Nelson FISHER

NELSON FISHER was born in Pompey, Onondaga county, New York, October 30th, 1809. His father, Joel Fisher was born near Boston, Massachusetts, May 20th, 1780 where he lived until he was about twenty years old, when he went to Onondaga county, purchased a new farm, and lived there until 1826. He then sold out, and moved into Chautauqua county, and purchased a farm in Harmony, where he lived until his death, which occurred October 8th, 1850.

January 30th, 1803, he married Miss Charlotte Rancheon, of Pompey, Onondaga county, New York, by whom he had seven children, Nelson being the third son and fourth child. Mrs. Charlotte Fisher was born in Connecticut, November 16th, 1775. Her father died when she was very young, and she, with her mother, moved to Onondaga county, New York. She died in Harmony, New York, November 1st, 1838.

Nelson Fisher was brought up a farmer, and was educated in a log school house. He lived with his parents until he was twenty years old. He worked by the month and cleared land, until 1826, when his father gave him, a piece of land which he cleared and built a house upon, where he lived until 1836, when he sold his 'improvements' to his father. That summer he came to Michigan to locate land. He came to Toledo by boat, and from there he walked to Adrian. After looking around a short time, he decided to move his family here, and returned that fall. January 31st, 1837, he started from Harmony with a yoke of four year old oxen that he had raised, and an old fashioned sleigh upon which he loaded his household goods, wife, and two children, and after twenty-one days constant travel, arrived at the house of his father-in-law, Jonathan Spaulding, in Palmyra, this county, about four and a half miles south-east of Adrian. In March following, he entered one hundred and twenty acres of land in Florence, Williams county, Ohio, and built a log shanty, but never moved his family there. In the fall of 1838 he traded with Rufus Rathbun, for the farm he now resides on, it being the w 1⁄2 of the n. w. 1⁄4 of sec. 30, in Palmyra. Since that time he has added to this until he now he has four hundred and forty-three acres. He has erected a large brick house, one frame house, and four barns, and has improved and under cultivation, one hundred and seventy acres, but the entire tract is fenced, and largely used for grazing purposes.

May 2d, 1830, he married Miss Eliza A. Spaulding, daughter of Jonathan and Susana Spaulding, then of Harmony, New York, but, afterwards pioneers of Lenawee county, by whom he has had five children, as follows Caroline B., born in Harmony, New York, February 12th, 1832, widow of Osman Sizer, of Adrian, who died July 28th, 1875; Willet R., born in Harmony, New York, March 6th, 1834, a farmer and works the home farm in connection with his father. Three children died in infancy. Mrs. Eliza A. Fisher was born in Hoosac, Rensselaer county, New York, February 12th, 1811. Her father was born in Rensselaer county, New York, January 21st. 1779, and died in Palmyra, this county, August 28th, 1838. Her mother was in Rhode Island, October 8th, 1783, and died in Brady county, Michigan, September 4th, 1858. May 8th, 1862 Willet R. Fisher married Miss Mary L. Hopkins, daughter of Samuel and Susana Hopkins, of Ogden, this county, by whom he has six children, as follows: Clara E., born June 20th, 1863; Nelson E., born February 3d, 1865; George H., born December 8th, 1866; Ernest S., born March 11th, 1870; Carrie born September 7th, 1874, died January 14th, 1877; Elroy 18th, 1877. All of the children were born in Palmyra. Mrs. Mary L. Fisher was born in Alleghany county, Maryland, May 16th, 1839, and came to Michigan with her parents, in 1855, and is the oldest of eleven children, all of whom are living.