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Dear Cousin George Isbell,
After 20 years of collecting Isbell data I find a line right at my back (or front) door in Alabama where I can really do some good by sharing information.
My husband is here in Germany, a career officer and I find it humorous to discover you while I am away from my perm. home in Albertville, Marshall County, Ala.
I am happy to tell you that I have quite a bit of proof on your James Isbell (greatfather and his wife your greatmother Elizabeth Birdwell). I have a photostatic copy of their marriage record, they were married April 24, 1816 in Madison County (Miss. Territory) Alabama. James was the brother of my greatfather Levi Isbell who was born Nov. 14, 1797 and married Sara (Sally) H. Birdwell, a sister of you great grandmother Elizabeth Birdwell. These Birdwell girls were the daughters of John and Mary Allen Birdwell. I do not know the parents of Mary Allen but I do have the parents of John Birdwell. John born Sept. 24, 1770 in Batetourt Co. Va. moved to Sullivan Co. (NC then) Tenn. with his Father George & Mary Birdwell before 1781. After moving to Tenn. John married Mary Allen. They were in Madison County Census of 1809 so were on of the first settlers in Alabama. They moved to Lawrence County Alabama between 1818 & 1824.
They were the parents of 12 children, sons Allen, Moses, John and daughters Elizabeth (married James Isbell), Nancy (married James Ronine May 9, 1812 in Madison Co.), Jane (married Samuel Neal Oct. 7, 1825 Lawrence Co.), Ann Birdwell (married James B. Fowler, moved to Cass Co. Texas 1850), Sara H. (Sally)(married Levi Isbell Aug. 31, 1816), Tabitha (married ____Wright, lived in Walker Co. Ala.), Lucinda (married ____ Vaught, moved 1840-1850 to Rusk Co. Texas), and Susan (married Joel A. Watkins, Feb 4 1827, Lawrence Co. Ala.).
Son Allen married Lucinda Ross first, Jan. 29, 1824 Lamour Co. Ala. Was Col. in Ala. Militia 1840 & 1842, moved to Mt. Enterprise, Rusk Co. Texas taking his father John Birdwell 1842 (Mother Mary Allen Birdwell died Lawrence Co. since she did not go to Texas). Son Moses Birdwell married Sarah Duncan Sept. 18, 1815. He died 1830 at fathers home Lawrence Co. Ala. Fought with Andrew Jackson wars 1812 & 1814. Son John married Elizabeth, went to Rusk Co. Texas.
John Birdwell, born 1770, went to Rusk Co. Texas with Col. Allen Birdwell (son) in 1842. He is buried at Mt. Enterprise, Rusk Co. Texas in Cemetery of Birdwell, so are sons Allen & family, John & family, and daughter Lucinda Vaught & family. John Birdwell Sr. will was probated in Henderson, Rusk Co. Texas, filed March 27, 1854 dated Jan. 24, 1854. He left his Estate to his living children only, heirs of dead children, names children, daughter Lucinda Vaught, Rusk Co. Texas, and Mrs. James B. Fowler, Coss Co. Texas, Sally, Mrs. Levi Isbell Walker Co. Ala., Tabitha Wright Walker Co. Ala., Son John Rusk Co., Texas, Col. Allen Isbell Rusk Co. as Executor. My great grandmother had moved to Dekalb Co. by 1854 with her husband Levi Isbell, a Baptist minister. They moved from Jackson Co. but she was left $1,700 gold to share with Tabitha Wright, Walker Co. and John Birdwell Jr. of Rusk Co., Texas. Her son, John Birdwell Isbell, collected the shares for her and Tabitha Wright. John B. Isbell went to Texas 1853. His will left out Nancy, Elizabeth, Jane, Moses, Susan, all deceased (seems a shame that their heirs didn’t share). I don’t have a copy of this will but will get one, have a lot of Birdwell relatives in Texas and one of them is Mrs. E.W. LeFever has helped me greatly. I found this will through her and the will of George Birdwell, father of John. I got George original photostatted at Bedford Co. Va. It was filed there in 1781 during the American Revolution. He states that he is away from home, home being Sullivan Co. NC. I’m sure he was fighting in the Rev. and was wounded and died but I have not proved this yet. I will enclose a copy of the will of George Birdwell. This is not the copy of the original will, only a typed copy. I will send the will of John Birdwell when I get all of it.
