A. B. Fisher Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 290-291

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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A. B. FISHER, one of the valiant defenders of the Union during the dark 
days of the Civil war and a leading farmer of Elliot township, Sanborn 
county, South Dakota, was born in New Jersey, in 1832, and is a son of 
Benjamin and Rebecca Fisher, both natives of this country and of 
English descent. As a common laborer and carpenter, the father 
supported his family, but worked mostly at his trade. 

Our subject, who is the oldest in a family of eight children, was 
reared on a farm and received a country school education. At the age of 
eighteen he went to New York state, where he followed lumbering for 
eleven years, and in 1856 removed to Illinois. A year later he was 
united in marriage with Miss Caroline Hall, a native of New York, and 
they have become the parents of ten children, seven of whom are still 
living. During a terrible blizzard in January, 1888, they had the 
misfortune to lose a daughter, Mary, eighteen years of age, who while 
on her way to visit a sister, was lost and perished; two others are 
deceased, James B. and Abram J. 

During his residence in Illinois the Civil war broke out, and Mr. 
Fisher, in response to his country's call for aid, enlisted in 1862, in 
Company B, One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was 
assigned to the Army of the Cumberland. He was with Sherman during the 
Atlanta campaign, and on his celebrated march to the sea, and with that 
general went north through the Carolinas. His first engagement was at 
Resaca, which was followed by the battles of Chattanooga and 
Chickamauga, and twenty-two engagements between Chattanooga and 
Atlanta. He took part in the grand review at Washington, District of 
Columbia, and after receiving an honorable discharge he returned home 
and resumed farming in Illinois. 

In 1876, Mr. Fisher removed to Iowa, and seven years later came to 
Sanborn county, South Dakota, locating on the northwest quarter of 
section 30, Elliott township, where the year previous he had entered 
land. He brought with him two car loads of goods to this state, 
including horses, a cow, seed grain, some farm machinery and household 
goods. His first home here was a little house, 12 x 14 feet, and he 
also erected a frame barn for the shelter of his stock. For three years 
the family had to burn hay and practice the strictest economy as their 
first two crops were poor, but at length prosperity seemed to smile 
upon their efforts. In 1889, Mr. Fisher purchased a tree claim and now 
has 320 acres of good land, of which 147 acres are under a high state 
of cultivation and yield a golden tribute in return for the care and 
labor bestowed upon them. His first buildings have been replaced by a 
comfortable residence, good barns and other outbuildings, and he has 
all the machinery necessary to successfully cultivate his land. In his 
political affiliations he is an ardent Republican, and he has most ably 
filled the offices of clerk and assessor of his township.