Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Fisher, John 1832 - 1884
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 7, 2006, 10:52 pm

Author: T. H. Ball (1904)

JOHN FISHER.

    John Fisher, now deceased, was a respected and honored resident of Crown
Point, who had many friends in Lake county, and whose death, therefore, was
deeply regretted. He was born in Schenectady county, New York, September 7,
1832, and was of Scotch parentage and ancestry. His father, Alexander Fisher,
was born in Ayr, Scotland, and in 1818 crossed the Atlantic to the new world,
settling first in Montreal, Canada. The following year, however, he removed to
Schenectady, New York, where he spent his remaining days. He was a millwright
and farmer, following the dual pursuits as a life work.

    In his native county John Fisher was reared, spending his boyhood days under
the parental roof, where he was trained to habits of industry and economy. The
west, with its business possibilities, attracted him, and in 1855 he came to
Lake county, Indiana, locating at Southeast Grove in Eagle Creek township. There
he was engaged in the broom manufacturing business and soon after his arrival in
Lake county he was elected county surveyor, which position he filled for many
years. He knew every foot of the county, his business making him thoroughly
familiar with every locality. It also brought to him a wide acquaintance, and he
became one of the most prominent and influential men in this part of the state,
taking an active and helpful interest in public affairs. He was one of the civil
engineers who worked on the construction of the Panhandle Railroad, assisting in
the survey of the road from Columbus, Ohio, to Chicago. This work was done about
1864. Mr. Fisher also carried on agricultural pursuits, owning a farm two miles
southeast of Crown Point, and he thoroughly understood the best methods of
caring for the fields and producing good crops. Whatever he undertook he carried
forward to successful completion, for he was a man of unfaltering energy and
strong purpose.

    Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Amelia J. Willey, who was born in
Lake county. The Willey family is of English lineage and was established in
America in early colonial days by David Willey, the great-grand-father of Mrs.
Fisher. His son, Jermiah Willey, was born in Connecticut, July 28, 1777, and
there resided for many years, but eventually removed to the Empire state. Her
father, George Willey, was born in Connecticut and was four years of age when he
removed to Madison county, New York., with his parents. In August, 1838, he
arrived in Lake county, Indiana, locating in Hanover township. He removed to a
farm about a mile east of Crown Point in 1865, and there he spent his remaining
days, devoting his energies to agricultural pursuits until his death, which
occurred on the 5th of April, 1884. He was one of the pioneers of this county
and did much for its early development and improvement. He was ever actively
interested in public affairs, was zealous in his advocacy of all measures that
tended to promote the general welfare and was widely known as an influential and
valued citizen. His wife bore the maiden name of Clynthia Nash and was a native
of Madison county, New York, and a daughter of Thomas Nash. Mr. and Mrs. Willey
became the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughters, but three
of the sons died in infancy. The only surviving son is George A. Willey, a
resident of St. Louis, Missouri. The sisters are Mrs. Alice Granger, of Fort
Dodge, Iowa, and Mrs. Adella C. Griffin., of Oklahoma. Mrs. Fisher is the eldest
of the seven children and was born in Hanover township, Lake county, Indiana.,
April 30, 1841. She pursued her early education in the district schools and
afterward continued her education in Crown Point. She gave her hand in marriage
to Mr. Fisher on the 7th of November, 1865, and by this marriage there have been
born two children, Agnes May, who died when twenty months old, and George W.,
who is now a resident of Crown Point.

    In his political views John Fisher was a life-long Republican, and political
questions had for him great interest. He was a Royal Arch Mason and was a
consistent and faithful member of the Presbyterian church. He died March 7,
1897, and because of his honorable, upright life he left to his family an
untarnished name as well as a comfortable competence. He gained the respect of
all with whom he had been associated, and his loss was therefore deeply deplored
by his many friends as well as by his widow and son. Mrs. Fisher has spent her
entire life in Lake county, Indiana, and is well known. She has been a resident
of Crown Point for ten years, where she has a wide circle of friends. For many
years she has been a member of the Presbyterian church.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
Genealogy and Biography
OF
LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA,
WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 
1834—1904

A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and
the Founding of a Nation.

REV. T. H. BALL
OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO   NEW YORK
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1904


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