ISHAM BAILEY
His middle name was NOT Thomas!
Neither of the early Isham's had a middle name at all! 

When I started doing genealogy back in 1994 I really thought I would never make sense of the vast Bailey clan. To make matters worse I descended from three lines that were all in some way related to each other.  Isham Bailey was one of those lines and I soon found a major error that most other genealogists had missed. The Isham Bailey Jr that many of the researchers had attached to Isham Bailey Sr was NOT his son. He was the son of his brother Henry Bailey Sr.

First let me say that in early records the use of Sr and Jr did NOT imply a father and son relationship.  It simply meant that there was an older and younger person with the same name in the neighborhood. If the Senior person moved away or died then the Junior would assume the title Senior (if there was another person with the same name in the area) or just lose the title altogether.  The use of Senior and Junior to imply a father and son relationship didn't really become common until well into the 1800's after middle names became commonplace and used to identify different relationships.

 

Now that that's out of the way........................................

The Isham Bailey Jr, in early Albemarle and Kanawha counties was NOT the son of Isham Bailey Sr, Revolutionary War Soldier.  He was the son of Henry Bailey (son of Robertson) and Ann 'Nancy', his wife.

Isham Bailey Sr also had a son named Isham Bailey but Henry's son was the older of the two so he was one who was designated as Jr.

The Bailey family lived just a little north-west of Howardsville, Virginia. They owned several hundred acres along and on both sides of the Rockfish River. The Rockfish separates Nelson from Albemarle counties (it would have been Amherst at that time). Isham Bailey Sr even owned Allen Howard's house and part of his original tract sometime between 1761 and 1810 when he sold it to James Norvell.  This house, which may still exist, was located on Lewiston Ford Road right below the intersection of Lewiston Ford Lane.

Since I'm going to discuss the various Isham Bailey's and their families I should probably start with their parents. The father of Henry Bailey Sr and Isham Bailey Sr was Robertson Bailey. In 1769 he patented 250A on the Rockfish River adjoining William Farrar and Peter Farrar.  We can probably assume that this land is part of what his children lived on for the remainder of their time in Albemarle since Isham Bailey is later documented as living on land adjoining Richard Farrar.

Augusta County chancery court records infer that Robertson Bailey had at least four sons and one daughter:  One son, William Bailey, who joined Col. Joshua Fry in the French and Indian War and died at the Battle of Fort Necessity in Fayette, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1754.  Another son, Henry Bailey who was also at the same battle and saw his brother get shot and scalped, he returned home wounded and lived by his father until his death. Henry's oldest son also named Henry moved to Kanawha. Another son, Isham Bailey, who was the youngest son of Robertson Bailey and inherited the remainder of his father's estate at his death in 1783 with a request that he take care of his mother. Another son, John Bailey who moved to Amherst County Va and died there. John Bailey (s/o Roberson) had a son named William Bailey this may have been the William who moved to Smith County Tennessee. And a daughter,  Elizabeth Bailey who married a Lankford/ Langford and who was still living in 1809 when she deposed for her brother(s) land claim.

 Henry Bailey (s/o Robertson) married a lady named Ann Thomas, who was a daughter of Michael Thomas Sr 1714-1802. Michael Thomas Jr stated in an 1809 deposition that Henry Bailey lived 400 yards from him after his marriage and until his death. Some of her children's marriages were witnessed by various Thomas family members and some deeds. Her oldest son Henry married a Judith Thomas. Henry Bailey Sr was listed in the Albemarle tax records from 1782-1784 but he is listed as "exempt". He must have been ill at the time because he petitioned the court in 1783 for exemption for the previous year. He also had no taxable males in his household over the age of 21.  From 1785 onwards widow Ann Bailey shows up in the yearly tax records, sometimes being referred to as Nancy, which was an informal version of Ann, much like Polly for Mary or Sally for Sarah.

