Here are external links to other websites that provide information about public places and events associated with the Isham family. The name of a place provides a link to its official website. For most places, there are also links to Facebook pages for official news and photos, to Flickr for amateur photos, and to YouTube for amateur or official videos and, in some cases, video channels.
Click on the word ‘Facebook’ or ‘Flickr’ or ‘YouTube’. Note: Despite these being specific links, on some tablets and smartphones, clicking may take you to the external site’s home page or the results of a sample search.
Places Associated with the Isham Family
Places in the United Kingdom
CLIVEDEN
Home of Nancy, Lady Astor MP
Nancy Langhorne of Mirador (her family estate in Virginia, USA) became known to the world as “Lady Astor, MP”–the first woman to take her seat in the British House of Commons.
When her husband became Lord Astor and moved from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, she ran successfully for his seat in the Commons.
She and her sister Irene (who became the model for her husband Charles Dana Gibson’s “Gibson Girl”) and their nieces (interior designer and gardener Nancy Lancaster and actress Joyce Grenfell) were descendants of the Randolphs of Virginia and thus of Capt. Henry Isham of Bermuda Hundred.
Cliveden, now an upscale hotel, is open to visitors on a limited basis. Its grounds and gardens are more generally available for public use.
See the following AAIAA Document:
S12 The Langhorne Sisters of Virginia
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video.
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KELMARSH HALL AND GARDENS
Home of Nancy Lancaster
Nancy Keene Perkins–a niece of Nancy, Lady Astor MP–married three times:
1st: John Field, grandson of Chicago department store magnate Marshall Field (who died, leaving her a young widow);
2nd: Field’s cousin Ronald Tree, the first American-born Master of the Pytchley Hunt and a Member of Parliament for Market Harborough (whom she divorced); and
3rd: Claude Lancaster of Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire (from whom she was long separated).
At Kelmarsh, as Nancy Lancaster, she popularized the style known as the English Country House Look. She was also an avid gardener.
Kelmarsh Hall is open to visitors on a limited basis.
See the following AAIAA Document:
S12 The Langhorne Sisters of Virginia
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for amateur videos.
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LAMPORT MANOR
Lamport, Northamptonshire
Despite its being part of the Lamport estate, Lamport Manor has been the home of Roger Wood’s family for several generations. The house–perhaps late 18th century in origin–has many Victorian Gothic details, such as its windows, doorways, and chimney pots.
Once the headquarters of a centuries-old farm, today, Lamport Manor is the hub of an increasingly popular new business–the letting of highly desirable office space in converted farm buildings. Wood was one of the first to turn a collection of disused farm buildings into an office park full of “character” and offering sweeping vistas of rural English countryside.
Roger Wood was a friend of Sir Ian, the 13th Baronet, and, after the death of Sir Gyles, frequently hosted Sir Ian during his visits to the county from London. Seeing first-hand what was being done at Lamport Manor Farm to ensure its future, Sir Ian was an enthusiastic supporter of this example of encouraging “reverse commuting”. Wood was an eye-witness to life on the Lamport estate during the days of its last resident Baronet, Sir Gyles.
Lamport Manor itself is a private home; but, most of the businesses housed in its outbuildings are open to the public.
Places in the United States
ARLINGTON HOUSE
The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Robert E. Lee married Mary Anna Randolph Custis, daughter of George Washington Parke Custis and great-granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. Mary Custis was an Isham and Randolph descendant through her mother Mary Lee Fitzhugh.
Mary’s father “Wash” Custis grew up at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate. After the death of his grandmother Martha Washington, Mt. Vernon was inherited by Washington’s nephew, and “Wash” Custis relocated to the ancestral Custis estate, Arlington. Thus, Arlington became the marital home of Robert E. Lee and his wife Mary Custis.
It was from here, looking across the Potomac River at Washington, D.C., that Lee–a West Point graduate and former superintendent–turned down the command of the Union army and chose instead to side with the Confederacy. This fateful decision cost the Lees their beloved home. A military leader in Civil War Washington, who had been a West Point classmate of Lee, was so angered by this decision that he ordered the burial of Union dead at Arlington. And thus began Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington House, which offers a commanding view of the U.S. capital city, is open to visitors. (Public domain photo from National Park Service)
See the following AAIAA Document:
S10 Robert E. Lee, his wife Mary Custis, and J.E.B. Stuart
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video.
