147. John1 Isham;; John Isham or Isum - no record of where or when he was born;88 born 31 Mar 1654; "The date of John Isham's birth was furnished by the late George H. Loveland, formerly of New Haven, Conn, The source from which Mr. Loveland obtained it he did not reveal. It was probably from Freeman's "Annals of Cape Cod", but the source Mr. Freeman used is unknown;"89 married Jane Parker, daughter of Robert Parker and Sarah James, 16 Dec 1687 at Barnstable, MA; A lot of discrepency about the birth date. Have gone with a recnet interpretation from June Dodd's Genealogy:
"Barnstable records give the date of the marriage of John and Jane as Dec 16, 1677. The original record has been lost, and the record of the marriage exists only in a copy of Barnstable vital records made about 1736. Errors have been detected in this copy. Some one wrote opposite the record in the copy "Ten year too ould." Other considerations appear to verify this statement. Accordingly the date of marriage and the dates of the children's births have been set ahead ten years; "90,91,89 died 3 Sep 1713 at Barnstable, MA, at age 59.88,89
He "He appears first in the extant records for Barnstable, Mass., which date from 1685, as a lessee of the home of Thomas Ewer. By 1696, he acquired the rights of aproprietor of land on the South Shore, not far from the present village of Osterville. Hyannis lies a few miles away. The site was called "Isham's Island" but changesin the shoreline over the intervening three centuries have made it a part of the mainland today. Here the Ishams were to dwell until later generations were to move to Martha's Vineyard and to Connecticut. (Isham's Point is thought to be the site of the home of his son, John Isham. b 1691) " in 1685.89 He "JOHN ISHAM, the ancestor of the Ishams of New England, appears first at Barnstable, Mass., about 1670. He was born either in England, or possibly in Virginia, Mar. 31, 1654. All attempts to trace this date to its source have proved futile, but it can not be far from the true date. The names of his parents and their home have not yet been discovered. Three traditions regarding his origin, quite definite in form, have circulated among his descendants:
1. "Three brothers, sons of Gregory Isham, baronet of Northamptonshire, England, arrived at Cape Cod, Mass., on or about the year 1660. After living there some time, two of them settled in Connecticut, and Henry, the other brother, settled in Virginia, at Turkey Bottom, twenty miles south of Richmond, Va."
2. "John Isham, son of Thomas Isham of Pitchley, Northamptonshire, who was captain in a Cromwellian regiment of Ironsides, refused allegiance on the Restoration of the Stuarts, and set out in the Lion of London for Newburyport, Mass. with James Sumner and John Satterlee. He subsequently settled in Barnstable, Mass., and wrote letters to friends in England, including Lord Leigh of Leamington and other noblemen. John Isham's wife, Jane Hyde Parker, seems to have been a relative of the latter, Lord Bradford of Bromwick. These letters are said to have been found by Mr. Thorpe of Huddeston Hall, Birmingham, and by him deposited in the archives of the old borough Library in the year 1830."
3. "John Isham, when a boy, ran away from home and shipped as a cabin boy in a ship bound for Virginia. From there he made his way to Cape Cod and settled at Barnstable."
The first tradition has no sound historical basis to support it. No persons named Isham ever settled in Connecticut before 1740. Henry Isham of Henrico county, Va., was the only one of the Pitchley Ishams known to have crossed to America. He died in Virginia about 1676, perhaps a victim of Governor Berkeley, whom he opposed. Gregory Isham died Sept. 4, 1558 and was not a baronet. (See the chapter on the Ishams of England.) This tradition is involved in a tangle of impossibilities and is worthless.
The second tradition is a constructed story, concocted by some unscrupulous genealogist for consumption by credulous and trusting Americans. The Reverend Henry Isham Longden, a descendant of the Isham baronets of Lamport, and a very careful historical investigator, has for years studied the Lamport Isham family, using the rich material of letters and documents in the family archives. His conclusions have been printed in Barron's great work upon Northamptonshire Families and are of the highest value. In correspondence with the compiler Mr. Longden demonstrated that in all respects this second tradition was a stupid forgery, wholly in conflict with historical fact, although it mentions real persons. He also assured me that although his knowledge of the Ishams of Pitchley, Braughton and Lamport was virtually complete in all their branches, he could find no place therein for our John Isham of Barnstable, and that he was unable to suggest any origin for him other than that he might possibly have come from the Ishams "on the other side of the county, in the vicinity of Lutterworth." In this parish and round about there were Ishams of unknown origin, humble farmers, from whom John of Barnstable may possibly have come. Their origin and history he had never studied.
There were also Ishams in Shropshire, bearing similar arms and having the same Christian names as those of Northamptonshire. It has not been possible to connect John Isham of Barnstable with them.
The third tradition may have some basis of fact. In 1670 the authorities of Virginia demanded from the authorities of Plymouth, Mass. the extradition of James Percival, accused of having run away from Virginia with a boat. This boat must have been of some size, for Percival reached Cape Cod in her. It is manifest he could not have navigated her alone. Records do not mention any of Percival's companions in the voyage, but it is possible that John Isham was one of them. There were Ishams in Virginia other than Henry Isham of Henrico county, who left descendants in the female line only, among the Randolph and Eppes families. It may well be that John Isham was the son or grandson of some Virginia planter named Isham, and that he went with James Percival to Cape Cod in his runaway vessel. About 1670 times were very hard in Virginia and there were in addition political difficulties and antagonisms. These unfortunate conditions led some to escape from the colony and a few succeeded. It should be stated that James Percival was not compelled to return to Virginia, and was allowed to settle in Barnstable or Sandwich, where he married a prominent widow, Mrs. Mary Bassett, and was by two sons, the founder of the Percival family in New England.