Robertson Bailey was listed in the 1782 Albemarle tax list. This would be the only time his name appears in taxes. There were two taxable males over the age of 21 in his household, the other we have to presume was his son Isham Bailey Sr.

Tax records can be a great way to estimate the ages of male children but sometimes they were indentured to another person or might have been working for someone else. In this case, they would have been taxed in that particular household. If you're lucky, the sheriff might even write the name of the person taxed in the margin.

Another useful piece of information is a list of those NOT taxable:

1.  Males under the age of 16 (some early census records 21)
2.  White women were not taxable
3.  Person's were only taxed where they resided
4.  Person's who were public employees

5.  Person's who were teacher's at facilities of higher learning
6.  Minister's and Preacher's
7.  Military personnel 
8.  Person's found to be exempt by the court for being old or infirm
9.  Ferrymen
10. Slaves under the age of 16  

In the 1785 state census for Albemarle, Isham Bailey had six white people in his household.

In the 1785 tax record he had no taxable males besides himself.

Isham Bailey, his wife Patience 'Patsy', daughter Mary, son Pleasant, daughter Elizabeth, son Daniel.  The ages of the son's come from tax records and census info, the ages of the daughter's come from marriage records and census info.

In the 1785 state census for Albemarle, Ann Bailey had eleven white people in her household.  In the tax record for that same year, she had no taxable males in their household.  Ann Bailey must have had a LOT of girls!

I have not found all of the children of Henry and Ann Bailey, but living in her household she most likely had son Henry, son Isham Jr, daughter Mary, daughter Jane, daughter Nancy, and daughter Patience who later married a Childress. Henry Bailey, the son, was the eldest male and he was born between 1771-1775 based on later census records.

Henry Bailey Jr was a Ferryman for most of his life so this might explain why it took so long for him to show up in tax records.

In 1795, for the first time, Isham Bailey Sr has a son in his household over 16. This is likely his eldest son Pleasant Bailey. Isham Bailey Sr continues to be listed with Pleasant until 1802 when Pleasant Bailey is taxed on his own and the sheriff has a son named Daniel written in the margin beside Isham Bailey Sr's name. Daniel Bailey is now over the age 16.

In 1801 both Henry Bailey and Isham Bailey Jr show up in tax records.  If Isham Bailey Jr.is the white male in Ann Bailey's household the previous couple of tax years then his age is estimated around 1783.  This fits with later records, including his death record in 1857.

In 1803 Isham Bailey the son is finally listed as a male over 16 in the household of Isham Bailey Sr. His name is written in the margin by the sheriff or enumerator. The age is pretty close to later census records.  NOTE: Isham Bailey Jr (son of Henry and Ann) is taxed on his own in the same neighborhood the very same year.

Another useful bit of information is that at the time there were two main types of taxation, about the same as they are today. One was personal property tax. Anyone listed in personal property tax records would have resided in that county. For the land tax, they merely had to own land in that county to be taxed for it whether they lived there or not.

Isham Bailey Sr, Henry Bailey Jr, & a John Bailey were listed in the 1796 Kanawha County land tax book. NOTE: They didn't live in Kanawha at this time. 

Henry Bailey Jr and his wife Judith received 400A for his father Henry's service in the French and Indian War and Isham Bailey and his wife Patsy received 400A for his brother William's service. This land was located on the Guyandotte River in present day Cabell County, WV.  There was another brother named John, who had a son named William Bailey, both of Amherst County. Isham Bailey purchased from him his right to the land. The deeds, which were executed from Amherst County on January 11, 1806 state that Henry and Isham etc of Albemarle were selling all 800A of land to Charles Brown of Kanawha for 5 shillings each for non-payment of taxes.  The arrangement would have been that Charles Brown was now responsible for the back taxes.  The witnesses on Isham Bailey's deed were: Samuel Irving Jr, Charles Phillips, John Hensley, and John Lively. The witnesses on Henry's deed were: Ralph Thomas Sr, Patience Childress, Nancy Bailey, and Isham Bailey. All of Henry Bailey's witnesses could have been siblings except Ralph Thomas who was his wife's brother.