Now to your great grandfather James Isbell. In Probate records of Jackson County Ala., 1856-1859, Vol. A, Page 181 I found the “James Isbell Settlement of Estate Dated April 24, 1857”. This was 105 years ago almost to the day.
HEIRS
Elizabeth Peters Wife of Uriah
Peters
Lucinda Murray Wife of John B. Murray
Mary A. Talkington Wife of A___ Talkington
Margaret Willis Wife of James Willis
Susan Murray Wife of Jackson Murray
Zachariah
James
John
Levi
Minor
William B.
Deceased of White Co. Ark.
Benjamin
Administrator of Estate of William B.
(You will notice here again that Sara Manda and Allen Isbell were not
mentioned, I guess they were dead by 1857. Mary was the one you listed
as Polly Ann.)
Your grandfather James and my great grandfather Levi had a younger brother Zachariah, born in Tenn. in 1814. He lived in Jackson Co., Ala. until 1852 when he came to Marshall County with brother Levi. This Zach, never married. He at one time had a lot of money and property. When he died in 1891 he left no will, so it took about 5 years to get the estate settled, but most everyone related to him got his share. My grandfather Elijah Miller Isbell and his brother Charles Isbell were administrators of the estate. The estate was filed in Dekalb County courthouse, Fort Payne, Ala.
Zach Isbell had brothers and sisters:
I would like to state that
these people listed were not all straight, only the men seemed exactly
right and I know from family tradition that my fathers grandfather Levi
Isbell had brothers John, James, Miller and Zach. Johns family stayed in
Jackson Co. and visited my grandfather in Dekalb & Marshall County.
Well, here is how I copied
the papers on the settlement of the Estate of Zachariah Isbell:
There were no other of your line listed. I have a record that the Zachariah
Isbell, son of James, died in a Confederate prison in the Civil War. His
wife Jane Culver Isbell drew a pension for his children, Robert (not a
minor), George W., Thomas, and Andrew, in 1877. Jane Culver (Susannah)
had married again, lived in, Tenn., but filed claim in Jackson County.
Others listed in settlement of Estate of Zachariah Isbell:
These are all the children who matured of Levi & Sarah H. Birdwell
Isbell. 2 boys died in infancy and a daughter Nancy died without issue
before 1890.
(a later note showed “received by John B., Fort Payne (leaving son of
Eliza Miller Isbell), $9.18 for Jane Muston and her sister Martha Kirby
of Hatton, Franklin Co. Ala. They are daughters of Miller Isbell. This
sum decreed to Mary Ann Isbell, but there being no such heir of said estate
it was given to rightful heirs.” Ben Isbell, Searcy Ark. received $262
(This Ben Isbell son of James).)
(5)
(6)
(7)
I think all these Summers were the children or grandchildren of Elizabeth
Summers, a sister of Zachariah Isbell. Lost listing.
Margaret Baker Missouri (dead)
Here again, I think Margaret Baker was a sister of Zack. but not sure.
Here is a further settlement
of the estate, written out by lawyers Gregory and Vaught, Attn. at Law,
Stevenson, Ala., April 23, 1887.
$18.37 for George W. Mershon, son of Hannah Mershon, and Nancy J. Stewart,
only child of James Mershon, son of Hannah Isbell Mershon. Zachariah Mershon,
another son of Hannah Mershon, is deceased.
Zach. Mershon was never married.
His interest in the estate was divided to brother George Mershon and Nancy
J. Stewart, heir of brother James. (This $18.37 seems to have been the
full share, so Hannah Isbell was a sister of Zach. Isbell.)
Lampton, Ala., Oct. 22, 1892 W.H. Minnex, $25.00 pd. for care and board
of Zach. Isbell. Witness William H. Allen.
Heirs of Jenimia Summers (full share)
Settlement to Zach. Bruton, $9.20, Jan. 25, 1898, Franklin Co., Ala.,
heir of Rebecca Bruton (sister).
