ORIGIN: Ware, Hertfordshire.
MIGRATION: 1635 on the Hopewell (on 11 September 1635, "Isack Heath," arms maker, aged 50, "Elizabeth Heath," aged 40, "Elizabeth Heath," aged 5, and "Martha Heath," aged 30, were enrolled at London as passengers for New England on the Hopewell [Hotten 130]).
FIRST RESIDENCE: Roxbury.
OCCUPATION: Armsmaker (Hotten transcribed the passenger list entry as "Harnis Maker" [Hotten 130], but examination of the original shows that it reads "Harmsmak[e]r," a phonetic version of "armsmaker," or armorer).
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: "Isaak Heath" was admitted to Roxbury church as member #131, among those admitted in 1635 [RChR 80]. He was soon chosen Ruling Elder of the congregation [WP 4:353-54].
FREEMAN: 25 May 1636 (fourth in a sequence of seven Roxbury men) [MBCR 1:371].
OFFICES: Deputy for Roxbury to Massachusetts Bay General Court, 8 September 1636, 7 December 1636, 18 April 1637, 17 May 1637, 26 September 1637, 2 May 1638, 6 September 1638 [MBCR 1:178, 185, 192, 194, 204, 227, 235]. Committee on the price of corn, 1 August 1637 [MBCR 1:200]. Committee on wages and prices, 12 March 1637/8 [MBCR 1:223]. Committee to "Lay out the bounds of the Indian plantation called Naticke," 20 October 1659 [MBCR 4:1:408-9].His inventory included "one musket and two swords" valued at 16s. [SPR 4:12].
EDUCATION: His inventory included "books" valued at 1lb. 12s. [SPR 4:13].
ESTATE: On 7 October 1646, "Elder Heath" was one of several men who petitioned the General Court to have laid out "their land, formerly granted, between the lines of Dedham, Watertowne, & Sudberry" [MBCR 2:163]. On 14 October 1651, in "answer to the petition of Dorothie Lamb, Elder Isaake Heath, & Joh[n] Johnson, who have sold a certain parcel of land, containing three-quarters of an acre, part meadow, part upland, unto William Parkes, William Cheyney, Thomas Baker, & Mary Wooddy, this Court doth ratify & confirm the said sale, according to their desires expressed in their petition" [MBCR 3:255, 4:1:66].
In the Roxbury land inventory in the early 1650s, "Isaack Heath" held twelve parcels: "his dwelling house, barn, orchard and houselot, three acres more or less"; "fourteen acres of salt marsh"; "six acres of upland in the calves pasture"; "six acres of salt marsh in Gravelly Point"; "four acres of upland at Stoney River"; "four and twenty acres not far from Gamblin's end"; "sixteen acres at the Great Pond"; "six acres more or less lately bought of Mr. William Perkins lying in the calves pasture"; "in the second allotment of the last division being the eleventh lot, ... ninety-four acres, three-quarters and thirty pole"; "in the four-thousand acres, two-hundred fifty and six acres"; "three roods of swampland lately the land of John Stow"; and "four acres more or less lately the land of Richard Pepper, lying in the upper calves pasture" [RBOP 14].
In his will, dated 19 January 1660/1 and proved 31 January 1660/1, Isaac Heath bequeathed to "my wife this my dwelling house and orchards, barns, homelot with all the land in the lower calves pasture both upland, meadow and salt marsh by estimation 27 acres more or less the same to have and hold, possess and enjoy after my decease during the term of her natural life, if my wife think this too cumbersome for her she shall be [at] liberty to choose to have the new end of my house and all rooms appertaining to it and fourteen pounds a year paid duly unto her by my son Bowles of the best that ariseth of the lands as they are in the transcript of Roxbury except about 6 acres in the great lot which I have given my son Bowles, as long as he liveth and my part in the 4000 acres which I give to the school in Roxbury"; to "my three grandchildren John Bowles, Elizabeth Bowles and Mary Bowles, to them and their heirs immediately after mine and their grandmother's decease, also I give unto my son Bowles full power to let, set and improve all these lands as they shall come into her hands for the best education of the children, further my mind is that John Bowles shall be maintained at school and brought up to learning"; to "my cousin Martha Brand," 2lb.; to "my kinsman Edward Morice," 2lb.; to "my son Bowles," clothing; to "Isaacke Heath the rest of my wearing apparel"; rest of moveables and debts to "be divided into 4 equal parts betwixt my wife and my three grandchildren"; to "Mary Morice my kinswoman," twenty shillings; "my well beloved brethren John Elliott and William Parke" to be overseers and to receive twenty shillings apiece; "my son Bowles sole executor"; "Elizabeth Bowles" and "Mary Bowles" to receive their shares at age eighteen or at marriage, and "John Bowles" to receive his double share at age twenty-one; "if Benjamin Morice" serves out his time, he is to receive 5lb. [SPR 1:362-64].
