Tiffany Koerner and the Search For Her Father

Recently, I had the honour to be a part of something truly remarkable. On Wednesday, March 7^th I was contacted by a woman named Tiffany Koerner through 23andMe, the company I chose to do my DNA test two years ago. She explained that I was her top match, and that we are predicted 2^nd cousins. She shared with me a little about herself and why she did a DNA test. She wanted to know who her father was. She had previously done DNA testing with disappointing results, however, she was fairly sure this time. She said she thinks his surname is Grant. BINGO! A starting point! My maternal grandfather’s surname is Grant!

I immediately logged into my 23andMe account and compared our shared relatives and there she was: Christina Mason! A relative I had confirmed as a 3^rd cousin a couple of years ago! Christina and I share 2^nd great grandparents, Elias Vidito and Mary Jane Sabean. This is exciting because their daughter, Leafy May Vidito is my great grandmother, and she married George Angus Grant. So, there is a Grant connection between her and I…and she is related to Tiffany too!

I immediately opened my family tree on ancestry.ca to gather information for Tiffany.  I gave her the information about our shared relative and how she and I are related, as well as information about Leafy May Vidito and George Angus Grant along with a list of their male children, as it would seem likely that Tiffany descends from one of them.

She responded immediately saying she was just about to meet with another DNA relative she was matched to through 23andMe. They met at a Tim Horton’s (so Canadian!) and she messaged me after the meeting and let me know he was a descendant of my great grandmother, Leafy May Vidito’s sister, Eva May! He is my 3^rd cousin! This was fantastic... another match to the Grant line! 

At this point Tiffany was certain of who her father was: Harold Grant, a brother of my grandfather, Angus Grant. This would make Tiffany my first cousin once removed.

Now when I say Tiffany is tenacious, I truly mean it. She wasted no time once she received her DNA results to figure out who her father was. That same day that she contacted me and met up with our mutual DNA relative at Timmie’s, she was also communicating with one of Harold’s daughters, Ruth! As it turns out one of Ruth’s sisters, Kelly, had done a DNA test! After a brief challenge trying to figure out how to compare DNA from different companies and one in a format not compatible with GEDmatch, Tiffany had done it! Within 3 days she not only had a confirmed match to a half-sister, but she also knew Harold Grant was her father! Unfortunately, Harold died July 15, 2016, but her newly found siblings wasted no time in sharing photos of their father with Tiffany. Here is a very handsome one of him in his younger days.

Harold Grant

On Saturday, March 10^th Tiffany met four of her siblings for the very first time! It was so exciting to see Tiffany get that final puzzle piece in place! It was even more exciting and heartwarming to see how open and welcoming her newly found siblings were! They celebrated meeting their new baby sister with a cake that read “Welcome Tiffany”, a balloon proclaiming “It’s a girl!” and other precious gifts to show her she was welcomed and loved.

Tiffany (centre) with 4 of her newly found siblings:

Paul, Ruth, Katherine and Kelly.

I am so incredibly happy for all of the Grant siblings and hope they enjoy getting to know each other over the years to come! And selfishly, I too, am incredibly blessed by now knowing all of these new cousins of mine!

As always, happy hunting, fellow gene geeks! You never know who you are going to find!

Anna May Adams (1893-1930) and Thomas Pollard (1895-1929)

I generally stick to my direct line ancestors, however, this past Christmas I was contacted by a volunteer, Arden Phair, with the (spoiler alert!) Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial asking if I had information regarding Thomas Pollard, the husband of my 2^nd Great Aunt Anna May Adams, which has now led to me writing this post! I, unfortunately, did not have any new information for Arden. I had the basic records for Anna, including her marriage to Thomas, but Arden graciously shared wonderful documents with me creating a richer understanding of their lives.

Anna May is the sister of my 2^nd great grandfather, Sidney Adams, and daughter of Adam and Matilda Adams. She was born December 11, 1893 in Peter’s Arm, Newfoundland and was baptized privately sometime afterward.

