The Fisher Fallacies

The genealogy of Anthony Fisher and his descendants is a good case study of the way in which information can be misinterpreted, incorrectly copied and even creatively embellished to produce a plethora of contradictory, inaccurate and confusing versions of the same basic facts.

Anthony Fisher was one of the earliest settlers in North America, and as a result, many Americans can trace their family tree back to him. The rapid growth in the use of personal computers and the web as tools for genealogical research has enabled many hundreds of Fisher descendants to trace their lineage back to Anthony Fisher.

Unfortunately, many of the most commonly-used sources of genealogical data contain information that is inconsistent, ambiguous or just plain wrong. Some common errors include

• Misunderstanding the geography of England, so that towns and villages are placed in counties hundreds of miles from their true locations, and county names are confused with the names of towns.
• Attempting to "correct" dates taken from original records prior to September 1752, in an effort to force them to fit the modern calendar. This often leads to several versions of the baptismal record for the same individual, with dates that differ by 11 days or 22 days or a single year or a year plus 11 days.
• Confusion between two people of the same name living in the same (or a neighbouring) village. These are often cousins who were named after a shared grandparent, or given a name that was popular within that family.
• Confusion caused by different spellings of the same name, which was very common even as late as the early 19th century.
• Assuming that a connection exists between two people, when there is no documentary evidence to support it. This sometimes happens when a researcher wishes to establish a link to a notable person.

At Obliquity, we are fortunate to have direct access to the English county record offices which house the primary sources of genealogical information for that period: the parish records of births, marriages and deaths.

Our information on the Fisher family is taken from these primary sources and is as accurate as we can make it, taking into account the difficulties of translating the fading and often illegible handwriting in centuries-old parish record books.

Of course, it would be unwise for us to claim that we're infallible! If you believe that we have made a mistake here (or have missed out some other glaring errors), then please let us know. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Players

1. Anthony Fisher I
   Baptised 1 February 1558/59 in Stradbroke, Suffolk
   Buried 11 April 1640 in Syleham, Suffolk
   Married 16 October 1586 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, to Mary Fiske
   1. Joshua Fisher
      Baptised 24 March 1587/88 in Fressingfield, Suffolk
      Buried 1674 in Massachusetts
      Married to Elizabeth and then to Anne Orsor
   2. Mary Fisher
      Baptised 28 November 1589 in Syleham, Suffolk
      Married 25 April 1626 in Dennington, Suffolk, to Roger Briggs
   3. Anthony Fisher II
      Baptised 23 April 1591 in Syleham, Suffolk
      Buried 1671 in Massachusetts
      Married to Alice (in England) and then to Isabel (in Massachusetts)
      The following children were born to Anthony and Alice in England:
      1. John Fisher
      2. Daniel Fisher
      3. Lydia Fisher
      4. Leah Fisher
      5. Anthony Fisher
      6. Nathaniel Fisher
      7. Cornelius Fisher
   4. Amos Fisher
      Baptised 26 April 1594 in Fressingfield, Suffolk
      Married 24 September 1633 in Syleham, Suffolk, to Anne Norris
   5. Martha Fisher
      Baptised 15 January 1595/96 in Fressingfield, Suffolk
      Buried 31 March 1659 in Syleham, Suffolk
      Married (1637 in Ipswich, Suffolk?) to John Buckenham
   6. John Fisher
      Baptised 15 September 1597 in Syleham, Suffolk
      Buried 4 September 1636 in Syleham, Suffolk
      Married to Mary
   7. Cornelius Fisher
      Baptised 19 August 1599 in Syleham, Suffolk
      Died 1641 in East Bergholt, Suffolk
      Married 22 September 1630 in Norwich, Norfolk, to Elizabeth Thaxter
      

The People

Agnes Fisher

She is often omitted from the Fisher genealogy but she does appear in the baptismal and burial records of Stradbroke as a sister of Anthony Fisher I.

Alice versus Mary Bockenham/Buckenham/Buckingham

What was the name of Anthony Fisher II's wife? Mary is usually quoted, apparently based on church records in Massachusetts. However, her name appears as Alice in the baptismal records of her last two children, Nathaniel and Cornelius. Perhaps the surname of Buckenham (in various spellings) has been confused with the married name of her sister-in-law, Martha Buckenham nee Fisher.