The inventory of the estate of "Elder Isaac Heath, late of Roxbury, deceased," taken 25 January 1660/1, totalled 671lb. 6d. 4s., of which 400lb. was real estate: "a dwelling house with barn, stables and other outhouses, with two orchards and the homelot," 100lb.; "twenty-seven acres of meadow and upland in the lower calves pasture," 100lb.; "six acres of arable land enclosed out of the upper calves pasture & about three acres in the upper calves pasture & about three acres of meadow adjoining unto Isack Morrells his woodlot with a woodlot about twelve acres," 100lb.; and "about six acres of marsh meadow near Gravelly Point with a pasture near Stony River four acres and about eight acres of woodlot," 100lb. [SPR 4:12-14].
In her will, dated 1 January 1664/5 and proved 19 January 1664/5, "Elizabeth Heath of Roxbury, widow," bequeathed to "my sister Burnett & Martha Brand my two cows here at home after my death"; to "Isaack Burnet lately gone to sea my young sow, if he either come back or send before the next summer, else my will is that his mother my sister shall have her"; to "Jacob Newell's wife twenty shillings"; to "Isaac Jones his daughter, that he had by Hannah Heath, fifteen shillings"; to "Mary Heath 20s. & to Nicholas Davis as much"; to "Thomas Morey ten shillings ... and as much to his mother"; to "my cousin Garry the old man twenty shillings & to Goodman Fruysell that married Goodman Busketh daughter as much"; "my cousin Capt. Johnson shall have the first year's increase of my two cows at Isaack Williams"; to "my grandchildren my three cows two being at Isaack Williams & that I let to Goodman Bush"; "my sister Waterman shall have the use of my mare during her life and I give her unto John Bowles my grandchild, my wearing apparel I give between my sister Burnett & Waterman"; "my son-in-law Bowles" to be executor [SPR 1:438-39].
The inventory of the estate of "widow Heath at Roxbury," taken 31 January 1664/5, totalled 53lb. 13s. 9d. (against which were debts and expenses of 46lb. 18s. 3d.), with no real estate listed [SPR 4:222-23].
BIRTH: Baptized Ware, Hertfordshire, 13 February 1586/7, son of William Heath [NEHGR 146:266-67].
DEATH: Roxbury 21 January 1660/1.
MARRIAGE: Ware, Hertfordshire, 14 January 1628/9 Elizabeth Miller [NEHGR 146:263, 267], daughter of Thomas Miller of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire [NYGBR 70:242-43, 345-46]. She was buried at Roxbury on 14 January 1664/5 [RChR 178].
CHILDREN:
i ELIZABETH HEATH, bp. Ware, Hertfordshire, 7 February 1629/30 [NEHGR 146:263, 267]; m. Roxbury 2 April 1649 JOHN BOWLES .
ii ISAAC HEATH, bp. Ware, Hertfordshire, 13 May 1632 [NEHGR 146:263, 267]; bur. there 21 June 1632 [NEHGR 146:263, 267].
ASSOCIATIONS: Isaac Heath was brother of WILLIAM HEATH [GMB 2:901-4]. JOHN JOHNSON [GMB 2:1105-10] married in England to Mary Heath, sister of William and Isaac; Edward Morris and his sister Elizabeth (Morris) Cartwright were nephew and niece to William and Isaac through their mother Prudence Heath; Martha (Heath) Brand, wife of George Brand of Roxbury, was first cousin of Isaac Heath [NEHGR 146:261-78].
Elizabeth (Miller) Heath, wife of Isaac Heath, was sister of JOSEPH MILLER , of Anne (Miller) Burnap, wife of ROBERT BURNAP , and of Margaret (Miller) Waterman, wife of THOMAS WATERMAN [NYGBR 70:345-46].
BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1945 Walter Goodwin Davis compiled a complete account of what was known at the time of this immigrant [Annis Spear Anc 29-31]. In 1978 Peter Walne published a brief note, which included a suggested baptismal record for the immigrant [NEHGR 132:20-21]. In 1992 Douglas Richardson prepared an article on several early immigrants to Roxbury, including Isaac Heath, in which he confirmed and extended the work of Davis and Walne [NEHGR 146:261-78].