She married Thomas Pollard on October 30, 1912 in Botwood, District of Twillingate, Newfoundland. She was 19 and went by the name Annie, Thomas was 22, and they were both residents of Peter’s Arm at the time of their marriage. Their witnesses were Arch Adams and Hettie Snow, and they were married by Ensg. Simmons. I had the transcribed record of marriage from FamilySearch.org, but Arden actually had a copy of their Marriage Certificate! And if you know me, I always prefer primary sources! It was such a treat that he shared it with me!

According to the census record for Welland, Ontario in 1921, Thomas and Annie had immigrated to Canada from Newfoundland in 1916, and at the time the census was taken in 1921 they were living at 191 Burgar (Street) with their two children, Edward, age 8, and Matilda, age 4. This record tells us that their son, Edward was born in Newfoundland, and their daughter was born in Ontario. It also tells us that Thomas’ race is Irish, while Annie’s is English, that they were members of the Salvation Army and that Thomas’ occupation was “Labour”. As well (and a little confusing), Annie’s name on the census is listed as Mary. So, we have a couple of discrepancies here: her name AND her age. The census was taken June 1, 1921. Annie should be 27 years old. Since the age is only off by one year, this isn’t a huge concern. The name, however, is a puzzling. Even if she had started to go by her middle name, according to her baptism record, that would be May not Mary. Could it be an error on the part of the enumerator? I don’t know. You will see, from further documents that I will discuss, this must be the Annie, but for now, I’m going to switch gears, and talk about Annie’s husband, Thomas Pollard.

I was unable to find a birth or baptism record for Thomas. However, on the registration of his death, it states he was born in Newfoundland in 1895 to his parents, Abraham Pollard and Lillian Gillard, both of whom were also born in Newfoundland.

We already know he married Annie in 1912 and immigrated to Canada in 1916. Tipping my cap to Arden again, he gave me a copy of a certificate which provided me with some great information about Thomas, and by association, Annie. Apparently, prior to settling in Ontario, Thomas had served as a Fireman in Reserve Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia! The “Stationary Engineers Certificate of Fireman Province of Nova Scotia” was signed in Halifax, dated November 20, 1917. It states:

“having been examined under the provisions of Chapter 8 of the Acts of Nova Scotia 1908 and Acts in amendment thereof, is hereby granted a Certificate of Service as Fireman.”

Now, this is really interesting because it places Thomas and Annie in Nova Scotia after immigrating to Canada, whereas I had previously assumed they went straight to Ontario. Also, Annie’s brother, my 2^nd Great Grandfather, Sidney Adams was also in Reserve Mines in 1916! He was working there as a Miner and enlisted in the Military while working there. After he returned from war, he too, settled in Ontario! On top of that, we know that Annie and Sidney’s mother, Matilda, along with her second husband, Elkanah Sheppard, and their children from previous marriages, also moved to Ontario! The information from their Passenger List reveals they traveled from Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland to North Sydney, Nova Scotia before continuing on to Ontario. The record states they were bound for Toronto, however, future records reveal they settled in Welland as well!

When all is said and done, we know the following family members all relocated to Ontario from Newfoundland:

·        Matilda Jenkins (my 3^rd Great Grandmother), arrived in ON in 1918

·        Elkanah Sheppard (2^nd husband of Matilda Jenkins), arrived in ON in 1918

·        Anna May Adams (my 2^nd Great Aunt), arrived in ON bef. 1921

·        Thomas Pollard (husband of Anna May Adams), arrived in ON bef. 1921

·        Sidney Adams (my 2^nd Great Grandfather), arrived in ON by 1919

·        George Adams (my 2^nd Great Uncle – on Passenger List with his mom and step-father), arrived in ON in 1918

·        Martha Sheppard (daughter of Elkanah Sheppard), arrived in ON in 1918

I wanted to share that information to provide a deeper understanding of their family dynamics. I find the patterns of immigration, relocating, etc., very telling in how families end up in one place or another.