I think this Levi is son of John and not Levi, son of your grandfather
James. You may know better, but I believe I am right. My Aunt remembers
these names as belonging to the family of John of Jackson County.
John Isbell, brother of Zach.
The last listing of settlement was to Mary Talkington (daughter of James)
to her heirs.
Heirs of Zach. Isbell Estate
Heirs of Mary Talkington (daughter of James)
This end heirs of Zachariah Isbell.
Mr. Isbell, I’m sorry I had
to write this out, I do not type, but I did want to give you the earliest
records on the brothers and sisters of our ancestors, hoping that some
of the descendants may be known to you and can help us find the father
of our James and Levi.
I know we descend from Zachariah
Isbell, who was in Virginia in 1754, to North Carolina in 1767, and on
to Tennessee in 1775. I don’t know the missing link between the elder Zachariah
and our family. I have all sorts of data on hundreds of Isbells, but cannot
yet find the Father of my great grandfather Levi Isbell, born 1797.
In the Alabama Census of
1830 there is a Levi Isbell not shown in the 1840 Census, but shows up
again in the 1850 Census. This census gives a good breakdown of the families.
In 1850, Levi Isbell was 80 years old. Born in N.C. in 1770, his wife Jane
was born in 1775. Living with them was an Elizabeth Isbell, age 60, born
in Tenn., and a child Jesse, 14, who attended school within the year 1850.
We know that the youngest brother of Levi (your James), was born in 1814,
and the oldest son John was born in 1789. I don’t believe this Jane could
have been the mother of John, she would have married at 13.
This is a good bet, but a
widow, Sara Isbell, was living in Jackson County in 1830. Sh e had children
who’s ages matched the Zach. born in 1814 and the other children (she was
in census of 1840 but was dead or moved away by 1850). She was born between
1760-1770 and fits the age of John (1789) better than the wife of Levi
does. Another widow in Jackson County in 1830 was Polly Isbell, aged between
1750-1760 (born between these dates?), but she had a son Zachariah, born
1799 and they all went to Mississippi before 1840. A descendant of her
son Zachariah has sent me data, so if our family came together from Tenn.,
the parents had to be Levi & Jane or the widow Sally.
I might tell you that James,
Levi, and John married their wives in Alabama, but all went back to Tenn.
to live until 1818-1828. The Isbells knew the Birdwells in Tenn., and when
they moved across the line to Ala. they just followed and married the girls,
but went back to Tenn. Your James was in Jackson County between 1830-1840,
but was not shown there in 1850. I do have a record that James Isbell was
in Limestone County and bought 158 acres of land there for $317.20. He
made the final payment in 1822. he got this land from Moses Birdwell, brother
of his wife Elizabeth. Levi, James, John, Miller, and Zach. bought land
in Jackson County between 1830-1832 (These were five brothers, buying at
around the same time). Miller Isbell bought land in Franklin County in
1834 or 1854 (dates hard to read). If you could find your James in the
1850 Census of Limestone or Jackson County it will show where the children
are born. They could have gone to Lawrence County in 1818, because John
Birdwell (father in law) bought land there. I will look for James as soon
as I can.
There is or was a Birdwell
Springs Baptist Church in Lawrence County. It was started by our Birdwells,
near the old Isbell home place in Jackson County (Woodville Route 3). It
was a Primitive Baptist Church, my early ancestors were Primitive Baptists.
Before I close and let you
rest, I want to tell you that my line of Isbells from Levi born in 1797
on down were Republicans. My grandfather Elijah Miller Isbell fought with
the Union Army and voted his first vote for Abe Lincoln. He wasn’t on the
ticket in Alabama, so I don’t know where he voted, maybe Tennessee. My
grandfathers brother, William C., stayed in Jackson County and fought with
the Confederate Arm, as did some of the children of John Isbell. I know
at least one of the sons of your James Isbell fought with the Union and
died in prison in Richmond, Virginia (this was Zachariah). Our great grand(think
‘mother’)Birdwells brother, Colonel Allen Birdwell, went with the Confederates.
