Saturday, 30 December 2017

ANTHONY FISHER I (ca. 1558-1640)

After what feels like forever, I came to the end of the Fisher line in New England last month when I wrote about Anthony Fisher II, my 11th great grandfather, who emigrated from England to Massachusetts. Today I am going to write about his father, Anthony Fisher I.

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


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