Pennsylvania Families

Narrative

James was born Richard James Ronaghan Billups, according to the image of the
Civil Registration Index at ancestry.com. His aunt's first husband, James
Ronaghan, had died in May of 1859.

When with his parents in England and Indiana, James R. is on the
census records as Richard James, when on his own he is recorded as
James R. In 1910, James Richard said he arrived in 1872 and was a
naturalized citizen. One source gives the date of his naturalization
as 1889. His wife's arrival date may have been 1882, it was not clearly
readable.[30]

James is listed in the City Directory of Pittsburgh for 1883 as the proprietor of a "shooting gallery" at 177 Sandusky. Maybe this was a photo shooting gallery, based on his later occupation.
He is also listed in the directory for 1885 to 1889, including a listing in 1889 at 3226 Penn Ave, under "Photographers". Was he involved earlier with his father Thomas' photography shop, listed in 1884 as Thomas Billups & Company "between 32nd and 33rd"? (images at Ancestry.com)

James Billups was living in Westmoreland County by 1891.[31] The book
Jeannette: Images of America, by Terry Perich and John Howard (Arcadia
Publishing, 2005, image at google books), has a picture of him on page
36, with this text:

"In the 1890's, photographer James Billups (who is pictured on
this card), came to Jeannette and opened a studio at 217-219
Third Street. Many pieces of his work survive today and
demonstrate a quality superior for the time."

James also worked for the water company. The 1897 Directory of
Jeannette lists James Billups, Supt. Water Co. at 217 Third
Street.

Applied for naturalization 1889
Place:Allegheny Co., PA
Year:1889
Primary Immigrant:Billups, Richard J. R.
Source Code:9701
Source Publication:
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, Pittsburgh, compilers. A List of Immigrants Who Applied for Naturalization Papers in the District Courts of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh: the society. Vol. 6, 18 81-1891. 1981. 138p.
Source Page Number:7
Permanent Entry Number:1117240
Accession Number:9821400

Events

Event	Date	Place	Description	Sources
Birth	November 1859	Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, England

Census (Son)	April 2, 1871	Attercliffe, Yorkshire, England	357 High Street	1a
	Event Note 1871 Census Attercliffe com Darnall, Yorkshire, England RG10; Piece: 4698; Folio: 122; Page: 41; GSU roll: 847239 2 April 1871 357 High Street Thomas Billups, head, married, 41, steel mill, born Wimblington, Cambridgeshire Mary Jane Billups, wife, married, 31, born Boston, Lincolnshire Richard J Billups, son, 11, born Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire Maria J Billups, daughter, 9, born Molton, Lincolnshire			1a
Naturalization	1889	Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States		2
				2
Occupation			water works supervisor

Death	1931			3a
				3a
Burial		Jeannette Memorial Park, Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States	Burial of James Richard Billups	3
				3

Parents

Relation to main person	Name	Birth date	Death date
Father	Thomas Billups	November 13, 1829	1901
Mother	Mary Jane Morris	July 1839	August 2, 1907
	James Richard Billups	November 1859	1931
Sister	Maria Jane Billups	between January 1862 and March 1862	February 23, 1885

Families

Family of James Richard Billups and Jennie H Allen

Married

Wife

Jennie H Allen ( b. February 1858 d. 1948 )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Sources
Marriage	about 1882

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
John R. Billups	April 1883	after 1930
Eva Jane Billups	April 16, 1885	after 1930
James Thomas Billups	May 31, 1887	June 1967
Joseph Francis Billups	February 17, 1890	1950
Julian M. Billups	July 1892	1903
Judson C. Billups	February 1894
Jessie W. Billups	February 15, 1899	June 1972
Jay Murray Billups	about 1901