Isaac Stearns (February 25, 1598 – June 19, 1671) was an English emigrant who, on April 8, 1630, embarked from

Yarmouth Yarmouth may refer to: Places Canada *Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Municipality of the District of Yarmouth **Yarmouth (provincial electoral district) **Yarmouth (electoral district) * Yarmouth Township, Ontario *New ...

, England, aboard the ship ''

Arbella ''Arbella'' or ''Arabella'' was the flagship of the Winthrop Fleet on which Governor John Winthrop, other members of the Company (including William Gager), and Puritan emigrants transported themselves and the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Comp ...

''. He was among the original settlers of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

. Stearns was born c. 1598. He worked as a tailor and married Mary Barker (c. 1604–77) on May 20, 1622, with whom he fathered eight children. His pedigree is unknown, and it is uncertain from where in England he came, but his wife was from the parish of

Nayland Nayland is a village and former civil parish in the River Stour, Suffolk, Stour Valley on the Suffolk side of the border between Suffolk and Essex in England. In 2011 the built-up area had a population of 938. In 1881 the civil parish had a po ...

, in Suffolk, and their first three children were born there. The ''Arbella'' arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1630, but the passengers disliked the location as a place for a permanent settlement, so they proceeded to Charlestown and were among the first settlers of

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

, near Mount Auburn, Massachusetts. Stearns was declared a

freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

on May 18, 1631; he was elected to the area's Board of selectmen several years later. In 1647, Stearns was appointed by the community's selectmen to plan a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

over the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

. This is the first mention of a bridge over the Charles River at Watertown. Isaac was accompanied on the ''Arbella'' by a brother, Shubael Stearns, who died, leaving his children to Isaac's care, but the records are unclear which children belonged to whom. Isaac is thought to be the first American ancestor of the Massachusetts Stearns. Every attempt to trace the Stearns lineage in the United States has led back to him, or to Charles or Nathaniel Stearns, men believed to have either been Isaac's brothers or nephews. Notable descendants of Isaac Stearns include

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

Jacobus, Donald Lines, ''

The American Genealogist ''The American Genealogist'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal which focuses on genealogy and family history. It was established by Donald Lines Jacobus in 1922 as the ''New Haven Genealogical Magazine''. In July 1932 it was renamed ' ...

'', Volumes 52–53, D.L. Jacobus, 1976, p.19 and

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

. Isaac Stearns died on June 19, 1671. The appraisal of his estate suggests he was relatively wealthy; it included fourteen parcels of land, amounting to , with a significant quantity of stock and farming utensils, provisions, and household goods.

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Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Isaac 1598 births 1671 deaths Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony People from Watertown, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts People from Nayland