Now back to Annie and Thomas… Going back to the record of death for Thomas, where we discovered his year and place of birth as well as his parents’ names, we also discover the sad and tragic way in which he died. Thomas was working as a Bridgeman with the Canada Bridge Company. He died on September 7, 1929 in the County of Lincoln, Division of Grantham. It also states his length of residence there had been 1 month. His cause of death was a “fall from bridge”. The contributory factor in his death was a “Fracture of Skull”.  It also states the fall resulted in “immediate death”. Once again, Arden provided me with an incredible document, which I have included below, regarding Thomas’ death.

Source: Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

It is invaluable to have such specific details about this tragic event. I also feel this way about a newspaper clipping about Annie’s death, just over a year later, and a photo of Thomas and Annie’s gravestone, also given to me by Arden.

As if Thomas’ death wasn’t tragic enough, his wife, Annie, died just over one year later. On November 7, 1930 she died from Myocardial Failure. Annie and her children had been living with her mom and step-dad after Thomas’ death, and while still reeling from the death of their father, they also lose their mother. The newspaper article also states that she had been living in Ontario for 11 years, which now gives us a time for when Annie and Thomas moved from Nova Scotia to Ontario: 1919. The article also gives information confirming that they were still members of the Salvation Army.

Source: Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

Edward would have been 17 when his mom died. Matilda would have been 13. I wonder how these two young adults coped with such deep, consecutive losses, and I wonder where they ended up and how their lives turned out.

Interestingly, and still puzzling, Annie’s name in the article about her death is Mrs. Mary H. Pollard. On the Certificate of Registration of Death her name is listed as Hannah Mary Pollard. However, on her death registration her parents’ names and where they were born are given: Adam Adams, b. Newfoundland, and Matilda Jenkins, b “Mr. E. Sheppard, Address: 77 Garner Ave, Welland, Relation to Deceased: Father.” And going back to the newspaper article, it also states that she and her parents resided at 77 Garner Avenue, Welland.

One last piece of evidence for Thomas and Annie is their gravestone, which states:

“P

THOMAS W.

POLLARD

DIED SEPT. 7, 1929

IN HIS 35^TH YEAR

HIS WIFE

ANNA ADAMS

1892-1930”

So, even with the discrepancies, this is obviously the same person. This is a great example of using corroborating evidence to sort out confusing and conflicting information. Sometimes you need to look at many different sources to confirm a person’s identity. Thankfully, in this situation, and with much help from Arden Phair, I was able to sort it out quite easily. That is certainly not always the case!

Unil next time, happy hunting, fellow gene geeks!

SOURCES:

·        1921 Census of Canada, Welland, ON; Libraries and Archives Canada

·        Canada, WWI CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918, Library and Archives Canada

·        Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935, ancestry.com

·        Certificate of Fireman from Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

·        Document from Welland Ship Canal from Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

·        Marriage Certificate, provided by Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

·        Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1850-1949, FamilySearch

·        Newspaper Clipping form Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

·        Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1946, ancestry.com

·        Ontario, Canada, Marriages 1826-1936, ancestry.com

·        Photo of gravestone for Thomas Pollard and Anna Adams from Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

·        Register of Baptisms, Exploits-Dominion Point, 1879-1899, Newfoundland’s Grand Banks

Abraham (Adam) Adams (1854-1913)

***UPDATED***
Original post published on January 27, 2018, updated with corrections on May 29, 2018

My closest Adams ancestor is my biological maternal grandmother. I prefer not to share information about living relatives, and since I have already written previously about her father, Sidney Adams on this blog (please go to post dated November 11, 2016 for more information about him). I will jump ahead to his father, Abraham Adam Adams.

