Isaac Shelby (1750 - 1826)

Born 11 Dec 1750 in Hagerstown, Washington County, Province of Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah (Hart) Shelby — married 19 Apr 1783 in Boonesborough, VA (Now KY)

Descendants

Died 18 Jul 1826 at age 75 in Travelers Rest, Lincoln, Kentucky, United States

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Preceded by Office created at statehood June 1, 1792 4th Governor Charles Scott

Isaac Shelby 1st Governor of Kentucky 1792-1796 5th Governor 1812-1816

Succeeded by 2nd Governor James Garrard 6th Governor George Madison

Isaac Shelby resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Biography

Isaac Shelby is Notable.

Colonel Isaac Shelby served with Washington County Militia, Virginia Militia during the American Revolution.

Isaac Shelby is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A102449.

Isaac Shelby is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P-288390
Rank: Colonel in Virginia Militia

Gov. Isaac Shelby served in the War of 1812
Service started:
Unit(s):
Service ended:

Isaac Shelby was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in the War of 1812.

Isaac Shelby was one of the heroes of the Battle of King's Mountain, South Carolina in the Revolutionary War. He was the first Governor of Kentucky serving 1792-1796. He served again as the 5th governor 1812-1816 and led the Kentucky troops in the War of 1812. He is listed in the Kentucky Encyclopedia. Shelby County, Kentucky is named for him as well as counties in Ohio and Iowa. His biography from The Kentucky Encyclopedia follows:

SHELBY, ISAAC. Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first governor, was born near Hagerstown, Maryland, on December 11, 1750, to Evan and Letitia (Cox) Shelby. The family moved to western Virginia in 1772. Young Shelby gained military experience in Lord Dunmore's War and the Revolutionary War. He emerged from the latter as one of the heroes of the Battle of King's Mountain, South Carolina, on October 7, 1780, when Great Britain's Maj. Patrick Ferguson was killed and his command was eliminated. In late 1783 Shelby and his bride, Susannah (Hart) Shelby, moved to his preemption holding near Knob Lick in Lincoln County, and his reputation made him a leader in Kentucky politics. He participated in several of the conventions that preceded Kentucky's statehood in 1792, and on May 17 of that year the state's electors unanimously chose him as the first governor. He served from June 4, 1792, to June 1, 1796. After leaving office, Shelby spent sixteen years developing his properties and increasing his fortune. In 1812, as war with Great Britain became imminent, the public persuaded him to run for governor again. The electoral college had been discarded by then, and Shelby defeated Gabriel Slaughter easily, 29,285 to 11,936, on the strength of his military experience. He held office from August 24, 1812, to September 5, 1816. Shelby insisted that Gen. William Henry Harrison be given top command in the western theater, and he pushed for a statewide preparedness program. In 1813 Shelby raised 3,500 troops, double the number requested. With the permission of the General Assembly, he personally led the troops to join Harrison's army. The doughty sixty-two-year-old governor was active at the Battle of the Thames on October 5, 1813, when the British and the Indians were decisively defeated; for this he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. After his second retirement, his last public service of consequence occurred in 1818, when he and Andrew Jackson negotiated with the Chickasaw Indians the purchase for Kentucky of the area west of the Tennessee River that became known as the Jackson Purchase. In his first administration, Shelby provided sound, reliable leadership in the implementation of the new constitution. His role was much like that of George Washington on the national scene three years earlier. Shelby was a Jeffersonian Republican as that party emerged, and he sought federal assistance in curbing the Indians in the Northwest and in securing the vital use of the Mississippi River. His refusal to take action against pro-French groups upset the federal administration, but Shelby proved correct in his belief that the Genêt affair would collapse of its own accord when Genêt failed to win support for France in the United States. The economy proved stable, as adequate finances were found for a relatively passive government.

Shelby's second administration was dominated by the War of 1812, and he paid little attention to domestic concerns. The militia laws were revised in an effort to create a more effective organization, and women were urged to sew and knit for the cause. But the Kentuckians who fought in the Battle of New Orleans were poorly equipped. When Shelby left office, honored by most Kentuckians for his service, he returned once more to his farm Travelers Rest, south of Danville, where he died on July 18, 1826. He was buried in the family cemetery.

Legacy

• Nine U.S. states have named counties after Governor Shelby: They are: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.
• Shelbyville, Missouri is also named in his honor.

Will

Isaac Shelby wrote his will on 15 Nov 1824, and it was proven in Lincoln Co, KY on 13 Nov 1826. His will names the following persons:^[1]

• James Shelby, son
• Thomas Shelby, son
• Evan Shelby, son
• Isaac Shelby, son
• Alfred Shelby, son
• Sally McDowel, dau
• Susanna Shannon, dau
• Letitia Todd, dau married to Charles Todd
• Susanna Shelby, wife
• Isaac Shelby, grandson, son of James Shelby
• Isaac Shelby, grandson, son of Thomas Shelby
• Isaac Shelby, grandson, son of Evan Shelby
• Susan H. Nelson, granddaughter
• Isaac Shelby Todd, grandson

Slaves

A number of enslaved persons are named in the will of Isaac Shelby, most of them are given to son Alfred.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Kentucky Probate Records, 1727-1990: "Kentucky Probate Records, 1727-1990"
   Catalog: Probate records, 1781-1959; index, 1781-1865, 1889-1924 Probate records, Vol. H-I 1822-1828
   Image path: Kentucky Probate Records, 1727-1990 > Lincoln > Will records, Index, 1821-1824, Vol. H > image 400 of 615
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9P3Y-K38 (accessed 10 June 2022)
   • 1826 Lincoln Co, KY, Will Bk I p.84-87

• Kleber, John E., editor-in-chief; and Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, James C. Klotter, associate editors. The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.
• Sylvia Wrobel and George Grider, Isaac Shelby: Kentucky's First Governor and Hero of Three Wars (Danville, Ky., 1974)
• Patricia Watlington, The Partisan Spirit: Kentucky Politics. 1779-1792 (New York 1972). LOWELL H. HARRISON
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900; Author: Yates Publishing, Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Ancestry.com.
• Isaac Shelby on Wikipedia
• This WikiTree profile is referenced from Wikidata: Item Q878398, en:Wikipedia
• Find A Grave: Memorial #11823 for Isaac Shelby.