Extracted from Historic Homes & Institutions and Personal Memoirs of Worcester, County, Massachusetts. Prepared under the Editorial Supervision of Ellery Bicknell Crane, and Published by the Lewis Publishing Company, 1907. Vol # 3, pages 237-8

John Fisher (I), the progenitor of George William Fisher and perhaps the immigrant ancestor, was born about 1700. He settled in Preston, CT. He married Mary ______, who joined the church there Apr. 7, 1723. He seems to have married (second), Feb. 14, 1723, Juda Cotterill, of Stonington, CT. Among his children were: Barzillai, born 1730, see forward; Thankful, joined the church at Preston, Nov. 15, 1747.

(II) Barzillai Fisher, son of John Fisher (I) was born probably at Preston, CT, Jan. 6, 1730, died Jan. ,1813. He married Lydia Dexter, Oct 3, 1754, and went to Killingly, CT, in 1769, with his wife and several children. Four of his sons were in the revolution. They had 9 children, among them were: John, see forward; Nathan, was taken prisoner during the revolution and died on the prison-ship Jersey.

(III) John Fisher, eldest son of Barzillai Fisher (II), was born at Preston, CT, Dec. 29, 1755, died Jun. 9, 1843. He was a soldier in the revolution, serving through the entire war. He removed to Killingly, with his parents, and settled there after the revolution. Among his seven children was Laban, see forward.

(IV) Laban Fisher, second son of John Fisher (III), was born in Killingly, CT, Jan. 1, 1783, died Jul. 3, 1860. He settled in Killingly. He married Abigail Dexter, born Apr. 2, 1789, died Jul. 12, 1862. She was a lineal descendant of Rev. George Dexter, who came from England in 1644 and was an intimate friend of Roger Williams, coming here at his suggestion to become pastor of the First Baptist Church at Providence, RI. Among the children of Laban and Abigail Dexter were: Erastus, see forward.

(V) Erastus Fisher, son of Laban Fisher (IV) was born in Killingly, CT, Nov. 21, 1810, died Apr. 20, 1880. He worked with his father until he was age. He began farming on his own account on a hired farm on Allen hill, near the homestead in Killingly. After a year he purchased a farm in Grafton, MA, where his son, George W. Fisher, now resides. In 1845 he bought a half interest with his brother Waterman A. Fisher, in the cotton mill in what is now known as Fisherville in Grafton. He married Apr. 7, 1835, Mary Fletcher Dresser, born Sept. 19, 1813, died Dec. 6, 1880. Their children were: Henry Dresser, born at Killingly, CT, Jan. 18, 1836, died in Worcester, MA, Mar. 14, 1886; George William, born in Fisherville, Grafton, MA, Nov. 18, 1843, died Feb. 7, 1900; married Ella F. Farnum, of Northbridge, MA, daughter of Luke and Chloe (Taft) Farnum; Albert Laban, born in Fisherville, Grafton, MA, Mar. 10, 1846, married Nov. 22, 1871, Ellen A. Hill, daughter of Hon. William R. Hill, of Sutton.

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Additional information sent by Margaret Jones 7/27/98

For what it's worth, it seems likely that it was Barzillai Fisher's son, Laban, who died during the Revolutionary War and not Nathan, as stated in the excerpt. Nathan is mentioned in Barzillai's 1813 will, whereas Laban is not, and Ellen D. Larned, in her History of Windham County (page 191) recounts the following: "Laban, the youngest son of Barzillai Fisher, appears at dawn of day with gun upon his shoulder. 'O Laban, you are not going!' besought his distressed aunt. 'Yes,' he cheerily answered, 'but don't tell father,' and so he went to his fate in the Jersey prison-ship." Laban was not actually Barzillai's youngest son (the hazards of research!). He also had a son, Dexter, born in 1769 and another son, also named
Barzillai, born in 1774. Also, it isn't clear whether Laban's prison ship was named "Jersey" or a British prison ship lying off the coast of New Jersey.
 
 
 
 

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