John Isham appears first to have leased the homestead of Thomas Ewer in the northern part of the town, between East and West Barnstable. How long he resided there is not known, but before 1696 he had removed to the South Shore, near the present village of Osterville. Here he acquired the rights of proprietor, for he shared in land divisions, as shown by existing records. Mr. Norman M. Isham has located Isham's Island, and the site of John Isham's house, which was not on the Island, but on the mainland. The changes of two centuries or more in the shore line have joined the island to the mainland. Here dwelt all the Ishams until removals to Martha's Vineyard and to Connecticut took place. Samuel Isham of the third generation, after a few years residence in Colchester, returned to Barnstable to care for his aged father, and the family remained there until the death of Thomas Isham, grandson of the aforesaid Samuel, the last male Isham in Barnstable. The brothers of Samuel Isham all settled in or near Colchester, as did John the eldest and Joseph the youngest son of the first John of Barnstable. Connecticut seems to have attracted them, for its soil, even in the rather remote sections of Connecticut, where they settled, was more fertile than that in Barnstable.
The streams in the southern part of Barnstable are all short and originated in ponds. There are also a number of ponds without visible inlet or outlet. In this respect the region is well watered, but the soil is light and even sandy. Some portions even now are well wooded. Two of these streams, Bump's River, flowing from Heman's Pond, a small pond about two and a half miles inland and named for Heman Isham, and Trout Brook, both flow into Scudder's Bay. There is a point of land between them known today as Isham's Point, and it was here that the residents think that John Isham had his house. They may be right. Samuel, Heman and Thomas Isham probably lived here. It is not so certain that the first John Isham and his son Isaac dwelt here.
The inventory of the estate of Isaac Isham, son of John, mentions "an interest in an old house," which may have been the house of the first John. Scudder's Bay opens into Centerville River, a long narrow bay or river, probably tidal, which extends some three miles parallel with the shore line, behind the barrier beach which separates it from salt water. Centerville River opens into East Bay near Osterville Landing. In its upper end Centerville River receives Herring River, which is the outlet of Great Nine Mile Pond, which is the largest pond in Barnstable. These waters probably offered good opportunity for fishing. Isham's Point is about two miles northeast of Osterville, about a mile west of Centerville and about four miles west of Hyannis.
John Isham was admitted freeman Mar. 4, 1691-92, under the new charter which united Plymouth with the Bay Colony. Freemen were not required to be church members at this time. Of John Isham's religious views there is no written evidence. That he did not belong to the Congregational Church at West Barnstable is certain, for his name is not among the extant lists of its members. Neither were the baptisms of his children recorded. That he was tolerant is shown by the fact that he witnessed the will of a prominent Quaker, an act which implies previous acquaintance and perhaps sympathy with the Quakers. Was John Isham himself a Quaker? If so, the records of the Sandwich Quaker Meeting should perhaps contain evidence, if they are as early as John's time. In the spring of 1692 Ralph Jones died, a member of the Friends Society, leaving a will proved Apr. 20, 1692. Two executors and three witnesses are named in this will. Of these three were Fullers, relatives of the wife of Ralph Jones, who was a Fuller. Of the two not relatives, one was Edward Perry, the celebrated Quaker of Sandwich, and the other was John Isham. Ralph Jones resided some miles from the house of John Isham, who must have been desired as a witness by Jones. Could John Isham have been a Quaker?
What reliable information we have regarding John Isham, the settler, comes from the public records of the town of Barnstable. The records of Plymouth county do not mention him. The records of the county of Barnstable, dating from 1685, and one volume of the Probate records were destroyed by fire when the Court House was burned on Oct. 22, 1827. This loss involved records of conveyances of land, and probably records of the County Courts. There still remain the proprietors' records, records of births, marriages and deaths, the probate records, except the one volume destroyed, the books of town proceedings, and certain church records. The original vital records of Barnstable do not now exist. A copy made about 1736 is the basis of the existing records. Some errors in the transcript of 1736 have been detected. The record of the marriage of John Isham and the recorded births of his children as they appear in the transcript are all ten years too early. This was discovered long ago, perhaps by the transcriber himself. "Ten year too oulde" is written in the margin opposite the entry.(*)
The proprietors' records begin in 1682, although earlier rights are mentioned (See Vol. I, pp. 85, 91, 95). Otis, Barnstable Families, says that John Isham was entitled to a share in all of the divisions of common lands and that in the last he had a 20 3/4 acre right. "Description of lands belonging to the heirs of John Issum. The 77th lot, bounded southerly by the 76th lot, westerly by the said Issum's land and partly by Ebenezer Goodspeed's land, by a swamp to a stake No. 72, and thence northerly straight through said swamp to a pine tree marked by the side of the swamp, then sets East Northeast about 68 rods to a stake by Lovell's millway. This the abovesaid Issums accepted of as ye full of his two acre right in the first and second divisions" (Barnstable Proprietors' Records, Vol. I, p. 152).
The region where John Isham dwelt was also known as (*)A portion of the vital records has been printed in The Mayflower Descendant.
