Lewis (Fischer) Fisher
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Johann Ludwig (Fischer) Fisher (1754 - 1827)

Johann Ludwig (Lewis) Fisher formerly Fischer
Born in Oberelsungen, Zierenberg, Kassel, Hessen, Deutschlandmap
Ancestors ancestors
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married about 1785 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at age 73 in Concord, Cabarrus, North Carolina, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 4 May 2017
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Contents

Biography

Johann Ludwig Fischer was born on 2 Feb 1754 to Johannes Fischer and Maria Magdalena Strohberg .


He died on16 Oct 1827 in Cabarrus County, N.
Between 1776 and 1782, Ludwig, was a Hessian soldier who fought in the American Revolution for the British.(Citation needed)


Birth

Date: 2 FEB 1754
Place: Oberelsungen, Gemany[1]


Baptism

Date: 22 FEB 1754[2]

Evangelische Kirche Oberelsungen

Notes

  • (per WikiTree these long excerpts need to be properly quoted, credit given and ideally only one paragraph or four sentences verbatim)


  • Fischer, Ludwig (* ca. 1754)“, in: Hessische Truppen in Amerika [1] (Stand: 20.1.2015) Note: last item in the record for Ludwig Fischer listed as 10/1782, claims he was ill and remained in Europe. That makes no sense, he remained in America and was listed as a deserter. The two men he deserted with and listed below him on the document shown in images on this page, are listed in the Hetrina as deserters.


Today, Oberelsungen is a small village of 1400 people outside the city of Zierenberg, west of present day Kassel, Germany. The Fischer family in Oberelsungen can be traced back to about 1650, and many descendants of this family still reside in the area today.


Ludwig had enlisted in the Hessen-Kassel military several years before his regiment became part of the 30,000 troops hired in 1776 by George III of England to supplement the British forces fighting in the American colonies. Corporal Ludwig, part of the von Rall grenadier regiment (specialized infantry known for their height and strength), was one of 13 units in the Hessian First Division which set sail in April of 1776 on 48 British ships.

The fleet arrived on Staten Island on August 12, 1776, after four months at sea. They quickly saw action and were involved in several notable battles, including the Battle of Trenton, NJ on December 26, 1776. Ludwig, along with 900 other Hessians captured at Trenton, was taken prisoner. He was sent to Lancaster, PA to await a prisoner exchange. Ludwig was one of the officers allowed to work for an American farmer or trades person. He was sent on October 16, 1777, to work for a farmer named Martin Erhart in Rapha Township, PA. The prisoner exchange took place between July and August of 1778, a year and a half after their capture. Ludwig, assigned to another unit, sailed southward to Savannah, where the British and Hessian forces defeated the American General Robert Howe and the 700 men defending the town . These same troops were under the command of D'Angelelli by 1780 and were involved following the fall of Charleston, SC on May 12th of that year. The British remained in control of the South, until the American victory at Yorktown, VA.

The British had surrendered at Yorktown, in November of 1781, but the British and Hessian troops remained garrisoned in and around Charleston until the final troops evacuated Charleson on December 14, 1782. Ludwig's regiment departed from Charleston in October of 1782 for NY, without Ludwig. A translation of the German muster rolls of the Hessian soldiers in the American Revolution, commonly called the "HETRINA", lists Ludwig Fischer, a Captaind'Armes, as deserting on October 10, 1782, only weeks after it was announced that his unit would be returning to Germany. Ludwig, after 6 and a half years fighting in America, apparently felt he had fulfilled his duties to his country and that the prospects for the future remained brighter in America.

Ludwig, along with Corporal Ludwig Hirdes and Corporal Ludwig Gante, deserted from Charleston together, "dressed in full uniform and in possession of their bayonets." The three had lived close to each other in nearby towns in Hesse-Kassel. In fact Ludwig Gante, lived in Niderelsungen, and attended the same church with Ludwig in Oberelsunden. In later years the three were found living and owning lands within miles of each other in Mecklenburg County and Cabarrus counties in North Carolina.

The Hessian troops had both knowledge and contact with the German-American communities while serving in the colonies. They had been encouraged to desert and settle amongst these German-American communities. It has been estimated that as many as 6,000 Hessian soldiers deserted and stayed in America or Canada.