UPATED: I originally thought Abraham was born March 4, 1854 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, that his parents names were Abraham Adams (Laborer) and Drusilla Brace, and that he was baptized April 20, 1854 at the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland. I no longer believe this to be true, as I found an Abraham Adams and his family actually residing in St. John's (unlike my ancestor), and other documentation for that family also refers to Abraham Adams and Drusilla Brace. See post for May 2018 for more on this. 

He married Sidney’s mother, Matilda Jenkins on July 20, 1888 at Horse Islands, Newfoundland. According to their record of marriage he was a fisherman and they had four children: Thomas, Anna May, Sidney and George.

I found various names on the records, however, when comparing all of the pertinent information on each record it is clear they are the same person:

·        Name on marriage record: Adam Adams

·        Name on son, Thomas’ birth record: Adam Adams

·        Name on daughter, Anna May’s birth record: Adam Adams

·        Name on son, Sidney’s marriage record: Abraham Adams & Abram Adams

·        Name on daughter, Hannah Mary's (Anna May) death record: Adam Adams

In the Twillingate District records there was an Adam Adams, a fisherman, living in French Beach in 1894. In the McAlpine Directory for 1904 for the District of Twillingate there was an Adam Adams, a fisherman, living in Peter’s Arm.

We know in August 1891 his son, Thomas, was born in French Beach, and in 1893, his daughter, Anna May (Hannah Mary on her death record) was born in Peter’s Arm. Also, both Thomas and Anna May’s birth records confirm their father, Adam, was a fisherman. So, it seems likely that the Adam Adams in the directories is the correct one. The only question is why he would be going back and forth between French Beach and Peter’s Arm between 1891 and 1904. I asked this question on the Newfoundland’s Grand Banks Facebook page and from the replies I received it was common for men to travel for work.

My great grandfather, Sidney Adams, was born March 19, 1898 in Botwood, Green Bay, Newfoundland, according to his Attestation Paper dated December 28, 1916. At that time he was living at Reserve Mines, Sydney, Nova Scotia working as a Miner. His father isn’t listed on the Attestation Paper, and his mother had obviously remarried by this point, as her name is listed as Matilda Shepherd.

This made me wonder if Abraham/Adam Adams had died. I found a death record for an Adam Adams that died July 25, 1913 from pneumonia. It states he was 57 years old, died in Twillingate and was buried in Botwood. There was no information about his family, nor an informant. The attending physician was Dr. Smith and the attending clergyman was Ensg. Simmons. Another valuable piece of information was that his religious denomination was “S.A.” I assume that means Salvation Army. This lines up with information about his wife, Matilda. When she married her second husband, Elkanah Sheppard on January 10, 1914, it took place in Botwood, Newfoundland, their religious denomination is listed as “S.A.” and their Clergyman was also Ensign Simmons. With all the similarities I believe the death record is likely a correct match to our Adam Adams.

So, this month’s post is short and sweet. Mainly because I will be away for the next week and wanted to meet my deadline.

Until next time, happy hunting, fellow gene geeks!

SOURCES:

·        Canada, WWI CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918, ancestry.ca

·        Civil Marriage Register, Notre Dame Bay, Pt 3, 1912-1916, nl.canadaweb.org

·        Civil Register of Multidenominational Births for Persons of Notre Dame (1891-), Part-1A, ngb.chebucto.org

·        Marriage Certificate, provided by Arden Phair, Volunteer, Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

·        Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1757-1901, ancestry.ca

·        Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1850-1949, ancestry.ca

·        Newfoundland’s Grand Banks Facebook Group

·        Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1946, ancestry.ca

·        Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1936, ancestry.ca

·        Register of Baptisms, Exploits—Dominion Point, 1879-1899, ngb.chebucto.org

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 11^th 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 25^th 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

Fishing For Even More Fishers In Colonial America ~ Anthony Fisher II

This month I am continuing on with the Fisher family. Last month I focused on Anthony Fisher Jr. Today, I am writing about his father, Anthony Fisher Sr.