"South Sea." In 1696-97 the owners of the salt marshes around Oyster Island were Thomas Macy; John, Benjamin and Ebenezer Goodspeed, sons of Roger Goodspeed; John Lovell and his sons John, James and Andrew; John Issum; Thomas Bumpas; Dolor Davis; Thomas Lewis; Joshua Lumbert; John Linnel; John Phinney, Jr.; Edward Lewis; Joseph Lothrop, Jr.; John Lewis; and Edward Coleman. Soon after this date the Hallett, Crowell, Bearse and Claghorne families settled at South Sea. At least some of these men were Isham's neighbors and personally acquainted with him. Some of their descendants intermarried with Isham's descendants.(*)
John Isham left a will which was admitted to probate Oct. 10, 1713. The personal estate only, amounting to oe159, 16s, 6d, was returned in the inventory, the real estate being divided to the three sons in the will. The will of Jane Isham, wife of John, was admitted to probate Feb. 24, 1719-20. Full copies of these wills are here given.
Of the witnesses to these wills, Jonathan Russell was the minister of the Barnstable church, and probably wrote the wills, as clergyman often did in those times, John Jenkins was Mrs. Isham's brother-in-law, having married her sister Mary Parker. John Phinion (Phinney or Finney) was a neighbor and Daniel Parker was Mrs. Isham's brother.
1. JOHN ISHAM, born Mar. 31, 1654; died at Barnstable, Mass. Sept. 3, 1713; married Dec. 16, 1687, at Barnstable, Jane Parker, born at Barnstable Mar. 21, 1664, died there in Feb. 1719-20 (exact date unknown), daughter of Robert and Sarah (James) Parker of Barnstable.
The date of John Isham's birth was furnished by the late George H. Loveland, formerly of New Haven, Conn. The source from which Mr. Loveland obtained it he did not reveal. It was probably from Freeman's Annals of Cape Cod, but the source Mr. Freeman used is unknown. It cannot be, if not correct, very far from the true date. Barnstable records give the date of the marriage of John and Jane as Dec. 16, 1677. The original record has been lost, and the record of the marriage exists only in a copy of Barnstable vital records made about 1736. Errors have been detected in this copy. Some one wrote opposite the record in the copy "Ten year too ould." Other considerations appear to verify this statement. Accordingly the date of marriage and the dates of the children's births have been set ahead ten years.
CHILDREN
Born in Barnstable:
2. Jane, b. Oct. 7, 1689; m. Michael Wilson.
3. John, b. Aug. 25, 1691; m. Deborah Daggett.
4. Isaac, b. Feb. 7, 1692-93; m. Abigail Lumbert.
5. Sarah, b. Dec. 1694; m. Joshua Lovell.
6. Mary, b. June 1697; m. Abel Crocker.
7. Patience, b. in 1699?; d. Mar., 1728, unmarried.
8. Hannah, b. 1701?; m. first Peter Blossom.
9. Joseph, b. in 1704; m. Susannah Swift; m. second Temperance
Calkins.
10. Thankful, b. about 1706; m. Joseph Butler."92 He left a will in 1713; "He died at his home in Barnstable aged 59, leaving a will which is of interest for its detail. It was witnessed by Daniel Parker, his wife's brother, and herbrother-in-law, John Jenkins, who had married her sister Mary Parker.
Will of John Isham:
John Isum, In the name of God. Amen. I the said John Isum being at present weak in Body but of sound and disposing mind and memory, sensible of the Brevity ofLife and ye warning of Approaching Death and being Desirous to sett my House in order, Do make, ordain and Constitute This my Last Will and Testament.
Imp. I give my precious immortal Sole to God that Gave it and my body to decent burial. And as the portion of outward Estate which God of his bounty has Givenme, I dispose of it as follows:
It. I Give to my Dear and Loving Wife Jane one third part of my whole Estate in Barnstable both Real and personal During her Natural Life. In case she continues aWidow: till then and if she change her Condition and marry, that she then have only one third part of my movable Estate.
It. To my two sons John and Isaac I give in Equal partnership ye other two thirds of my housing and house Lott, excepting about six acres in ye north west side ofmy Land, bounded as the same now stands: and att my widow's Decease or Marriage the whole shall goe to those 2 sons: except the six acres aforementioned: Ialso give to them Two thirds of my Marsh and of my Wood Lot; and also Two Thirds of my undivided Capital Land.
It. I give to my son Joseph the six acres aforementioned; Lying in the Northwest side of my Home Lott; with ye other third of my Marsh and Wood Lott: Together with all my other Lands Divided and Undivided in Barnstable with my other Gun which is not Disposed of.
It. I give to my six Daughters, Jane, Sarah, Mary, Patience, Hannah and Thankfull, in Equal partnership the other two thirds of my Personal Estate (excepting my Husbandry utensils used Without Doors which I will should be Divided among my sons equally) to be paid to my Daughters as they shall come of age or marry.
It. My will further is Concerning my youngest son that he Dwell in my house till he be fourteen years old with his mother and brothers and then be put out in some convenient trade.
It. I appoint my Loving Wife and my son John to be Joint executors of This my Last Will and Testament.
It is my desire that my Brothers Daniel Parker and Thomas Crocker shall be overseers of this my Will.
In witness of all which I have hereto set my hand and seal this first day of June, Anno Dom. 1713.