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COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG
Williamsburg, Virginia
Two founders of the American republic of Isham descent–Peyton Randolph (President of the Continental Congress) and Thomas Jefferson (1st Secretary of State, 2nd Vice President, and 3rd President)–are among the key historical figures represented at Colonial Williamsburg, the restoration and recreation of Virginia’s early capital city.
Indeed, many of the buildings now part of Colonial Williamsburg, or adjacent to it (Bruton Parish Church, College of William and Mary), have associations with the Randolph family, descendants of William Randolph and his wife Mary Isham, daughter of Capt. Henry Isham of Bermuda Hundred. Among these buildings are the two pictured, the Governor’s Palace–seen from across the length of Palace Green–and the nearby Peyton Randolph House–distinguished by its dark red color.
See the following AAIAA Documents:
S05 Founders of the United States of America
S06 The Thomas Jefferson Family
S07 The Randolph Family in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
S08 Presidents of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for the official video channel of Colonial Williamsburg.
Also, see YouTube for a host of amateur videos touring CW.
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ISHAM PARK
Inwood, New York City
In 1911 and 1912, Julia Isham Taylor and her aunt Flora E. Isham donated to New York City land that had comprised the Isham estate. This land, in today’s Inwood neighborhood, is a New York City park named in memory of William Bradley Isham, their father and brother, respectively.
William Bradley Isham was a third-great-grandson of John Isham of Barnstable, the progenitor of the New England Ishams. His son Charles married Mary Todd Lincoln, a granddaughter of President Abraham Lincoln.
Though the original gift included Isham House (pictured, photo from NYC Parks Archives), it was razed in the 1940s.
See AAIAA Document:
N03 The Ishams of Isham Park and the “Lincoln” Ishams
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for amateur videos.
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JOHN MARSHALL HOUSE
Richmond, Virginia
The 4th Chief Justice of the United States, John Marshall, is often lauded as the first great Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He is largely responsible for the Supreme Court being regarded a co-equal branch of government with the executive and legislative branches and for establishing the principle of judicial review.
Ironically, being a Federalist–an advocate of a strong Federal government–he was often at odds politically with his Randolph cousin–and fellow descendant of Capt. Henry Isham–Thomas Jefferson.
Marshall’s home in downtown Richmond, Virginia, is a house museum open to the public.
See AAIAA Document: S05 Founders of the United States of America
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video.
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MONTICELLO
Home of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was famous for many things: the Declaration of Independence, the University of Virginia, the Louisiana Purchase, and his beloved home and architectural masterpiece, Monticello.
Jefferson’s immediate family were all descendants of Capt. Henry Isham of Bermuda Hundred. Through his mother, Jefferson himself was a Randolph of Virginia. His wife Martha Wayles Skelton was an Eppes descendant. Their elder daughter Martha married Thomas Mann Randolph, while their younger daughter Maria married John Wayles Eppes.
Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is open to visitors.
See the following AAIAA Document:
S06 The Thomas Jefferson Family
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video channel.
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MOUNT VERNON
Home of George Washington
George Washington’s Mt. Vernon was the childhood home of his wife’s grandson and his namesake, George Washington Parke Custis. Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh, an Isham and Randolph descendant through her mother.
While Mt. Vernon itself was inherited by Washington’s nephews, Martha Washington’s grandchildren, all of whom were raised there, took many family heirlooms to their respective homes: George Washington Parke Custis, to Arlington, now in Arlington National Cemetery; Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis Lewis, to Woodlawn, near Mt. Vernon; and Martha Parke Custis Peter, to Tudor Place in Georgetown. Mt. Vernon itself as well as these three homes of Washington grandchildren are open to the public.
See the following AAIAA Document:
S10 Robert E. Lee, his wife Mary Custis, and J.E.B. Stuart
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video channel.
