Napa-El Dorado-Plumas County CA Archives Biographies.....Fisher, William A. 1820 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 30, 2006, 5:53 pm

Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891)

WILLIAM A. FISHER has a ranch of some 300 acres adjoining Napa, near Union
Station, 100 acres of which is in orchard. He began planting fruit trees as
early as 1855, setting about six acres, adding to his orchard at intervals until
it reached its present proportions, seventy acres being now in bearing, and the
remainder soon will be. The principal fruits are apricots and peaches, there
being about thirty acres of the former and twenty of the latter, ten acres of
pears, and the remainder prunes, apples, nectarines and a variety of other
fruits. Mr. Fisher was one of the earliest fruit-growers in California, for when
he set out his first orchard there were only three or four persons raising fruit
even on a small scale in Napa County. Mr. Yount had set out a few mission
grape-vines and pear-trees, for the fruit of which he received large prices.
About 1853 Mr. Nash, now of San Francisco, Mr. Kellogg, now of Los Angeles
County, and Mr. Osborn on the Oak Knoll place, had set out small orchards with a
view to profit. Mr. Osborn, who, as Mr. Fisher says, was one of the most
intelligent and public-spirited citizens of Napa County at that time, had
entered quite largely into fruit culture, believing that that industry was
destined to become a very large and important one to California, the soil and
climate being in every way favorable to its best development. Mr. Fisher early
adopted these ideas, and has consistently adhered to them amidst all the changes
and fluctuations of the fruit markets. He also set out a vineyard of some
fifteen acres, but this he afterward re-planted with trees. His market is about
equally divided between San Francisco and the East, some of the fruit being
disposed of to the Napa Cannery. Mr. Fisher is of Scotch nativity and parentage.
His parents were John and Elizabeth (Dawson) Fisher, natives of Rosshire,
Scotland, where the subject of this sketch was born in 1820. His parents removed
to America when he was ten years old, settling in Ontario, Canada, where he
lived up to the age of twenty-eight. He attended the schools of that day both in
Canada and Scotland. His principal occupation has always been that of
agriculture and horticulture. The excitement attending the discovery of gold
attracted him to California, and he arrived in San Francisco, via Panama, in
November, 1850. He proceeded immediately to the mines, and worked for five
months near Placerville, and going thence to the southwest fork of the Feather
River he mined at Rich Bar for about seven months. Having met with fair success,
he left the mines and engaged in farming near Marysville, putting in one crop of
wheat in Butte County. In 1853 he came to Napa County, and purchased the ranch
where his present home is located, in the following year adding the present site
of his orchard. He has made his home here since that time, and has been actively
identified with the agricultural and horticultural developments of this county.
He was married in 186'8 to Miss Sarah Attwood, a native of Maine. They have one
son, William M., a graduate of Queen's College, Toronto, Canada, who is now
engaged with his father in managing the business of the ranch. Mr. Fisher has
always avoided the responsibilities of official position, though he has taken an
active interest in matters of public welfare. He was for two years treasurer of
the State Grange, an organization in which he has felt a deep interest. He is a
member of the Presbyterian Church.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California.

Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast
from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with
Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of
Prominent Citizens of To-day.

"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendents." – Macauley.

CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1891.

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