Meet the Family!
The Fisher Fallacies
Just because something is in print or on the web or
on a CD doesn't make it true.
The genealogy of Anthony Fisher and his descendants is a good case study
of the way in which information can be misinterpreted, incorrectly copied and
even creatively embellished to produce a plethora of contradictory, inaccurate
and confusing versions of the same basic facts.
Anthony Fisher was one of the earliest settlers in North America, and as
a result, many Americans can trace their family tree back to him. The
rapid growth in the use of personal computers and the web as tools for
genealogical research has enabled many hundreds of Fisher descendants to trace
their lineage back to Anthony Fisher.
Unfortunately, many of the most commonly-used sources of genealogical data
contain information that is inconsistent, ambiguous or just plain wrong.
Some common errors include
- Misunderstanding the geography of England, so that towns and villages are
placed in counties hundreds of miles from their true locations, and county
names are confused with the names of towns.
- Attempting to "correct" dates taken from original records prior
to September 1752, in an effort to force them to fit the modern calendar.
This often leads to several versions of the baptismal record for the same
individual, with dates that differ by 11 days or 22 days or a single year or
a year plus 11 days.
- Confusion between two people of the same name living in the same (or a
neighbouring) village. These are often cousins who were named after a shared
grandparent, or given a name that was popular within that family.
- Confusion caused by different spellings of the same name, which was very
common even as late as the early 19th century.
- Assuming that a connection exists between two people, when there is no
documentary evidence to support it. This sometimes happens when a researcher
wishes to establish a link to a notable person.
At Obliquity, we are fortunate to have direct
access to the English county record offices which house the primary sources
of genealogical information for that period: the parish records of births,
marriages and deaths.
Our information on the Fisher family is taken from these primary
sources and is as accurate as we can make it, taking into account the
difficulties of translating the fading and often illegible handwriting in
centuries-old parish record books.
Of course, it would be unwise for us to claim that we're infallible!
If you believe that we have made a mistake here (or have missed out some
other glaring errors), then please
let us know. We look
forward to hearing from you.
The Players
- William Fisher, senior
Buried 4 July 1591 in South Elmham St. James, Suffolk
Married 15 October 1551 in Stradbroke, Suffolk, to Margaret Bert
- Jone Fisher
Baptised 15 September 1553 in Stradbroke, Suffolk
- William Fisher, junior
Baptised 20 July 1556 in Syleham, Suffolk
Married 9 October 1587 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, to Anne Aldous
- Agnes Fisher
Baptised 1 February 1558/59 in Stradbroke, Suffolk
Buried 4 January 1562/63 in Stradbroke, Suffolk
- Anthony Fisher, senior
Baptised 1 February 1558/59 in Stradbroke, Suffolk
Buried 11 April 1640 in Syleham, Suffolk
Married 16 October 1586 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, to Mary Fiske
- Joshua Fisher
Baptised 24 March 1587/88 in Fressingfield, Suffolk
Died 18 October 1674 in Medfield, Massachusetts Colony
Married to Elizabeth and then to Anne Orsor
- Mary Fisher
Baptised 28 November 1589 in Syleham, Suffolk
Married 25 April 1626 in Dennington, Suffolk, to Roger Briggs
- Anthony Fisher, junior
Baptised 23 April 1591 in Syleham, Suffolk
Died 18 April 1671 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Colony
Married to Alice (in England) and then to Isabel (in Massachusetts)
The following children were born to Anthony and Alice in England:
- John Fisher
Baptised 16 June 1616 in Syleham, Suffolk
Died 15 July 1637 in Dedham, Massachusetts Colony
- Daniel Fisher
Baptised 4 June 1618 in Syleham, Suffolk
Died 8 October 1683 in Dedham, Massachusetts Colony
- Lydia Fisher
Baptised 4 March 1620/1 in Syleham, Suffolk
- Leah Fisher
Baptised 27 January 1621/2 in Syleham, Suffolk
- Anthony Fisher
Baptised 7 August 1623 in Syleham, Suffolk
Died 13 February 1669/70 in Dedham, Massachusetts Colony
- Nathaniel Fisher
Baptised 22 October 1626 in Denton, Norfolk
Died 23 May 1676 in Dedham, Massachusetts Colony
- Cornelius Fisher
Baptised 16 August 1629 in Denton, Norfolk
Died 2 January 1699/1700 in Wrentham, Massachusetts Colony
- Amos Fisher
Baptised 26 April 1594 in Fressingfield, Suffolk
Married 24 September 1633 in Syleham, Suffolk, to Anne Norris
- Martha Fisher
Baptised 15 January 1595/96 in Fressingfield, Suffolk
Buried 31 March 1659 in Syleham, Suffolk
Married (1637 in Ipswich, Suffolk?) to John Buckenham
- John Fisher
Baptised 15 September 1597 in Syleham, Suffolk
Buried 4 September 1636 in Syleham, Suffolk
Married to Mary
- Cornelius Fisher
Baptised 19 August 1599 in Syleham, Suffolk
Died 1641 in East Bergholt, Suffolk
Married 22 September 1630 in Norwich, Norfolk, to Elizabeth Thaxter
- Hester Fisher
Buried 6 February 1607/08 in Syleham, Suffolk
- Jane Fisher
Baptised 15 December 1560 in Stradbroke, Suffolk
The People
- Agnes Fisher
- She is often omitted from the Fisher genealogy, probably because she died at a
young age, but she does appear in the baptismal and burial records of Stradbroke as
a sister of Anthony Fisher, senior.
- Alice versus Mary Bockenham/Buckenham/Buckingham
- What was the name of Anthony Fisher, junior's wife? Mary is usually
quoted. However, her name appears as Alice in the baptismal records of her
youngest two children, Nathaniel and Cornelius, and in the Dedham burial
records (spelled "Ellice"). Perhaps the surname of Buckenham
(in various spellings) has been confused with the married name of her
sister-in-law, Martha Buckenham nee Fisher.