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POPLAR FOREST
Retreat of Thomas Jefferson
In addition to his more famous architectural masterpiece, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson also created Poplar Forest, a country retreat in the unique form of an octagonal villa. This second Jefferson home, long neglected by posterity, is being restored meticulously. It is located near Lynchburg, Virginia, and is open to the public.
Jefferson, his daughters, and elder daughter Martha’s husband were Randolph descendants, while his wife, his daughters, and younger daughter Maria’s husband were Eppes descendants. Thus, the descendants of Thomas Jefferson are Isham descendants many times over.
See the following AAIAA Document:
S06 The Thomas Jefferson Family
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video channel.
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STRATFORD HALL
Birthplace of Robert E. Lee
Confederate general and Washington College president Robert E. Lee was born at Stratford Hall, Virginia–the ancestral seat of the Lees of Virginia. His father, Revolutionary War hero Henry (“Light Horse Harry”) Lee III, was an Isham and Randolph descendant through his mother’s family, the Blands.
“Light Horse Harry” is famous for having said, on the death of his friend and mentor George Washington, that the first U.S. President was “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
Stratford Hall is open to the public. (Public domain photo)
See the following AAIAA Document:
S10 Robert E. Lee, his wife Mary Custis, and J.E.B. Stuart
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video channel.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington, D.C.
One of the most recognizable buildings in the world, the White House has been the home of every President of the United States since John Adams.
Isham and Randolph descendants who have lived in the White House include 2nd President Thomas Jefferson and First Lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, second wife of 28th President Woodrow Wilson.
Tickets for White House tours are best obtained well in advance of a visit to Washington, D.C., from a Senator or Member of Congress. (Public domain photo)
See AAIAA Documents:
S06 The Thomas Jefferson Family
S11 Edith Wilson, First Lady of the United States
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WILTON
Richmond, Virginia
Wilton, an exceptional example of Georgian architecture in colonial Virginia, was built in the early 1750s for William Randolph III, grandson of William Randolph and his wife Mary Isham, daughter of Capt. Henry Isham of Bermuda Hundred.
This house’s survival is quite a story. Sold out of the Randolph family after about a century of continuous ownership, it was eventually purchased by the Virginia society of the Colonial Dames, who had to save it from the wrecking ball during the 1930s. They had it dismantled and rebuilt at its present, somewhat unexpected location–backing up to the James River, but at the end of a cul-de-sac in Richmond’s exclusive Windsor Farms, a neighborhood full of Colonial Revival homes.
It is a house museum open to the public, but as it is also the headquarters of the Virginia Colonial Dames, its schedule for tours is sufficiently unpredictable to warrant calling ahead before visiting.
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for official video.
Events Associated with the Isham Family
WESTOVER CHURCH AUTUMN PILGRIMAGE
Charles City, Virginia
Each year, on a late September Saturday, Westover Church–the oldest Episcopal parish in America (owing to its incorporation of the Jamestown parish)–hosts an Autumn pilgrimage. This event offers tours of historic James River plantations–some open to the public, some private homes–many of which have been long associated with Isham descendants.
See AAIAA Documents:
S21 James River Plantation Families
S22 Dogham Farm Families
S23 The Mitchells of Dogham Farm
See Facebook for photos and news of Westover Church.
See Flickr for amateur photos of Westover Church.
See YouTube for amateur videos of Westover Church.
Homes frequently on this tour include:
Shirley was the home of Robert E. Lee’s mother Ann Hill Carter. She was courted there by Henry (“Light Horse Harry”) Lee III, an Isham and Randolph descendant.
It is open regularly to visitors and has an excellent gift shop.
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for amateur video.
Sherwood Forest is the home of President John Tyler’s descendants, who are also Isham and Randolph descendants through the Harrison and Ruffin families.
Its grounds are open daily, and the house is open for special events and by appointment.
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.
See YouTube for amateur video.
Evelynton is now a private home, but was long open to the public as the home of the Ruffin family, who are Isham and Randolph descendants.
Both the house and grounds are closed to the public generally. Tours of the house and garden are sometimes available during special events.
The house, no longer owned by the Ruffins, is also available as a venue for weddings and other events.
See Facebook for photos and news.
See Flickr for amateur photos.