Biography

This profile is part of the Graves Name Study.

Isaac was born about 1730. He passed away about 1798.

In the 1790 Census, Isaac Newton lived in Duplin, North Carolina, USA, as 1 male over 16 (Isaac), 2 males under 16 and 5 females. ^[1]

The surname of Isaac's wife ("Jemima Chambers") comes from Aldermans in America by William Alderman Parker. He did not cite a source, but he listed a birth date for her of "about 1757". * Note: Jemima was born abt 1740).

Isaac's will is dated 19 November, 1798, and it is in probate in January 1799 in Duplin, North Carolina, USA. The will names wife, Jemima, plus 2 sons Enoch, Isaac Jr, and daughters Esther, Ann, Sarah Storman (spelling), Phebe, Mary Williams, Elizabeth, Dorcas Morgan, and 2 deceased daughters, Miriam James and Jemima Wilson. ^[2]

Research Notes and Comments

Thanks to yDNA testing, Isaac Newton of Duplin County-area North Carolina is extremely unlikely to be the son of Abraham Newton and Sarah Graves of Worcester County, Massachusetts. The following quote comes from a 6 October 2006 post on the Newton DNA project mailing list at Rootsweb ( http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NEWTON/2006-10/1160131066 ):

"I will close with one last point. Some may be familiar with Descendants of Sarah Graves and Abraham Newton of MA & NC as promulgated here: Graves Family Association Genealogy 538, published 31 October 2001^[3]. We now have 4 samples with descent from the Duplin branch, and none of them are even close to the "J" type that is now a very robust association with the Richard Newton of Sudbury/Marlboro. The idea that the Duplin County NEWTON clan(s) descend from this Richard Newton is just about as dead as a hypothesis can be. It appears to me that someone has used the census records to determine that Abraham Newton was likely the oldest in the Duplin area, and thus the father of all others of appropriate age there. Then they went "fishing" for an older Abraham and came across some in the line of Richard Newton, and made an erroneous connection. I understand that this document at the GRAVES Family site resembles greatly the material in Aldermans Family of America (or similar title), which I have not seen. But suffice it to say that, in my opinion, this material is exceptionally suspect, contains at least one patent, outright, and glaring error, seems to be riddled with confusion between folks of the same name, contains vast editorialization masquerading as proved relationships, and might be best to be ignored in its entirety, at least as it reagards [sic] the earlier generations. But that's only my opinion."

Isaac Newton wrote his will on 19 November 1798, and it was proved in court January 1799. He named his wife, Jemima, and his children:
(1) son Enoch Newton
(2) son Isaac Newton
(3) daughter Esther Newton
(4) daughter Ann Newton
(5) daughter Sarah [Newton] Alderman
(6) daughter Phebe [Newton] Herrington
(7) daughter Mary [Newton] Williams
(8) daughter Elizabeth [Newton] Roney
(9) daughter Dorcas [Newton] Morgan
(10) daughter Miriam [Newton] James, deceased by 1798
(11) daughter Jemima [Newton] Wilson, deceased by 1798

yDNA Test Results

The FTDNA yDNA test results (R-BY172135/subgroup of R-FT169813) for descendants of three of the four brothers from Newton Crossroads, NC is very revealing. They are now all grouped under Subgroup 02 Orange Newton Crossroads. The first thing to note is that all of the results are genetically close, which is what is to be expected of descendants of brothers. The second thing is that the results of the nine tests are nowhere close to the yDNA Newton tests results from Westboro, MA or anywhere else for that matter. This will be a big disappointment to those that believe the four brothers were the son of Abraham Newton, of Westboro MA. It is quite simply impossible.

There is no evidence that the brothers migrated from anywhere other than from the Old World. At present there are not enough deep yDNA test results to connect this group to any other Newton families. It now appears that Abraham Newton found in NC is indeed the eldest son of Jacob Newton rather than his father as some have thought.

David Robertson, FTDNA Newton DNA Project Co-administrator

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHK1-FSF : accessed 14 November 2020), Isaac Newton, Duplin, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 41, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 7; FHL microfilm 568,147.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHK1-FSF : accessed 14 November 2020), Isaac Newton, Duplin, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 41, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 7; FHL microfilm 568,147.
3. ↑ https://graves-fa.org/gen-histories/gens/gen538.html

• U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820. Isaac Newton. "Name on a Petition, 23 Oct 1779, to the General Assembly from inhabitants of New Hanover, Duplin, and Bladen Counties seeking to form a new county from part of the named counties." http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=ColonialCenRecon&h=123921&indiv=try
• North Carolina Census, 1790-1890. Isaac Newton. 1783. Duplin County, North Carolina, USA. Early tax list.
• United States Federal Census. 1790. North Carolina. Duplin County. Page 42. Digital image of original document at Ancestry.com: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1790usfedcen&h=166745&indiv=try
• North Carolina, Probate Records, 1735-1970. Isaac Newton. Duplin County, North Carolina. Will Book A. Pages 358-360. Images 218-219 of 327. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19420-43622-90?cc=1867501&wc=10921409
• North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1968. Isaac Newton. Duplin County, North Carolina. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-26688-12103-34?cc=1911121&wc=M936-6WD:517992982
• 1762 Tax List
• 1779 Petition to Form Sampson Co.
• 1783 NC State Census
• 1790 Census
• 1798 LWT
• 1928 Historical Letter
• Aldermans in America