Isaac Winans was born around 1811 in Ohio. He married Ann Eliza Sheets on July 29, 1837, and they had at least eight children: Jacob, born on March 15, 1838; Mary, born around 1840; Elsey, born around 1844; John, born around 1846; Sarah, born around 1849; Eliza, born around 1851; Charles, born around 1854; and Helen, born around 1859.
They lived in Newton, Ohio, until the 1840s, when they moved to New Brighton, Pennsylvania. Winans worked as a physician, and by 1850, he owned $250 of real estate. A decade later, he owned $1,800 of real estate and $5,000 of personal property, and by 1870, his wealth had grown to $5,000 of real estate. He died “very suddenly” in New Brighton on December 3, 1877.