Charles Bradford Isham

Charles Bradford Isham (July 20, 1853 – June 9, 1919) was an American historian known for his scholarly work and association with prominent institutions in New York City and abroad.

Early Life and Family Background

Isham was born in New York City on July 20, 1853. His father was William Bradley Isham (1827–1909), a leather merchant, who operated factories and warehouses in downtown Manhattan on Gold and Cliff Streets. William Bradley Isham also served as vice president of the Bank of the Metropolis and president of the Bond and Mortgage Guarantee Company. His mother was Julia (née Burhans) Isham (1827–1907). Isham’s maternal grandfather was Colonel Benjamin Burnhans of Warrensburg, New York. His paternal grandparents were Charles Isham and Flora (née Bradley) Isham; Flora was the daughter of Judge William Bradley of Hartford, Connecticut. Among his siblings were Julia Isham, who married Henry Osborn Taylor; Samuel Isham, an artist; and William Burhans Isham.

In 1862, Isham’s father rented a house and estate formerly owned by Dr. Floyd T. Ferris, located on forty acres in what is now Inwood, Manhattan. Built in the 1850s as part of the Dyckman tract, the family later purchased this estate in 1864. Portions of the estate were later donated or sold to the City of New York for the development of Isham Park.

Education and Professional Career

Isham attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1876. His studies also included time at the University of Berlin and the Collège de France. In 1878, he earned a law degree from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar in New York in 1881.

In April 1889, Isham was appointed as a private secretary at the United States Legation in London during Robert Todd Lincoln’s tenure as U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom, a position held from 1889 to 1893 under Presidents Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland. It is believed he obtained this position through his distant cousin, Edward Swift Isham, who had been Lincoln’s law partner. Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln, had previously served as Secretary of War.

Isham was recognized as a learned scholar and intellectual. He served as Resident Graduate in History at Harvard and was the Librarian of the New-York Historical Society, where his father was a member. In 1895, he delivered a speech to the Society emphasizing the significance of the Louisburg Expedition of 1745.

Personal Life

On September 2, 1891, Isham married Mary Todd "Mamie" Lincoln in a ceremony at the Brompton Parish Church in London. Mamie was the eldest daughter of Mary Eunice (née Harlan) Lincoln and Robert Todd Lincoln, making her the granddaughter of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. The couple purchased a residence in Manchester, Vermont, later known as the 1811 House, before relocating to New York City, where they resided at 19 East 72nd Street.

The couple had one child, Abraham Lincoln Isham (1892–1971), who married Leahalma Correa in August 1919. The marriage did not produce children.

Isham died after a brief illness at his residence, 122 East 38th Street, in New York City, on June 9, 1919. His funeral was held at Grace Church on Broadway, and he was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. His widow, Mamie, died in November 1938.