There are five separate entries for Anthony Fisher in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s on ancestry.ca. I’ve broken each one down by original source below:

1.     Emigrants: Anthony and Joshua Fisher, arrived in Dedham, Massachusetts from Syleham, Suffolk, England. Source: BANKS, CHARLES EDWARD. Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650.

2.     Primary Immigrant: Anthony Fisher, arrived in Massachusetts in 1637. Source: COLKET, MEREDITH B., JR. Founders of Early American Families: Emigrants from Europe, 1607-1657.

3.     Primary Immigrant: Anthony Fisher, arrived in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1637. Source: HOLMES, FRANK R., COMPILER. Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families, 1620-1700.

4.     Primary Immigrant: Lydia Fisher, Name: Anthony Fisher, arrived in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1637, Family Members: Daughter Lydia; Wife Mary. SOURCE: KING, CAROL TYLER. Our Second Boat Ship List. In Second Boat (Downeast Ancestry, Machias. ME), vol. 16:4.

5.     Primary Immigrant: Anthony Fisher, arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1637. Source: VIRKUS, FREDERICK A., editor. Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America before 1750.

I then searched each book online to see if I could find more information. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to read the full text for all the sources. For source #2 I was able to view a snippet window when I searched it on Google Books and it stated:

“ FISHER Fisher genealogy (Thomas only mentioned) 1898

ANTHONY Probably came on “Rose” 1637 Dedham (Mass.) d. Dor-

chester 18 Apr 1671. Deputy. Brother of Joshua. Cranberry 1964.

JOSHUA Dedham (Mass.) 1640, Medfield 1650, d. Medfield 9 Nov 16(illegible)4.”

I was able to read the full text for source #3 on archive.org:

“FISHER       ANTHONY, son of Anthony of Syleham, Suffolk, Eng.,

was baptized at that place 1591, settled at Dedham, Mass., 1637.

ANTHONY was a freeman at Dorchester, Mass., 1645…

JOSHUA, brother of the first Anthony, came to N.E.,

1640, settled at Dedham, Mass., afterwards at Medfield, Mass.”

I also found the following information from other sources:

1.     Marriage: Anthony Fisher, b. 1591, d. 1671, m. Mary unknown, 1620, in England. Source: U.S., N.E. Marriages Prior to 1700, ancestry.ca.

2.     Anthony Fisher, d. 18 Apr 1671, Dorchester, Mass. Source: Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, ancestry.ca.

3.     Anthony Fisher, bp. 23 Apr 1591, Syleham, England, d. 18 Apr 1671, America, m. England; wife: Mary; parents: Anthony Fisher and Mary Ffiske. Source: North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, ancestry.ca.

4.     Anthony Fisher, bp. 23 Apr 1591, Syleham, Suffolk, England, d. 18 Apr 1671, Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Source: Millenium File, ancestry.ca.

5.     Anthony Fisher, b. 23 Apr 1591, Syleham, Mid Suffolk District, Suffolk, England, d. 18 Apr 1671, Dorchester, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts. Source: U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, ancestry.ca.

6.     “Anthony Fisher/Fischer…Yr. 1671, case: Administration, No. {mis’l docket”, Source: Suffolk Co, MA: Index to Probate Records, 1636-1893, p396, americanancestors.org

Compiling the above findings, it reads:

Anthony Fisher was baptized on April 23, 1591 in Syleham, Suffolk County, England. He married Mary in 1620 in England. He immigrated to Massachusetts, probably on board the ship Rose in 1637, arriving at Boston and settling in Dedham. Anthony had a brother, Joshua, who also immigrated to New England in 1640, first settling in Dedham, Massachusetts, then removing to Medfield, Massachusetts.