Signed, sealed and Declared in presence of us
Jonothan Russell
John Jenkins
John Phinion Jr. John Isum (L.S.)
Of the witnesses to this will, Jonathan Russell was the minister of the Barnstable church, John Jenkins was Mrs. Isham's brother-in-law, having married her sister, Mary Parker, John Phinion (Phinney or Finney) was a neighbor and Daniel Parker was Mrs. Isham's brother.
The will was admitted to probate Oct 10, 1713. The personal estate only, amounting to L159, 16s 6 d, was returned in the inventory, the real estate being divided to the three sons in the will. "
Children of John1 Isham and Jane Parker were:
148. Isaac2 Isham (John1);93 born 7 Feb 1692/93 at Barnstable, MA; Note - Barnstable records have birth date as 1682/3 (also "Colonial Families"). There is apparently reason to believe that it is 10 years off - see explanation under parents marriage citation (from June E. Dodd);93,89 married Abigail Lumbert, daughter of Joshua Lumbert and Hopestill Bullock, 3 May 1716;90 died 1771;93 his estate was probated 5 Aug 1771.94
He "Isaac Isham received one-half of his father's estate and when his brother John went to the Vineyard and later to Connecticut, Isaac assumed or purchased the other half. He lived quietly upon the farm near Osterville (South Sea) during his entire life. He is not mentioned in the town or church records and probably held no civil or military office.
The site of the first John Isham's dwelling was upon Isham's Island, south of Osterville. Mr. Norman N. Isham believed he had discovered the site upon his visit there some years ago. The island is now connected with the mainland. This may be the old house mentioned in the inventory. Some distance inland was a later house, but still old, where perhaps this Isaac Isham or his sons dwelt. It may be inferred from the inventory that Isaac was a considerable owner of not very valuable land, and that as a farmer he was entirely independent of outside sources. It is clear that he produced his own tobacco, pork and beef upon the farm and that spinning and weaving went on in the house and that shoes for the family were made there. Spinning was the work of the wife and daughters, but weaving was men's work. Probably the seven boys, as they became old and strong enough, were taught to operate the looms. Two saddles seem to imply at least two horses, upon which the parents and perhaps the daughter rode to meetings or elsewhere, while the boys walked. Their house was a long way from the First and Second Meeting Houses in Barnstable, and it is not certain that they attended either of these. "89 He "4. ISAAC ISHAM (John), born in Barnstable, Mass. Feb. 7, 1692-93 (Barnstable record Feb. 7, 1682-83); died there in July or Aug. 1771, aged about 78 years; married May 3, 1716, Abigail Lumbert, born in Barnstable Jan. 20, 1692, date of her death unknown, daughter of Joshua and Hopestill (Bullock) Lumbert of Barnstable.
A correction is necessary in the Barnstable record, which states that Isaac Isham married Thankful Lumbert. It must be remembered that this record is a copy of the original record, made about 1736, in which other errors have been discovered. The emendation is supported by the following facts. Barnstable records have the marriage Sept. 16, 1715, of Edward Coleman and Thankful Lumbert and reveal no other Thankful Lumbert save that one. The will of Joshua Lumbert, proved Nov. 2, 1724, names daughter Abigail Isham. The will of Isaac Isham, dated Mar. 11, 1754, mentions wife Abigail. The emendation therefore seems to be justified.
Isaac Isham received one-half of his father's estate and when his brother John went to the Vineyard and later to Connecticut, Isaac assumed or purchased the other half. He lived quietly upon the farm near Osterville (South Sea) during his entire life. He is not mentioned in the town or church records and probably held no civil or military office. He left a will which is as follows:
In the name of God. Amen. I Isaac Isham of Barnstable in the county of Barnstable, yeoman, being advanced in years and knowing that it is appointed once to Dye, do this 11th day of March 1754, being by God's Goodness of Sound and disposing mind and memory, make and ordain this my last will and Testament, that is to say, principally and first of all I commit my Soul to God that Gave it and my body to decent Burial. As touching the Worldly Estate that God hath blessed me with, I give, demise and Dispose of the same in the following manner and form:
Imp. I give and bequeath to my Loving Wife Abigail in Lieu of Dower the use and Improvement of half my estate, real and personal, whilst she remains my Widow, excepting my Husbandry Tools, and in case she marries, my will is that she take a Third part only of the personal, excepting as before and quit any claim to the real.
It. I give and bequeath to my son Samuel Isham, to his heirs and assigns forever, one half of my real Estate of all kinds, only reserving to his mother as above; further I give and bequeath to my said son half my Husbandry Tools. Said Real Estate and Personal is on Condition and my will is that he pay half my just debts, funeral charges and half the Legacies given his five Breatheren and sisters by these presents in three years after my Decease.
It. I give and bequeath to my son Ebenezer Isham, to his heirs and assigns forever one half of my Real Estate of all kinds, only reserving to his mother as above; further I give and bequeath to my said son the other half of my Husbandry Tools, said Real and Personal Estate is on Condition and my Will is that he pay half my just debts, funeral charges and half the legacies given his five Breatheren and sisters by these presents in three years after my decease.
It. I give and bequeath to my son Isaac Isham, to my son John Isham, to my son Timothy Isham, to my son Joshua Isham, to my son Daniel Isham, to my daughter Abigail Lumbert, to each of them Ten pounds Lawful money of New England, to be paid them in three years after my Decease by my sons Samuel and Ebenezer.
