| Notes |
- Biography of Samuel Fisher
Transcription from the book, pp. 218-220
Dea. Samuel Fisher was born in the north of Ireland, in the year 1722, and was of Scottish descent. His father was a weaver. Dea. Fisher came to America in 1740, in the nineteenth year of his age. The ship in which he came was usually spoken of as "The starved ship." The vessel was so scantily supplied with provisions, that long before the voyage was completed, one pint of oat-meal for each individual on board, and a proportionate allowance of water, was all that remained. Mr. Fisher once went to the mate with a tablespoon to obtain some water, which was refused him, there being but two-thirds of a chunk-bottle full on board. Mr. Fisher's custom was, to take a tablespoonful of meal daily, and having moistened it with salt water, to eat it raw. The passengers and crew, having subsisted in this manner for fourteen days, were at length reduced to the necessity of eating the bodies of those who died. Even this resource failed them, and at length Mr. Fisher was selected to give up his life to preserve the lives of the rest. Providentially, however, a vessel hove in sight, and their signals of distress being observed they obtained relief and were saved. So deep an impression did the horrors of that passage make upon the mind of Mr. Fisher, that, in after life, he could never see, without pain, the least morsel of food wasted, or a pail of water thrown carelessly upon the ground.
On his arrival in this country, he was bound by the captain to a man in Roxbury, for the payment of his passage. He came to Londonderry, probably about one or two years after, and became a member of the family of Mr. Matthew Taylor, whose daughter he married, when he was twenty-five years of age. He was made a ruling elder of the church in the West Parish, during the ministry of Rev. David MacGregor, and remained in this office until he was no longer able to perform its duties on account of his age. He seemed to be well instructed in the great principles of the gospel, as set forth in the Westminster Catechism, and in the Confession of Faith of the Church of Scotland. These Principles he taught diligently to his children, for whose spiritual welfare he felt a deep solicitude.
One of his grandchildren (Mrs. Dickey), writes thus of him: "I can only speak of the impression he made on my mind when visiting in his family when quite young. His family worship was strikingly impressive. When he read a portion of Scripture, he became remarkably interesting. I shall never forget his manner, in reading the chapter in which Isaac blesses his son Jacob. It seemed as thought he was the very patriarch himself. When he knelt in prayer, how deeply impressive were his devotions; how ardently would he plead the promise, 'I will be a God to thee, and thy seed.' He had a most happy faculty of improving the occurrences which took place about him for the religious instruction of his family. He was a great lover of Watts and Doddridge; would frequently address me on the subject of religion, and give me some of his books."
Deacon Fisher was married three times, and had twelve children; eleven of whom arrived at adult age, and ten of whom survived him. Ten of his children were married, and most of them lived to advanced age. The average age of four of them was ninety-one years. His descendants now (1850) number nine hundred and fifteen, and are scattered through nearly all the States of the Union, through Nova Scotia, and the Canadas. Some of them are ministers, and some elders in the church. It is estimated, that three-fourths of those over twenty years of age are professors of religion.
Deacon Fisher was, in his personal appearance, tall and commanding, and his countenance was grave and solemn, so that few would willingly be guilty of levity in his presence. He died at Londonderry, April 10, 1806, in the eighty-fourth year of his age.
- Family of Matthew Taylor
Transcription from the book, pp. 298-300
MATTHEW TAYLOR and his wife, Janet, came from the vicinity of Londonderry, Ireland, and settled in Londonderry (now Derry), in 1722. He lived on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Henry Taylor.
John , their first child, was born September 22, 1721, on their passage to America. He married Margaret Dickey, and had five children; Matthew, James, John, Janet, and Nancy. 1. Matthew married a Miss Little, and had five children; Sarah, Joseph, John, James, and Oliver. 2. James married a Miss Dickey, and had three children; Margaret, Rachel, and William. 3. John married Janet McKeen, and had five children; Anna, Margaret, John, Daniel, and Samuel. 4. Janet married Captain John McKeen, and had seven children; James, John, Joseph, Robert, Samuel, Sarah, and Janet. 5. Nancy married William McKeen, and had six children; Mary, Nancy, Margaret, John, Janet, and Alice.
