Isaac Allerton, Jr.

Isaac Allerton Jr. (circa 1627 or 1630 – December 30, 1702) was a colonial American planter, military officer, politician, and merchant. His early life was rooted in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he was born sometime after May 22, 1627, and before September 21, 1631, although no specific birth record has been found. His father, Isaac Allerton Sr., was a passenger on the Mayflower and a founding member of the Plymouth Colony. His mother was Fear Brewster, a daughter of Elder William Brewster, a religious and political leader of the colony. Fear Brewster arrived in Plymouth on July 10, 1623, aboard the vessel Anne.

Isaac Allerton Jr. had three half-siblings—Bartholomew, Remember, and Mary—born in Leiden, Holland, as their father’s first wife, Mary Norris, had died in 1621. His maternal grandmother was Mary Brewster. His aunt Sarah Allerton, who married Degory Priest, also arrived on the Mayflower and had married Isaac Sr. in a dual wedding with his first wife. Fear Brewster Allerton died before December 12, 1634. After her death, Isaac Sr. had disputes with fellow colonists over financial and trade matters, particularly involving the colony’s merchant accounts and fur trade activities. Subsequently, Isaac Sr. moved to the New Haven Colony, but Isaac Jr. remained in Plymouth and was raised by his maternal grandfather William Brewster before eventually joining the family of his uncle Love Brewster.

He attended Harvard College, graduating in 1650. In 1652–1653, Isaac Allerton Jr. married Elizabeth in New Haven, Connecticut. They had two children, Elizabeth (1653–1740) and Isaac (born June 11, 1655). Elizabeth initially married Benjamin Starr, whose family had notable connections to Harvard and early Boston settlers, and after Starr’s death, she married Simon Ayers. Isaac Jr. returned to live in New Haven most of his life, although he later moved to Virginia with his family in around 1660.

In Virginia, Allerton settled in the Northern Neck region, near Wicomico in Gloucester County, on lands close to the plantation of Colonel Richard Lee II. He gained wealth as a tobacco planter and merchant, owning a 2,150-acre plantation along the Rappahannock River, which likely included constructing wharves and warehouses to facilitate trade. His land acquisitions possibly stemmed from his marriage to Elizabeth, who may have inherited property from her previous marriages or her family.

Allerton held several government and military positions. In 1663, he was appointed justice of Northumberland County and became involved in local governance. He joined the Virginia militia, achieving the rank of colonel, and participated in military operations against Native American tribes. Notably, in the 1670s, he was involved in the response to raids by the Doeg and Susquehannock tribes. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses starting in 1667—initially representing Westmoreland County and subsequently other Northern Neck counties—serving multiple terms over the next fourteen years. During Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, he maintained loyalty to Governor William Berkeley.

From 1687 to 1691, Allerton was a member of the Governor’s Council in Virginia but resigned alongside colleagues rather than take an oath of loyalty to William and Mary following the overthrow of King James II. He returned to serve in the House of Burgesses in 1696. In 1699, he was appointed naval officer and tax collector for Westmoreland County. His civic duties also included serving as escheator for the Northern Neck and Westmoreland Counties in 1680 and acting as trustee for estates, including that of Nicholas Spencer.

Isaac Allerton Jr. died in Westmoreland County, Virginia, between October 25 and December 30, 1702. His descendants included notable figures such as Hancock Lee, who married his daughter Sarah, and through later generations, connections to prominent American figures including President Zachary Taylor and James Madison.