It. I give and bequeath to my said sons, Isaac, John, Timothy, Joshua and Daniel and to my daughter Abigail Lumbert and to them equally all my personal Estate, money, credits, Bonds, excepting my Husbandry Tools and saving as above of one half thereof to their mother, but in case she marries then I give them only two-thirds to be divided as above equally, to each one sixth.
It. I constitute, make and ordain my son Samuel Isham Executor of this my Last Will and Testament, Ratifying and Confirming the same and revoking other and former wills and Testaments. In witness whereof I the said Isaac Isham have hereunto set my hand and seal the aforesaid 11th Day of March 1754.
Signed, sealed, published, pronounced and Declared by the said Isaac Isham to be his Last will and Testament.
ISAAC ISHAM (L.S.)
In presence of the subscribers
James Colemon
Solomon Hamblin
Lemuel Bean
Barnstable County Probate Registry, Vol. XII.
An Inventory of the estate of Mr. Isaac Isham late of Barnstable, yeoman, Deceased, taken by us the subscribers under oath this 9th Day of August A.D. 1771, as shown to us by the Executor to said Estate.
The site of the first John Isham's dwelling was upon Isham's Island, south of Osterville. Mr. Norman M. Isham believed he had discovered the site upon his visit there some years ago. The island is now connected with the mainland. This may be the old house mentioned in the inventory. Some distance inland was a later house, but still old, where perhaps this Isaac Isham or his sons dwelt. It may be inferred from the inventory that Isaac was a considerable owner of not very valuable land, and that as a farmer he was entirely independent of outside sources. It is clear that he produced his own tobacco, pork and beef upon the farm and that spinning and weaving went on in the house and that shoes for the family were made there. Spinning was the work of the wife and daughters, but weaving was men's work. Probably the seven boys, as they became old and strong enough, were taught to operate the looms. Two saddles seem to imply at least two horses, upon which the parents and perhaps the daughter rode to meeting or elsewhere, while the boys walked. Their house was a long way from the First and Second Meeting Houses in Barnstable, and it is not certain that they attended either of these.
CHILDREN
Born in Barnstable:
18. Isaac, b. Mar. 21, 1718; m. first Elizabeth Brown; m.
second Elizabeth Snow; m. third Alice Glass.
19. Samuel, b. Oct. 26, 1719; m. Lydia Goodspeed.
20. John, b. Aug. 6, 1721; m. first Dorothy Foote; m. second
Esther (Chapman) Annable.
21. Ebenezer, b. Aug. 25, 1723; m. Temperance Phinney.
22. Timothy, b. May 30, 1725; m. Rebecca Fuller.
23. Joshua, b. Apr. 14, 1727; m. Abigail Crocker.
24. Daniel, b. Apr. 13, 1729; m. Catherine Foote.
25. Abigail, b. Feb. 17, 1731; m. David Lumbert."92 He left a will on 11 Mar 1754 at Barnstable, MA; "In the name of God. Amen. I Isaac Isham of Barnstable in the County of Barnstable, yeoman, being advanced in years and knowing that it is appointed once to Dye, do this 11th day of March 1754, being by God's Goodness of Sound and disposing mind and memory, make and ordain this my last will and Testament, that is to say, principally and first of all I commit my Soul to God that Gave it and my body to decent Burial. As touching the Worldly Estate that God hath blessed me with, I give, demise and Dispose of the same in the following manner and form:
Imp. I give and bequeath to my Loving Wife Abigail in Lieu of Dower the use and Improvement of half my estate, real and personal, whilst she remains my Widow, excepting my Husbandry Tools, and in case she marries, my will is that she take a Third part only of the personal, excepting as before and quit any claim to the real.
It. I give and bequeath to my son Samuel Isham, to his heirs and assigns forever, one half of my real Estate of all kinds, only reserving to his mother as above: further I give and bequeath to my said son half my Husbandry Tools. Said Real Estate and personal is on Condition and my will is that he pay half my just debts, funeral charges and half the Legacies given his five Brethren and sisters by these presents in three years after my Decease.
It. I give and bequeath to my son Ebenezer Isham, to his heirs and assigns forever one half of my Real Estate of all kinds, only reserving to his mother as above; further I give and bequeath to my said son the other half of my Husbandry Tools, said Real and Personal Estate is on Condition and my Will is that he pay half my just debts, funeral charges and half the legacies given his five Brethren and sisters by these presents in three years after my decease.
It. I give and bequeath to my sons Isaac, John, Timothy, Joshua and Daniel and to my daughter Abigail Lumbert and to them equally all my personal Estate, money, credits, bonds, excepting my Husbandry Tools and saving as above of one half thereof to their mother, but in case she marries then I give them only two-thirds to be divided as above equally, to each one sixth.
It. I constitute, make and ordain my son Samuel Isham Executor as this my Last Will and Testament, Ratifying and Confirming the same and revoking any other former wills and Testaments. In witness whereof I the said Isaac Isham have hereunto set my hand and seal the aforesaid 11th Day of March, 1754.
Signed, sealed, published, pronounced and Declared by the said Isaac Isham to be his Last will and Testament.
Isaac Isham (L.S.)
