Isaac Allerton was about 34 years old when he came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620. He had been a long-time member of the Pilgrims' church in Leiden, and was recorded as having been a tailor from London. He married his first wife, Marry Norris, in Leiden, in 1611, and there had children Bartholomew, Remember and Mary, all of whom came on the Mayflower with him. He and Mary buried a child, not yet named, at St. Peters on 5 February 1620. Isaac Allerton had a sister Sarah in Leiden, who married to Mayflower passenger Degory Priest. Mayflower passenger John Allerton, also a Leiden resident, most likely was a relative as well, although the exact relation has not been discovered.

Isaac Allerton was one of the more active and prominent members of early Plymouth. He was elected as Governor Bradford's assistant in 1621, and continued as an assistant into the 1630s. In 1627, he was sent to negotiate the Plymouth Colony's buyout of the Merchant Adventurers, the investors who had originally funded (and had hoped to profit from) the Colony. The Colony was about £2500 in debt; a small group of Plymouth's residents, including Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Fuller, and Allerton, sought to assume the debt themselves in return for the rights to profit from the company. Allerton was sent to England to negotiate further, and would return to England on several more occasions. Unfortunately for the others, Allerton began to use his "free" trips to England to engage in some private gains, purchasing goods and selling them in the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth. He also used his capacity as Plymouth's designated negotiator to engage the Colony in a number of unapproved money-making schemes: he went so far as to purchase ships (which he partially used for his own private trading), and to attempt to negotiate grants and patents for trade--all at great cost to the company and none of it approved by the others back at Plymouth. When his trading schemes failed, the Company found itself in far greater debt than it ever started out with.

When Allerton's wife Fear died at Plymouth about 1634, and with the general ire of the Colony against him, he had little reason to stay. He moved to the New Haven Colony, and by 1644 had remarried to his third wife, Joanna Swinnerton. Isaac Allerton remained an active trader, and did regular business with the Dutch at New Netherland in modern-day New York. Records of his trading can be found in numerous other colonies as well, including Virginia and Barbados.

Additional Resources
Published Research
Newman A. Hall, "The Children of Isaac Allerton," Mayflower Quarterly 47(1981):14-18.
Newman A. Hall, "The Unproved Allerton Family Lineage," Mayflower Quarterly 45:23-24.
Newman A. Hall, "Allerton of Virginia," Virginia Genealogist 32:83-92.
Newman A. Hall, "Joanna Swinnerton: The Third Wife of Isaac Allerton, Sr.," New England Historic and Genealogical Register 124(1970):133.

Will of Isaac Allerton
19 October 1659

At a Court of Magistrates Octob. 19. 59

A writeing presented as the last will & Testament of Isaac Alerton, late of Newhaven deceased, wth an account of certaine debts, dew to him; & from him;

An account of Debts at the Duch first, 700. & odd gilders from Tho: Hall by Arbitration of Captaine Willet, & Augustine Harman; about Captaine Scarlet wch I paid out,

And there is 900 gilders owing by John Peterson the Bore, as by Georg Woolseyes booke will appeare; & severall obligations thereto, from Richard Cloufe owes, as Georg Woolseyes Booke will make appeare; I thinke 900. gilders, but his Estate being broken. I Desire that what may be gotten may be layd hold on for mee,

Due from william Goulder 270, od gilders, by his Bill appeares;

Due from John Snedecare a shoomaker 150, od gilders as by his acco appeares from the widdow of the Hanc Hancson due as by severall Bills & accounts;

Peter Cornelioussen 120. od guilders as by ye account will appeare.

