This man Samuel Isaacs

Little is known about Samuel Isaacs who was born in 1685. He came to The Colonies. Some say from Wales, Others say Scotland. DNA suggests there was Irish influence, also.

Many people seem sure of their story but true verifiable facts are hard to come by. We do know he raised Tobacco and made whiskey in or near Winchester, Virginia. Some spell the name Isaacks while other spell it the more traditional way, Isaacs. There is strong suggestions that he made 'Corn' for a gentleman named George Washington. He had children but the Mother is hard to pin down.

Isaacs was a Biblical Patriarchal name and many people assumed it with or without Jewish roots.
This blog is to investigate and inform. Hopefully it can become an accepted clearing house for Isaacs of all persuasions.

One thing is sure: Isaacs had a way of making friends with a lot of powerful people and never seem to have avoided war in America and always succeeded in serving Patriotism. There is little written directly about Isaacs but Isaacs are always around close to the action. Example: We rarely find Colonel Elijah Isaacs written about in American Revolutionary War battles but the files are full of Patriots who claim to have served with or for him and seek his endorsement in persuing Veterans Benefits after that war. There is little written about Isaacks in The Republic of Texas battles in the early days of the Republic. Still more than a dozen applied for pensions and had their service confirmed. Nothing is revealed involving Isaacs in The War of 1812 but look closely and one can find Elijah and presumably son Samuel marching off with Mississippi Volunteers as soldiers.

Isaacs named their children after Andrew Jackson and any number of American History Icons.
There are so many Samuels, Elijahs, Elishas that I use Roman Numerals to distinguish one from another. There's a "Wanderlust" gene in the family DNA somewhere. Only through the advances in DNA have we been able to match one Isaacs or Isaacks as descending from Samuel I. Anyone can have the name Isaacs but only the DNA tracks back to Winchester, Virginia. Equally enlightening, Not everyone with that DNA 'Y' string is named Isaacs. I like talking to different Isaacs around the country and learn what has been passed down over the centuries.

Isaacs made 'Corn Whiskey' as is common in Wales. Many Isaacs settled in Kentucky and Kentucky is famous for Bourbon. Bourbon distilling uses the same formula as is used in Wales for 'Corn Whiskey.' If you go to Tennessee and look at 'Sour Mash Whiskey' it is a different formula than Bourbon or 'Corn Whiskey' in Wales. I'll drink to that but I don't remember why.

There are pockets of Isaacs in Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina. In Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama. Mississippi was an early destination and led to Louisiana and The Republic of Texas. Samuel Isaacs is listed in, Stephen F Austin's Old 300 Anglo Settlers in Texas

Isaacs used rivers to get to Indiana and Illinois for early settlement. They then moved on to Missouri and through Arkansas to Northern Texas. Califirnia holds many Isaacs who share that common Samuel I gene pool. It's going to be exciting to explore it all.