In the presence of the subscribers
James Coleman, Solomon Hamblin, Lemuel Bean
The inventory of the estate is on record at the Barnstable Probate Records Vol. XII, p. 453. "
Children of Isaac2 Isham and Abigail Lumbert were:
149. John3 Isham (Isaac2, John1);95 born 6 Aug 1721 at Barnstable, MA;95 married Dorathy Foote, daughter of Ephraim Foote and Sarah Chamberlain, 19 Dec 1751 at Colchester, CT;96,92 died 2 Mar 1802 at Colchester, CT, at age 80.96
He "20. JOHN ISHAM (Isaac, John), born in Barnstable Aug. 6, 1721; died in the Westchester parish of Colchester, Conn. Mar. 2, 1802; married first in Colchester Dec. 19, 1751, Dorothy Foote, born in Colchester Apr. 23, 1733, died Nov. 2, 1790, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah (Chamberlain) Foote; married second in East Haddam, Conn. Mar. 1792, Mrs. Esther (Chapman) Annable, born (???), died in East Haddam (?) Aug. 6, 1806, widow of David Annable.
John Isham bought land from his brother Samuel in 1746, and appears to have settled upon it almost at once. It would seem that their father desired Samuel's presence in Barnstable, and willingly allowed John to go to Colchester in his stead. The truth of the matter may not have been so simple as that. Samuel may have preferred the low land and salt marshes of his native Barnstable to the rugged uplands of Westchester, and John may have yearned to leave the lowlands and marshes for a more strenuous life among the forests. His homelot appears to have been located in the northwestern part of Colchester, in neighborhood called Bull Hill, close to the line of Middletown, later the line of the town of Chatham (1767), and name changed to East Hampton in recent years. This locality, formerly populated, is now very sparsely inhabited and the roads to it are rough and steep. John Isham became a landowner, acquiring other lands in Colchester and in the adjoining town of Middletown, and Chatham. Much of his land, sloping eastward to Dickenson's Creek and other streams, is now grown up to thick forest. The name still lingered in the region forty years ago. The decaying timbers of a bridge across the Creek marked the location of Isham's Bridge, and a parcel of land still retained the name, Isham Lot.
The Isham house stood at a corner of highways now abandoned, on the old road from New London to New Haven, Hartford and Middletown. Here John and perhaps his sons kept a tavern and a general country store. He attended public worship in the parish of Westchester, but was not a member of the church organization. He held no civil or military office, as far as has been discovered. He is nowhere called captain, and this rank is not engraved upon his tombstone as was almost invariably the case in those times. There is no official record of his being confirmed captain in the Connecticut Colonial Records, as the law required. The Registry of Deeds at Middletown, Conn. show conveyances of land in Chatham to John Isham, in the summer of 1762, when the Connecticut troops were at Havana. Hence this John Isham was not the John Isham who served there.
Up to the day of his death John Isham was in his usual health and busied himself about the barn. Feeling suddenly ill, he returned to the house and asked for a warm drink. Before it could be prepared, he had expired in his chair.
He left no will and his estate was not settled by the Probate Court.(*)
(*)John Isham was never a large land owner, but he did own several parcels
in the western part of Colchester and the eastern part of Middletown-Chatham-East
Hampton, as the following deed shows: "Thomas Ackly of Middletown
(the easternmost section of Middletown, which became Chatham in 1767
and East Hampton in 1920) for the sum of 14 pounds lawful money conveyed
to John Isham of Colchester a part of the farm I live on, seven acres, beginning
at the northwest corner of a piece of land said John Isham purchased of
Comfort Goff." May 31, 1765 (Colchester Deeds, Vol. XIX, folio 39A). The site
of Comfort Goff's home is known. It was on the road from East Hampton,
where it descends into the valley of Dickinson's Stream. (See under Samuel
Isham, son of this John.) On a small piece of paper with the original Deeds
quoted under Samuel, is: "May the 6 day 1763 then received of John Isham
in full of all book accounts received by me. Thomas Acly."
On an old road extending north from the former Lyman Viaduct on the railroad from Middletown to Willimantic is found a little cemetery, having a few inscribed stones. Here we read:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
MR. JOHN ISHAM
WHO DIED MARCH 2ND A. D. 1802
IN YE 81ST YEAR OF HIS AGE
MRS. DOROTHY ISHAM
WHO DIED
NOV. YE 8TH A. D. 1790
IN YE 59TH YEAR OF HER AGE
DEATH HAS BEEN CONQUERD
A COMPASSIONATE PARENT
A BENEVOLENT FRIND
IN MEMORY OF
LUCY DAUGHTER
OF MR. JOHN &
MRS. DOROTHY
ISHAM WHO DIED DEC. YE 25TH
A. D. 1775 IN THE 12TH
YEAR OF HER AGE
CHILDREN
Born in Colchester:
52. Samuel, b. Dec. 20, 1752; m. Mary Adams.
Sarah, b. July 31, 1754; d. Feb. 5, 1766?
53. Mary, b. Sept. 24, 1755; m. Aaron Foote.
54. John, b. June 20, 1757; m. Lois Adams.
55. Jonathan, b. July 16, 1759; m. Anna Ackley.
56. Lois, b. July 8, 1761; m. Eleazer Dunham.
57. Noah, b. Apr. 4, 1764; m. Anna Lambert.
Lucy, b. Apr. 4, 1764 (twin); d. Dec. 25, 1775.
