Elisha Billings was born around 1835 in New York to free Black parents. He first appeared in the 1840 U.S. Census as a free colored male under 10, living in a household that included his parents (aged 24–35) and an older woman (aged 55–99), likely his grandmother.
By 1850, Elisha was 15 years old, listed as mulatto, and working as a farm laborer in Chazy, Clinton County, New York. He lived with the Parya family and likely served as hired help.
In the 1880 U.S. Census, Elisha, then about 42, was living with his father, Peter Billings (born in Vermont), and his mother, Amanda (born in New Hampshire), in Clinton County. His race remained mulatto, and his occupation was listed as a farmer. Several of his siblings—George, Martin, Charles, Sanford, and Ellen—also lived in the household.
Elisha’s final known record was in the 1905 New York State Census, where he was 69 years old and identified as Black. He was living as a boarder in North Elba, Essex County, with the Warington family and their niece, Addie Goodspeed. No further records have been located, and his date of death remains unknown. His life reflects the transitions of a free Black man navigating agricultural labor and family networks in 19th-century upstate New York.