Matthew , the second son, was born October 30, 1727, married, and went to St. John's, Nova Scotia. He had four sons; one of them became a ship-builder, and three went to Ohio and settled on the Sciota river.
William was born March 23, 1733, and married Betsey Grimes. Their children were Mary, John, Janet, Nancy, Adam, Samuel, Sarah, and Betsey. 1.Mary married John Gregg, and went to New York. 2.John married Nancy Cunningham. Their children were Aiken, William, Samuel Fisher, Ephraim, Nancy, Mary, Sarah, Eliza, and Fanny. 3.Adam married Martha Paul. Their children were Jane, Betsey, Adam, Matthew, Clarissa, Mary Ann, Margaret, and Paul. 4.Sarah married John McGrath, of Dorchester, and had three sons and two daughters. 5. Betsey married Captain James Paul. Their children were Betsey, John, and David. Janet, Nancy, and Samuel, the remaining children of William , were unmarried, and lived to be quite aged.
David , the fourth son, was born August 10, 1735, married Margaret Kelsey, and had seven children: 1. David married, and had two sons. 2. Robert married Dolly Colby, and had ten children; Anna, Lucinda, Rebecca, Robert, Stephen, Henry, and four who died under fifteen, and in one week, of spotted fever. 5. Rosa married James McNeil, and removed to the western part of the State. William, Betsey, Jonathan, and John, were unmarried, and died in the prime of life.
Adam was born August 15, 1737, married Mary Cunningham, and had three children: 1. Nancy married Matthew Anderson. Their children were Adam, John, Jane, Mary, Samuel, Matthew, Betsey, James, and Nancy. 2. Janet married Colonel William Adams, and had two children, Mary, who married Captain John Holmes, and James, who graduated at Dartmouth College in 1813, and died in 1817. 3.Betsey married Samuel McKeen, brother of Joseph McKeen, president of Bowdoin College, and had three children, John, Adam, and James Orr.
Samuel , the sixth son, remained on a part of the homestead, having erected a house and married Sarah Fisher. She had one son and then died. Her son, Matthew, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1801, entered the ministry, married a Miss Fisher, and went as a missionary to Ohio, where he died. Samuel married Eunice Lancaster for his second wife. They had nine children; Sarah, Janet, Samuel Fisher, Henry, James, Mary, and three at a birth, who died young. 1. Sarah married Captain John Clark, and had seven children; Eliza, Mary Jane, Sarah, Nancy, Melvina, Sophia, John Newton, and Harvey. The sons died in infancy. 2. Janet died unmarried. 3. Samuel F. married Margaret Patterson. Their children were Mary Jane, Henry Gilman, Elizabeth, James, Lucinda, and three sons who died young. 4. Henry resides upon the homestead of his grandfather, Matthew Taylor, and is unmarried. 5. James resides on a part of the homestead, being one of the farms originally belonging to Governor Wentworth, and married Persis Hlemphill; they have nine children; Samuel H., Nathaniel M., Almira, Caroline P., Harriette, James C., Sarah J., Mary E., and Emma. 6. Mary married Captain John Clark, as his second wife, and had two children, Elvira M., and Clara A.
Sarah , the first daughter, married Deacon Samuel Fisher, and had one child, Sarah, who married Samuel the sixth son of Matthew Taylor.
