Col. Isaac Allerton Jr. ( 1627/1630 – December 30, 1702) was planter, military officer, politician and

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

. Like his father, he first traded in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, and after his father's death, in Virginia. There, he served on the Governor's Council (1687-1691) and for many years in the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

, representing Northumberland County and later Westmoreland County.

Early and family life

Born in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

, sometime after May 22, 1627, and before September 21, 1631 (since no birth record has been found),Jones, pp. 24-26Merrick, p. 30Allerton, p. 30 his father and grandfather were among the colony's leaders. His father Isaac Allerton Sr. had emigrated to what was then known as the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the British America, first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the pa ...

on the ship

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

, as a

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

.Jones, pp. 24-26 His father's first wife, Mary Norris, had died the following winter, on February 25, 1621. Thus the younger Isaac Allerton had 3 half-siblings (all born in Leiden, Holland): Bartholomew, Remember and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, the last surviving passenger of the ''

''. His mother

Fear Brewster Fear Allerton née Brewster ( - before December 12, 1634) was a woman in Colonial America. She was the third daughter of ''Mayflower'' Pilgrim (Plymouth Colony), Pilgrim William Brewster (pilgrim), William Brewster and his wife Mary, born in Scroo ...

, was the elder Allerton's second wife, and the daughter of Elder William Brewster.Jones, pp. 24-26Allerton, p. 19Allerton, p. 29 the colony's spiritual and political leader, who had also sailed aboard the ''

'' as well as signed the

Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, an ...

. Her mother was

Mary Brewster Mary Brewster (April 17, 1627) was a Pilgrim and one of the women on the ''Mayflower''. She was the wife of Elder William Brewster. She was one of only five adult women from the Mayflower to survive the first winter in the New World, and one of onl ...

, and Fear Brewster arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts on July 10, 1623, aboard the ''Anne.'' Another passenger on the ''Anne'' was this man's aunt Sarah Allerton, who had married

Degory Priest Degory Priest (c. 1579 – c. 1621) was a member of the Leiden contingent on the historic 1620 voyage of the ship ''Mayflower''. He was a hat maker from London who married Sarah, sister of Pilgrim Isaac Allerton in Leiden. He was a signatory to th ...

who had also arrived on the ''Mayflower'' and signed the Mayflower Compact. The widowed Sarah had married Priest in a dual wedding with Isaac Allerton Sr. and his first wife. Fear Brewster Allerton died sometime before December 12, 1634. Disagreements with fellow Plymouth Colonists concerning his commingling his own merchant accounts with the colony's payments to the Merchant Adventurers for funding the ''Mayflower'' voyage increased after his second wife's death. Also, he had previously established a trading post in Maine, which interfered with the colony's monopoly on the fur trade and later with a British treaty. Thus, the elder Allerton moved south to the

New Haven Colony The New Haven Colony was a small English colony in North America from 1638 to 1664 primarily in parts of what is now the state of Connecticut, but also with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The history o ...

. However, young Isaac did not initially join him. Instead he was raised by his maternal grandfather William Brewster, and eventually joined the family of his uncle

Love Brewster Elder Love Brewster () was an early American settler, the son of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary Brewster. He traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the ''Mayflower'' reaching what became the Plymouth Colony in Mas ...

. Meanwhile, by 1644, when elder Brewster died, the elder Isaac Allerton had again remarried, to his third wife, Joanna Swinnerton.

Education

His grandfather Brewster tutored young Isaac before he entered college.Jones, pp. 38-39 He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

in 1650.Allerton, p. 31Sibley, p. 531

Marriage and family

Allerton married twice. He married his first wife, Elizabeth (...) in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

in 1652–3.Jones, pp. 38-39 Before her death, they had two children, Elizabeth (1653–1740) and Isaac (1655-?).Allerton, p. 34 Elizabeth was born on September 27, 1653Allerton, p. 34 in

and first married Benjamin Starr, who was born in

Yarmouth, Massachusetts Yarmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 23,793 at the 2010 census. The town is made up of three major villages: South Yarmouth, West Yarmou ...

, the grandson of Doctor

Comfort Starr Comfort Starr (6 July 1589 – 2 January 1659) was a 17th-century English physician who emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies. He was one of the five founders of Harvard College. Early life Starr was born in Cranbrook, Kent, on 6 July 1589. He was ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

(who emigrated from

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. In the ...

and founded

and

) and nephew of Hannah Starr, the wife of

John Cutt John Cutt (1613 – April 5, 1681) was the first president of the Province of New Hampshire. Cutt was born in Wales, emigrated to the colonies in 1646, and became a successful merchant and mill owner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was marri ...

