Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
Annotations
-
(c. 1593-1668)
Henry Isham was the brother of Edward Mountagu’s stepmother, Ann, who married Sidney Mountagu in 1644.
He lived most of his life in the Canary Islands and in Portugal. By 1657, when he was about 64, he was serving under Mountagu, probably as a volunteer in the navy.
— Latham & Matthews edition of the diary, Companion volume (10).
-
He’s a figure who often turns up in Pepys’s 1660 voyage. It’s not clear which ship he captained, though - perhaps the Swiftsure, which is where Pepys and Montagu both stayed until the flagship, the Naseby, was ready.
-
Captain Henry Isham and the FFV
Isham’s daughter Mary was to marry into one of the most powerful Virginia families—the Randolphs: this makes Captain Henry Isham the ancestor of some of the most important people in colonial and Commonwealth Virginia. Here is data on Captain Henry Isham from a genealogy page.
http://www.americancarroll.com/html/aqwg72.htm
Capt. Henry ISHAM was born 1593 in London, Northampshire, , England. He died 1668 in Bermuda Hundred, , Virginia. Henry married Catherine BANKS.
Catherine BANKS was born 1593 in Canterbury, Kent, Canterbury Prov., England. She died 1 Dec 1686 in Bermuda Hundred, Henrico County, Virginia. Catherine married Capt. Henry ISHAM.
Other marriages:
ROYALL, Joseph
They had the following children:
F i Mary Royall ISHAM was born 1659 and died 1735.
M ii
Henry ISHAM.
F iii
Anne ISHAM. -
Henry Ishams wife, Catherine Banks, in my mind, is one of the most fascinating, yet unknown, of early Americans. If my initial research is correct, she is a great grandmother to both Thomas Jefferson, and his wife Martha Wayles (through the Eppes line). The interconnection through marriages of cousins by the early Virginians has come as a great surprise to me.
-
If Henry is your ancestor you have made a royal flush.
Burke’s Presidential Families of the USA runs his ancestry back through King Henry I of France to Charlemagne and beyond. -
The Belcher genealogies have Phoebe Isham listed as a daugher. they also have her born on either Turkey Island, VA in 1648 or Charles City, VA in 1650. Henry is not supposed ot have arrived until 1656 and did not marry Katherine Banks Royall until after her first husband’s death in 1658. Katherine did not list her or her offspring in her will.
What do we do with Phoebe? -
It seems to be a little confusing just who was who, but there seem to have been two Captain Henry Ishams, Certainly not an impossibility. Anne’s father was Gregory Isham, but that doesn’t work, because the Captain Henry who is in the line of the Randolph, and eventually Jefferson family, was the son of William Isham, whose father was Sir Euseby Isham, and Mary Brett. This is according to “Ancestors of American Presidents” by Gary Boyd Roberts. Now, if anyone has information to untangle this mess, it would be appreciated.
-
The Ishams…
I think we have got a little mixed up here as David says. The Captain Isham here would not be the one with all these great connections as he spent most of his time in Portugal, and appears in Sandwich’s Journal again in September 1664 and would be about 70.
I think the confusion comes from the Isham below who seems to have immigrated about 1656…
Generation Nine
9. Capt. Henry Isham (William8, Euseby7, Gregory6, Euseby5, Thomas4,
William3, Robert2, Robert1); b. circa 1628 at Northamptonshire,
England; m. Katherine Banks, daughter of Christopher Banks; 2nd
husband; d. circa 1675; d. circa 1676.
He immigrated circa 1656 to Henrico Co., VA. He resided at
Bermuda Hundred, Henrico Co., VA. -
The Ishams were solid but mid-level gentry based in Northamptonshire (Midlands). Henry was a second son. Katherine Banks probably wasn’t gentry, nor was Royall. The basis of his wealth was receiving land grants for transporting colonists. It was easy for women to marry up, because there was a big male excess in colonial Virginia. From her will, she sounds like a totally charming person.
The Randolphs were minor to mid-level gentry who had lived various places in southern England and were residing in Warwickshire at the time William emigrated. Warwickshire is in the Midlands, just west of Northamptonshire. There had been marriages between Randolphs and Ishams over the centuries.
William was a second son.I’ve never seen an estimate of William’s cash when he arrived at age 18. His uncle was Clerk of the colony and on good terms with the Governor, but he died soon after William arrived. William started as an undertaker (general contractor), is listed on tax rolls as a merchant and acquired land by purchase, receipt of a rebel’s confincated estate, transport, special grant and marriage. (Mary Isham was a rich heiress whose only brother died on a voyage to England.) He was a Col of militia and a founder of W&M. In short, he seems to have made about as full use of his talents as any human does.
William left large plantations to his oldest four sons. The fifth was a highly successful lawyer in Williamsburg. One of the two younger ones was a sea captain who resided in England. This seems to have been a common pattern for younger sons, and probably accounts for the background of Pepys’s Captain Isham.
The Ishams who produced Henry the immigrant resided at a place called Pychley. There’s another Isham place on the internet in Northamptonshire, a tasteful but somewhat unfriendly pile based on money made in London. It might be possible to trace Pepys’s Henry Isham back to one of these places.
-
The Capt Henry Isham in Pepys’ Diary and Capt Henry Isham of Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, were second cousins once removed, both being descendants of Sir Euseby Isham of Pytchley (b abt 1491, d 1546) and his wife Anne Pulton.
The Pepys Henry Isham’s line from Euseby and Anne is:
- Henry Isham (b abt 1527-30, d aft 1596) m Joan Brisley
- Gregory Isham (b abt 1555) m Elizabeth Catelyne
- Capt Henry Isham (b 1592, whose sister Ann m 1644 Sir Sidney Montagu)The VA Henry Isham’s line from Euseby and Anne is:
- Gregory Isham (abt 1520-58) m Elizabeth Dale
- Sir Euseby Isham (1552/3-1626) m Anne Borlase
- William Isham (b 1587/8) m Mary Brett
- Capt Henry Isham (b 1628) m Katherine Banks, widow of Joseph RoyallSource: Edward Paul Isham, An Index of the Ishams in England and America: Nine Hundred Years of History and Genealogy (Nov 1984), pp 16-50.
-
Yes I agree Katherine banks has been overlooked by historians, She is also Chief justice John Marshalls third great-grandmother and Robert e.Lees fourth great-grandparent, I know because she is also my tenth great-grandparent thru my maternal side of family. Joesph Royall is my tenth great-grandparent
-
I am looking for information on a person by the name of Phoebe Isham, repordedly the oldest daughter of Capt. Henry Isham. Any information would be appreciated.
-
I read today that Henry Royall Isham was a descendant of John Rolf and Pocahantas and that this connection helped him establish a profitable fur trade with the Indians. Please help me confirm this connection.