urn:taro:drtsa.00059 A Guide to the Fisher Family Papers, 1817-1911 2010 November 18Encoded in oXygen XML Editor by Caitlin Donnelly. Descriptive Summary Fisher Family Fisher Family Papers 1817-1911 Materials are in English. Col 887 1.63 linear feet (1 box, 1 oversize item) Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas A native of Pennsylvania, Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1794-1839) came to Texas in 1830, settling in Matagorda, where he became an active member of the colony. He represented that municipality at the convention of 1836 and signed the Declaration of Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Fisher was appointed Secretary of the Navy for the Republic of Texas, but resigned following a protracted dispute with President Sam Houston. Consisting primarily of correspondence, the Fisher Family Papers document five generations of the Fisher, Pleasants, and Armstrong families. Biographical Note

A native of Pennsylvania, Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1794-1839) came to Texas in 1830, settling in Matagorda, where he became an active member of the colony. He represented that municipality at the convention of 1836 and signed the Declaration of Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Fisher was appointed Secretary of the Navy for the Republic of Texas, but resigned following a protracted dispute with President Sam Houston.

Samuel Rhoads Fisher married Ann (also referred to as Nancy) Pleasants (1796-1862), the daughter of Israel Pleasants of Pennsylvania. Their children were Samuel William Fisher (1819-1874), who married Eliza Ophelia Smith (1823-1877), daughter of Patrick Smith of Cincinnati, Ohio; Ann Pleasants Fisher (1823-1906 or 1907) who married, first, James Wilmer Dallam (1818-1847) and, second, John Woods Harris (1810-1887); Israel Fisher (1826?-1848); Rebecca Fisher (1830-1862), who married John Calhorda Perry (1818-1861); Rhoads Fisher (1832-1911), who married Sophia Rollins Harris (1840-1889); and Elizabeth Rhoads Fisher (died 1836).

Samuel William Fisher, the eldest child of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, continued to live in Matagorda. The children of Samuel William and Eliza Ophelia Fisher were Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1849-1911), who married Helen M. Woolridge (1853-1934); Frederick Kenner Fisher (1852-1920), who married Lucy Adelaid Selkirk; Coleman Fisher (1853-1855); Walter Pemberton Fisher (1856-1900), who married Lillie B. Harris (died 1900); Nannette (sometimes referred to as Annette) Pleasants "Nettie" Fisher (1857-1939), who married John W. Armstrong (1843-1911); William Comstock Fisher (born 1860), who married Alice Porter; Henry Mansfield Fisher (died 1862); and Charles James Fisher (1867-1901?).

References

Armstrong Family Papers, 1906-1969, Doc 6170, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Biographical Directory of the Texas Conventions and Congresses. Austin, Texas: Book Exchange, Inc., 1941.

Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Founders and Patriots of the Republic of Texas: The Lineages of the Members of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Volumes I and II. Austin, Texas: Daughters of the Republic of Texas, 1962, 1974.

Fisher Family Papers, 1817-1911, Col 887, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Franklin, Ethel Mary, ed. "Memoirs of Mrs. Annie P. Harris." Southwestern Historical Quarterly 40 (January 1937): 231-246.

Historic Matagorda County, Volume I. Houston: D. Armstrong Co., Inc., 1986.

Kemp, Louis Wiltz. The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Salado, Texas: The Anson Jones Press, 1959.

Kemp, Louis Wiltz. "Samuel Rhoads Fisher." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffi23.

 Scope and Content Note

Consisting primarily of correspondence, the Fisher Family Papers cover five generations of the Fisher, Pleasants, and Armstrong families. The papers are arranged chronologically, the earliest items consisting of letters to and from Samuel Rhoads Fisher, his wife Ann Pleasants Fisher, and their parents in Pennsylvania. Included is a letter written by Andrew Jackson to President James Monroe, recommending Samuel Rhoads Fisher for a government position. A letter from Stephen F. Austin to Fisher discusses political events in Mexico and Austin's position on slavery in Texas.

The largest amount of material is related to Fisher's oldest child, Samuel William Fisher. Letters are primarily among family members and friends, particularly from Samuel William Fisher and his wife Eliza Ophelia Fisher to their children. The letters cover family matters and local events. Included are letters describing the 1875 hurricane which struck Matagorda and the 1900 Galveston storm. Besides letters, the papers include a presidential pardon issued to Samuel W. Fisher following the Civil War and a marriage license.

