Adam Fisher (abt. 1710 - 1757)

Born about 1710 in Silesia, Austria

Ancestors

Husband of Nancy (Hull) Fisher — married 1730 in Germany

Descendants

Died 1757 at about age 47 in Schuylkill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Deborah Dennany [send private message], Douglas Smith [send private message], Keith Burke [send private message], Dick Lambert [send private message], and Donna Fletcher [send private message]

Biography

Biography from the Joel Fisher Family archive by Russell E. Fisher & Jill Fisher Bass:

Our understanding of Fisher history begins in legends passed from one generation to the next. The author has heard and read several versions of these, but they generally agree that Adam Fisher arrived in this country about 1741 on the good ship "Mary Ann". He settled on the Schuykill river about 12 miles from Philadelphia. Adam died in 1757 and the place of his burial is unknown.

Biography from "The Legacy of Adam Fisher" by James S. Fisher:

Coat-of-Arms

Before the turn of the century, our clan spent time, money, and effort in an attempt to identify our European ancestor. They were unsuccessful at every try. And now one hundred years later..one hundred years distant from their efforts..I have tried and thus far have failed. It is inconceivable, almost, that no one kept a record..written or verbal..as to the name and locale of this elusive ancestor. All stories say that he was a wealthy German Baron and Head Counselor to Frederick the Great. All stories say that he had one son and heir, Adam Fis(c)her who made himself persona non grata by killing a deer of the king's. This was a hanging offense, but due to the prominence of the old Baron, Adam's life was spared; however, because of the embarrassment, the old Baron decided to send his son packing to America. After reading many accounts of this happening and after separating fact from fiction, I am convinced that Adam came to this country accompanied by his wife and one son, Abraham who must have been from 10 to 15 years old. Adam had an older daughter whom the old Baron kept with him to inherit his vast fortune in case his son, Adam was lost at sea, killed, or whatever. A few stories say that Adam landed at New York circa 1741 and that his second son, Jacob, was born there 1742; and about this time, 1742, Adam and family are said to have settled about 12 miles from Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. Some stories, most of them, say that Jacob was born there. One story has it that Adam landed at Baltimore! Upon arriving in America their name was changed to Fisher.

A son of Adam Jr.'s, David Fisher, wrote that Adam Sr. was "profligate", ran through his money and lost his home on the Schuylkill, that he became homesick for the old country and started a journey back there when he came down with smallpox in Philadelphia, became blind, and died in 1757 at his old home on the Schuylkill. One statement says that he was buried near Old Swede's Church; others state that he was buried at Fisher's Hill in Virginia where an important battle of the Civil War was fought; but all stories say that his family was destitute at the time of his death (which makes me wonder where he got the money for his return trip to the old country!).

Now, in 1757, the youngest son, Adam Jr. was 7 years old, not old enough to work (and not old enough to really care who his grand-father was or where he lived), and his mother bound him out to two different task-masters. Daniel was about 12 and Jacob 15 when Adam Sr. died...old enough to help make a living not not old enough to be concerned with family history. By 1757, Abraham must have been at least 25 years old and whether married or not he must have taken care of his destitute family. With Abraham being this old and having this responsibility, it is my belief that somewhere among Abraham's descendants there is tucked away the identity of our European ancestors!!! The fact remains that we do not yet know who he was or where he lived; therefore there is no way in which I can provide an authentic coat-of-arms! One thing is certain, however: If or when our true coat-of-arms has been determined, you can make certain that a fish or anchor or something pertaining to the trade of catching fish will be emblazoned thereon as it was customary in olden times for the family name to reflect the family occupation. Our early ancestors had to be fishers...fisherman...they caught the fish; Fishman and Fishmonger were names of those who sold the fish. The earliest record of the Fisher name was in its Latin form "Piscator" in the time of William the Conqueror. It was recorded in Buckshire, England in 1273...Henricus Piscator who was wealthy enough to be counted in a king's census of men of property.