(the first President of the

Province of New Hampshire The Province of New Hampshire was a colony of England and later a British province in North America. The name was first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America, and was nam ...

). Following Starr's early death, Elizabeth married his first cousin Simon Ayers (or Eyres or Eyre) of New Haven.Merrick, p. 102 His son Isaac (the third of the name) was born at New Haven on June 11, 1655. He accompanied his father to Virginia when he was a child, but returned to New Haven about 1683 and lived there most of the remainder of his life.Jones, pp. 38-39 In 1663, Allerton married as his second wife the twice-widowed Elizabeth Willoughby (Overzee) Colclough.Jones, pp. 38-39Billings, pp. 112-115Allerton, pp. 32-33 They had three daughters and a son:

Career

Circa 1660, the widower moved his family to Virginia's

Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula ...

. Initially he had settled in Wicomico in Gloucester County on waterfront land near the plantation of Col. Richard Lee II, who later served with him on the Governor's Council and invested in land further upstream on the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

in what became

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

and Westmoreland Counties. Allerton and his descendants became wealthy as planters in Virginia, with indentured servants, and ultimately owned a plantation on the south side of the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

. As a tobacco planter-merchant Allerton probably constructed a wharf and warehouse (as his father had done in New Amsterdam) since financial success required both growing and transporting tobacco. Whether Allerton bought land from his neighbor Richard Lee II or acquired it over time is not known. He may have acquired the land from his marriage to Elizabeth, who would have acquired it from her previous marriages or from her parents. In 1663 Allerton was appointed a justice of then vast Northumberland County (the justices jointly administered the county in addition to judicial duties). In 1667 he was a member of the "Committee of the Association of Northumberland, Westmoreland and Stafford Counties". He joined the local in the Virginia militia and ultimately rose to the rank of colonel.Allerton, pp. 32-33 As a major in 1667, he served under Colonel

John Washington John Washington (1633–1677) was an English merchant who emigrated across the Atlantic Ocean and became a planter, soldier and politician in colonial Virginia. In addition to leading the local militia, and running his own plantations, Washin ...

, the great-grandfather of president

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

,Jones, pp. 38-39 Settlers in the area had experienced massacres in 1622 and 1644, and when the southern Maryland Doeg sent a raiding party in 1675 that killed three colonists, the initial response was by Col.

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...

and Captain Giles Brent Jr., who destroyed their Virginia settlement (at Dogue Neck, later a plantation of the Mason family) and pursued them across the river and into the Maryland woods. Then Maryland and Virginia colonists raised a force estimated at 1000 men, the Virginians led by Cols. Washington and Allerton and the Marylanders by Major Truman, to attack a fort the

Susquehannocks The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by some English settlers or Andastes were Iroquoian Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, ranging from its upper reaches in the southern pa ...

had erected on an island in the Potomac River. The colonists attacked the fort, and five Native Americans who had surrendered were slaughtered by Maryland militia, which led to charges filed against both Washington and Allerton in the General Court at Williamsburg. Although Washington died before the proceedings finished, Allerton was acquitted. Allerton first served as a member of the House of Burgesses in 1667, representing Westmoreland County during a break in service of his merchant friend

Nicholas Spencer Colonel Nicholas Spencer, Jr. (1633–1689) was a merchant, planter and politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Cople, Bedfordshire, Spencer migrated to the Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he became a planter and which he represented i ...

. He would then represent either adjoining Northumberland County, or Westmoreland County for all the sessions in which those Northern Neck counties sent representatives for the next fourteen years. During

Bacon's Rebellion Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion held by Colony of Virginia, Virginia settlers that took place from 1676 to 1677. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon (Virginia colonist), Nathaniel Bacon against List of colonial governors of Virginia, Colon ...

in 1676, Allerton remained loyal to governor Berkeley, who was later criticized by a royal commission. Nathaniel Bacon specifically denounced Allerton as one of the governor's cronies. Allerton's family also developed a close relationship with the Lee family, who had vast estates in both counties. Like John Washington, both Allerton and Lee were senior officers and also served as members of the General Court of Virginia (the county's appellate court had sessions during those of the House of Burgesses). Allerton and Lee participated in commerce, governmental affairs and social activities. Allerton served on the Governor's council from 1687 to 1691, when he, Lee and John Armistead resigned rather than take a loyalty oath to

