Information that can be found in a earch on Google.com or other search engines yields tells of John BILLINGTON, wife, Ellen, and sons John and Francis coming to America on the Mayflower and were regarded as being a 'contentious' family per ships records. One incident tells of their son, Francis BILLINGTON, shooting off a gun near an open barrel of gun power inside a cabin on the ship, Mayflower. John BILLINGTON, Sr., early on after settling in Plymouth, was charged with contempt when he insulted Myles Standish and spoke contemptuously of him. John BILLINGTON, Sr. was sentenced to have his neck and heels tied together but the sentence was dropped after he apologize. John BILLINGTON, Jr., a short time later, after wandering away from the settlement taken to Cape Cod by the Nauset Indians where he lived for month or so before the Indians returned him to his family. John BILLINGTON, Sr., in 1624, was deemed to be involved in the 'OLDHAM-LYFORD' situation. Letter trying to undermine the colony of Plymouth were secretly being set to England. John BILLINGTON, Sr. claimed he was innocent. There wasn't enough information to determined he was involved and so the charges were dropped. Later on in 1630, John BILLINGTON, Sr. was put on trial murder in the death of a man named John NEWCOMEN. John BILLINGTON, Sr. was found guilty of having shot John NEWCOMEN in a quarrel over a previous argument that the two had been in. between the two. John BILLINGTON, Sr. was then the first Englishman to be hanged in New England. Sincerely, Bellinda Myrick - Barnett In a message dated 1/7/2002 2:39:34 PM Central Standard Time, justin@billington.tc writes: > Subj:John Billington > Date:1/7/2002 2:39:34 PM Central Standard Time > From:<A HREF="mailto:justin@billington.tc">justin@billington.tc</A> > To:<A HREF="mailto:BILLINGTON-L@rootsweb.com">BILLINGTON-L@rootsweb.com</A> > Sent from the Internet > > > > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/5EE.2ACIB/298.2.1.1 > > Message Board Post: > > John Billington came to American with his two sons, John and Francis, and > his wife Ellen. The whole family was trouble, and the captain of the > Mayflower wrote some unkind words about the family, however it is rumoured > that he was jealous of the family because they were the only family to not > lose any members during the first winter in America. John Sr. was the first > man hung in America and was sentenced either because of murder or slander > (I can't recall which). John Jr. nearly blew up the Mayflower when he fired > a gun near a barrel of gunpowder. All this information is easily found on > the 'net. > > > Justin L. Billington > Tyler, Texas >