Genesee-Wayne County MI Archives Biographies.....Fish, Sally Ann Rulison 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 23, 2007, 1:23 am

Author: Chapman Bros. (1892)

MRS. SALLY ANN (RULISON) FISH, A. B. This prominent lady well known throughout
Michigan as the publisher of the Missionary Lesson Leaf and Foreign Mission
Fields, was born in Evans Mills, Jefferson County, N. Y., and is a daughter of
Charles Rulison. He came to Michigan in 1849 but died soon after his arrival
January 7, 1850, at the age of forty-four. He was an earnest Abolitionist even
at that early day. His wife, Margaretta Swanberg, was born in Philadelphia in
1808, and was a daughter of John G. Swanberg, a blacksmith, who afterward went
to sea for his health, but died in Philadelphia during the War of 1812. His
wife, Mary Wright, was born in Pennsylvania and her father was a native of
London, England and settled in Pennsylvania. After the death of Mrs. Fish's
father her mother brought up the family, and she still resides in Flint. Of her
six children this daughter is the eldest, and the eldest son, Cornelius E.,
served for three years in the second Michigan Infantry. He received serious
injuries and suffered much from wounds, and after the war became a practicing
physician and died at Flushing in 1890. The second son, Herman G., enlisted in
the Seventh Michigan Artillery in 1861 and died from sickness during his term of
service. Charles W. now resides in Flint and John and Mary died in early childhood.

  The lady of whom we write had her early training in New York and until she was
past fifteen years old attended school, studying at a select school in Theresa,
N. Y. and continued her studies after she came West. At the age of sixteen she
began teaching and in 1857 entered Albion College, graduating therefrom in June,
1859, with the degree of Bachelor of Sciences. For about three years she taught
at various points and about the year 1870 she began organizing  missionary
societies in Michigan, and established about one half the societies in the State
which are under the care of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

  After carrying on this good work with great ability for a number of years this
able lady then became assistant editor of the Michigan Christian Advocate at
Detroit, where she resided for three years.

  Returning to Flint Miss Rulison gave attention to Temperance work, being an
ardent member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and State secretary for
one year. She began editing a small temperance paper entitled Our State Union,
and in August, 1883, undertook the publication of the Missionary Lesson Leaf, to
which work she added in 1889 the Foreign Mission Fields, which have a
circulation in nearly every State in the Union.

  The union of this lady in marriage, June 22, 1884 with Dr. G. W. Fish brought
her into companionship with one of the noblest men of Flint. He was born in
Kortwright, N. Y. in 1816, and received his education in the East, beginning the
practice of medicine in Pennsylvania, marrying there in 1838, Octavia Mowry, and
coming with her the following year to Flint, which was an almost unbroken
wilderness. He carried on a pioneer practice until 1847 or 1848 at which time
his health failed and going North he served the Hudson Bay Fur Company for a
short time as physician.

  A year later the Doctor went South and practiced his profession at Aspinwall
and Panama and in 1859 visited China. While at Shanghai in 1860 he was acting
Consul at Ningpo. The breaking out of the Civil War in the United States, caused
the Doctor to discontinue his residence in China and he returned to New York in
June, 1862, having made the entire circuit of the globe.

  Entering the army as Surgeon of the Michigan Cavalry the Doctor took part in
the campaigns of Rosecrans, Thomas and Sherman, acting most of the time as
Brigade Surgeon, and for nearly three years was in active service. At the close
of the war he returned to Michigan and served his State as State Senator and
Collector of Internal Revenue.

  The dire disease, consumption, had entered his household and a son and
daughter were taken from the home circle. Their mother soon followed and the
bereaved husband and father, who was appointed Consul to Tunis, Africa, went
abroad, taking with him his only remaining daughter, who was also failing in
health.

  After his return from this foreign residence Dr. Fish was united in marriage
with the subject of our sketch and with her remained at home until his death. He
was a man of clear and vigorous mind, of broad experience and a writer of merit,
being a contributor to various periodicals of note. His death occurred September
19, 1885 and he was deeply mourned throughout the community. The Doctor was a
stanch Republican and assisted in organizing the Republican party at Jackson.

  Mrs. Fish was elected with two other ladies members of the Board of Education
of the City of Flint in 1883, in which office she served for two years, and they
have the honorable distinction of being the first women to be elected to such an
office in the State. She is a believer in the right of woman's suffrage and a
worker in the cause of prohibition.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

Portrait and Biographical Record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties,
Michigan, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative
Citizens, Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of
the Presidents of the United States

Chicago:
Chapman Bros.
1892


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