Lewis Isbell, of "Willow Bank" Plantation, Cumberland County, son of William Isbell and Ann Dillard of Goochland.
His name appears in family records as John Lewis Isbell. Some family trees give his death as 1796 while others show April 5, 1830.
Willow Bank is just south of Courthouse, Cumberland County, and bordered north, east, and south by Stony Point Rd. East of Cumberland County Elementary School and SE of Cumberland County High School.
General coordinates: 37°29'04.8"N 78°14'33.1"W
37.484657, -78.242520

Lewis was a wealthy planter in Caroline and Cumberland counties said to have developed a famous strain of wheat around 1782 called Isbell's Forward Wheat. Others say Henry Isbell "III" developed Isbell's Forward Wheat; however, it is Lewis's brother Henry, rather than their first cousin Henry III, that is being alluded to as having discovered the forward wheat strain.

Historic Architectural Survey of Cumberland County, Virginia (1994) by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, page 24: "The only surviving example to which little alteration has occurred is Willow Bank (24-336) which dates to 1780. This house stands as a good example of an unaltered early house plan type (Figure 4)."

Page 16: VDHR File #024-0336
Name Willow Bank
Year Built 1780
USGS Quad Map: Hillcrest

1852 Cumberland County Chancery Court: "John W Isbell, Mary Miller & Jane Lewis respectfully show that about the year 1830 their father Lewis Isbell, late of Cumberland County, died intestate, possessed of a large estate in land, slaves, money, debts and other property, & leaving eleven children or their descendants entitled to his estate under the law of the land, viz. William Isbell, James Isbell, Thomas H. Isbell, Lewis M. Isbell, Sarah wife of John French, Elizabeth wife of Andrew Henshaw, Martha wife of Edward Walton but now a widow, the children of Nancy Bagby a daughter who died before her father and left as the complainants are informed & believe nine children, namely Pleasant Bagby, Lewis D. Bagby, John W. Bagby, William Bagby, James Bagby, Polly wife of Henry Finch, Frances wife of Crawford Crenshaw, Martha wife of Mr. Farriss & Elizabeth wife of Jos. Farriss, and the complainants John W. isbell, Mary Miller then as now a widow, & Jane Lewis then the wife of Simund Lewis but now a widow."
(Twice in the document "Mary Miller" was originally written "Elizabeth Miller" and afterwards both times the name Elizabeth was crossed out and "Mary" was written over "Elizabeth.")

Hartford, Connecticut) AMERICAN TELEGRAPH, April 15, 1795, p.1: "
The history of a forward species of wheat lately discovered in Virginia in short: A Mr. Isbell of the county of Caroline in that state, about seven years past, purchased a quantity of mixed wheat of a merchant, and having sown it, accidently observed, when his wheat was in flower, a single ear, almost ripe...he conceived an idea that it might be a different species. To determine this, he carefully preserved the wheat produced by his folitary ear, which has now multiplied to such a degree, as that seven thousand bushels will be made at the next harvest; for it has been distributed into many hands.
But the character of this wheat deserves greater attention; and as in all probability it has not yet entirely unfolded its qualities, it is much to be desired, that the best informed botanical knowledge, and the most accurate agricultural experiments, were united in its investigation.
The following observations arise from several trials upon different soils, made in the two last years; a term to short, that it would be dangerous to allow them an unsuspicious reliance. …."