Anthony was a freeman at Dorchester, Suffolk, County, Massachusetts in 1645. Unlike Plymouth County, Massachusetts Bay Colony required a man to be a member of the Church to be a freeman. Therefore, we also know that Anthony Fisher was a member of the Church.

Anthony died in Dorchester on April 18, 1671.

Although I could only access the index for Anthony’s probate record, in the Early New England Families Study Project it states that the surviving children of “late Anthony Fisher Sen” of Dorchester divided his estate among them on July 25, 1671. It was signed by Daniel Fisher, Nath Fisher, Cornelius Fisher, Daniel Morse and Joanna Fisher. Daniel Morse was the husband of Anthony’s daughter, Lydia, and Joanna, I am assuming, is the widow of Anthony Jr, since he had died prior to his father. However, it also states in this document that Anthony and “Alice (-----) Fisher” came with three of their children to New England in 1637, settling in Dedham. I then found another record, the U.S. New England Marriages Prior to 1700, which also has Alice as Anthony’s wife: “Alice _____, 1/wf (c1594-1662/3); m. c1614 Syleham, Suffolk.” So, which one is correct?

According to the The Fisher Genealogy: A Record of the Descendants of Joshua, Anthony, and Cornelius Fisher, of Dedham, Mass., 1630-1640, Anthony was the son of Anthony of Syleham, Suffolk County, England, and he was baptized on April 23, 1591. It states he and his first wife, Mary, along with their children emigrated to New England from Yarmouth on board the ship Rose, arriving at Boston on June 26, 1637, and settling in Dedham. It tells us that his wife, Mary, joined the Dedham Church on March 27, 1642, but that he was not allowed to join the church until March 14, 1645 because of “his proud and haughty spirit”.

This information lines up with a record I found on americanancestors.org and mentioned in last month’s post: “Md Anthony Fisher mentioned in ye beginning after many offences given in his conv’rsation & much means used to convince & reduce him into order, at last after god much humbled him & brought him to a  penitent co’fession therof he was co’fortably received into ye church 14d m 1645.”

The bottom line is, I have no clue which is correct, but I sure am glad I had a chance to share that church record again! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for those meetings! It seems more likely to me, based on the information I have found so far, that Mary is the wife of Anthony Fisher. With that said, unless I find information that clearly confirms it was one or the other with solid facts, it’s one of those awesome loose ends that you have to get used in genealogy!

One thing I do know for sure is that Anthony remarried in 1663 to Isabel Breck at Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. According to the New England Marriages Prior to 1700 Isabel was first married to John Rigby, then Edward Breck, prior to marrying Anthony. From the records I could find it seems that Anthony lived the remainder of his days with Isabel in Dorchester, where he was buried. She died June 21, 1673, outliving all three of her husbands.

Now, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, there is one more Anthony Fisher to discuss. We’ve talked about Anthony III and Anthony II. So, perhaps that will be next months topic… or not. Just to keep you on your toes. 😉

Until next time, happy hunting, fellow gene geeks!

SOURCES:

·        American Marriages Before 1699, ancestry.ca

·        Dedham Church Records, MA Vital Records, 1620-1850, americanancestors.org

·        Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England, p. lxxxiii

·        Early New England Families Study Project, Daniel Morse, 1610-1688, Vol. 1, americanancestors.org

·        Massachusetts: Town & Vital Records, 1620-1988, ancestry.ca

·        Millenium File, ancestry.ca

·        North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, ancestry.ca

·        Suffolk County, Massachusetts: Index to Probate Records, 1636-1893, americanancestors.org

·        The Compendium of American Genealogy

·        The Fisher Genealogy: A Record of the Descendants of Joshua, Anthony, and Cornelius Fisher, of Dedham, Mass., 1630-1640, by Philip A Fisher

·        The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011, Vol. 151

·        U.S. & Canada, Passenger Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, ancestry.ca

·        U.S. & International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, ancestry.ca

·        U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, ancestry.ca

·        U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, ancestry.ca

Fishing For More Fishers In Colonial America ~ Anthony Fisher Jr.

