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![pict22.jpg [193x155]](pict22.jpg)
Pierre Billiou's House, Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, Dongan Hills, Richmond, Staten Island, NY |
Pierre BILLIOU(6) was baptized about 1632 in La Bassee or Wicres, in "French
Flanders". (6)
French Flanders was actually Belgian territory which was then in the
possession of the King of Spain but which afterwards became a part of
Artois, France. As a result of the persecution of the Walloons (French
Huguenots of the early 17th century) Pierre eventually went to Leyden,
Holland. He emigrated on 9 May 1661 from Leyden, Holland.(21) Pierre arrived
in New Amterdam, on August 6, 1661 with his wife and four children on the
ship St. Jean Baptist. Their youngest child, Isaac, was born at sea.
On Aug.22 that year Pierre, with eighteen associates, petitioned the
Governor of the Province to grant them land upon which to settle on Staten
Island. A majority of the petitioners later dropped out, but Billiou
persevered and eventually settled there. It was he who succeeded in
pacifying the Indians where others had failed and it was he who, with the
assistance of the Government's surveyor, laid out the first Staten Island
town. He was later appointed judicial officer of the first court,
established 28 Jan. 1664; was a delegate to the General Assembly in
Manhattan 10 April 1664; was appointed a Lieutenant of Militia, 14 May 1669;
and was, on Aug. 25, 1673, elected Schout and Schepen (sheriff and
magistrate) during the Dutch reoccupation.
The town mentioned above was Oude Dorp, now on South Beach, and was the
first permanent settlement on Staten Island. Pierre did not build his house
in Oude Dorp, but picked a spot beneath the hills farther inland. His house
was built in the style of his native land, with its steep-pitched roof. The
most distinctive feature of his house is the huge fireplace, with no jambs
and sides. The oldest section of the house is built of stone and given the
date of 1662, the house stands as the only remaining building on Staten
Island built under Dutch rule. This residence, known as the
Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, is maintained by the Staten Island
Historical Society and is open for tours. The current address is: 1476
Richman Rd., Dongan Hills, Richmond, New York.
He died on 6 Jan 1708 in Staten Island, Richmond, NY. Pierre Billiou's will,
dated 11 Sept. 1699, was proved in Staten Island in 1702. Parents: Thomas
BILLIOU and Aime.
He was married to Francoise DU BOIS on 20 Apr 1649 in Walloon Church at
Leiden, Holland. (6)
Pierre registering as being of Lille, France, and she from Reims (Rheims)
France. At least four of the five children that were born to this couple in
Holland were baptized in the Walloon church in Leyden before the family
embarked at Amsterdam. Children were: Maria BILLIOU, Martha BILLIOU,
Cathrine BILLIOU, Francoise BILLIOU, Christina BILLIOU, Isaac BILLIOU, Jacob
BILLIOU, Peter (Pierre) BILLIOU, John BILLIOU
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