Biography of George Wallace Fisher

George Wallace Fisher, a well-known farmer in Boscawen, N.H., was born June 26, 1837, in New London, this State. His father, Levi Fisher, was a native of Francestown, N.H.; and his mother, Fannie Wilkins Fisher, was born June 12, 1808, in Merrimack.

Mr. Fisher’s ancestors can be traced back nine generations, as follows: Anthony Fisher first, who is said to have lived at Wignotte, in Syleham Parish, England, married Mary Fiske, daughter of William and Anne Fiske, of St. James, South Elmsham, County Suffolk. He doubtless died at Syleham, as he was buried there April 11, 1640. Anthony second, the third child of Anthony first and Mary, and one of a family of six children, was baptized at Syleham, County Suffolk, England, April 23, 1591. He came to New England with his wife Mary and his children in the ship “Rose,” June 26, 1637, and settled at Dorchester, Mass. He was made a freeman, May, 1645. His first wife died, doubtless in Dorchester; and he married, in 1663, Isabel, widow of Edward Breck. He held the office of Selectman in Dorchester. On May 5, 1662, he was allowed by the town four pounds for killing six wolves. He died intestate, April 18, 1671, in his eightieth year. Anthony third, his eldest son, settled in Dedham in 1637. He married September 7, 1647, Joanna, only daughter of Thomas and Joan Faxon, of Braintree. He removed from Dedham to Dorchester, where he died February 13, 1670. His widow died October 16, 1694. Their youngest son, Eleazer, the fourth in line, born at Dedham, September 18, 1669, died there February 6, 1722. He married October 13, 1698, Mary, daughter of William and Mary (Lane) Avery. She was born August 21, 1674, and died at Stougbton, March 25, 1749.

Their son David was born in Dedham, June 21, 1705. The spot where David’s house stood in South Dedham is even now well known. He married first Deborah Boyden, second Elizabeth Talbot. The former died in July, 1770, aged fifty-nine years. David Fisher, first, died July 30, 1779. His children, all by his first wife, were: David, second, born January 22, 1733; Thomas; Jacob; Deborah; Hannah; Nathan; Oliver; Abigail; Mary; and Abner, the youngest, born June 20, 1755.

David second, eldest son of David and Deborah Fisher, and the sixth in the ancestral line, married Abigail Lewis, September 21, 1758, and settled on Morse Hill in Sharon (then Stoughtonham ), Mass., where David third, who represents the seventh generation, was born June 26, 1759. He married Mehitable Hewins, born in Sharon, February 20, 1762.

David Fisher third, with other settlers from Dedham and Sharon, removed to Francestown about the year 1780, and cleared the farm known as the Jones Whitfield place, on the north-eastern slope of Oak Hill. Here be reared a family of thirteen children. He was large and athletic, his common weight, when in the prime and vigor of life, being two hundred and fifty pounds. He was known in Dedham and Francestown as “King David .” He entered the Revolutionary army when sixteen years of age. He died in Francestown, November 8, 1829; his wife, Mehitable, died in the same town, May 4, 1849. Their children, who were of the eighth generation, and all save one born in Francestown, were: Mehitable, born February 18, 1782, married Ebenezer Burtt, of Hancock, and died in Francestown, September 17, 1854; David, born December 15, 1783, married Nancy Chandler, of Canton, Mass., and died in Charlotte, Me., March 11, 1842; Ebenezer, born August 11, 1785, married Sarah Johnson, of Sharon, Mass., went to Charlotte, Me., where he was a prosperous farmer and held various official positions, besides representing the town in the legislature, and died at Charlotte, February 4, 1850; Juel, born July 16, 1787, married Anna Gage, of Merrimack, died in Bedford, August 23, 1834; Susannah, born in Sharon, November 5, 1790, married Asa Howe, of Merrimack, died in Cooper, Me., February 26, 1860; Increase, born July 17, 1792, married Eunice Johnson, of Sharon, died in Charlotte, May 11, 1866; Enoch H., born March 16, 1794, married Roxana Lakin, of Francestown, died December 17, 1882, at Charlotte, Me.; Benjamin, born February 22, 1796, married Mary Starboard, of Portland, Me., died in Francestown, March 13, 1848; Asa, born October 1, 1798, married Mary Gage, of Merrimack, died in Sutton, February 28, 1846; Nancy, born October 10, 1800, married Walter Chadwick, of Sutton, died in Francestown, February 28, 1841; Levi (father of George W. Fisher ), born March 14, 1803, married Fanny Wilkins, daughter of Alexander Wilkins, of Merrimack, was a farmer, and resided at Merrimack, where he died November 29, 1880; Mary, born April 17, 1805, married Jefferson Jones, of New Boston, also William Lovejoy, of Amherst, died in Goffstown, March 24, 1882; and Thomas, born May 12, 1808, married Lydia Hanson, of Weare, was a cabinet-maker, resided in Weare, N.H., where he died December 18, 1834.

