What The Hell Is Isham?

The surname Isham has it origins in 11th century England, specifically in Northamptonshire in Central England along the River Ise.  The name is derived from the Saxon word 'Ham', meaning a small village and the River Ise, a tributary of the Nene.  The name basically means 'from a small village on the River Ise.'  The first decendants to use the name Isham are those of Azo, who was born in Northamptonshire in 1049.  There have been reports that the name 'Azo' is also derived from the River Ise.  The is also a village of Isham  three miles south of Kettering, Northamptonshire, whose name has the same derivative.

Several spellings have come about in the last several centuries, commonly due to phonetic spellings of the name.  In alphabetical order they are: d'Eassem, d'Easum, d'Essum, d'Isham, deIsham, Eassem, Easum, Essum, Eston, Isom, and Ison in addition to Isham.  The 'd' and 'de' at the beginning of the name were apparently dropped about 1494, for convenience.  A genealogy report by Leonard d'Eason stated: "Royal College of Heraldry, London, England pointed out slight differences in spelling of what was the same family name frequently, indeed even in adjoining villages.  The same family name was spelled differently because initially spelling seemingly being of little importance."

The first direct ancestor of mine on official record in the United States is John Isham of Barnstable, Massachusetts (born: 03/31/1654 - died: 09/13/1713) .  He was born in either England or Virginia, but he is first recorded in Barnstable in 1670.  On 12/16/1687 John married Jane Parker (b: 03/21/1664 - d: 02/??/1720) and had 8 children: Jane (b:10/07/1689), John (b: 08/25/1691), Isaac (b: 02/07/1693) , Sarah (b: 12/??/1694) , Mary (b: 06/??/1697), Patience (b: 1699), Hannah (b: 1701), and Thankful (b: 1706).

Lamport Hall, the ancestral home of the Isham family over 400 years from 1560, when John Isham, the fourth son of Euseby Isham of Pytchley acquired the manor there, and until the death of Sir Gyles Isham, the twelfth baronet, in 1976.  Sir Gyles bequeathed Lamport Hall and its contents to a charitable trust, the 'Lamport Hall Preservation Trust', which now administers the estate.  Here are some links to Lamport Hall sites:
Lamport Hall Preservation Trust, Northamptonshire People and Places, About Northampton.

Taken From: World According to Gopper