58. Ephraim, b. July 16, 1766?; m. Sarah Dudley.
59. Dorothy, b. Oct. 19, 1770; m. Almon Canfield.
60. Ezra, b. Mar. 15, 1772; d. Feb. 8, 1835; m. Anna Pierrepont."92
Children of John3 Isham and Dorathy Foote were:
150. Samuel4 Isham (John3, Isaac2, John1);97 born 19 Dec 1752 at Colchester, CT;98 born 20 Dec 1752 at Westchester Parish, Colchester, CT;92 married Mary Adams, daughter of Benjamin Adams and Eunice Rockwell, 18 Jan 1775 at Westchester parish, Colchester, CT;99,92 married Mary Day 22 Feb 1819;92 died 13 Jun 1827 at Malden (Saugerties), Ulster Co., NY, at age 74.92
He Sylvester, Nathaniel bartlet, History of Ulster County, NY, Evrts & Peck 1880. He "52. SAMUEL ISHAM (John, Isaac, John), born in the Westchester parish of Colchester, Conn. Dec. 20, 1752; died at Malden, town of Saugerties, Ulster county, N. Y. June 13, 1827; married first, in Westchester parish Jan. 18, 1775, Mary Adams, born in Westchester parish Aug. 3, 1753, died at Malden, N. Y. May 11, 1818, daughter of Benjamin and Eunice (Rockwell) Adams of Westchester parish; married second, Feb. 22, 1819, Mrs. Mary (Day) Crocker, born about 1765, died at Marlborough, Conn. (?) Jan. 1, 1854, aged 89 years (gravestone at Marlborough, Conn.).
Some ancient deeds, showing how Samuel Isham acquired a farm before his marriage, have fortunately been preserved. They were loaned to the compiler by Miss Mary Isham of Berkeley, Calif. They show that at the early age of twenty-two, in the year 1774, Samuel Isham was an industrious and saving young man with an eye to business and to a future home and family, for he married Mary Adams early in 1775. Abstracts of these deeds follow:
Thomas Acly (Ackley) of Chatham in the County of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut for fifteen pounds lawful money conveyed to Samuel Isham ten acres of land, beginning at a stake and stones at the east side of Dickinson's Stream . . . . bounded northerly on a highway, east on Abraham Day's land, south on Joshua Bailey's land, west on Dickinson's Stream, reserving twenty-four rods out of the same where widow Sarah Ackly's frame for a house stands. Dated Apr. 21, 1774 (Recorded in Colchester Records, Book 9, folio 44).
Joshua Bailey of Chatham in the County of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut for thirty pounds lawful money conveyed to Samuel Isham of Colchester twenty acres of land in Colchester, bounded south on Samuel Isham's own land, east on Abraham Day's land, north on Ezra Bigelow's land, west on Dickinson's Stream. Aug. 18, 1774.
Seven years later he acquired two more tracts of land in the same vicinity:
William Waters (or Watrous) conveyed to Samuel Isham for 28 pounds ten shillings lawful money land lying in Colchester, in Westchester parish, 14 acres, one quarter and six rods, more or less, adjoining John Carrier and Watrous's orchard, then by the highway eight rods and a half to Samuel Isham's own land. Mar. 29, 1781 (Recorded in Colchester records).
Abijah Pratt of Colchester for 120 pounds lawful money conveys to Samuel Isham thirty acres of land in Colchester, bounded east on the highway that leads to Salmon River, north on land of William Waters, Jr. and Caleb Gifford, west on Benjamin Staples and a highway, southerly on lands of Benjamin Adams and a highway Jan. 1, 1781 (Recorded in Colchester records, Book 10, folio 170).
Note that Samuel Isham bought no land during the seven years of the Revolutionary War. He was engaged in some kind of service for his country during this period, probably in producing and transporting supplies for the army. Note the high price per acre of the thirty acres of Abijah Pratt's deed, probably due to depreciation of the currency.
The approximate location of these lands, Samuel Isham's farm, is certain. The farm was in the locality then and now known as "Bull Hill," between Dickinson's Stream and Salmon River, a plateau or broad hill elevated some 500 feet above sea level, about four miles easterly from East Hampton, and about two miles north of the (former) Lyman viaduct. A highway from East Hampton runs around the eastern side of Baker Hill in that town and then turns eastward, ascending a hill to the elevation of 560 feet above sea level, then descending two hundred feet in half a mile, crosses the valley of Dickinson's Stream, than ascends two hundred feet and meets a road running in a north and south direction, from present Marlborough (in Samuel Isham's time wholly in Colchester) to Salmon River near Lyman Viaduct, a distance of about two miles. In the southwest angle between these roads Samuel Isham's farm lay. His father's farm was in the same locality, and John Isham lies buried in a little cemetery on this north and south road.
On June 11, 1784, Samuel Isham sold to Elijah Staples land in Colchester east of Salmon River, near Day's Bridge. The description is vague, but it is probably Samuel's farm that is meant. At this time Samuel made an important change of location. He settled in what is now Marlborough village, at the principal corner, near church and cemetery. The house, a large one, is still standing. For many years it has been known as Buell's Tavern, and is now owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution. This removal brought Samuel Isham nearer the center of things. He no longer resided on a hilltop, surrounded on two sides by deep valleys, almost gorges, but was on the direct road to Hartford and the world beyond. Four or five miles to the southward, near the present Marlborough-Colchester line, lived the Bigelow family, with whom Samuel was afterwards to be allied by the marriage of his daughter Lucy to Asa Bigelow. About 1807 Mr. Isham joined his sons Charles and Giles, and his son-in-law Asa Bigelow, at Bristol (later called Malden), a new settlement on the Hudson River, where they built and conducted a general store and engaged in river transportation, tanning and blue stone quarrying. Thus they were drawn eventually to the great City of New York. They prospered at Malden.