Janet , the second daughter, was born June 10, 1731, and married John Anderson. Their children were: 1. John, who married a Miss Archibald, and had thirteen children; Ann, John, Jane, Robert, Martha, Betsey, Thomas, Margaret, Nancy, Eli, Samuel, and two who died young. 2. Matthew, married his cousin, Nancy Taylor, whose children are referred to in Adam Taylor's family. 3. Jane married David Paul, whose children were Martha, James, Janet, John, Mary, Matthew, David, Jane, Thomas, Margaret, Nancy, and two who died young. After Mr. Anderson's death, his widow married Mr. Finlay, and had two children: 1. Samuel, who married a Miss Witherspoon; and their children were Jane, Robert, Joseph, John, Nancy, Fanny, Hugh. Jesse, and Martha. 2. Hugh married Janet Cochran, and had six children; Mary, Joseph, Betsey, Samuel, Sophia, and Barnett.
John and Matthew Anderson lived in Ira, Vt.; and Samuel and Hugh Finlay, in Acworth, N. H. Nearly all the other families lived in Derry, or the vicinity.
The great-grandchildren of MATTHEW TAYLOR, as far as known, number one hundred and thirty.
- Family of Samuel Ela
Transcription from the book, p.272
Samuel Ela removed from Haverhill, Mass., and settled in Londonderry, about the year 1755, and died in 1784. He had eight children, as follows:
Edward married a Miss Colby; had two children, Edward and Nancy, and died in Londonderry.
Clark married a Miss Fulton, and had one son.
David married Nancy, the daughter of Deacon Samuel Fisher, and widow of William Cunninghmam, and had five children; namely, Clark, William, Sally, Lois, and Charlotte. He lived and died in Londonderry.
John married Sarah Ferson, and had one child, who died in early life.
Tabitha married Richard Petty, and removed to Thornton, N.H.
Hannah married Jonathan Ferson, and also removed to Thornton.
Mary married Eliphalet Cheney, and removed to Canaan, N.H.
Lois died in childhood.
- Emigration to Nova Scotia
Transcription from the book, pp. 200-201
About the year 1760, a number of families emigrated from Londonderry to Nova Scotia, and settled in Truro, soon after its evacuation by the French. Among these first settlers, were James, Thomas, Samuel, and David Archibald (brothers), Matthew Taylor, who married a sister of the Archibalds, and William Fisher; Samuel Fisher, a nephew of William, joined the company a few years afterwards. Other emigrants followed from time to time. Their descendants became numerous and respectable, and settled in the surrounding towns; as Pictou, Stewiacke, Musquodobit, and St. Mary's. We have been able to obtain no particular information respecting this colony, except it be in reference to the Archibald and Fisher families.
William Fisher, senior, was a highly respectable and useful man. He represented the township of Truro in the General Assembly held in the province. Several of the Archibalds are somewhat distinguished as having held important public offices. David Archibald, 1st, was magistrate and major in the militia; while his sons Robert and Samuel surveyed the township, and were the principal managers in its settlement; one of whom was not only a magistrate, but a judge of the court. No less than eighteen of this name, descendants of the first settlers who went from this town, have held high and responsible situations in the several departments of government; as magistrates, representatives, judges, and military officers.
Samuel G. W. Archibald, LL.D., son of Samuel, and grandson of David, the first settler, was first Judge of Probate, then member and speaker of the General Assembly, then attorney-general, and governor of King's College, and the Judge of the Court of Admiralty, and Master of the Rolls. He was, without dispute, considered the greatest politician and the most talented public speaker which the province ever produced. He has three sons, who are barristers; one a director of the Commercial Bank, London; another, attorney-general of Newfoundland.
The Archibalds of Nova Scotia are generally not only people of respectable standing in society, but a very large proportion of the adults are consistent and zealous professors and supporters of religion. The same may be said of most of the emigrants from this town to that place, and of their descendants. More uniformly than almost any other of the colonies from Londonderry, have they adhered, not only to the principles, but to the religious order of their ancestors. They are, almost without an exception, Presbyterian, and maintain in their public worship many of the forms practised in Scotland and Ireland by their fathers. They have never admitted any change in their sacred psalmody. The psalms of David, in their most literal translation, are used in their worship; in the singing of which the congregation unite.
Such has been the influence of this first colony in that province, that a greater portion of the churches in the several townships are Presbyterian.
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