Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 8.

[p. 53] together with a brother William and his sister Penelope, were sent to New England to be educated. Jacob seems to have acted as his brother's agent until he came to Charlestown, even making the purchase of the Usher estate, of which the present Royall house and grounds is only a very small part. The intention of Isaac Royall, senior, seems to have been to found an estate that should descend in regular succession after the English fashion, and perpetuate the name of Royall for several generations; for after dividing his Antiguan property equally between his two remaining children, Isaac and Penelope, and bequeathing his estate in Maine and in Worcester County to Isaac, he wills his estate in Medford, Charlestown and Woburn, and also that in Bristol County to his brother, Jacob Royall, in trust for ‘my son Isaac’ for life, and afterwards to the sons of his son Isaac, in regular succession, and to their heirs, preference being given to the eldest. In default of male heirs of son Isaac at the time of the death of the testator the estate was to descend in tail to the daughters of Isaac. Failing heirs in the male line, the entailed estate was to be held in trust for Penelope on the same terms as for Isaac, with this proviso, that her husband ‘should change his Sirname and call himself by the name of Royall.’ Further provision was made for the succession of his brother Samuel's children and their heirs male. There is another clause in the will of Isaac Royall, senior, which has given rise to ingenious surmising as to the identity of his wife. He leaves certain property to ‘my daughter-in-law, Ann Oliver, the wife of Robert Oliver of Dorchester.’ Brooks (History of Medford) and Harris (New England Royalls) state that Isaac Royal married Elizabeth, daughter of Asaph Elliot of Boston, which is undoubtedly correct. Harris further states that this Elizabeth had been previously married to one Oliver by whom she had a male child (presumably Robert Oliver). But the Elizabeth Royall who came to Charlestown with her husband was the widow of James Brown of Antigua,