Which Anthony Fisher?

Occasionally there is confusion over whose children are whose. The families of Anthony Fisher I and his son Anthony Fisher II are sometimes lumped together in one large family.

Hester Fisher

She is often omitted from the Fisher genealogy but she does appear in the burial records of Syleham as a daughter of Anthony Fisher I.

The "twins" Joshua and Mary Fisher

Joshua Fisher and his sister Mary were baptised two years apart in two different parishes. If they had been twins, it is much more likely that they would have been baptised together.

Leah Fisher

She is often omitted from the Fisher genealogy but she does appear in the baptismal records of Syleham as a daughter of Anthony Fisher II.

Lord of the Manor of Syleham

Some sources give one of the Anthony Fishers as "Lord of the Manor of Syleham." There were, in fact, three manors associated with Syleham. The Manor of Syleham Comitis has existed since Saxon times and the Manor of Esham dates back to at least 1285. The third manor, which no longer exists, was variously called the Manor of Syleham, Monk's Hall, Tylney's Hall, or Syleham Hall. Monk's Hall is now a private home and we were very privileged to be invited inside by the owners when we visited Syleham in early 1997. There is absolutely no evidence, however, that Anthony Fisher or any other member of the Fisher family was lord of any of these manors. Is this an example of delusions of grandeur by an ever-hopeful descendent?

Various spellings

Bridges versus Brigges versus Briggs.
Bockenham versus Buckenham versus Buckingham.
Marie versus Mary.

The Places

Custrichhall, Weeley, Essex

This location (in various spellings) often appears as the birth or baptismal place of various members of the Fisher clan, all because Amos Fisher lived here after his marriage in 1633.

East Bergholt, Suffolk

The same problem arises with East Bergholt. Cornelius Fisher, the brother of the aforesaid Amos, worked as a clerk (clergyman) here until his death in 1641.

Syleham, Weymouth, Suffolk
Syleham, Suffolk, Kent
Weymouth, Suffolk

These particular combinations of place names are often found in various sources on the web and elsewhere. Here is a small lesson in English geography:

• Syleham is a village in Suffolk.
• Suffolk is a county in the east of England.
• Weymouth is a town in Dorset.
• Dorset is a county in the southwest of England.
• Kent is a county in the southeast of England.

The proper combination is Syleham, Suffolk, England. Perhaps Weymouth has been confused with the East Anglian port town of Yarmouth (now called Great Yarmouth) from which it is thought that Anthony Fisher II departed England. Where Kent comes in is anybody's guess.

Pre-1637 events in Massachusetts

The Anthony Fisher II family did not arrive in America until 1637 so none of the children (John, Daniel, Lydia, Leah, Anthony, Nathaniel, Cornelius) could have been born there.

Various spellings

Custrichhall versus Custrich Hall versus Custridge Hall.
Weeley versus Wesley.

Our Sources

Primary

• Parish records (CRO)
• Heigham by Norwich parish records NRO MF/PR 4
• St. Michael at Thorn (Norwich) archdeacon's transcripts NRO MF/RO 159/3
• Thorpe Abbotts parish records NRO PD 277/1-2
• Probated wills in Norfolk NRO MF 68 - Andrewes (152)
• Probated wills in Norfolk NRO MF 410 - Spendlove (277)

Secondary

• W.A. Copinger, 1909. The Manors of Suffolk, The Hundreds of Hoxne, Lockford, and Loes, Volume 4, Taylor, Garnett, Evans, & Co., Ltd., Manchester
• William Richard Cutter, 1908. Genealogical and Personal Memoirs, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York
• Charles Henry Pope, 1900. The Pioneers of Massachusetts, Charles Henry Pope, Boston
• John Venn & J.A. Venn, 1922. Alumni Cantabrigiensis: Part I. From the Earliest Times to 1751, Volume II: Dabbs-Juxton, Cambridge University Press (copy number 43 out of 500)

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Last modified on 1 January 2003
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