The HETRINA also lists two other Fischers from Oberelsungen who fought in the colonies and deserted or were released before their units sailed back to Germany from NY. A Henrich Fischer born between 1753 and 1755, and a Phillipp Fischer born in Oberelsungen in 1752 or 1753. These men were most likely brothers or cousins of Ludwig, and it is unknown if Ludwig even knew that they had also stayed in America.

We will never know why Ludwig deserted and chose Mecklenburg County (now Cabarrus), NC. Ludwig and the other Hessian deserters who settled near Concord, NC in the German settlement around the area of the Dutch Buffalo Creek, may have traveled north along the "Charleston Road". This road ran northwest from Charleston to the present day city of Columbia, SC; passing through the German settlements in the Saxe-Gothia district of Lexington County, SC. The road turned north from Columbia, SC to Rock Hill, SC and then on to Charlotte, NC, a total distance of some 220 miles.

According to a list that was made public toward the end of the 19th Century, a Captain Jonas Cook listed the names of ten families who were descended from Hessian soldiers who had deserted from their units at the end of the Revolutionary War. These men had made their way to the northeastern, German-speaking, part of the county where they were easily assimilated into the community. However, it should be noted that these men who made their way to the Concord area, all deserted at different times and from different locations. They had not deserted as a group. This list was supposedly given to Jonas Cook by his grandfather, Michael Shimpock, whose father had been one of these Hessian soldiers. Ludwig Fisher was on the Jonas Cook list. Grandchildren of Jacob Allison Fisher, were also told by their grandfather that Lewis came from Hesse-Kassel, Germany, and that he was a Hessian soldier who fought in the American Revolution.

These ex-Hessian soldiers had not always acknowledged their background to the local community at large, and in some cases not even to their own children, as they were not welcomed by many of their neighbors for fighting for the British. Many German names took new spellings during this time period. A few years after arriving in Mecklenburg County, Ludwig Fischer became Lewis Fisher.

Ludwig Fischer is first mentioned as being in Mecklenburg County in the early records of St. John's Lutheran Church. He contributed 2 shillings, 6 pence toward the purchase of a gift of a silver gilt chalice, for the pastor Adolph Nussman. This chalice was believed to have been presented at the dedication ceremony for the new church building, held on July 4, 1785. We do not know his whereabouts from the time of his desertion in October of 1782 until this date.

Ludwig Fischer is again found in an early Mecklenburg County record of an estate sale, for George Sower held on February 22, 1786. His name is listed as Lewis Fisher. Lewis bought many items at this sale that could be used toward setting up a household, By this time he had most likely married Christena Diehm/Teem, who was born on January 1, 1768. The early pastors of St. John's, however, did not keep records of marriages and infants baptized until 1797, so we have no record of this marriage. Their first known child , Elizabeth, was born on September 6, 1786.

Lewis appears to have done very well for himself. He had acquired over 581 acres of land over a 33 year period. He probably lived as most of the other Germans in the area, in a crude, one room log cabin and farmed or raised livestock. The soil in the area was not that fertile and did not suit the planting of large crops, so many of the settlers raised cattle. The Germans are said to have built large barns to feed and keep the cattle during the winters, rather than let them fend for themselves, like the Scot-Irish settlers. This resulted in a better product for the annual cattle drives to Charleston, and on up into Virginia.

Lewis Fisher's name appeared on all of the Federal Censuses for the years 1790-1820; and was reported to have served on several juries. In October of 1808 the Cabarrus County Court appointed him "Overseer of the Road leading toward Smeedsborough from Concord as far as from the fork of the Road leading towards Charleston unto Paul Furrers and ending at the Charleston Road. And to work all the hands belonging to said roads and keep the same in good and sufficient order agreeable to Law" (original document in the hands of James E. Fisher). bio by Nancy A. Fisher, taken from book written by Nancy A. Fisher

First known land purchase: January 3, 1787 Ludwick Fisher enters 88 acres in Mecklenburg Co. on E side of Dutch Buffilow CR.; border Andrew Dry on E, Michael Rea, Jonas Stil, Cross Creek Road and Jacob Tams open line.

This entry, or claim, was located next to Christena's father, Johan Jacob Teem's, property. The chain bearer's for surveying this property were his two brothers-in-law, Adam Teem and Andrew Dry. It would have been entered just after the birth of Lewis and Christena's first child, Elizabeth, born on 6 Sep 1786. They may have lived on this land prior to the entry, however, as in the case of most land grants you had to have some improvement like a structure on the property before you applied for a land grant.