He had two sons killed by Union forces (or perhaps in prison). My grandfathers
older brothers, Allen and John Birdwell Isbell, went to Texas before the
war and sympathized with the Confederates. The brother John B. Isbell came
back to Alabama in 1903 for the first time in 50 years.
Isbell
Halifax County Marriage Records: 1753-1800 Virginia
The following information received from Mr. T. Webb of Smithville, Tennessee:
William Tompkins Isbell - born 9/19/1765 in Albermarle, Va., son of
James and Frances Tompkins Isbell. Married Lydia Barnes, daughter of Solomon
& Elizabeth Barnes, about 1786 in Wilkes County, N.C.
Children:
Virginia History Magazine, Vol. 19, Pg. 431
Colonial Caroline by T.E. Campbell
p. 482 - Admin. of Estates
p.353 - Henry Isbell served 2 juror panels in Caroline Co., between
1732-35, also was appointed Constable in 1737.
Walter Isbell, a man of color, came to America from England, late 1600’s,
also a woman of color, paid their own way, and were not servants.
William Isbell sold land to John Jones, 10/12/1805, and moved to Adair
County. KY. His home plantation was purchased 1799 by William Isbell several
years after his marriage to Lidia Barnes. He lived first on Moravian Creek,
near Moravian Falls, N.C., and the land was a state grant to Benjamin Elledge
in 1782.
Zachariah Isbell, of Bedford County, VA, settled the Watauga & Browns
Settlements, came west through Wilkes county, NC. He and his sons fought
in the Revolutionary War, Battle of Kings Mountain. Paid bounty land. He
was a commissioner at Watauga Settlement.
Zachariah Isbell - Bedford County, 1754
Isbell
Anna Isbell married Obediah Ligon, 10/16/1799 Halifax County, Va., by
Rev. Reuben Pickett
James Isbell – appraisal of estate returned to Sept. Court, 1781, Wilkes
Co., N.C.
Isbell
Digory and Elizabeth Isbell in Irewick, England, helped and sheltered
John Wesley in his work.
Elijah Isbell, born 2/27/1840 in Jackson County, Alabama, married Jane
Dowdy 1/2/186_
Godfrey Isbell, fought in Rev. War, and was bondsman for the marriage
of Thomas Isbell and Discretion Howard. Later moved to South Carolina?
(Look up Isbells in Newberry, S.C., and Craven County, S.C. 1760 and 1770).
James Isbell married Elizabeth Birdwell, in Madison County, Ala.
(Mississippi Territory) in 1813. He had a brother named Levi Isbell
who married Sarah Birdwell, sister of Elizabeth Birdwell; also brothers
named Zachariah and Miller Isbell. James died in 1857 in Jackson
Co., Ala.
James fought in Rev. War.
Jane Isbell – wife of Levi Isbell – in 1830 Census, Jackson, Co., Ala.
John Isbell, early records of Wilkes, Co., N.C., mentioned as State
Representative.
John Isbell, 1664, Glouchester Co., Va.
Levi Isbell, brother of John, James, Miller and Zachariah Isbell.
Also had sisters Rebecca, Hannah, Jenemia, Elizabeth and Margaret Isbell.
Lived in the early and middle 1800s. Married Sarah Birdwell.
Levi Isbell – 1830 Census, Jackson Co., Ala, wife Jane. He was
aged 40-50 with no sons at home. May have lived in Claysville, Marshall
Co., Ala, 1840.
Levi Isbell, 1850 Census, Jackson Co., Ala. Born about 1770.
Livingston Isbell, brother of William Isbell. His heirs in 1800
sold land to Reuben Barnes, 100 acres on Busy Mountain, Garrett’s Fork
of Moravian Creek. This land was originally a grant to James Isbell.
Livingston Isbell fought in the Rev. War. Married Ann Martin.
Miller Isbell administered estate of James and Elizabeth Birdwell Isbell
1891-92.
Nancy Isbell administered estate of Livingston Isbell (who was she?).
His wife was Ann Martin. She is shown in 1790 Census as a widow with
daughters and in 1785 Thomas Isbell and Benjamin Cleveland went on her
bond. (Date 10/25/1785).