Due from Henry Brasser for rent for 28 moneths, from the first October 1656. to the last of May 58: for three roomes at 3 gilders a week. I am in his Debt for worke of the old acco wch must be Deducted there is 20 li in George Woolseyes hand, that came fro. mr Tho Maybue for mee

There is 420. oaf. gilders that I owe to Nicholas, the ffrenchman, & a Cooper I owe something to, wch I would have that 201; in Georg Woolseyes hand, & the rest of that in Henry Brassers hand to them two;

And now I leave my son Isaac Allerton and my wife, as Trustees to receive in my debts, & to pay what I owe, as farr as it will goe & what is overpluss I leave to my wife and my sonne Isaac, as far as they receive the Debts to pay what I owe;

In Captaine Willetts hand. a pcell of booke lace 1300 & odd. guilders Wch I left in trust with Captaine Willett to take care of: Seale

My brother Bruster owes mee foure score pounds & odd. as the obligations will appeare.

Besides all my Debts in Delloware Bay & in Virgenia wch in my booke will appeare, & in Barbadoes. what can be gott;

Isaac Allerton Senior John Harriman

An Inventory of the Estate of Isaac Allerton late of Newhaven deceased taken ffeb 12 . 1658
Impr the Dwelling house Orchard & Barne wth li sh d
two acres of meadow 75: 00: 00
a pcell of Tubbs & other cask, & 2 boosh apples 01 . 12 . 06
8. Jarrs, a case of bottles, & 2 cases wthout bottles 01 . 03 . 00
1 pre of small stilleyards 1 old sieve, 6 stooles & 3 old chaires 01 . 02 . 00
1 chest of Drawers. 1 bedstead. wth cord, & one small chest, & 1 old booke 01 . 17 . 00
1 pre of Ondirons, & 4 potthangers, & other iron 00. 08 . 02
1 rug". 2 blankitts. 1 old featherbed & bolster & pillow 04 . 13 00
1 Drawtable, 2 chaires, & a forme & a carpet 02 . 06. 00
a pre of blankitts of cotton & sheeps wool 01 . 16. 00
1 Sea chest, small box, & 2 warming pans 00 . 07. 06
4 old skellitts. & 2 small old kettles 00 . 15 . 00
3 Iron potts, 2 frying panns, & a pcell of Tinware 01 . 17. 04
5 brase candlesticks, 8t a brass chaffingdish 00 . 09. 06
1 bolster, 1 blankett, & a remet tradingcloath. 01 . 12. 00
a pcell of wearing cloaths 06 . 17. 06
curtaines & vallens for a bed & a sm: turky carpet 02 . 06 . 00
2 old blankitts, a pcell of carpeting & a small old Table 01 . 08 . 00
a pcell of pewter 02 . 17 . 00
8 ounces of plate at 52 pr. 02 : 00 : 00
a pcell of old linnen 1li thread 02 : 07 : 04
2 sowes & 4 piggs 02 : 12 : 00
a bedstead, old curtaines, & a morter & pestell a chest case, & 2 old tubbs, & a pre spectacles, old hatt, & capp 01 : 05 : 06
5 cushions, some old bands, wth some other old linnen 00 : 11 : 06 brimston, & sheeps wooll 00 . 14 : 06
118 : 05 : 02

Prisers.
Will: Andrews }
Will: Russell }
Debts Due to the Estate in Newhaven.
Mr.Goodenhouse pr Order of mr Malbon 50s fro wch he deducts 20s that he saith mr Allerton owed him, and 8s paid mr Mills, Rests 01 . 12 . 00
mr Tuttle by the Rest of 40s ordred by mr Malbon 00 : 12 : 00
Goodm : Hull is Dr 00 : 16 : 00
mr Gilberts man Isaac Hall 01 . 00 : 00
Humphry Spinigh
mr wm Trowbridg for his prdesessor Daniell Sillivan

ALLERTON, ISAAC-Isaac Allerton was born ca. 1586, (he said he was about fifty-three years old in September 1639 [Small Descendants 2;756] gives a good account of his career and family). A Leiden Separatist and 1620 Mayflower passenger, Allerton was second in authority only to Bradford in the early years of the colony. However, Bradford felt that Allerton had abused the trust the colonists placed in him (see text), and Allerton left the colony in the 1630s for other parts. A most enterprising man, he engaged in commercial pursuits at Marblehead and in Maine and later resided at New Amsterdam. He cleared his debt to the Adventurers by a contract of 12 May 1646 in which he ratified what William Bradford, Edward Winslow, and Myles Standish, as agents for Sherley, Andrews, and Beauchamp, had done or would do about the sale of his lands, goods, and cattle "provided they do clearly acquit him from all debts and demands" (Small Descendants 2:783). He died at New Haven in February 1658159, leaving little estate except debts he claimed were due him.

