburg Cemetery, English River Township, Washington County, Iowa.
William Billingsley
b. 29 August 1828
d. 10 April 1909