By Lester Warren Fish
256 THE FISH FAMILY
and this put him upon the records at Portsmouth, R.I., as
early as 1643.
We do not know just when John3 Fish came to this country
from Great Bowden parish, in Leicestershire, England, but he
apparently did not settle down as a landlord or head of a family.
He found his way to Wethersfield and Mystic, and was there in
1651 and married the Ireland girl. He was twelve or fourteen
years older than she. Soon thereafter they went to Stratford in
the New Haven colony, where he acquired land and established
his home. At about the same time Robert Burrows and his family
moved to New London and acquired a large plantation on the
Westerly Bank of the Mystic River. John3 Fish was seemingly
a man of quick temper, and spoke with a strong "North Country"
dialect or accent. Doubtless that is the reason why his wife's
family name is on records as "Eland" instead of "Ireland."
In 1655 he sold his lands to one Wilcockson, and they moved
onward to Groton and, as tradition says, their youngest son, Capt.
Samuel Fish, was b. there that year, at the home of Mrs. Robert
Burrows, his grandmother.
Children:
+ 1356 John4, d. Mar 1705; m. Margaret _________.
1357 Alice
1358 Jonathan
1359 Mary
+ 1360 Samuel, b.1656/57; d. Feb 27, 1733; m. Sarah Stark.
1356 JOHN4 FISH (John3, Alice2, John1), teacher, eldest son of
(73) John and Mary (Ireland) Fish, accomplished his father to
Stratford, Conn., prior to 1654. His birthplace and date are not
known. He m. Margaret _________, who afterwards m. Samuel Cleveland,
at Canterbury, Conn., July 25, 1699. John was bapt., as
an adult, Mar. 16, 1680, in First Congl. Ch. He d. at Groton,
Conn., Mar. 1705.
Children:
+ 1361 David5, b. Aug 18, 1695; d. about 1758; m. Grace Palmer; m.(2)
Mar 30, 1721, Mary __________.
1362 Margaret, b.Aug 18, 1695; m. Sep 25, 1717, Gideon Cobb
+ 1363 John, b.Nov 8, 1696; d. July 4, 1782, age 86; m. July 19, 1726,
Esther Johnson.
1361 DAVID5 FISH (John4, John3, Alice2, John1), son of (1356)
John and Margaret Fish, was bapt. Aug. 18, 1695; d. about
1758; m. Grace Palmer; m.(2) Mary _______. His father willed
hom [sic] 50 acres located near the farm of Joseph Hempstead.
Children:
1364 David6, b.Jan 20,1721/22
THE FISH FAMILY IN AMERICA 257
1365 Grace, b. Feb.11,1724
+ 1366 Jason, b.Sept.26,1726;m.Jemima Williams
+ 1367 Titus, b.Mar.13,1728/29;d.Jan 25,1788 m. Lucretia Williams
1368 John, b.Mar.3 1730/31
1369 Eunice, b.June 2,1734
+ 1370 Ambrose, b.Aug.21,1737;d.Jan 1806;m. Content Babcock
1371 Isaac, b.Aug.13,1740
(See Titus and Ambrose following Judd lines)
1366 JASON6 FISH (David5, John4, John3, Alice2, John1), son of
(1361) David and Grace (Palmer) Fish, was b. Sept. 26, 1726, at
Stonington, Conn.; m. Jemima Williams, who was b. Nov. 12,
1730, at Stonington, dau. of Samuel and Mary (Williams) Williams:
Children:
1372 Jason7, m. Feb 9, 1792, Mrs. Martha Gorton
+ 1373 Cyrus, b. about 1762; d. Jan 25, 1816; m. Bridget Jones.
+ 1374 Elias, m. Sybil Williams.
1375 Thomas, b. about 1766; d. July 30, 1842; m. Hannah Spicer, dau.
of Silas and Hannah (Draper) Spicer, and had: (1375a) Hiram8,
who m. Eliza Prosser; (1375b) Esther, who m. James Babcock
and d. at Albion, Wis., in 1863; (1375c) William, who m. Patience
_______; (1375d) Inez; (1375e) sybil (a missy); (1375f) Hulda, who
m. _________ Mattison.
1376 Nancy, b. Nov 17, 1773; d. Apr 4, 1839; m. Silas Spencer; m.
(2) Elisha Davis.