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

and

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

, who had ousted King James.Jones, pp. 38-39 After a decade-plus break in service, Allerton won his last election to the House of Burgesses in 1696, but wrote that illness prevented him from attending to October 1697 session. Nonetheless, he received an appointment as naval officer and tax collector for Westmoreland county in 1699. Meanwhile, Allerton was on the committee that in 1680 resolved the complicated widow's claim after the execution of rebel Giles Bland, and that year also was appointed escheator (resolving estates of those dying without issue) for Westmoreland or adjacent Northern Neck counties. In 1688, Allerton joined Captain George Brent of

Stafford County, Virginia Stafford County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb outside of Washington D.C. It is approximately south of D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest growing, and highest ...

(who had emigrated from Maryland) and Captain

Lawrence Washington Laurence or Lawrence Washington may refer to: *Laurence Washington (MP for Maidstone) (1546–1619), Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone *Lawrence Washington (1622–1662), MP for Malmesbury *Lawrence Washington (1565–1616), Mayor of Northam ...

as trustees of the estate of their mutual friend, Nicholas Spencer; Col. Spencer also bequeathed each man forty shillings for a

mourning ring Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...

. to serve as trustees of his estates.

Death and legacy

Isaac Allerton died between October 25, 1702, and December 30, 1702, in Westmoreland County, Virginia.Jones, pp. 38-39Allerton, pp. 32-33 Lee's younger brother

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...

(1652–1709)Lee, pp. 518-531 married Allerton's daughter Sarah (1670–1731) after Hancock's first wife died. They became the great-grandparents of President

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

,Jones, 251Jones, 252Jones, 253 through their daughter Elizabeth Lee and grandson Colonel Richard Taylor, an officer in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

.Jones, pp. 38-39 Another great granddaughter was Mary Willis Lee (1757–1798), the daughter of Hancock Lee II (1709-1762) and Mary WillisLee, pp. 518-531 (1716–1766). She married Ambrose Madison (1755–1793). He was the son of

James Madison, Sr. Colonel James Madison Sr. (March 27, 1723 – February 27, 1801) was a prominent Virginia planter and politician who served as a colonel in the militia during the American Revolutionary War. He inherited Mount Pleasant, later known as Montpeli ...

, the owner of a tobacco plantation in

Orange County, Virginia Orange County is a county located in the Central Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 36,254. Its county seat is Orange. Orange County includes Montpelier, the estate of James Madison, the ...

; and the brother of

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

See , and (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

political philosopher Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...

who served as the fourth

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

(1809–1817) and is considered one of the

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the Am ...

Ancestry

Notes

References

*Allerton, Walter S. ''A History of the Allerton Family in the United States 1585 to 1885'' Higginson Book Co., 1900. *Billings, Warren M. ''The Old Dominion in the Seventeenth Century'' Publisher: UNC Press, 1975 . *Jones, Emma C. Brewster. ''The Brewster Genealogy, 1566-1907: a Record of the Descendants of William Brewster of the "Mayflower," ruling elder of the Pilgrim church which founded Plymouth Colony in 1620.'' New York: Grafton Press, 1908. *Lee, Edmund Jennings ''Lee of Virginia, 1642-1892: Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of the Descendants of Colonel Richard Lee'' Publisher: Heritage Books, 2008, . *Merrick, Barbara Lambert. ''William Brewster of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations'', Revised 3rd Edition, Barbara Lambert Merrick, compiler. General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2000. *Sibley, John Langdon. ''Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts: 1659-1677'' Publisher: University Bookstore, 1881. *Cochran, Charles F. "Early Generations of the Newton Family" (1928–29), ''Genealogies of Virginia Families from the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'' (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981), vol. 4

External links

The Elder William Brewster Society, A Pilgrim Lineage SocietyThe Society of the Lees of VirginiaIsaac Allerton at MayflowerHistory.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allerton, Isaac Jr. 1627 births 1702 deaths 17th-century English people American merchants People of the Plymouth Colony American planters People of colonial Connecticut Harvard College alumni House of Burgesses members Lee family of Virginia People of colonial Massachusetts People from Duxbury, Massachusetts People from Northumberland County, Virginia People from Plymouth, Massachusetts People from Westmoreland County, Virginia Virginia colonial people Zachary Taylor family