Isabella Douglass Millholland

Description

Oil on canvas portrait painting of "Isabella Douglass Millholland" (1761-1820) by Joshua Johnson. Isabella was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1787, she married Irish-immigrant and ship merchant James Millholland (1761-1797) at Pine Street Presbyterian Church. The couple had several children, but only one, Robert Douglass Millholland (1788-1859), survived past childhood. In 1796-1797, Isabella's husband captained a ship on a voyage to New Orleans, which sank with all hands in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. After Captain Millholland's death, Isabella and her son Robert moved to Baltimore. She later married sea captain Daniel James and they had one daughter Rebecca James Griffith (ca. 1800- ). Around 1807, Isabella sat for a portrait by African American artist Joshua Johnson. She passed away on January 8, 1820.