1944Isaiah Harrison
Key Facts
Snapshot:blacksmith
Parents:unknown
Born:unknown
Last known record:28 April 1722
Sussex County, Delaware
Buried:unknown

1944Isaiah Harrison's early life is largely unknown. J. Houston Harrison's classic book Settlers by the Long Grey Trail, particularly chapter 7, presents some circumstantial evidence for a likely English origin, but no firm conclusions can be reached. DNA evidence suggests an ancient Scandinavian origin.1

Most of the evidence pertaining to 1944Isaiah comes from land records, some of which are summarized in the table below. Certain phrases representing major moves are highlighted yellow.

Date Description of Land Source Image Transcription
2 January 1687/8 The Town of Oyster Bay on Long Island in New York granted 1944Isaiah "one whole Right of Comonage" on the condition that he reside there continuously for seven years. 2 n/a link
16 January 1688/9 He purchased 100 acres "near Suckscalls Wigwam," which was part of land recently purchased from "ye Indeans of Matenacocke Land."
 
This area is now Brookville, New York, one of the most affluent places in the United States.		 3 n/a link
3 May 1690 The freeholders of Oyster Bay signed a land document. 1944Isaiah was one of the signers. 4 n/a link
23 April 1692 He bought two 5-acre tracts: one along the highway from Matinecock to Jericho, and the other on the highway leading to Oyster Bay. 5 n/a link
20 April 1702 He sold all his land in Oyster Bay. 6 n/a link
20 April 1702 He purchased 500 acres on the west side of Nissequogue River in Suffolk County, New York. 7 link link
23 September 1708 He purchased 200 acres on the east side of Nissequogue River in Suffolk County, New York. 8 link link
12 June 1721 He bought Maiden Plantation, which consisted of 907 acres in Sussex County, Pennsylvania (now Delaware). 9 link link
22 June 1721 He sold the abovementioned 500 acres on the west side of Nissequogue River, Suffolk County, New York. 9 link link
28 April 1722 He sold the abovementioned 200 acres on the east side of Nissequogue River, Suffolk County, New York. 11 link link

By 27 September 1689, 1944Isaiah had married his first wife Elizabeth Wright. (Their first child—son Isaiah—was born on that day.12)

By 20 April 1702, he had married his second wife 1945Abigail ___. (She co-signed a deed with 1944Isaiah on that date,6 and a later record explicitly identifies her as his wife.11)


This excerpt from a 1722 deed affirms that 1945Abigail is 1944Isaiah's wife. Full page.11

The 1722 deed mentioned above describes 1944Isaiah as a blacksmith, a well-respected, sought-after profession in that time. It also mentions that he was a resident of Sussex County, Delaware. This is the last record I've found pertaining to 1944Isaiah.11

Sources Cited:

1: Kit #92004 (project H-45) and kit #N12218 (project H-68), lineage #3, results page, Harrison DNA project; accessed 31 May 2021.

2: Oyster Bay Town Records, Volume II: 1691-1704 (Tobias Wright, New York, 1924), page 390. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-G3ND-B?i=203&cat=232905>, accessed 31 May 2021.

3: Oyster Bay Town Records, Volume I: 1653-1690 (Tobias Wright, New York, 1916), pages 531-532. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/details/oysterbaytownrec06oyst/page/531/mode/2up> et seq., accessed 31 May 2021.

4: Oyster Bay Town Records, Volume II: 1691-1704 (Tobias Wright, New York, 1924), page 355. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-G3NC-S?i=212>, accessed 31 May 2021.

5: Oyster Bay Town Records, Volume II: 1691-1704 (Tobias Wright, New York, 1924), page 354. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-G3NC-S?i=212>, accessed 31 May 2021.

6: Oyster Bay Town Records, Volume II: 1691-1704 (Tobias Wright, New York, 1924), page 530. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-G3FG-J>, accessed 31 May 2021.

7: Suffolk County, New York. Deeds book A, page 113. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WY-K53S?i=87&wc=M7CH-3P8%3A358136501%2C359688701&cc=2078654>, accessed 31 May 2021.

8: Suffolk County, New York. Deeds book A, page 157. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WY-KR64?i=132&wc=M7CH-3P8%3A358136501%2C359688701&cc=2078654>, accessed 31 May 2021.

9: Suffolk County, New York. Deeds book B, page 91. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WY-K5TY>, accessed 31 May 2021.

10: Sussex County, Delaware. Deeds book F6, page 53. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3J-CVZR>, accessed 31 May 2021.

11: Suffolk County, New York. Deeds book B, page 95. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WY-K5VK>, accessed 31 May 2021.

12: Oyster Bay Town Records, Volume II: 1691-1704 (Tobias Wright, New York, 1924), page 390. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-G3NS-J?i=230&cat=232905>, accessed 31 May 2021.