1373 CYRUS7 FISH (Jason6, David5, John4, John3, Alice2, John1),
son of (1366) Jason and Jemima (Williams) Fish, was b. about
1762; d. Jan 25, 1816, at Ellicot, Chautauqua, NY; m. Bridget
Jones, who was b. in 1768 at Groton, Conn.., d. 1819, dau. of
Samuel Jones. Silas enlisted in the Colonial Army in 1778, and
served until the end of the war. Samuel Jones was also a Rev.
soldier.
Children:
1377 Cyrus8, b.Sept 25, 1794; d.Nov 25, 1870, age 76; m. Sophia Starr;
lived in Iowa.
1378 Sheldon, b.1798; d.1877, age 78; m. Almira Stetson, who d. at
Kenosha, Wis.
1379 Artemas, b.Dec 22, 1800; d. Feb 23, 1882, age 81.
1380 Grace, b. 1796; d. Jan 1, 1835; m. Elijah Akins
1381 Harriet, b. Dec 22, 1802; d. May 12, 1866; m. Jesse Landon
1382 Maria, b. Sept 25, 1804; d. Nov 19, 1893; m. Col. Henry Baker
1383 Lucy, b. Jan 5, 1807; d. June 3, 1853
1374 ELIAS7 FISH (Jason6, David5, John4, John3, Alice2, John1),
son of (1366) Jason and Jemima (Williams) Fish, was b. at Stonington
258 THE FISH FAMILY
Conn. He was a sea-faring man and ship carpenter. He
m. Sybil Williams.
Children:
1384 Samuel8.
1385 Gurdon.
1386 Jerry.
+1387 Eldridge, b. Nov. 22, 1798; d. Oct 10, 1865; m. Betsey Taft.
+1388 Laura, b.Apr. 2, 1804; m. Dr. Gerrit P. Judd; missionaries to
Hawaii.
1389 Sybil, m. James Tracy.
1387 ELDRIDGE8 FISH (Elias7, Jason6, David5, John4, John3,
Alice2, John1), preacher, son of (1374) Elias and Sybil (Williams)
Fish, was b.Nov 22, 1798. He was a lay preacher or exhorter of
the Methodist Church; was an earnest abolitionist, a man of
strong conviction and strict piety. A farmer by vocation. He m.
Aug. 27, 1821, Betsy Taft, dau. of Daniel Taft, and a descendant
of Robert Taft of Mendon, Mass., from whom President Taft
was descended.
Children:
1390 Prosper W.9, b.July 26, 1822; d.Aug. 16, 1901 in California
1391 Eunice, b.Sept. 8, 1824; d.Oct. 1861
1392 Laura, b.Sept. 9, 1826; d. May 1898
1393 Bessie, b.1831; m. ________ Barnet
1394 Edwin R., b.Mar 4, 1835; d.Nov 3, 1863, in Civil War
1395 Susan A., b. July 9, 1838; d.July 18, 1838.
+1396 James Elias, b.Aug 28, 1842; m. Alice E. May; m. (2) Mattie L. Pierce
1396 REV. JAMES ELIAS9 FISH (Eldridge8, Elias7, Jason6, David5,
John4, John3, Alice2, John1), Civil War Veteran, youngest son of
(1387) Eldridge and Betsey (Taft) Fish, was b. at Solon, N.Y.,
Aug. 28, 1842. In 1897 he was ordained in the Congl. Church at
Lester, NY, where he was pastor until Occt. 21, 1901, and later
at Lapear, Cincinnatus. Whitney's Point and Cortland, NY.
He was one of first to volunteer in the Civil War and was mustered
into Co. A, 10th NY Cavalry, Sept. 9, 1861; attached to the
Army of the Potomac and saw service at Fredericksburg, Brandy
Station, Middlebury and Gettysburg. Discharged for disability
in Oct. 1863. Studied medicine two and a half years, and perfected
formula for wormwood oitment. He m. Alice E. May,
dau. of Joseph and Catherine (Rose) May, b. Aug 2, 1845.
Children:
1397 Edwin10, b. Feb 10, 1865; m. Emma Kern, and had: (1397a) Alice;
and (1397b) Alva, b. at Buffalo, NY.
1398 Frederick W., b.Feb. 21, 1867; m. Lizzie Harrison (an artist at
Canastoga, NY), and had: (1398 1/2) Earl.
THE FISH FAMILY IN AMERICA 259
to be filled in...
94 THOMAS4 FISH (Thomas3, Alice2, John1), colonist, eldest son
of (72) Thomas and