Pendleton Isbell, Surrey, N.C., fought in Rev. War. After the
war went to S.C.
Polly Isbell, 1830 Census, Jackson, Co., Ala. In 1840 went
to Mississippi with son Zachary Isbell.
Sarah Isbell, 1830 Census, Jackson Co., Ala. Sons and daughter.
Also there in 1840 Census.
Thomas Isbell married Discretion Howard. Was a grandson of Zachariah
Isbell of Watauga Settlement and Bedford Co., Va. Thomas Isbell fought
in Rev. War. Thomas Isbell appointed guardian of William Isbell,
4-30/1782, Wilkes Co., N.C.
p.443 (regarding literacy in the County – copied in part):
William Isbell (B. Ca.) 1699
(1)
James Isbell
(dead)
William Isbell
(dead) son William Jr., Ark.
James Isbell
Franklin County
Benjamin Isbell Arkansas
Levi Isbell
Madison County
Susan Isbell Murray Franklin County
Lucinda Murray Franklin County
Mary Talkington (dead)
James Talkington
Henry Talkington
John Talkington
Jame Talkington (These seem to be children of Mary)
(2)
Levi Isbell
(dead) - this is my line.
William C.
(dead)
Children of William C.:
John
Jackson County
George
Texas
James R.
Etowah County
John Birdwell
Texas
Allen
Texas
Elijah Miller Isbell
Dekalb County (my Grandfather)
Charles Leander Isbell Dekalb County (E.M.I.
and C.L.I. were administrators of the Estate of Zachariah Isbell)
Mary Ann Bryant
(dead)
Martha Hulgan
Marshall Co.
Nancy Gardner
Marshall Co.
Elizabeth Gautney
Dekalb County
Martha C. Culver
Marshall County
(3)
John Isbell
born 1789 (dead)
Levi Isbell
(dead)
(these are listed under Levi) John Isbell, Jackson Co.,
Benjamin Thompson M.W. (I don’t know what that meant), Zack. Isbell. ----Berry
M.W. --ThosLand-- other children of John continued -
Jessie W.
Rev. Miller Isbell
Mary Allen
Manervia Latham
(dead)
Barclay M.W. Jackson (evidently Manervia Latham had 2 children)
Margaret Lathan Jackson
Jane Minnex
Dekalb Co.
Melvina Wright
(dead)
Shelton (Bill) Jackson
(End of descendants of John, born 1789)
(4)
Miller Isbell
(dead)
William Isbell
Franklin County
Mary Ann Isbell
Rebecca Bruton (dead)
Zachariah Bruton Franklin
County
William Bruton &n bsp;
Texas
Hannah Mershon (dead)
James Mershon
Jackson Co. Ala.
Zachariah Mershon
Jenimia Summers (dead)
(Now this is where it gets complicated. I have numbered it to 6, but
not sure how they go, the papers were so mixed up. I’ll just continue as
well as I can.)
Elizabeth Summers (dead)
Sallie Shook
(dead)
----- Roberson
Jackson Co., Ala.
----- Shook
Jackson Co., Ala.
Anna Berry Ryan (dead)
----- Ryan
Mary Allen
(dead)
Adeline Hall
Jackson Co., Ala.
Anna Berry Gentiles Jackson Co., Ala.
John Summers
(dead)
William Summers Jackson Co., Ala.
----- Wennegor Jackson
Co., Ala.
William Summers Franklin Co., Ala.
Samuel Summers Jackson Co., Ala.
Zachariah Baker Missouri
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
received $18.37 for Sally Summers, widow of Samuel Summers, and her
two children, John M. and Zachariah Summers. (Jenimia Summers must have
had a sister also.)
________________________________________________________________________
Levi Isbell
Jackson Co., Ala.
Amanda Long (A.L.)
Annis Berry (A.C.)
Malinda Fraizer (M.M.)
John Isbell
Sara J. Thompson
Zachariah Isbell (W.Z.)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
P. 57: Anna Isbell and Obediah Ligon were married by Rev. Reuben Pickett
on 10/16/1799, as taken from ministers returns, p. 137
P. 78: Sally Isbell, and Lewis Ragsdale were married 12/22/1796, by
Rev. Reuben Pickett, Sally signs her own consent, Surety: Thomas Collins,
Witness: Joseph Faulkner.