Today I’m going to talk about my 10^th great grandfather, Anthony Fisher III. He is the father of Eleazer Fisher, who I wrote about last month. I have found A LOT of information for Anthony, which is amazing, however, there is conflicting information, some of which I couldn’t find sources for. I ended up confused and overwhelmed sifting through it all. So, I decided to take a step back, take a deep breath, and keep it simple. I put aside the plethora of information from papers, books, etc., that people had written and instead just focused on information from records that I could find.

According to the record of birth for Eleazer, he was born in 1669 in Dedham, Massachusetts, and his parents names were Anthony and Johanna Fisher. Therefore, we know the Fisher family was in Massachusetts by 1669, and we know we are looking for an Anthony and Johanna Fisher.

I started with The Record Of Births, Marriages And Deaths, And Intentions Of Marriage, In The Town Of Dedham, Volume One in search of records for births of their children.

BIRTHS:

·        1648: “1648…Mehitabell, the Daughter of Anthony & Jon Fisher, was borne    the 27 of ye 4 mo.” (p.4)

·        1654: “Josiah, Son of Anthony & Joan Fisher, born May 1: 1654.” (p.7)

·        1658: “1658…Sarah, the Daughter of Anthony & Jane Fisher, was borne 27: 8 mo., 1658.” (p.7)

·        1669: “Eliezer, Son of Anthony & Johanna Fisher, was borne 18^th Sept., 1669.” (p.11)

I then moved on to marriage records and found the following possible matches.

MARRIAGES:

·        1677: “1677…John Guild & Sarah Fisher married the 22d 3m.” (p.17)

·        1679: “James Fales and Deborath Fisher marryed the 20: 8: 1679.” (p.17)

·        1679: “Josiath Fisher and Meletiah Bulling marryed 27^th: 11: 1679.” (p.17)

·        1685: “Benjamin Coalburne & Abia Fisher was marryed March 5.” (p.20)

*There was no year for Benjamin and Abia’s marriage, however, the ones above this entry were for 1685.

I then moved on to death records and found a match for one of them.

DEATH:

·        1688: “Abia Coalburne deceased Nouemb. 18.” (p.21) Sadly, this means they would have been married less than four years when Abiah died.

I felt I was getting too far ahead for the generation I was searching for, and was about to stop when I came across a record of birth that stood out me because it was for a daughter of Josiah Fisher, named Johanah (b. 1686). Could this be our Josiah, and his daughter is named after his mother? This caused me to search some more and I found a few records.

BIRTHS:

·        1681: “Bethia, daughter of Josiah & Melitiah Fisher, was borne 10: 10: 81.” (p.18)

·        1683: “Josiah, the son of Josiah & Militia Fisher, was borne the 25: 9: 83. (p.18)

·        1686: “Johanah, ye daughter of Josiah & Mehetabell Fisher, was borne September 3, 1686. (p.22)

MARRIAGE:

·        1693: “Josiah Fisher & Joanna Morse, was married September 1, 1693.” (p.24)

The marriage record for Josiah and Joanna prompted me to look for a death record for Melitiah, which I found in the 1693 death records:

DEATH:

·        1693: “Milatiah Fisher, deceased April 23, 93.” (.p.25)

After spending hours going over the records for the time frame in question in this source, I decided it was time to look for records elsewhere. My go-to source for all things New England is, of course, the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s website, americanancestors.org. It did not disappoint!

At the top of the list for things I was hoping to find were birth records for Abia and Deborah, and I found both, as well as another child, in the Dedham Church Records.

BIRTHS:

·        1656: “Abiah ye daughter of Anthony Fisher jun. was also baptised ye same day” (record from above had the date 3d 6m 1656)

·        1660: “THE FIRST CHURCH… Deborah daughter of our br: Antony Fisher juni was baptised 24d 12m 1660.”

