Frank Henry Fisk (1855 - 1917)

Born 28 Mar 1855 in Dublin, Cheshire, New Hampshire, United States

Ancestors

Died 19 Oct 1917 at age 62 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Patrick McCann [send private message]

Biography

Frank Henry Fisk was born on March 28, 1855, in Dublin, New Hampshire. He was the son of Asa Fisk and Priscilla Ranstead.^[1]

Frank attended Dartmouth College, and was a member of the class of 1877, though left college in the fall of '75 on account of sickness. He then went west to Elgin, Illinois, where he was appointed Deputy City Engineer. About the same time, he commenced the study of law, and also did some railroad surveying, until the spring of '78, when he took charge of a school in Glenville, Minnesota. He later was principal of schools in Forest City, Iowa. In politics, Frank was thought to be a Republican.^[2]

He married Mary E. Thurston on September 6, 1880, in Freeborn County, Minnesota.^[3] They lived in Albert Lea, Minnesota.^[4] They did not have any children.^[4]

Frank died on October 19, 1917, in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[5] His obituary was published in the Freeborn County Standard (Albert Lea, Minn.):^[6]

Frank H. Fisk, who for years held the office of county engineer and was prominent in the public life of the county passed away in a hospital in Cincinnati Friday afternoon.

Mr. Fisk, considerably enfeebled because of his age, was on his way from a sanatorium at Rochester to the National Elk's Home, Bedford, Va. A short time ago, the doctor's had notified the local Elk's lodge that Mr. Fisk had entirely recovered from his mind trouble. The deceased had long been a loyal Elk and the brothers here immediately set about gaining his admittance to the National Elk's Home. This was obtained and Exalted Ruler T. H. Considine went to Rochester last Thursday and accompanied Mr. Fisk to Chicago where he placed him on a train for the east. The traveler was taken ill enroute and was removed from the train by Cincinnati Elks and died in a hospital there.

The body arrived in this city this morning and was taken to an undertaking parlor. The funeral will be held Tuesday afternoon at the Elk's lodge rooms, Rev. Mark G. Paulson of the Episcopal church officiating. Interment will be made in the family lot at Glenville beside that of his deceased wife who died a few years ago.

Frank H. Fisk was county surveyor of Freeborn county for a number of terms. In addition to his work as county surveyor, he was an expert of ditching, tilling and dredging, as well as other forms of drainage and sewerage systems, being county drainage engineer (in which capacity he had to furnish a $10,000.00 bond) and also assistant engineer of the State Highway commission, one of his most notable engineering feats being the draining of Rice Lake and marsh into Turtle Creek, the drainage system being officially known as Judicial Ditch No. 1. Socially, Mr. Fisk was a prominent member of the local lodge of Elks. Frank H. Fisk was born in Dublin, N. H., March 28th, 1857, son of Asa and Priscilla (Ranstad) Fisk, natives, respectively, of Vermont and New Hampshire, in which latter state the father farmed until his death in 1970, the mother passing away in 1895. Frank H., attended the public schools of his neighborhood and then entered the historic old Dartmouth college, Hanover, N. H. After completing his general education, and his courses in civil and constructing engineering he came westward to Elgin, Ill., and became city engineer. While there he studied law, and was admitted to the bar. Later wider opportunities presented themselves, and in 1876, Centennial year, Mr. Fisk entered the employ of the government, mapping out lands in the Powder River Valley Montana and Dakota. A year later he entered the employ of the Minneapolis and St. Louis railroad with headquarters at Minneapolis. But the financial depression caused that company to retrench on improvements and extensions, and accordingly Mr. Fisk became a school teacher, pursuing this profession in Freeborn, Mower and Waseca counties. His success was immediate, and he soon became principal of the schools at Forest City, Winnebago county, Iowa, retaining that position five years. During this period he received an appointment as state institute instructor and director, having charge of summer work for teachers in Winnebago and surrounding counties. Subsequently he came to Albert Lea, and in 1896 was elected to the county position above referred to.

The subject of this sketch was married in 1880 to Mary E. Thurston, oldest daughter of Henry and Martha (Parks) Thurston, who came to Albert Lea in the fifties.

Mrs. Fisk died several years ago and her remains are buried at Greenfield cemetery at Glenville.

Funeral services will probably be held at Elks Club Rooms Monday afternoon, provided the remains arrive as expected on one of the morning trains Monday. Interment will be at Greenfield cemetery at Glenville beside the remains of the late Mrs. Fisk.

Sources

1. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLL1-4MC : 23 February 2021), Frank Henry Fisk, 28 Mar 1855; citing Dublin, Cheshire, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,000,940.
2. ↑ Decennial record of the class of 1877. Dartmouth college, 1877. pp. 57-58
3. ↑ "Minnesota Marriages, 1849-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDF8-TLN : 20 January 2020), F. H. Fisk, 1880.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9SH-JKZ : accessed 22 September 2021), Frank H Fisk, Albert Lea Township Albert Lea city Ward 1, Freeborn, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 41, sheet 11A, family 235, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,764.
5. ↑ "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8JP-1Q8 : 8 March 2021), Frank H Fish, 19 Oct 1917; citing Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, reference fn 65067; FHL microfilm 1,984,115.
6. ↑ Freeborn County Standard (Albert Lea, Minn.), 22 Oct 1917, p. 1

• Pierce, Frederick. Fiske and Fisk Family (The Author, Chicago, Ill., 1896) Page 284.
• Marquis, Albert Nelson. The Book of Minnesotans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the State of Minnesota (A. N. Marquis & Co., Chicago, 1907) Page 162
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7WB-19N : 18 February 2021), Frank H Fiske in entry for Asa Fisher, 1860.
• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH58-LZL : 29 May 2021), Frank H Fisk in entry for Charles R Fisk, 1870.
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ9W-8LN : 19 February 2021), Frank Fisk in household of Henry Thurston, Freeman, Freeborn, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district ED 98, sheet 114D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,620.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2L5-KSD : accessed 22 September 2021), Frank H Fisk, Albert Lea Ward 1, Freeborn, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 39, sheet 11B, family 250, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 695; FHL microfilm 1,374,708.