Amos Fisher (1654 - 1735)

Born 8 Nov 1654 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Ellis) Fisher — married 12 Mar 1679 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Husband of Ruth (Adams) Fisher — married 22 Dec 1691 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 1735 at about age 80 in Dedham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Julia Howard [send private message]

Biography

Amos Fisher was born 8 Nov [or Oct] 1654 in Dedham, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, the son of Daniel Fisher and Abigail Marriot.^[1][2]

He married-1 [age 24] in Dedham 12 Mar 1678/9, Mary Ellis,^[3] [age 23] the daughter of Richard Ellis and Elizabeth French of Dedham, born 3 Feb 1654.^[4] [Her younger sister Rebecca married his younger brother John a few years later.] Mary died 28 April 1691^[5] [age 37] two weeks after giving birth to their third child, Elizabeth, 14 Apr 1691.^[6]

He married-2 [age 37] in Dedham 22 Dec 1691 Ruth Adams, ^[7] [age 26] daughter of Peter Adams and Rachel Newcomb of neighboring Medfield.^[8]

He settled in the "West End" of Dedham [Westwood in 1897].^[9] Per the tax lists, Amos was about average in wealth.^[10] He served as town selectman for several years and as constable.^[11]

In 1719 [age 64], described as a tailor, he sold for £40 to his [only] son Amos Jr., a husbandman [age 32 and still single], land at the cedars swamp and at Hill Rock on the road "leading into the wilderness.”^[12]

In 1729, when the area was petitioning for a new parish, the line was “to take in the house and home lot of Amos Fisher, thence by the said line to Bubbling Brook, from whence to Walpole line and by the said line to Traphole Brook and by the said brook to Neponset River and by the same to the first mentioned station. ^[13] Thus, he lived near the present Westwood/Dover line.

On 28 Mar 1730, in his mid-70s and ill, he had a will drawn up.^[14] In the will he gave to his wife the north end of the house, the barn and all of the homestead land, which at her death was to go to his son (her stepson) Amos Jr.; to his daughter Esther, as long as she remained single, he gave the south end of the house, the lower room, the chamber, the garret and convenient cellar room, then it was to go to his son (her half brother) Amos Jr.; to his daughters Mary Fuller, Elizabeth Fuller, Ruth Hunting and Esther Fisher he left the land called "six-acres" one-fourth each; and to his son Amos Jr. the land already given to him and eventually the homestead. He appointed Ruth, son Amos Jr. and son-in-law Hezekiah Fuller executors. The will was witnessed by Ephraim Wilson Jr., Ebenezer Battle, Ebenezer Wight and John Gay.

He had died in Dedham [Westwood] in 1735, sometime prior to 6 Dec 1735, when son Amos Jr. made a request to the court that the will not be proved until he was notified; the court proved it five months later on 27 April 1736. The judge accepted the will although three of the four witnesses (names not given) stated that Amos Sr. was of unsound mind at the time of the writing. The judge chose instead to take the oath of other people, not present at the time, who said that Amos was then generally of sound mind. Son Amos Jr. appealed, with John Hunting and Thomas Lyon putting up bond. On 4 Nov 1736 he requested a reversal of the decree, stating that the nearest, most understanding neighbors "evidenced" that Amos at that time was not of sound mind.^[15] The results are not given.

Ruth moved to neighboring Needham, undoubtedly to live with her daughter Ruth Hunting, who lived that portion that is now Wellesley. She died there 26 Nov 1745^[16] [age 80].

The estate was not settled until after her death. Per the inventory, the estate valued £430 of which the homestead (house, barn & five acres) valued £300. The final settlement was submitted in 1746 by [son-in-law] Hezekiah Fuller. Daughter Esther was given £140 to equal what her sisters had received at the time of their marriages and since.^[17]

Children

By Mary Ellis:

1. Mary Fisher b. Aug 21 1682, m. Thomas Fuller. Needham.
2. Amos Fisher b Jun 2 1687, m. Abigail Kingsbury. Dedham [Westwood].
3. Elizabeth Fisher b. Apr 14 1691, m. Hezekiah Fuller. Dedham.

By Ruth Adams:

1. Ruth Fisher b. Nov 9 1693, m. Jonathan Hunting. Needham [Wellesley]
2. Esther Fisher b. Sep 6 1699. Still single in 1746 when father's estate was settled.

Research Notes

Profile originally had 17 Jul 1737 as his date of death, no source given.

Sources

1. ↑ Dedham vital records, p.6: ”born the _ of the 9 mo” 1654. https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/6/mode/2up
2. ↑ Early Records of the Town of Dedham, ed. by Don G. Hill (1892), Vol.2 Dedham church records, p.34: “baptised 8d 8m 1654.”https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101072332966&view=1up&seq=50
3. ↑ Dedham vital records, p.17. “12 of 1 1678/9”. https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/16/mode/2up
4. ↑ Dedham vital records, p.6: 3 of the 12 mo 1654.
5. ↑ Dedham vital records, p.21: Mary ye wife of Amos Fisher. https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/20/mode/2up
6. ↑ Dedham vital records, p.23. https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/22/mode/2up
7. ↑ Dedham vital records, p.24. https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofto01dedh/page/24/mode/2up
8. ↑ Suffolk Co. Deed Bk.20, p.626: her father Peter Adam's estate.
9. ↑ Early Records, Vol.6, p.267.
10. ↑ Early Rec. Bk.6, p.150, etc.
11. ↑ Early Rec. Bk.5, p.332, etc.https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101007882101&view=1up&seq=340
12. ↑ Suffolk Co. Deed Bk.52, p.54: of Dedham tailor; son Amos, husbandman.
13. ↑ Cooke, George Willis. A History of The Clapboard Trees or Third Parish Dedham, Mlass, (1887), p.14. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t7kp8674g&view=1up&seq=20
14. ↑ Suffolk Co. Probate Bk.32, p.436: will, of Dedham, husbandman, weak in body.
15. ↑ Suffolk Co. Probate Bk.19 (new series), pp. 200-209.
16. ↑ Needham vital records, Ruth, wid. Amos, late of Dedham, Nov. 26, 1745.https://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Norfolk/Needham/DeathsF.shtml
17. ↑ Suffolk Co. Probate Bk.39, pp. 363, 365.

• "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FC44-CYQ : 9 February 2018), Amos Fisher and Mary Ellice, 12 Mar 1678; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 0874254 IT 2.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 14 September 2018, 15:35), entry for Amos Fisher(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:L62L-LMD); contributed by various users.
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L62L-LMD

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Julie Baldwin for creating WikiTree profile Fisher-4383 through the import of Jhoward.ged on May 31, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Julie and others.