After the death of his first wife, Mary Norris, he married (2) Fear Brewster, and (3) widow Joanna Swinnerton. Walter S. Allerton, A History of the Allerton Family, 1585 to 1885, and a Genealogy of the Descendants of Isaac Allerton (revised, 1900), contains considerable errors, some of which are clarified by Newman A. Hall in "The Unproven Allerton Family Lineage," MQ 45:23. (See also Halls "Me Children of Isaac ABerton," MQ 47:14 and his "Joanna Swinnerton: The Third Wife of Isaac Allerton, Sr.," NEHGR 124:133. Also see James R. Case, "Isaac Allerton, The First Yankee Trader," MQ 48:170.) Allerton left a number of descendants in New England, and his son Isaac migrated to Virginia, where the line was carried on under the Allerton, Lee, and Travers surnames.

Source: Plymouth Colony Its History & People 1620-1691 by e Eugene Aubrey Stratton
Notes from the book "Mayflower Families in Progress, Isaac Allerton of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations," compiled by Robert S Wakefield, FASG, Third Edition, Published by General Society of Mayflower Descendants 1996.

Isaac Allerton and his first wife came on the "mayflower." Bradford said: "Mr. Allerton his wife died with the first, and his servant John Hooke. His son Bartle is married in England but I know not how many children he hath. His daughter Remember is married at Salem and hath three or four children living. And his daughter Mary is married here and hath four children. Himself married again with the daughter of Mr. Brewster and hath one son living by her, but she is long since dead. And he is married again and hath left this place long ago." In the 1623 division of land Isaac Allerton received 7 acres. In the 1627 division of cattle he is listed with wife Fear and Children Bartholomew, Remember, Mary and Sarah. On 6 May 1635 it was recorded in the Mass. Bay Colony Records that Mr. "Ollerton" had given to Moses Maverick, his son in law, all his houses, buildings and stages at Marblehead. On 26 Sept. 1639 Isaac Allerton deposed at Boston calling himself of New Plimmouth aged about 53 years. Under date of 17 Feb 1644/5 Gov. Winthrop recorded "Mr. Allerton coming from New Haven in a ketch, with his wife and divers other persons, were taken in a great storm at northeast with much snow, and cast away at Scituate, but the persons all saved."

Isaac Allerton was called "of Newhaven Merchant" in a 13 Oct. 1646 letter of attorney. The inventory of Isaac Allerton taken 12 Feb. 1658/9 was presented in the New Haven court 5 April 1659, his son Isaac being away at the time. Isaac produced his father's will on 5 July 1659 and was appointed to settle the estate, but he relinquished the trust. the will is little more than memoranda of debts due him and owed by him, but names his wife and son Isaac Allerton as trustees and they were to receive "what is overpluss." It mentions "brother Breuster." On 27 Oct. 1646 Isacke Allerton of New Amsterdam in the province of New Netherlands, merchant, confirmed to son-in-law Thomas Cushman of New Plymouth a debt of one hundred pounds owed to Isaac by John Coombe. On 4 Oct. 1660 Isaac Allerton (the son)granted to his mother-in-law Mrs. Johanna Allerton the house in New Haven where she now dwells during her life and then to his daughter Elizabeth Allerton and her heirs. The deed was not witnessed, so on 10 March 1682/3 Isaac Allerton confirmed the deed. On 19 May 1684 Elizabeth Eyre formerly Allerton, now wife of Simon Eyre deeded to her husband, her reversion in a house and lot her grandmother Joanna Allerton "lives in."