Children:
Children:
1 male 30-40
2 females under 5
1 female 20-30
William Calloway, by deed of 3/28/1757 (D.B.A. p. 113), conveyed to
trustees for the county of Bedford, 100 acres at the forks of the roads
near his house, to erect a court house and prison for the county of Bedford.
Richard Calloway, Zachary Isbell, & Benjamin Howard are the trustees,
appointed November 1755.
p. 439 - William Isbell & Charles Goodall & Richard Billops,
failed to frequent their parish church for 2 months and were fined 5 shillings
or 50 lbs of tobacco, in 1744.
Decedeent
Exec. or Adm.
Ward
Guardian
“. . . .The court took judicial notice of this arbitrary miscarriage
of justice and angrily dismissed the jury, which was composed of Samuel
Reed, a rich man made his fortune as a merchant at Chesterfield and planter
on the North Anna, and William Kidd, Thomas Taylor, Thomas Jones, John
Pemberton, James Saterwood, Thomas Pittman, Thomas Coghill, John Garnett,
Abraham Wilson, Anthony Sale, and Daniel Isbell, who were all thrifty small
planters, for failing to perform it’s duty. . . .”
Zachariah Isbell - Craven County, NC 1776 as Commissioner and Magistrate
Zachariah Isbell - Surry, NC 1771-1772, tax list
Zachariah Isbell - settled in Cumberland County, near Nashville
Zachary Isbell - brother of James, of Wilkes County,
NC, fought in Revolutionary War
Henry Isbell drew pension in Kentucky for Rev. War Service in Virginia
as private. Date of pension – 1818.
Livingston Isbell – was on the list of volunteers present at muster
6/17/1775. (This reference from the Henry County, Virginia, Public
Library – mention not made of where the muster was held.)
Sally Isbell, married Lewis Ragsdale, 12/29/1796 in Halifax Co., Va.,
by Rev. Reuben Pickett. Surety Thomas Collins, witness Joseph Faulkner.
Thomas Isbell – with Livingston Isbell mentioned above – at the muster
of Volunteers on 6/17/1775.
W.J. Isbell, son of John Isbell, was County Clerk in DeKalb County,
Tennessee.
Thomas Isbell (1753-1819) enlisted 1776 in Capt. Thomas Walker’s Company,
Col. C Matthew’s 9th Va. Reg. Born Albermarle Co., Va.
D. Wilkes Co. N.C., married Discretion Howard (1764-1748) 1782.
Copy of part of a letter received from Mr. Marion W. Isbell, of Phoenix,
Arizona: “My grandfather’s name was James Washington Isbell, born
in Tennessee between 1 1840. He had a brother named Marion Isbell.
My father’s name was Howard James and name in full is Marion William Isbell.
I have a brother named James Isbell. Handed down through my family
has always been the story that the name Isbell came from Dover, England,
and that the name was originally Bell, was somehow changed to Isbell, and
that three brothers came over to the United States from England in the
early 1700s by the name of Isbell. I am sorry that I can be
of no more help, and, of course, I would be interested in any information
of this type myself.” I would appreciate any information which would
help me to place this man’s family in its proper place in the Isbell history.
If you have such information, please forward it to me. I, of course,
will gladly pass this along to him, for he has expressed a desire to know
more about his family.
He died 6/10/1920. Had a son named Arthur Levi Isbell.
“…With all the handicaps, however, literacy increased among the free
white masses during Carolina’s Colonial period. In depositions in
many chancery matters in the Order Book, older people made their “X”, while
the younger people signed their names. For example, in Abraham V.
Taylor and Cowne, tried 1749, one proponent, William Isbell, ‘aged about
50 years or over,’ was illiterate while another, his son Henry Isbell,
‘about 20 years old,’ wrote his name with a flourish….” This was
copied by Indiana (Isbell) Stanley, June 20, 1963, Russellville, Alabama,
Franklin County.
Son Henry Isbell (B. Ca.) 1729
