Phoebe (Isham) Belcher (abt. 1650 - abt. 1735)

Born about 1650 in Pytchley, Northamptonshire, England

Wife of Robert George Belcher — married 1669 in Henrico, Virginia

Descendants

Died about 29 Dec 1735 at about age 85 in Henrico, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kim Myers [send private message] and Robert Stiles [send private message]

Biography

Her father Henry Isham came to Va in 1656 therefore Phoebe must have been born in England. He married Catherine Banks Royall after he came to Va and had 3 children by her. No records seem to exist except Phoebe's marriage to Belcher. There were no other Ishams in the vicinity of Henrico so Henry Isham must have been her father. [See Research Notes (below): there is no good evidence for the Henry Isham who went to Virginia in 1656 being her father.]

• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Phoebe Isham Belcher

Memorial Photos Flowers Edit Share Learn about removing the ads from this memorial... Birth: 1648 Northamptonshire, England Death: Dec. 29, 1735 Henrico County Virginia, USA

Phoebe Isham, possibly born in Pytchley, Northamptonshire England, in circa 1648, is said to be the daughter of Captain Henry Isham and his first wife, Elizabeth. Whether she arrived on the American continent, with her father, we’re not sure, though likely. There were other children, too. Edward or Edmund, and another female, identified as the wife of John Farmer of Bermuda Hundred, Henrico, Virginia.

She was not the daughter of Katherine Banks, widow of Joseph Royall. Her father’s second marriage took place after 1658, long after Phoebe was born. This second marriage also gave birth to more children. One daughter, Mary, became the wife of marriage, Giles Webb (died 1712) and then Colonel William Randolph II, a wealthy and learned man. Mary Isham and William Randolph were the great grandparents of President Thomas Jefferson.

Phoebe Isham married Robert George Belcher in 1669. Both lived in Henrico at the time. Robert, was a farmer; his main crop was tobacco... A standard of “currency” at the time. Phoebe died on December 29, 1735, in Henrico, Virginia.

Some discount that Phoebe was the daughter of Henry Isham because she wasn’t mentioned in his will…( I haven’t seen it). Nor Katherine’s, her step mother. True. Katherine will only names her natural born children and grandchildren.

I welcome any enlightment.

Family links: Parents: Henry Isham (1628 - 1670)

Spouse: Robert George Belcher (1649 - 1718)*

Children: John Belcher (1670 - 1739)*

Sibling: Phoebe Isham Belcher (1648 - 1735) Mary Isham Randolph (1659 - 1735)*

• Calculated relationship

Inscription: Possibly on family land in Henrico. Being an Isham, she could have been buried at Bermuda Hundred, an island on the James River, with other relatives.

Burial: Unknown

Created by: M Bell Record added: Jul 01, 2015 Find A Grave Memorial# 148501360

Great grandparent - RFB Jenkins Added: Feb. 6, 2016 Forever resting in the comfort and loving arms of our Lord, Jesus - Carol Veio Added: Sep. 2, 2015

Research Notes

Parents

No good evidence has been found for Phoebe having the last name at birth Isham or her mother being a Katherine Royall. Her family origins are uncertain.

Phoebe has previously been shown on WikiTree as daughter of Henry Isham-12, who married Katherine Banks, widow of Joseph Royall. (See their profiles.) There is no good evidence for this, and Henry married in Virginia after 10 March 1655, when his wife's first husband died. Two wills confirm she was not Henry‘s daughter:

• the 1678 will of Henry's son, another Henry, indicates that Henry Isham-12 had two daughters, Mary and Anne.^[1][2]
• the 1682 will of Henry Isham-12's uncle Sir Edward Brett leaves bequests to "the two daughters" of Henry, indicating that there were no other daughters.^[3][4]

If Phoebe was the daughter of a Henry Isham, it was a different Henry.

The biography refers to an alleged marriage of Henry Isham-12 to an Elizabeth, prior to his marriage to Katherine Banks. No good evidence has been found for this marriage. A Henry Isham married Elizabeth Brian, widow at All Hallows the Less, London on 23 March 1649: there is no evidence that this was Henry Isham-12. This Henry may be, or be connected with, a Henry Isham, recorded, with a John Isham, as a London merchant in June 1636.^[5]

There are other Henry Ishams in this period:

• a Captain Henry Isham of Charles II's Royal Navy is referred to in entries dated 1660-1662 in the diary of Samuel Pepys.^[6]
• In 1665 a Henry Isham was given a lease of tithes in Derbyshire.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Lathrop Withington. Virginia Gleanings in England in Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 18, 1916, pp. 85-86, Internet Archive
2. ↑ The National Archives, ref. PROB 11/363/148, Will of Henry Isham of Virginia, proved 5 June 1680, Discovery Centre catalogue entry
3. ↑ Original Letters, in The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Oct., 1892), pp. 99-109 (Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; DOI: 10.2307/1939798). Stable URL
4. ↑ The National Archives, ref. PROB 11/375/374, Discovery Centre catalogue entry
5. ↑ 'Charles I - volume 327: June 20-30, 1636', in Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles I, 1636-7, (London, 1867) pp. 1-38, British History Online (entry for 24 June 1636), accessed 4 April 2024
6. ↑ Diary of Samuel Pepys, entries dated 1660-1662, listed - with links to the entries - here (accessed 7 April 2024)
7. ↑ 'Charles II - volume 118: April 12-22, 1665', in Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1664-5, (London, 1863) pp. 305-325, [1] (entries for 13 April 1665), accessed 6 April 2024

Name: Phoebe Belcher Birth Date: 1648 Birth Place: Northamptonshire, England Death Date: 29 Dec 1735 Death Place: Henrico County, Virginia, United States of America Has Bio?: Y Spouse: Robert George Belcher Children: John Belcher URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/148501360/phoebe-belcher

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 05 November 2017, 14:58), entry for Phebe Royall(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LVP2-6HS); contributed by various users.
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