Samuel Isham was a man of strong mind, good sense, and one whose opinions were of weight with his neighbors. It is related of him that in his native town he was the first to pay his taxes and was one of the earliest subscribers to the Hartford Courant. This newspaper was founded in 1764 and has always been the organ of Conservatism and respectability. This may mean that he was one of the earliest subscribers in Colchester, but it seems more probable that it was in Marlborough (a part of the town of Colchester until 1803) that he was an early subscriber. His copy of the paper may have been the only copy for several miles around. If so we can imagine that in his store or kitchen a company of men would gather to hear or discuss the news. CHILDREN
157. Mary, b. Feb. 19, 1776; m. Rev. Solomon King.
158. Sarah, b. Mar. 13, 1778; m. Roswell Bradley.
159. Lucy, b. Sept. 22, 1780; m. Asa Bigelow.
160. Charles, b. Aug. 20, 1784; m. Flora Bradley.
161. Waitstill, b. Oct. 23, 1786; m. Walter Griffin.
162. Giles, b. Sept. 25, 1789; m. Jane Lylburne. "
Children of Samuel4 Isham and Mary Adams were:
There were no children of Samuel4 Isham and Mary Day.
151. Lucy5 Isham (Samuel4, John3, Isaac2, John1); born 22 Sep 1780 at Colchester CT; married Asa Bigelow, son of David Bigelow and Patience Foote, 18 Feb 1802; died 14 Sep 1853 at Malden-on-Hudson, NY, at age 72.
She "159. LUCY ISHAM (Samuel, John, Isaac, John), born in Colchester, Conn. Sept. 22, 1780; died at Malden, N. Y. Sept. 14, 1853; married in Colchester, by the Rev. Salmon Cone, Feb. 18, 1802, to Asa Bigelow, born in Glastonbury or Marlborough, Conn. Jan. 18, 1779, died at Malden, N. Y. Feb. 12, 1850, son of David and Patience (Foote) Bigelow of Glastonbury-Marlborough, Conn.
CHILDREN
Susan Emeline, b. Dec. 5, 1805; m. Stephen Kellogg of Malden, N. Y.
Edward, b. Aug. 20, 1810.
David, b. June 26, 1815.
John, b. Nov. 25, 1817; the well known statesman and writer.
Adeline, b. Dec. 6, 1823; d. Sept. 23, 1850.
Soon after their marriage Asa and Lucy (Isham) Bigelow removed to Colebrook, Conn. and from there to a place in Saugerties, Ulster county, N. Y. on Sawyer's Creek, where he kept a general store and added the business of freighting and forwarding to New York the produce of the neighborhood. He secured the first post-office for the village of Saugerties and was its first postmaster. In 1808 he joined his father-in-law, Samuel Isham, in purchasing 200 acres of land lying directly on the North (Hudson) River, for which they paid $6,000, and built a frame store on it. Between 1807 and 1811 he sold this property in the village of Saugerties and in 1813 moved with his family to his new purchase. Here, with his father-in-law, he laid the foundations of the village called Bristol, a name changed ten years later to Malden. He pursued his mercantile and forwarding business there until 1818, when he turned over that business to Samuel Isham and his two sons Charles and Giles Isham. He established his business a quarter of a mile further north and built a stone store, which is still standing, occupied as the office of the Bigelow Blue Stone Company. By this change he avoided the obstructed channel of Saugerties Creek, in and out of which his sloops had to pass, and obtained frontage on the banks of the Hudson, where the water was always deep enough for the largest boats. Directly across the river lived Chancellor Livingston, at his seat called Clermont. On Aug. 3 and 4, 1807, the steamboat Clermont, invented by Robert Fulton, made her first trip, and steam navigation was begun. Mr. Bigelow and the Ishams were greatly benefited by the new means of access to markets.
My father and the Ishams brought with them to Bristol (later Malden) a fair proportion of the habits, the tastes and the principles which in those days were rather peculiar to New England. They regarded the school house and the meeting house and the Christian Sabbath, religiously discriminated by its use from the other days of the week, as among the first necessities in a new settlement. They built the first school house in Bristol. Early in the 18th century, and also when my father settled there Dutch was the prevailing language in use. The nearest church to Bristol was at Katsban, nearly two miles distant, and was the first house of worship that I can remember to have ever entered. It was built of stone, was then over a hundred years old and is still standing and used as a place of worship. The Pastor, the Rev. Mr. Ostrander, usually preached in Dutch, but every other Sunday in English. As my parents and the Ishams were all trained in the Congregational communion, they were not entirely satisfied with Dominie Ostrander's theology, and still less with the necessity of traveling two miles to enjoy it. It was not many years before they put their heads and purses together and built a very pretty church and parsonage. To this my father added an academy which he placed in charge of a teacher imported from Connecticut (From Address by Hon. John Bigelow at the Centennial Anniversary of the town of Marlboroug, Conn. in 1903)."
Children of Lucy5 Isham and Asa Bigelow were: