History of the Billings Jersey Herd

The origins of this beautiful farm and the current herd of over sixty fine Jersey cattle date back well into the Nineteenth Century. Much of what we think of today as the Billings Farm just outside the village of Woodstock, Vermont, was sold to Frederick Billings by Charles Marsh in March of 1869. A note in the Local and State Items section of the Vermont Standard for March 4, 1869 states, “The Charles Marsh Farm on the northerly outskirt of the village, which is justly celebrated for its view…has been purchased by Frederick Billings, Esq., for the round sum of $27,500…the farm contains some 270 acres divided into river meadow and uplands…” Other items from the Vermont Standard speak to commercial activity well beyond the subsistence level. In the Local News section of the April 6, 1871 issue, it was noted that, “…on the sunny slope above his residence Frederick Billings is setting out a large number of young maples…many a hillside [in Vermont] could be changed to attractiveness and profit.” And a report on the Windsor County Fair for September 28, 1871 states in the review of the sheep being displayed, “While the beautiful Southdowns of Frederick Billings were an object of much interest.” In the Agricultural Report of the Standard for December 14, 1871, mention was made that, “…from the pen of the Honorable Frederick Billings, who has sold to Richmond and Pinney [wholesale/ retail Woodstock butchers] three hogs, the unit weight of which was 1709 pounds.”

An interesting comparison which helps to establish the date of the beginnings of commercial farming under the ownership of Frederick Billings comes from the Vermont Agricultural Census for 1860, 1870, and 1880. In 1860, under the ownership of Charles Marsh, the farm had a cash value of $8,000. Under the ownership of Frederick Billings that value increased to $12,000 in 1870 and $25,000 in 1880. Where Mr. Marsh reported 2 horses and 4 milk cows in 1860, Mr. Billings had expanded the livestock to include 14 horses and 8 working oxen in 1870, and to include 21 milk cows and 40 other cows by 1880. In 1870, it was recorded that Mr. Billings produced little or no butter on his farm but by 1880 his farm was credited with producing 5,000 pounds of the commodity per year– far above levels of personal consumption. Yet another notable entry for 1880 records that Frederick Billings paid over $3,000 annually for labor – a figure ten times higher than his closest associates. The ten years between 1870 and 1880 marked the emergence of the Billings Farm as a formidable agricultural force in the region.

The earliest available business directory for the Woodstock area, Hamilton Child's, “Gazetteer and Business Directory of Windsor County, Vermont for 1883-1884,” lists Frederick Billings as “…breeder of the Lord Walsingham's Southdown sheep, registered Jersey cattle, registered and blooded horses, and farmer.” Frederick Billings' interest in Jersey cattle dates back to the late 1860s and early 1870s with the purchase of several bulls and cows with direct Isle of Jersey bloodlines, the originator of his herd being the great Jersey cow “Pet Gilford 3317.”

As the years progressed, Billings' interest in the development of the quintessential Jersey herd led to many acquisitions and show awards. In 1895, George Aitken, Farm Manager for the late Frederick Billings, noted in his preface to the farm catalogue and herd book for that year, “The Billings Farm herd of Jerseys came into such successful prominence at the Columbian Exposition that it attracted the interest of Jersey breeders throughout the country…The late Frederick Billings started this herd twenty-four years ago [1871] by purchase of Pet Gilford 3317, a daughter of the great Rioter 2nd 469 and half sister to Eurotas, and the aim has always been to improve the quality of the Jersey cow.”

Since the introduction of this superb cow in 1871, the Billings Farm has continued to operate as a commercial dairy with a concentration on its renowned Jersey herd. The Billings Farm & Museum today celebrates and presents to its visiting public this legacy of continuous commercial farming in Woodstock for over one hundred and thirty years.