Fisher Characteristics

As I use the name "Fisher", I refer not only to those actually bearing the name but to those Fisher women who married into other lines to help propagate those "allied lines" and to the women of allied lines who married Fishers to help propagate the Fisher lines. A much-used saying in genealogy books, credited to Plutarch, states, "It is indeed a desirable thing to be well descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors". After compiling data on our clan for over thirty years I feel quite confident that the Fishers have been and are a God-fearing, home-loving clan; honest, loyal, hardworking, thrifty, determined, talented and patriotic. A deep sense of morality is tightly woven into the fabric of character. We have fought in all wars, declared and undeclared, in defense of our country; we have provided leadership from the farm and village level to the Halls of Congress. We have a keen sense of humor and are well-liked by our fellowman. We have provided many Ministers of the Gospel...as far as I can determine, all Christian Ministers...and many trades and professions are represented throughout this clan. This, of course, is not meant to present the idea that the Fishers are saints; for, being humans, there is evidence of hanky-panky from time to time and we had had an occasional "character" to appear on history's pages. If any of our members have been guilty of heavy crime, the secrets have been well hidden in the closets and vaults of time! Since we cannot take credit for the glory of our ancestors, neither can we take the blame for their shortcomings! Wear your name well!

P.S. I decided to try once again to pin down our European ancestors; and with no clues on this side of the ocean, I re-examined a possibility which was considered some ten to twelve years ago. This was the possibility and probability that Johann Adam Fischer von Fischerbach of Silesia might be our ancestor.

Remember, please, that we have been looking for a wealthy German Baron (or Lord), who had one son (hopefully our Adam Fisher) who was sent to America because he had shot a king's deer. This was a hanging offense but was not carried out because his father was a counselor to Frederick the Great. This was embarrassing to Adam's father who gave him a one-way ticket to America! After studying some material on Silesia, sent to me by Cousin Joe Williams of Emory, Virginia, and after viewing on television the Pope's visit to Krakow, Poland... I decided to write to the old but still active Jagiellonian University Library to see what help they could give me. I already had information that this Johann Adam Fischer von Fischerbach was a Silesian land-owner who had been elevated to Bohemian nobility on May 8, 1703 and that he was the only one of his family of his generation to be so elevated.

We waited and waited for a response from this library, for almost a year, and then I wrote to the U. S. Consulate at Krakow asking them to intercede for me..to see if they could expedite matters since I had been working on this genealogy for so many years and was trying to bring it to a close. In a matter of three or four weeks I received a lengthy report from the library!

This report verified the facts of the first paragraph above plus the fact that the ceremony elevating JAF to nobility was held in the emperor's palace at Laxenburg in the Baden district (near Vienna) on the Schwechat River. At that time, 1703, Silesia belong to Austria and it was natural for a German Lord or Baron to be owning land in Silesia. It was further revealed that there were several noble Fischer families in the Prussian states and that Johann Adam Fischer von Fischerbach is traced back to the Fischer von Fischerbachs who were counted among the Silesian nobility of the 16th century. A most important statement of this report was that this Fischer von Fischerbach line became extinct with the death of Joann Adam (because his only son, our first ancestor in America, had been sent to America!?).

Legend has it that our European ancestor was old..he has always been written about as "the old Baron". So if he was age 30 at his elevation to nobility, he would have been 69 or 70 years old when Frederick the Great came to power and proceeded to conquer Silesia. History says that when Frederick accomplished this fete that he was so pleased with the land-management in Silesia that he instructed his Berlin headquarters to keep "hands off"...that he would manage this territory himself. And, with Johann Adam being of German lineage and a Silesian land-owner, would it not be a natural thing for him to be a "counselor" to Frederick the Great...this in spite of the fact that Thomas Carlyle's ten-volume history of Frederick the Great does not mention Johann Adam?

Of course, we do not know that Johann Adam was still living when Frederick came to power; and, we do not yet know if Johann Adam actually had a son by name of Adam who shot one of Frederick's deer and was shipped off to America. After World War I, the archives pertaining to nobility as kept at Vienna were required to be turned over to the Stat Archives of Prague. I have written to this office for more answers to the puzzle; but whatever the answers may be I have adopted the coat-of-arms of this Johann Adam Fischer von Fischerbach as our coat-of-arms. You see it in black and white as I received it from the Jagiellonian Library. I have had this enlarged to a 5x8 on an 8.5x11 sheet..the coat-of-arms in its five original beautiful colors. You will hear more about this after this book is printed and delivered to those of you who have subscribed.