In late 1806 or early 1807 Henry Bailey and his brother Isham Bailey Jr moved to Kanawha County. They are in tax records from 1807 onwards.

1810 Kanawha County census

1. Male 26-45 (Henry Bailey) s/o Henry Sr

2. Female 26-44 (wife: Judith Thomas)

3. Male 16-25 (brother: Isham Bailey Jr) s/o Henry Sr

4. Male 0-10 (son: Henry W. Bailey)

5. Male 0-10 (son: Edmund M. Bailey)

6. Male 0-10 (son: Clifton G. Bailey)

7. Female 0-10 (daughter: Judith Bailey)

1810 Albemarle County census

1. Male 45+ (Isham Bailey) s/o Robertson

2. Female 45+ (Patience)

3. Female 16-25 (daughter: Sarah Bailey)

4. Female 16-25 (daughter: Patience Bailey)

5. Male 10-15 (son: Isham Bailey)

6. Male 10-15 (son: James Bailey)

7. Male 0-10 (son: Hezekiah Bailey)

8. Female 0-10  (daughter: Martha Bailey)

9. Female 0-10

1. Male 26-44 (Pleasant Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 26-44 (Judith Lankford)

3. Female 10-15

4. Female 10-15

5. Male 0-10 (son: Isham Bailey)

6. Male 0-10 (son: William Pleasant Bailey)

7. Male 0-10 (son: James A. Bailey)

Isham Bailey Sr is still in the Albemarle tax records until 1811, when he is taxed with one son in his household over the age of 16. This should still be his son Isham Bailey. James Bailey and Hezekiah Bailey had not reached the age of 16 yet (although it's pretty close for James Bailey).  Isham Bailey Sr sold his property on Rockfish around this time to James Norvell and moved to Kanawha in late 1811 or early 1812.

Daniel Bailey (son of Isham Bailey Sr) married Thena Bailey on October 22, 1810 in Nelson County, Virginia. He is listed in Kanawha County tax records in 1811 & 1812. He was murdered by Samuel Ruffner on September 28, 1812. He stabbed Daniel with a dirk and his wife Catherine helped. This was apparently retaliation for an assault on Catherine by Daniel that occurred months before. This is pretty subjective because it was also said that it was premeditated because he thought Daniel was throwing rocks at his house at night. His estate appraisal is listed in Kanawha County deed book D on page 172. It was presented to the court on August 12, 1813, all his worldly goods were worth $358.26.

In 1813, all three Isham Bailey's show up in the tax records of Kanawha County for the first time.

In 1816, all three Isham Bailey's are listed in Kanawha Co. but this time they are more precise:

Isham Bailey                        2 males over 16 (this is Sr with James)

Isham Bailey (son of Isham)  1 male over 16

Isham Bailey Jr                     1 male over 16

1820 Kanawha County census

1. Male 45+ (Henry Bailey) s/o Henry Sr

2. Female 26-44 (wife: Judith Thomas)

3. Male 10-15 (son: Henry W. Bailey)

4. Male 10-15 (son: Edmund M. Bailey)

5. Male 10-15 (son: Clifton G. Bailey)

6. Female 10-15 (daughter: Judith Bailey)

7. Male 0-10 (son: Robertson Bailey)

8. Male 0-10 (son: Charles Bailey)

9. Female 0-10 (daughter: Lucinda Bailey)

10. Female 0-10 (daughter; Harriet Bailey)

1. Male 45+ (Isham Bailey Sr) s/o Robertson

2. Female 45+ (wife: Patience)

3. Male 16-25 (son: James Bailey)

4. Male 10-15 (grandson: William Reed Bailey) s/o Daniel

5.Female 10-15 (daughter: Martha Bailey)