- Which Anthony Fisher?
- Occasionally there is confusion over whose children are whose.
The families of Anthony Fisher, senior, and his son Anthony Fisher, junior,
are sometimes lumped together in one large family.
- Hester Fisher
- She is often omitted from the Fisher genealogy but she does appear
in the 1607/8 burial records of Syleham as a daughter of Anthony Fisher.
- The "twins" Joshua and Mary Fisher
- This error can be traced back to the book The Fisher Genealogy:
Record of the Descendants of Joshua, Anthony and Cornelius Fisher, of Dedham,
Mass., 1636–1640 by Philip A. Fisher. In his book, Fisher claims that
the 1585 Syleham parish records contain the entry
- Joshua Fysher et Maria Fysher, Gemini, baptisadi fuer 24th die Februarii ano super dicto
This is incorrect. That particular entry actually reads
- Joh[n]es Foster et Gracia Foster gemelli baptizati fuere 24te die februarij an(n)o p(re)dicto [1585]
which obviously has nothing to do with the Fisher family. Joshua Fisher
and his sister Mary were baptised two years apart in two different
parishes.
- Leah Fisher
- She is often omitted from the Fisher genealogy but she does appear
in the baptismal records of Syleham as a daughter of Anthony
Fisher, junior.
- Lord of the Manor of Syleham
- Some sources give one of the Anthony Fishers as "Lord of the Manor of
Syleham." There were, in fact, three manors associated with Syleham.
The Manor of Syleham Comitis has existed since Saxon times and the
Manor of Esham dates back to at least 1285. The third manor,
which no longer exists, was variously called the Manor of Syleham,
Monk's Hall, Tylney's Hall, or Syleham Hall.
Monk's Hall is now a private home and we were very privileged to be
invited inside by the owners when we visited Syleham in early 1997.
There is absolutely no evidence, however, that Anthony Fisher or any other
member of the Fisher family was lord of any of these manors. Is this an
example of delusions of grandeur by an ever-hopeful descendent?
- Various spellings
- Bridges versus Brigges versus Briggs.
Bockenham versus Buckenham versus Buckingham.
Marie versus Mary.
The Places
- Custrichhall, Weeley, Essex
- This location (in various spellings) often appears as the birth or
baptismal place of various members of the Fisher clan, all because Amos
Fisher lived here after his marriage in 1633.
- East Bergholt, Suffolk
- The same problem arises with East Bergholt. Cornelius Fisher, the
brother of the aforesaid Amos, worked as a clerk (clergyman) here until
his death in 1641.
- Syleham, Weymouth, Suffolk
Syleham, Suffolk, Kent
Weymouth, Suffolk
- These particular combinations of place names are often found in
various sources on the web and elsewhere. Here is a small lesson in
English geography:
- Syleham is a village in Suffolk.
- Suffolk is a county in the east of England.
- Weymouth is a town in Dorset.
- Dorset is a county in the southwest of England.
- Kent is a county in the southeast of England.
The proper combination is Syleham, Suffolk, England. In his book
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs (Lewis Historical Publishing
Company, New York, 1908), William Richard Cutter states that Anthony Fisher
(1591–1671) is the immigrant son of Anthony and Mary Anne (Fiske)
Fisher, of Weymouth, in the parish of Syleham, Suffolk, England. Perhaps
Weymouth has been confused with the East Anglian port town of
Yarmouth (now called Great Yarmouth) from which it is
thought that Anthony Fisher, junior, departed England. Or perhaps, as has
been suggested by Mr Geoff Fisk, that Cutter meant Weybread, a
small Suffolk village just three miles northeast of Syleham. Where
Kent comes in is anybody's guess. Perhaps another unrelated
Fisher family originated in Kent.
- Pre-1637 events in Massachusetts
- The Anthony Fisher, junior, family did not arrive in America until
1637 so none of the children (John, Daniel, Lydia, Leah, Anthony, Nathaniel,
Cornelius) could have been born there.
- Various spellings
- Custrichhall versus Custrich Hall versus Custridge Hall.
Weeley versus Wesley.
Our Sources
Primary
- Parish records
- Heigham by Norwich parish records NRO MF/PR 4
- St. Michael at Thorn (Norwich) archdeacon's transcripts NRO MF/RO 159/3
- Thorpe Abbotts parish records NRO PD 277/1-2
- Probated wills in Norfolk NRO MF 68 - Andrewes (152)
- Probated wills in Norfolk NRO MF 410 - Spendlove (277)
Secondary
- William Richard Cutter, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1908
- John Venn, J.A. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigiensis: Part I. From the Earliest Times to 1751, Volume II: Dabbs–Juxton, Cambridge University Press, 1922
- Charles Henry Pope, The Pioneers of Massachusetts, Charles Henry Pope, Boston, Massachusetts, 1900
- Robert Brand Hanson, Vital Records of Dedham, Massachusetts 1635–1845, Picton Press, Camden, Maine, 1997
- Robert Brand Hanson, Vital Records of Needham, Massachusetts 1711–1845, Picton Press, Camden, Maine, 1997
- W.A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, The Hundreds of Hoxne, Lockford, and Loes, Volume 4, Taylor, Garnett, Evans, & Co., Ltd., Manchester, 1909
- Philip A. Fisher, The Fisher Genealogy: Record of the Descendants of Joshua, Anthony and Cornelius Fisher, of Dedham, Mass., 1636–1640, Massachusetts Publishing Company, Everett, Massachusetts, 1898
[Meet the Family!]
[Mentioned in Passing]
[Rogues' Gallery — Syleham]
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