Notes on Adam Fisher

Adam Fisher (son of Johann Adam Fischer Von Fischerbach who was born Abt. 1684 in Selesia, Germany, 8 May 1703, Elevated to Nobility) was born Abt. 1710 in Germany, and died Abt. 1757 in Schuylkill Co, Pa. Adam married Nancy Hull in Germany. Adam Fisher and his wife, Nancy Hull, had four sons Abraham, Jacob, Daniel and Adam. The family lived along the Schuylkill River, near Phila, in Berks Co. Penna. Some sources say he squandered his money, wanted to return to Germany, but became blind and died of small pox before this could happen. It was believed he was buried near Old Swede's Church. Vol. 1, #3264, FTM added some of these notes.

Sources from Janice Mauldin Castelman

Children

1. Abraham Fisher, b. Abt. 1730, Germany, d. date unknown, Buried in Yancyville, Casswell Co, NC.
2. Jacob Fisher, Sr, b. Abt. 1742, Pennsylvania, USA, d. Abt. 1785, Frederick Co. MD.
3. Daniel Fisher, b. 1745, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 1817, Pennsylvania, USA.
4. Adam Fisher, Jr, b. 29 Sep 1750, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 07 May 1827, Washington Twp, Clermont Co, Oh.

1 Abraham moved to North Carolina Abraham died in Yanceyville, Guilford, North Carolina. He married Rhoda LAYTON 1773 in VA. Rhoda died in North Carolina. it was written that after moving to Rockingham Co., VA, Abraham moved his family to North Carolina, probably Yancyville, Guilford County. Four of the children moved to Tipton, Morgan Co., Missouri.

2 Jacob died in Maryland in 1785, leaving 4 sons and 2 daughters. It is rumored that he served in the Revolutionary War in a Capt Robert Hookes Co. and then sometime after the war moved to MD. where he died in 1785. His widow re-married and took the 6 kids to Franklin Co, Va. She then married a Mr Bish

3 Daniel lived in the Shenandoah Valley where he had a large family and one of his descendants owned Fischer's Hill of Civil War fame. He married Nancy Ann JONES {611}. She was the daughter of Benjamin JONES {612} and Lydia _______ {613}.

Benjamin Jones served in the Rev. War as a Lt., and lived in Augusta Co., VA. A deed dated Sept 21, 1798, by Benjamin JOHN and Lydia of Washington Co., to Thomas Pierce of Wythe Co., VA, an iron ore bank on South Fork Holstein River, proved in Washington Co., VA. His name was variously spelled Jones/John/Johns in different records.

A deed was delivered to Nancy, wife of Daniel Fisher, of Rockingham Co., dated 18 Aug 1800. Nancy and her sister Susannah (who married Adam Fisher, Jr.), were daughters of Benjamin and Lydia Jones/Johns.

Benjamin's parents were Robert and Mary Jones. Mary Jones was believed to be a native American Indian. Robert had a fur trading company on the James River in Amherst Co., VA. Benjamin was a Lieutenant in the American Revolutionary War from Augusta County. Early Virgiania records show the following: "Pierce vs. Razor--O.S. 157, N. S. 55--Bill, Dec. 1807. Complainants are, viz: George, Moses, Aaron, Isaac Pierce; Seth Hendrick (?), and by Hepsaba, their mother and next friend. Joshua Jones, Peter Razor and Ben. John owned ironworks in Wythe Co., and on 12th April 1794 sold to father of orators and oratrixes. Joshua Jones left the commonwealth. He had sold to James Doughterty, who died, and same descended to his son Daniel. Peter Razor died leaving widow Anna, and children viz: Edward Caleham (?:0 and his wife; John, Ann, Christy, Daniel, and Christiana Razor. Deed 21st Sept 1798, by Benjamin John and Lydia, of Washington County, to Thomas Pierce of Wythe Co., an iron ore bank on South Fork Holstein River. Proved in Washington Co., Sept. 1798".

NOTES for Daniel: Daniel's widowed mother was destitute when her husband died of small pox. She may have had relatives in Virginia, for she moved her family to Rockingham Co., VA, from Pennsylvania. In 1788, they moved from Rockingham Co. to Augusta Co., VA. From "Records of Augusta Co., VA 1745-1800" Vol. 1, File #926: Fisher vs Fisher. Jacob and John Fisher complain that their father Daniel died Jan 1817 Direct decreed and plot land on Christian's Creek.

