Dillahunty Family Tree

Isaac Allerton, son of Isaac Allerton, one of the Puritan leaders of the "Mayflower" expeditio n, and his wife Fear, daughter of William Brewster, was born in Plymouth, Mass., in 1630, an d graduated at Harvard College in 1650. He is said to have been, for a time, associated wit h his father in the business of trading between Plymouth, New Haven and New Amsterdam, but i t is possible that during most of the time between his graduation and his father's death, i n 1659, he was his representative in Virginia. As early as Feb. 6, 1650, there was recorde d a dispute between the Indians and a Mr. Allerton, regarding a plantation which the latter h ad cleared, which reached the governor and council. It is believed that this refers to the el der Isaac Allerton, but it may be that immediately after leaving college the son establishe d a plantation in Virginia. He appears to have made his first permanent residence in Virgini a about 1660, and soon became a man of prominence. In 1663 he was sworn a justice of Northumb erland. In 1675, with the rank of major, he was second in command to Col. John Washington, o f the Virginia troops sent against the Indians. In the campaign which followed they allied th emselves with the Maryland forces at the latter's invitation in the siege of an Indian fort , but before the opening of hostilities a horrible murder was committed by the Marylanders i n the shooting of five Indian chiefs who had come to negotiate peace. This was done against t he earnest opposition of Washington and Allerton, but caused such indignation on the part o f the Virginia authorities that an investigation of their conduct was ordered, which, however , cleared them of all responsibility for the crime. Allerton was burgess for Westmoreland i n 1676-77, and for Northumberland for a number of years between 1668 and 1677. In 1680 and 16 88 he was escheator of Westmoreland with the rank of colonel, and prior to Sept. 25, 1683, h e was appointed to the council. His occupation of the position at this time seems to have bee n only temporary, as in 1686-87 Secretary Spencer, acting governor, wrote, that he had calle d Col. Isaac Allerton to the council in Col. Ludwell's place. A little later King James wrot e that Col. Allerton was to be sworn as a member of the council in Col. Ludwell's place, th e royal favor being accounted for on the statement that Allerton was either a Catholic or inc lined to that faith. He was present at sessions of the council regularly until 1691, when h e refused, as did Armistead and Lee, to take the oath of allegiance to the new sovereigns, Wi lliam and Mary. He was probably not formally dropped until 1693, when the governor wrote tha t Col. Allerton, of the council, was very old and had retired. He died in 1702 and in his Will bequeathed some lands and tobacco to his "daughter Sarah Lee".