There are a
few sources connecting Anthony Fisher II, known as Anthony Fisher Sr in New
England, and Anthony Fisher I in England. One of which is The Compendium of
American Genealogy, in which it states that the elder Anthony is from Wignotte,
Suffolk, England, that his wife’s name was Mary Fiske and that they had two children,
Anthony (1591-1671) and Joshua (1585-1674) both of whom emigrated to New
England.
The New
England Historical and Genealogical Register states that Anthony Fisher married
Mary Fiske, daughter of Nicholas Fiske and Johan Crispe, on October 16, 1586, however,
they have the place of marriage listed as the U.S., which is very unlikely.
The
Directory of The Ancestral Heads of New England tells us that Anthony II is the
son of Anthony of Syleham, Suffolk, England.
Thankfully I
was able to find a transcribed Parish Record for Anthony from Suffolk which states
Anthonie Fisher and Marie Fiske were married in Suffolk County, England on
October 16, 1586.
One of the
biggest challenges I find with researching ancestors, especially this far back,
is conflicting information and the lack of primary sources. However, taking
each source’s information into account, and then comparing that information to
a source, such as a parish record, even when it is transcribed, gives us a good
indication that we are on the right track.
Coupled with
information I found for his son, Anthony II, which states he was from Syleham,
Suffolk, England, and emigrated with a Joshua Fisher, settling in Dedham,
Massachusetts, it is very promising that this is the correct link from
Massachusetts to England. Which may seem simple based on this brief outline of
how I got from point A to point B, but let me assure you, there are other
branches that I have worked on for a very long time, and still have been unable
to confirm where they originated from prior to their arrival in New England.
I had come
across the book The Fisher Genealogy by Philip A Fisher some time ago, but
hadn’t referenced it too much as I was still working from records in New
England at that point and I always prefer
records! Now that I have confirmed the link to Anthony Fisher and Mary
Fiske in Suffolk County, England and have limited access to records there, it
is proving to be a wealth of information, which I - of course – still take with
a grain of salt.
I won’t go
on too much about this (again), but
all genealogy has to be done with a critical eye. Information can be wrong.
Records can be transcribed incorrectly. You just never know and it is always
best to err on the side of caution.
The Fisher
Genealogy provides details from parish records relating to the Fisher family,
as well as details from the will of Anthony and Mary’s son, Cornelius, and
information from a nephew of Mary Fiske, Matthew Candler. According to Philip A
Fisher’s book, Matthew wrote the Candler Manuscript which is in the British
Museum.
Cornelius’
will reveals that Anthony Fisher and Mary Fiske had the following six children:
Joshua, Anthony, Amos, Cornelius, Marie Brigge and Martha Buckingham. It also
refers to the previously mentioned estate called Wignotte, “…My part in one
tenement and certain land in Sileham called Wignotte…” This book also states
that Cornelius was from East Bergholt, and after he died in 1638 his widow,
Elizabeth, married Rev. George Smith of Dedham, in the same county. There is
speculation that the children of his two daughters also removed to New England.
The author
laments that Matthew Candler “did not draw his pedigrees with more precision”
and goes on to write that Mary Fiske’s parents were probably William and Anne
Fiske of South Elmham. This conflicts with the information from the New England
Register which states her parents are Nicholas Fiske and Johan Crispe. I will
save that puzzle for another day.
From the
parish records we know that Anthony died in 1640. By this time, we know his son
Cornelius had died and his other sons, Anthony and Joshua had immigrated to New
England.
I stumbled
upon an excellent find, a website called obliquity.com, which immediately
caught my attention with one of it’s headings: The Fisher Fallacies. The
authors, David Harper and Lynne Marie Stockman, write that they have access to
the English county record offices. They specifically wrote about information in
The Fisher Genealogy by Philip A. Fisher that I had recently read, as being incorrect;
In The Fisher Genealogy, the author transcribes sections related to the Fisher
family from the Syleham parish records. One of them states, “Anno Domini 1585.
Joshua et Maria Fysher Gemini baptisadi fuer 25th die Februarii ano
super dicto”. According to The Fisher Fallacies this information is incorrect.
They state that the original entry actually reads, “Joh[n]es Foster et Gracia
Foster gemelli baptizati fuere 24te die februarii an(n)o p(re)dicto [1585]”,
and it goes on to clarify that “Joshua Fisher and his sister Mary were baptised
two years apart in two different parishes.”
I was really
happy to come across such information. I can’t tell you the amount of
literature and documents I read that repeat the same information, and when you
read the same information over and over in different sources, it begins to
stick as truth in your mind simply because you’ve read it so many times that is
becomes incredibly familiar to you, and it is compounded by the fact that they
are from different sources. However, this doesn’t make it true.
The other
great thing about obliquity.com is they state their sources. Thank you! This is
the bane of my existence when doing genealogy research (and why I always try to
stick to primary sources when possible!). So, in no small part to obliquity.com,
here is a summary of information on Anthony Fisher I:
Anthony
Fisher was baptized on February 1, 1558/9 in Stradbroke, Suffolk. His sister,
Agnes, was baptized on the same day. Their father’s name is William Fisher.
Anthony
married Mary Fiske in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England on October 16,
1586 and they had the following children:
·
Joshua
Fisher (bp. 1587/8-1674)
·
Mary
Fisher (bp. 1589-)
·
Anthony
Fisher II (bp. 1591-1671)
·
Amos
Fisher (bp.1594-)
·
Martha
Fisher (bp.1595/6-1659)
·
John
Fisher (bp.1597-1636)
·
Cornelius
Fisher (bp.1599-1641)
Anthony was buried on April 11, 1640
in Syleham, Suffolk County, England.
As well, in the Stradbroke, Suffolk County,
England Parish Records, there is a record of marriage for a William “ffisher”
and a Margaret Bert. They married on October 15, 1551. I believe it is highly
likely that this is the marriage record for Anthony Fisher’s parents.
Well, that seems a good way to round
out the year: finishing off with the Fisher line in England. I have been
researching in New England for so long, I feel excited to shift focus to something
else. I haven’t quite yet decided which line to focus on next, but it feels
good to end the year linking the last New England ancestor to his roots in the
old country.
Happy New Year! And as always, happy
hunting, fellow gene geeks!
SOURCES:
·
Directory
of the ancestral heads of New England Families, 1620-1700
·
Millenium
File, ancestry.ca
·
North
America, Family Histories, 1500-200, ancestry.ca
·
www.obliquity.com
·
Suffolk,
England, Extracted Church of England Parish Records, ancestry.ca
·
The
Compendium of American Genealogy
·
The
Fisher Genealogy: A Record of the Descendants of Joshua, Anthony, and Cornelius
Fisher, by Philip A. Fisher
·
The
New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1847-2011, Vol: 151
·
U.S.
and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, ancestry.ca
·
U.S.,
Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, ancestry.ca