In the Augusta County Library, the following is taken from the "Daily New Leader" a newspaper of Augusta County, VA, Tuesday, 25 April 1995: "Fishersville, VA was first settled in the early 1700s, and was named after Daniel and Nancy Fisher who settled the area in 1788, the year George Washington was elected president. This couple, who came from Rockingham County, bought 273 acres in a spot where U.S. 250 now crosses Christians Creek. Many of their 17 children remained in the area after their father died in 1817."

4 Adam Jr was apprenticed to a blacksmith and ran away at an early age and roamed in Kentucky. Then he headed to Ohio where he settled in Clermont Co.

Note on ABE LINCOLN The best friend of Abraham Lincoln was David Fisher, son of Adam Fisher Jr. He was also a playmate to U.S. Grant (Taken from historical data of "History of Clemont Co) Died : 1757, Contracted Small Pox on a trip to Phila, became blind and died, penniless. He married Susannah JONES {7754} 1777 in VA. She was born 3 March 1758 in MD. She was the daughter of Benjamin JONES {612} and Lydia ________ {613}. Susannah died 17 December 1842 in Clermont Co., OH, at the age of 84.

As a young child, because of the circumstances of his family, Adam Jr. was bound out to try to help the dire financial hardships facing his family. He was ill treated by cruel masters and finally his mother got him back to the family. This information was written by James S. Fisher in his "Legacy Of Adam Fischer". In the Rev. War, Adam served as Adjutant of the First Battalion of the Lancaster County Militia under Col. Philip Greenawalt. After the war his family moved to Bedford Co., PA, where six children were born. About 1797 this family moved to Portsmouth, Scioto Co., OH, then moved to Kentucky for about two years. By 1800 they were settled at their permanent home on Indian Creek in Clermont Co., OH. Here Adam and Susannah are buried on the old homesite. Of their eleven children, two were ministers, and one served a term in congress as a Representative from the state of Ohio.

Adam Sr's Immigration

• Immigration: 1741(2), arrived on the ship "Mary Ann".

• Adam Fisher Sr. passed away in 1757. ^[1]

Research Notes

Hon. David Fisher's bible transcipition

• Adam Fisher Jr.'s son, David Fisher, wrote the following in his bible:

"My grandfather, Adam Fisher, was born in Germany, and after having two or three children, moved to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania, leaving his eldest daughter in Germany, from whom I have not heard since. My father, Adam Fisher, was born in Pennsylvania on September 29th, 1750. He served in the Revolutionary War for 18 months."^[2]

• Autobiographical article in THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL Wilmington, Ohio, Wednesday, March 18, 1885 (Republished from the Clermont Courier.) Gives the following description of the Fisher Family as told by David Fisher.

"There are in our Country today no more thrifty people or substantial citizens than the sturdy descendants of the German immigrants from Palatinate,^[3][4] who early in the eighteenth century, settled in large numbers in Maryland and Pennsylvania. of these Adam Fisher, the youngest son of a rich German Nobleman, who landed in 1742 on the good ship "Mary Ann", and immediately settled upon the banks of the Schuylkill, some twelve miles from Quaker City. He died of smallpox in 1757 leaving four sons, Jacob, Daniel, Abraham, and Adam."

"His (David's) paternal and maternal grandfathers both became blind before their deaths."

"My father (Adam Fisher Jr.) had a German New Testament."

"In 1802 I began to attend an English school and soon lost all my Dutch, ^[5] for which I afterward became very sorry."

RE: Family Lore and Historical Events which are contradictory but could aid descendants in furthering research.

Although we enjoy the Adam Fisher Family lore and find it fascinating, and frankly wonderful, that the centuries old tale has carried on and inspired so many family history buffs and treasure hunters among those that carry the surname. But the family historian in us takes over a bit, in hopes that perhaps we could trace Adam Fisher (Fischer) Sr. with a few more facts now that we’ve entered the digital age.

The Lore of Johann Fischer von Fischerbach claims that he was an Austrian Baron, whose fief was in Silesia ^[6] (a portion of which was located in Bohemia.) His son (Johann) Adam Fischer was sent to America as punishment in 1740/1. His son attempted to return home approx. 16 years later, but contracted smallpox and died in 1757.