1. Male 26-44 (Isham Bailey Jr) s/o Henry Sr

2. Female 45+ (wife: Nancy Jopling)

1.  Male 26-44 (Isham Bailey) s/o Isham

2.  Female 26-44 (wife: Lucinda Rust)

3.  Male 0-10 (son: Bushrod Bailey)

1. Male 45+ (Pleasant Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 26-44 (Judith Lankford)

3. Male 10-15 (son: Isham Bailey)

4. Male 10-15 (son: William Pleasant Bailey)

5. Male 0-10 (son: James A. Bailey)

6. Female 0-10 (daughter: Mary Bailey)

7. Female 0-10 (daughter: Susanna Bailey)

1. Male 16-25 (Hezekiah Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 16-25 (wife: Susan) NOT ALLEN

3. Female 0-10 (daughter: Mariah Bailey)

By 1830 Henry Bailey had moved to Ralls Missouri and all of his children went with him except his oldest Henry Washington Bailey.  

Patience Bailey Jopling appears to have separated from her husband Thomas Jopling and it looks like she and her children are living with her father Isham Bailey Sr. in 1830. She is listed as head of  her own household in 1840. Where was Thomas Jopling?? 

In the 1820's Isham Bailey Sr began giving property to his children.

*In 1817, Isham Bailey Sr transfers 400A on Carey's Creek in Fluvanna to his son Isham Bailey. 

This is the only deed that uses Sr in the wording. Jr is written in the margin by the clerk.

This land was originally granted to William Bailey, who left it to his friend Isaac Crews but it went first to Robertson Bailey, who in turn sold it to Isaac Crews for 5 shillings. Later Isham Bailey got the land back in a chancery suit.

*In 1825 Isham Bailey transferred slaves to his son Pleasant Bailey "with much love".

*In 1825 Isham Bailey transfers a deed of 250A on the Poca River to his son James Bailey "with much love". 

*In 1825 Isham Bailey transfers slaves to his son Hezekiah Bailey "with much love". 

*In 1825 Isham Bailey transfers slaves to his daughter Sarah Hensley "with much love"

*In 1825 Isham Bailey transfers a deed to his daughter Winney Lankford "with much love" 

The deeds below are assumed to be from Isham Bailey Sr but it could have been his son.  It was undoubtedly not Isham Bailey, husband of Nancy Jopling because he owned no real property and lived in poverty for most of his life.

There is no reference to relationship between the parties in the deeds below.

*In 1828 Isham Bailey sold a slave to Elizabeth Bailey Lively

*In 1829 Isham Bailey transfers a deed to Uriah Parish (husband of Martha Bailey)

*In 1829 Isham Bailey transfers a deed to Thomas Jopling (husband of Patience Bailey) 

1830 Ralls Missouri census

1. Male 60-69 (Henry Bailey) s/o Henry Sr

2. Female 60-60 (wife: Judith Thomas)

3. Male 20-29  (son: Edmund M. Bailey)

4. Female 20-29 (daughter: Lucinda Bailey)

5. Female 15-19 (daughter: Harriet Bailey)

6. Male 0-5 (son: Robertson Bailey)

7. Male 0-5 (son: Charles Bailey)

1830 Kanawha County census

1. Male 80-89 (Isham Bailey) s/o Robertson 

2. Female 60-69 (wife: Patience)

3. Female 20-29 (daughter: Patience Jopling)

4. Male 10-14 (grandson: Staten Jopling)

5. Female 10-14 (Granddaughter: Patience Jopling)

6. Female 10-14 (granddaughter: Sarah Jopling)

7. Male 5-9 (grandson: Thomas Jopling)

8. Male 0-5 (grandson: Isham Jopling)

1. Male 30-39 (Isham Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Frances Smith) his previous wife Lucinda Rust appears to have died