·        1663: “Judith ye daughter of Brother Anthony Fisher Jun: was baptised 5day 5m 63.”

I also found a marriage record for Anthony and Johanna.

MARRIAGES:

·        1647: Anthony Fisher & Johana Faxin, was married the 7 of mo.”

Then I found two church records, both for the name Anthony Fisher.

RECEIVED INTO THE CHURCH:

·        1645: “Md Anthony Fisher mentioned in ye beginning after many offences given in his conv’rsation & much means used to convince & reduce him into order at last after god much humbled him & brought him to a penitent co’fession therof he was co’fortably received into ye church 14d 1m 1645.”

·        1645: “THE FIRST CHURCH… Anthony Fisher jun. received into ye church 20d 5m 1645.”

As you can imagine, I am loving that first record! And of course, I wish I had his account of what went on! The dates are so close, it could refer to the same person, I suppose. However, I suspect that the first record is in reference to someone else, who I suspect may be Anthony Fisher Sr.

I also found two death records that are possible matches for Anthony and Johannah Fisher.

DEATHS:

·        1669: “Anthony Fisher, deceased 13^th Febr., 1669.”

·        1694: “Joannah Fisher deceased October 16, 1694.”

I also did a search on ancestry.ca and found a great record, although it is handwritten and it will take me some time to decipher what it says, however, what I can see is quite telling.

Yep, that’s all I got so far. Still, it’s pretty good. I’m pretty sure the rest of it is describing the piece of land.

Here is a time line of the information I found possibly relating to Anthony Fisher and his family:

·        1645: Md Anthony Fisher received into the church, Dedham, MA

·        1645: Anthony Fisher Jr. received into the church, Dedham, MA (May 20^th)

·        1647: Anthony Fisher and Johana Faxin/Faxon were married (July)

·        1648: Daughter, Mehitabell, was born (Apr 27^th)

·        1654: Son, Josiah, was born (May 1^st)

·        1656: Daughter, Abiah, was baptised (June 3^rd)

·        1658: Daughter, Sarah, was born (Aug 27^th)

·        1660: Daughter, Debora, was baptised (Dec 24^th)

·        1663: Daughter, Judith, was baptised (May 5^th)

·        1669: Anthony Fisher died (Feb 13^th)

·        1669: Son, Eliezer, was borne (Sept 18^th)

·        1677: Daughter, Sarah, m. John Guild (Mar 22^nd)

·        1679: Daughter, Deborah, m. James Fales (Aug 20^th)

·        1679: Son, Josiah, m. Meletiah Bulling (Nov 27^th), had ch. Bethia (1681), Josiah (1683) & Johanah (1686), wife, Milatiah, died (1693)

·        1685: Daughter, Abiah, m. Benjamin Coalburne (Mar 5^th)

·        1688: Daughter, Abiah, died (Nov 18^th)

·        1693: Son, Josiah, m. Joanna Morse (Sept 1^st)

·        1694: Joannah Fishar died (Oct 16^th)

·        1698: Son, Eleazer, m. Mary Lane Avery (Oct 13^th)

·        1722: Son, Eleazer, died (Feb 6^th)

By no means is this a completed project for me. I have a few documents regarding land grants that I am trying to decipher the handwriting on, plus I hope to continue to discover more records pertaining to Anthony Fisher Jr and his immediate family. I also intend to share findings relating to Anthony Fisher Sr in a future post.

Until next time, happy hunting, fellow gene geeks!

SOURCES:

·        Dedham Church Records, MA Vital Records, 1620-1850, americanancestors.org

·        The New England England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1847-2011, ancestry.ca

·        The Record Of Births, Marriages And Deaths, And Intentions Of Marriage, In The Town Of Dedham, Volumes 1 & 2. (1635-1845), Edited by Don Gleason Hill, Town Clerk, Dedham, Mass., 1886.