About Dr. Robert D. Billington
For more than four decades, Robert Billington has worked to bring people back to the rivers of Rhode Island's Blackstone Valley—cleaning them, navigating them, teaching from them, celebrating them, building access to them, and helping communities rediscover the opportunities along their banks.
Billington
The Billington family story, written by Barbara Zdravesky, spans more than 400 years.
From the time he set out from London on the Mayflower John Billington had been disliked and vilified. He lived in the Plymouth Colony only seven years before his execution. His sons nearly set the Mayflower on fire, and his grandson Joseph was sued for debt so many times his property was garnished.
This is just the beginning of the Billington family histories in America. This book tells the stories of a particular line of John Billington’s descendants, those that made their way to settle to Rhode Island. Along the way we learn how King Philip’s War began, why the iron industry and the machine era began in the Blackstone River Valley. We also learn about their dedicated military service, how a life sentence in jail was commuted, and how a train tumbled off a bridge and killed two brothers.
All this and more is written in the pages of this book, just waiting for you to discover.