Thanks to the magic of Google Search and Wikipedia, we can now research the history of Silesia much easier, and this is what can be found:

1. Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI died in October 1740 without a male heir. With the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, Charles had established his eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, as the successor to his hereditary titles. Upon his death she duly became ruler of Austria, as well as of the Bohemian and Hungarian lands within the Habsburg monarchy. During Emperor Charles's lifetime the Pragmatic Sanction was generally acknowledged by the imperial states, but when he died it was promptly contested by Prussia, Bavaria, and Saxony.
2. The first of the Silesian Wars began in 1740, which were three wars fought in the mid-18th Century between Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg Austria for control of the Central European region of Silesia (now in Southwestern Poland). This first war was from 1740-1742. The Second War would begin in 1744-45. ^[7]
3. In December 1741 Prussian forces advanced into Moravia, occupying the capital at Olmütz, and besieged the fortress at Glatz on the edge of Bohemia. In January 1742 Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria won the 1742 Imperial election and became Holy Roman Emperor. In February Frederick organized a joint advance through Moravia toward Vienna with the Saxons and French, but Prussia's allies were reluctant and uncooperative, and the campaign was abandoned in April, after which the Prussians withdrew into Bohemia and Upper Silesia.
4. An Austrian counter-advance into Bohemia engaged Frederick's Prussians on 17 May and was narrowly defeated at the resulting Battle of Chotusitz. This defeat left Austria with no immediate means of driving its enemies out of Bohemia, and renewed peace talks with Prussia began in Breslau. Under British pressure, Austria agreed to cede to Prussia the large majority of Silesia, along with the County of Glatz in Bohemia, while Austria would retain two small portions of the extreme southern end of Silesia, including the Duchy of Teschen and parts of the Duchies of Jägerndorf, Troppau and Neisse. Prussia also agreed to take on some of Austria's debts and to remain neutral for the remainder of the ongoing war. This peace agreement was adopted with the Treaty of Breslau, which ended the First Silesian War on 11 June 1742, and was later formalized in the Treaty of Berlin.

It is during this time period that Adam Fisher came to America with his wife and young son, Abraham, b. approx. 1730 according to the legend.

With these facts in mind, it is more likely that our Adam Fisher Sr. was motivated to come to America to procure land and a prosperous future for his family, or escape the turbulence of war time rather than doing penance for killing a deer. As the "youngest son of a rich German Nobleman" he would most likely not have received a large inheritance and as such, immigration to America along with the thousands of other German Palatinates who did so between 1717-1775 would have been a viable option.

• Family Locket - : Pennsylvania Germans: The History Behind Their Focus on Land and Community is a great blog that discusses German migration to the U.S. and the reasons why so many immigrated during the period 1717-1775.

Sources

1. ↑ THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL Wilmington, Ohio, Wednesday, March 18, 1885 Republished from the Clermont Courier
2. ↑ Hon. David Fisher Family Bible records, Clermont County, Ohio: "Bible records, Clermont County, Ohio"
   Catalog: Bible records, Clermont County, Ohio Bible records, Clermont County, Ohio
   Film number: 008193217 > image 92 of 189
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CSLX-TWBZ (accessed 4 March 2024)
3. ↑ The Germans that would eventually settle the Mohawk Valley came from the Rhine Valley River region known as the "Palatinate." The name arose from the Roman word "Palatine," the title given to the ruling family of the area when it was part of the Holy Roman Empire.
4. ↑ Wikipedia Palatinate (region) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatinate_(region)
5. ↑ Deutsch disambiguation
6. ↑ Silesia was originally a Polish province, which became a possession of the Bohemian crown in 1335, passed with that crown to the Austrian Habsburgs in 1526, and was taken by Prussia in 1742. [Britannica, Silesia https://www.britannica.com/place/Silesia]
7. ↑ Silesian Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesian_Wars

• Ancestry Family Trees
• The Joel Fisher Family archive by Russell E. Fisher & Jill Fisher Bass
• "The Legacy of Adam Fisher" by James S. Fisher
• Sources from Janice Mauldin Castelman
• "Records of Augusta Co., VA 1745-1800" Vol. 1, File #926: Fisher vs Fisher.
• "Daily New Leader" a newspaper of Augusta County, VA, Tuesday, 25 April 1995
• Find a Grave created by: Carole Conrad
• Family research documents
• Pennsylvania Revolutionary War Index 1775-1783
• Abstract of Revolutionary War Patriots
• US Naturalization Records