3. Male 10-14 (son: Bushrod Bailey)

4. Male 10-14 (son: Alfred Bailey)

5. Female 5-9

6. Male 0-5 (son: Fountain Bailey)

1. Male 40-49 (Isham Bailey) s/o Henry Sr

2. Female 30-39 (Nancy Jopling) 

1. Male 50-59 (Pleasant Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 50-59 (wife: Judith Lankford)

3. Male 20-29 (son: Isham Bailey)

4. Male 20-29 (son: William Pleasant Bailey)

5. Male 20-29 (son: James A. Bailey)

6. Female 20-29 (daughter: Mildred Bailey)

7. Male 15-19 (son: John Bailey)

8. Female 15-19 (daughter: Mary Bailey)

9. Female 10-14 (daughter: Susanna Bailey)

1. Male 30-39 (James Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Mary Lanham)

3. Male 0-5 (son: Morrison Bailey)

4. Female 0-5 (daughter: Loceana Bailey)

5. Female 0-5 (daughter: Avarilla Bailey)

1. Male 30-39 (Hezekiah Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 20-29 (Susan)

3. Male 20-29 (nephew: William Reed Bailey) s/o Daniel

4. Female 10-14 (daughter: Mariah Bailey) 

5. Male 5-9 (son: George Washington Bailey)

6. Female 0-5 (daughter: Adeline Bailey)

Henry Bailey Jr died in Ralls Missouri in 1830. 

Isham Bailey Sr died in Kanawha County, WV on January 4, 1835. 

1840 Kanawha County census

1. Male 50-59 (Isham Bailey) s/o Henry

2. Female 50-59 (wife: Nancy Jopling)

1. Male 40-49 (Isham Bailey) s/o Isham Bailey Sr

2. Male 15-19 (son: Bushrod Bailey)

3. Male 15-19 (son: Alfred Bailey)

4. Male 10-14 (son: Fountain Smith Bailey)

5. Male 5-9 (son: Savaree Bailey)

6. Female 5-9 (daughter: Terisha Elizabeth Bailey)

1. Male 30-39 (Isham Bailey) s/o Pleasant

2. Female 15-19 (wife: Susan Mayes) his 1st wife Lucinda Smith was the mother of the girls

3. Male 0-5 (son: Isham T. Bailey)

4. Female 0-5 (daughter: Lucinda Frances. Bailey)

5. Female 0-5 (daughter: Mary E. Bailey)

1. Male 50-59 (Pleasant Bailey) s/o Isham

2. Female 60-69 (Judith Lankford)

3. Male 20-29 (son: John Bailey)

4. Female 5-9 (granddaughter: Clarissa E. Bailey) d/o Isham

1. Male 30-38 (William Pleasant Bailey) s/o Pleasant

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Elizabeth Smith) sister to the above Lucinda Smith 1st w/o Isham

3. Male 0-5 (son: Pleasant Bailey)

4. Male 0-5 (son: Fielding Bailey)

5. Female 0-5 (daughter: Lucinda Bailey)

1. Male 20-29 (William K. Bailey) s/o William Bailey & Sarah Sprouse

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Mildred Bailey) d/o Pleasant

3. Male 5-9 (son: Aurelius Benjamin Bailey)

4. Male 0-5 (son: Andrew Jackson Bailey)

5. Male 0-5 (son: Hezekiah Lee Bailey)

1. Male 20-29 (James A. Bailey) s/o Pleasant

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Permelia Payne)

3. Male 5-9 (son: Thomas Bailey)

4. Male 0-5 (son: Harvey Bailey)

5. Male 0-5 (son: James Bailey)

6. Female 0-5 (daughter: Lelia A. Bailey)

1. Male 30-39 (James Bailey) s/o Isham Sr

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Mary Lanham)

