Fisher Family History, Other Connections?

Suspected David Fisher Family Kin

I have taken two approaches to break through the “brick wall” of David Fisher's ancestry. The first has been to track allied families back through Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Another approach I started in April 2020 is to track the genealogies of Fisher Y-DNA matches from 1850 back.

Wading through census data we find three likely relations of David Fisher's that follow the same migration path. The first two are about 13 and 11 years older than David, and Martin is about 20 years younger, but not one of David's son:

• John Fisher, born about 1782 in New Jersey; married Ruth Conger
• George Fisher, born about January 1784 in New Jersey; married Mary (Cloke?)
• Martin Fisher, born about 1815 in Pennsylvania; married Elizabeth

• New Jersey (Woodbridge, Middlesex County) in the 1780's; New Jersey noted as the birth state of the elder John and George Fishers
• Pennsylvania (Washington County) in the 1790s through about 1815; Pennsylvania noted as the birth state of David Fisher and the younger Martin
  • Washington County: George and Martin Fisher noted in East Bethlehem Township, 1810
  • Greene County: Elias Conger in Morris Township, which borders Washington County, 1810
• Ohio by around 1819:
  • Clinton County: David Fisher settled in Clark Township, 1819-1833
  • Monroe County: John Fisher in Salem Township and father-in-law Elias Conger in Adams Township by 1820
• Hancock County, Indiana by 1833
• Illinois in the early 1840's
• Wapello and Jefferson counties in Iowa by 1850; the families span three adjacent areas:
  • Ashland, Washington Township, Wapello County: David Fisher and Martin Fisher (likely the son of George Fisher)
  • Batavia, Des Moines Township, Jefferson County: David's son King David Fisher and George Fisher, along with an apparent Cloke grandson
  • Libertyville, Des Moines Township, Jefferson County: John Fisher, his wife Ruth (Conger), sons George and Elias, and some likely Cloke relations

John Fisher^Δ (~1782-1852)

X. John Fisher^Δ was a likely relative of David Fisher, and about 13 years David's senior. He was born about 1782 in New Jersey and married Ruth Conger of the Conger family from Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey. They may have had as many as five children (three listed below and likely two additional daughters):

The 1820 census appears to locate the John Fisher family in Salem Township, Monroe County, Ohio along with his father-in-law, Elias Darby Conger in nearby Adams Township, Monroe County, Ohio.

Son Elias moved west to Des Moines Township, Jefferson County, Iowa, around 1841, and then John and Ruth followed around 1850, where they were enumerated next to Elias and his family.^{[Cen 1850, 1856]} Two apparent granddaughters, Mary Ann Murphin/Meskin and Sarah J. Scott, lived with John and Ruth.^{[Census 1850]}

John Fisher died on April 10, 1852, in Jefferson County, Iowa. He was about 70 years old.

After John's death, Mary and Sarah continued to live with Ruth in Des Moines Township.^{[Cen 1856]}

Ruth (Conger) Fisher died five years later on February 19, 1857, in Jefferson County.

George Fisher (1784-1859)

X. George Fisher, a likely relative of David Fisher, and about 11 years David's senior, is found two families over from David's son King David Fisher in the 1850 census of Des Moines Township, Jefferson County, Iowa and likely settled the area as early as the 1840 census. George was born about January 1784 in New Jersey and married a Virginia woman named Mary (Cloke?). George and Mary had eight children:

The George Fisher family migrated to Ohio by around 1820, into Indiana by around 1832, and settled in Jefferson County, Iowa by the 1840 census, later noted as Libertyville, Des Moines Township, Jefferson County, Iowa in the 1850 census.

George Fisher died on August 2, 1859, and is buried at the Winsell Cemetery in Des Moines Township. He was around 75 years old.

After George's death, Mary lived with her son Hamilton and his family in Libertyville.

Mary (Cloke?) Fisher died 29 years later on December 20, 1888, and is also buried at the Winsell Cemetery. She was around 97 years old.

Martin Fisher (~1815-1892)

X. Martin Fisher, an uncertain but close relation to David Fisher, was born about 1815 in Pennsylvania, as was David's son, Samuel Martin, thus causing some confusion. This Martin is likely the son of George Fisher who named a Martin in his will.

Martin married an Ohio woman named Elizabeth and began a family of eight in Indiana by 1839:

The Martin Fisher family settled in Indiana by the time of the birth of their first daughter around 1839. By the 1840 census, Martin and George (likely his father) had settled in Jefferson County, Iowa Territory, where Martin and Elizabeth's first son was born around 1841. Later, the 1850 census records them in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa, near David Fisher and his family and continued to live on in Ashland, Washington Township, Wapello County near David through 1860.

After David's death in 1868, his widow Nancy and their three young children lived with Martin and his family as noted in the 1870 census of Washington Township.

By the 1880 census of Washington Township, David's widow was no longer living (presumed deceased?) with Martin and his family.

Martin and Elizabeth are buried at the Ashland Cemtery. Martin is recorded to have died on January 7, 1892, at the age of 76. His widow died eight years later in September 1900.

George Fisher (1811-)

X1. George Fisher is a possible relative of the David Fisher family and probably related to Elias and John Fisher. He was born about December 17, 1811, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. He served in the Black Hawk War (1831-1832) and about 1835 married Mary Jane Cloke, allegedly in Indiana or perhaps Illinois. They had at least seven daughters and one son:

Their first daughter was born in Illinois and soon thereafter (about 1836) the family moved to Des Moines Township, Jefferson County, Iowa, where the rest of their children were likely born.

George Fisher lived near John and Elias Fisher in Des Moines, Jefferson County, Iowa at the time of the 1850 and 1860 censuses^{[Cen 1850, 1860]}, which serves as the basis of the suspected interrelationships of these families.

Mary Jane (Cloke) Fisher is recorded to have died on January 23, 1852, (a date that conflicts with the birth of her youngest daughter). She is buried at Winsell Cemetery in Des Moines Township.

Several years after Mary's death, George moved a few miles northeast to Locust Grove Township, in the general area of Fairfield, Jefferson County, in 1865.

George Fisher died on January 25, 1876, in Jefferson County, Iowa. He was also buried at Winsell Cemetery.

Elias Fisher^Δ (~1812-1878)

X2. Elias Fisher^Δ was the son of John and Ruth (Conger) Fisher, who were likely kin of the David Fisher family. Elias was born in Pennsylvania about 1812 or 1813. He married Sarah White from Virginia and had at least seven children, all born in Iowa:

The Fishers moved to Jefferson County, Iowa, around 1841^{[Cen 1856]} and lived next door to his parents and brother George Fisher in Des Moines Township.^{[Cen 1850, 1860]}

The family moved about 47 miles west to Urbana Township, Monroe County, Iowa, by 1870.^{[Cen 1870]}

Elias Fisher died on June 3, 1878, in Monroe County, Iowa. He was about 65 years old.

Sarah (White) Fisher died 7 years later on May 13, 1886, in Monroe County, Iowa. She was 69 years old.

Frederick William Fisher (~1869-)

Y. Frederick William Fisher, a possible relative to the John Jackson Fisher family, was a resident of Cloverdale in 1902^{[Vote 1902]}. He was born about 1869.