Court Rec. 19 OCT 1821. Cabarrus Co, NC. Note: The jury list for the January term included: Lewis Fisher, Jacob Petrey, John Petrey, and George Fisher.

Census

1820 Cabarrus Co, NC. Note: His household was headed by Lewis Fisher (his age was omitted?). no males listed over 45 (Mistake?). 1 M 10-15. 1 N 26-45. 1 F 10-15. 1 F 15-25. 1 F over 45 (Christina). [this family on the same page with William McGraw]. [3]

Burial

Place: Saint James Evangelical Lutheran, Concord, North Carolina
Note: Cemetery Record


Sources

  1. Source: #S182
  2. Source: #S183
  3. Source: #S474


  • Fisher, Nancy A. "Our Fisher Family History, Germany to North Carolina, 1675-2000." Published by Family Heritage Publishers, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2019. Chapter 1- History of Lewis Fisher, pages 10-37.
  • Source: S474 Census of Cabarrus Co, NC 1820
  • Source: S182 Abbreviation: From research of Mary Fisher and Rachel Fisher Clayton.
  • Source: S183 Abbreviation: Named for G-Uncle Johann Ludvig Stroberg


  • See Also:
* Fisher family records saved by descendants of Lewis fisher's son, John Fisher. Box of documents dating from late 1700s through early 1900s and Jacob Allison Fisher line. (In possession of the William Fisher Family).
  • -von Loos, Johannes August, Part Two of the Diary of the Voyage from England to America
  • -Hessisches Truppen im Amerikanischen Unabhangigkeitskrieg (HETRINA), BDII, Marburg, Germany, 1976
  • Fischer, Ludwig (* ca. 1754)“, in: Hessische Truppen in Amerika [2] (Stand: 20.1.2015) Note: last item in the record for Ludwig Fischer listed as 10/1782, claims he was ill and remained in Europe. That makes no sense, he remained in America and was listed as a deserter. The two men he deserted with and listed below him on the document shown in images on this page, are listed in the Hetrina as deserters.
  • -Barth, Richard C. ; PhD, William E. Dornemann, PhD and Mark A. Schwalm, The Trenton Prisoner List, taken from a copy located in the Library of Congress from the original located in the Archives in Marburg, Germany, plus description of rank and where where each soldier was sent. Pages 1-21.
  • -Smith, Clifford Neal, German-American Genealogical Research, Monograph No.3 Part 1 of 3 Parts. Muster Rolls and Prisoner-of-War Lists in American Archival Collections Pertaining to the German Mercenary Troops who served with the British Forces during the American Revolution. Westland publications, DeKalb, IL, pages 80-83.
  • -St. John's Lutheran Church Records, Concord, NC.
  • -US Census records
  • HETRINA: Johann Ludwig Fischer is listed as "KR" (corporal). Rall Brigade, Rall Grenadier Regiment, Company 3, Brethauer's Company. Civilian occupation was a linen weaver. He was evidently the regimental clerk, signing the roll. A Captain Johanes Fisher from the Rall Regiment was shown as a prisoner of war, July 1778. This may have been a transcription error as the abbreviation for captain is KN and corporal KR.
  • Juryman from Capt Plyler's Co. Cabarrus Co NC Court of Pleas & QS 23 October 1793. Signed petition as Ludwig Fischer for placement of Cabarrus County courthouse, about 1796.
  • An old letter was discovered in 1985 among old papers being discarded from the law offices of Montgomery and Crowell of Concord, NC. That office had received a letter dated August 30, 1890 asking for the names of the heirs of Lewis Fisher. Handwritten on the back of this letter was a list of the Fisher heirs - sons Dan and John; daughters Tena Misenheimer, Susie Petre, Betsy Barnhardt, Polly Linker, Barbara Linker, Mary Blackwelder, Sarah Carriker, and Catherine Plaster.



Acknowledgments





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It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Lewis by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Lewis:

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Fisher-1424 and Fischer-3504 appear to represent the same person because: At this time there are two individuals with the same name (two spellings) and same date of birth, listed as half-brothers

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Categories: House of Hesse-Kassel | Cabarrus County, North Carolina | Hessians, American Revolution