3. Female 15-19 (daughter: Loceana Bailey)

4. Female 10-14 (daughter: Avarilla Bailey)

5. Male 5-9 (son: Morrison Bailey)

6. Female 0-5 (daughter: Sagie Bailey)

7. Female 0-5 (daughter: Mary Bailey)

8. Female 0-5 (daughter: Henrietta Bailey)

9. Male 0-5 (son: Joseph Bailey)

10 Male 0-5 (son: James Bailey)

1. Male 40-49 (Hezekiah Bailey) s/o Isham Sr

2. Female 20-29 (wife: Susan ) date span is clearly wrong

3. Male 10-14 (son: George Washington Bailey)

4. Male 5-9 (son: Allen K. Bailey)

5. Female 5-9 (daughter: Adeline Bailey)

1850 Putnam County census

1. Isham Bailey age 60

2. Nancy Jopling age 55

1850 Kanawha County census 

1. Isham Bailey age 54

2. Alfred Bailey age 29

3. Fountain Bailey age 22

4. Saveree Bailey age 18

5. Terisha E. Bailey age 19

The Bailey's lived between Martin's Branch and Sissonville along the Pocatalico River.  After 1848 this land fell into both Kanawha and Putnam counties. 

Isham Bailey, son of Isham Bailey Sr died in Kanawha county in 1851. He left no will but his estate was distributed to his five children. Fountain, Savaree, and Terisha sold their parts to Bushrod and Alfred and moved to Jefferson, then Benton Missouri. (Isham Jopling went to Jefferson Mo to claim land granted to Uriah Parish) Terisha Elizabeth Bailey married Isham Jopling (son of Patience Bailey & Thomas Jopling).

It's hard to say how many deeds can be attributed to him but in 1817, around the year of his marriage to Lucinda Rust, his father Isham Bailey Sr. transferred 400A on Cary's Creek in Fluvanna to him.  In 1825 he purchased 120A from his brother-in-law Thomas Hensley (husband of Harriet Rust, his wife's sister). In 1828, he and Frances Smith, his second wife sold that same land to John McCormick. This is the only time Isham Bailey JR was in the wording of one of the deeds.

The book Rust of Virginia claims her name was Lucinda Rust but they have no documentation. I assume it was taken from the chancery records of Fauquier. There is no marriage record for Isham Bailey and Lucinda Rust but they were married between 1817 and 1820. Early history books say that the Rust family arrived in Kanawha County in 1817.  Both she and and her sister Harriet Rust Hensley named sons Alfred and Bushrod.  These are both Rust family names. There also is no marriage record for Isham Bailey and Frances Smith. The Smith family moved to Kanawha from Nelson around 1823 and her father Fielding lived beside Bushrod Bailey. It is also important to mention that Frances Smith had a sister named Lucinda that also married an Isham Bailey so this had led to a lot of confusion.

When Isham Bailey son of Isham Bailey Sr died his real estate value was $3000 dollars. It is also reasonable to assume that part of this was due to Isham Bailey Sr.  since it appears he was a fairly well off land and slave owner. He is probably buried in the Goff/ McClanahan Cemetery on Kelly's Creek Rd at Martin's Branch. His sons Alfred and Bushrod are buried there. The rest of his children died out West.

The Isham Bailey, who married Nancy Jopling in 1812 had no children.  There may have been something either physically or mentally wrong with this Isham. He may have been the Isham Bailey in early tax records listed as a "Fool".  The 1840 census notes that either him or his wife was blind. He may have at one time owned some property that his wife brought to the marriage. By 1842 this was all "used up" because that year he set up a trust deed for his wife Nancy against her inheritance. In the 1850 Putnam County census his real estate had no value so he probably didn't own the land he lived on. When he died on June 12, 1857 at the age of 75,  his "Nephew" William Bailey reported his death. His wife may have already died, though he was listed as "husband".  If she was still living at the time she would likely have been unable to go to the courthouse herself as he had already stated she was an invalid and he had no children to report it. The death record  places his birth about 1782 (which fits with the early Albemarle tax records) and on this death record his parents were listed as H. & N. (Henry and Nancy). He is probably buried in the Bailey Family Cemetery on Doc Bailey Road in Cross Lanes, WV.