Are we sure last name is Fish? Or Fisk?

+1 vote
180 views
Are we sure this last name is Fish? I have it as Seth Fisk, son of Susannah Keith and Nathaniel Fisk.
WikiTree profile: Seth Fish
in Genealogy Help by Kathy Frey G2G Rookie (170 points)

2 Answers

+4 votes

You could be right... but according to the 1914 published source, "The Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family in America", by Albert Gallantin Wheeler, p88 -- its spelled "Fish"

Do you have another source?

by Dennis Wheeler G2G6 Pilot (569k points)
I do not. I have a hand-written record of my ancestry traced back to the Mayflower and I am stuck with this name... so I thought I'd ask. It clearly says "Fisk" but I think maybe if I assume it's wrong I will get unstuck. Thanks for the information!
+2 votes

The Fish surname (and variants) always interests me in Mass., so I went looking. Their daughter Esther has a couple of interesting records.

Probate:

Esther Wheeler resided New Salem, and was declared insane "by means of old age helpless and almost senseless" in December 1866. She owned property in Enfield of one acre and a dwelling house adjacent to land of Ebenezer Felton. She was assigned a guardian Charles Felton of Shutesbury, and  her property sold at auction 30 Apr 1867. These records also note a husband Nathan Wheeler.<ref>Franklin County Probate File #5191, Esther Wheeler.</ref>

There may be more in there if anyone wants to dig, records probably available on FamilySearch.

Her death record:

Ester Wheeler, married,  died 18 July 1867, age 80 of old age in Shutesbury, born Shutesbury to Ezra Fisher born Oxford and Ester Fenerer [?] born Billingham<ref>Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1841-1910. (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004.) [https://www.americanancestors.org/DB191/i/10235/257/121351808 1867 Shutesbury deaths, entry #10, death of Ester Wheeler.] (Link by $ubscription)</ref>

I haven't added these to her profile as it throws doubt on the parental relationship with Seth.

by Bobbie Hall G2G6 Pilot (340k points)
And to throw a curve, there was a Seth Fisk in the 1790 census in Shutesbury. [p. 527]

Maybe a good place to look would be land records hoping that houselot of Esther's was from her father?

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