Levi Fisher was a farmer. He removed from New London to Merrimack when his son, George W., was five years old; and he died there, November 29, 1880. His wife survives him, and lives with her son, Levi W., in Merrimack. Their children were five in number, as follows: Levi W., Sarah W., George W., Anna L., and Cynthia M. The first of these, Levi W., was born September 19, 1829. He married Lucy A. Freeman, who died January 26, 1875. He then married Frances E. Bowen. There was one child by the first marriage, Maria L., now the wife of Frank P. McAfee, of Nashua. By the second marriage there were three children: Fannie W., Ella Grace, and Edwin Milo, the first born March 9, 1884, the second March 3, 1886, and the third September 20, 1889; all are living at home. Levi Fisher’s second child, Sarah W., was born February 6, 1832, and married Chester Bullard, of Nashua. Both are now deceased, he having died November 12, 1884, and she January 3, 1896. They had no children. Anna L. was born March 4, 1840, and married Hazen G. Dodge, a larmer of Merrimack, born August 24, 1837. They reside there, and have one child-Elwin H., a machinist in Nashua, born December 4, 1867. Cynthia M. was born January 14, 1843, and became the wife of Edwin M. Shepherd, a watch-maker and jeweller of Malden, Mass., where they reside. They have two children: Grace Emery, wife of Charles Bennett, of Malden; and Florence, a teacher in Chelsea, Mass.

George W., the direct subject of the present sketch, remained at home with his parents Nashua, where he engaged in the sash, door, and blind business for five years. On October 7, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Seventh New Hampshire Volunteers, under Colonel Putnam and Captain Joseph Freschl. He was in engagements in South Carolina and Florida. On account of poor health he was discharged at Portsmouth Grove, R.I., October 29, 1863, and returned to Merrimack. He remained there till spring, then went to Manchester, N.H., and again entered into the sash and blind business. He also did carpentering, and continued thus engaged for eight years. In 1872 he came to Boscawen, and engaged in carpentering for his father-in-law, making no change until 1876, when he bought his present farm. He has carried on general farming here ever since. He owns two hundred and thirty acres, has made various improvements on his property, keeps three horses and ten cows, and does quite a dairy business, shipping milk to Boston.

Mr. Fisher was a charter member of Ezekiel Webster Grange at Boscawen, has been Master three years, and has held other offices in the grange for nine years. He is connected with the G. A. R., having been a member of a post in Manchester, and being now a member of W. I. Brown Post at Penacook, N.H. Since July, 1868, he has belonged to Hillsborough Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., of Manchester, of which he was at one time Chaplain. He has been Justice of the Peace for the past nineteen years, and for four years a member of the Board of Selectmen, being at present Chairman; and has been six years a member of the School Board and Chairman two years. He is a Republican in politics and an active worker for that party.

Mr. Fisher was married December 14, 1865, to Mary R. Green, a native of Litchfield, born December 6, 1836. She was the daughter of Hartwell W. and Sarah (Turner) Green, of Merrimack, both of whom are now dead. Mrs. Fisher died April 1, 1868; and Mr. Fisher was married November 30, 1869, to Esther P. Coffin, of Boscawen, who was born December 15, 1843, a daughter of Peter and Eunice (Couch) Coffin, the former of whom was a native of Boscawen and the latter of Webster. By this second marriage there were three children-George F., Winfred, and Levi P. George F. was born June 23, 1871, married in 1896 Lizzie A. Bachelder, of Northfield, and is engaged at home on the farm. Winfred was born May 18, 1873, was graduated at Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, Manchester, and became a member of the firm of Balch, Chandler & Co., grocers, in Penacook. He died February 23, 1896. Levi P., born October 12, 1876, was graduated at the above college and is now at home.

Mr. Fisher and his wife both belong to the Congregational church, of which he has been a member at Nashua, Manchester, and Boscawen for thirty-eight years; and he has been superintendent of the Sunday-school for three years.


Surnames:
Fisher,

Topics:
Biography,

Collection:
Biographical Review Publishing Company. Biographical Review; containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, N. H. Boston. Biographical Review Publishing Company. 1897.

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