The more recent material is related to Nannette Fisher Armstrong and her family, along with a few genealogical and biographical items.

 Access Restrictions

No restrictions. The collection is open for research.

 Usage Restrictions

Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.

 Related Material

Armstrong Family Papers, 1906-1969, Doc 6170, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Fisher Family Papers, 1817-1911, Col 887, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

 Acquisition Information

Gift of Marjorie Armstrong McLernon and her daughter, Marjorie McLernon Randolph, 1971.

 Processing Information

Processed by Warren Stricker, 1992 October.

Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2010 November.

 Index Terms Personal Names Fisher family. Fisher, Samuel Rhoads, 1794-1839. Fisher, Samuel William, 1819-1874. Armstrong, Nannette Fisher, b. 1857. Armstrong family. Pleasants family. Austin, Stephen F. (Stephen Fuller), 1793-1836. Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845. Subjects Hurricanes--Texas. Locations Galveston (Tex.)--Storm, 1900. Matagorda (Tex.)--History--Sources. Genres/Formats Family papers. Correspondence. Detailed Description of the Collection Fisher Family Papers, 1817-1911

The materials are arranged chronologically.

 1 1 Letter: S. W. Fisher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, Lexington, Kentucky, 1817 August 25. 1 2 Letter: Andrew Jackson, Nashville, Tennessee, to James Monroe, Washington, D.C., 1822 December 12. 1 3 Letter: M. R. Fisher to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, Nashville, Tennessee, 1828 July 6. 1 4 Letter: Samuel Rhoads Fisher, New Orleans, Louisiana, to Ann (Nancy) Pleasants Fisher, 1829 January 22. 1 5 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, Nashville, Tennessee, 1829 September 20. 1 6 Letter: Stephen F. Austin, San Felipe de Austin, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1830 June 17. 1 7 Letter: Israel Pleasants to Ann (Nancy) Pleasants Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, 1832 May 15. 1 8 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1835 February 17. 1 9 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, 1835 September 11. 1 10 Marriage License: Samuel William Fisher and Eliza Ophelia Smith, Matagorda County, Texas, 1848 August 16 (includes records of births, 1849-1867). 1 11 Letter: Annie, Cincinnati, Ohio, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, 1848 November 19. 1 12 Letter: Louise, postmarked Cincinnati, Ohio, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, 1850 March 5. 1 13 Letter: Samuel William Fisher to Ann (Nancy) Pleasants Fisher, 1850 December 9. 1 14 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, New York, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1851 August 6. 1 15 Letter: Anna, Cincinnati, Ohio, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, 1851 September 20. 1 16 Letter: Anna, Cincinnati, Ohio, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, 1856 December 30. 1 17 Letter: Ann (Nancy) Pleasants Fisher, Galveston, Texas, to Samuel William Fisher, 1859 May 2. 1 18 Letter: Rebecca Fisher Perry, Austin, Texas, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, [circa 1850-1859] May 15. 1 19 Letter: Anna, Cincinnati, Ohio, to Eliza Ophelia Fisher, 1860 December 22. 1 20 Letter: Samuel William Fisher to Eliza Ophelia Fisher [incomplete], 1861 March 22. Oversize 1 Pardon: Andrew Johnson to Samuel William Fisher, 1866 April 30. 1 21 Letter: John Bowen, San Antonio, Texas, to Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, 1866 September 4. 1 22 Letter: H. Pleasants and James Pleasants [?], Radnor, Pennsylvania, to Samuel William Fisher, 1867 January 5. 1 23 Letter: John Bowen, San Antonio, Texas, to Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, 1867 January 20. 1 24 Obituary: John Bowen, San Antonio Express [typescript copy], 1867 December 14. 1 25 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1873 January 21. 1 26 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, 1873 February 19. 1 27 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, 1873 November 11. 1 28 Letter: Samuel William Fisher to Nettie Fisher [incomplete], 1874 January 24. 1 29 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, 1874 February 27. 1 30 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Frederick Kenner Fisher, 1874 March 6. 1 31 Letter: Samuel William Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, 1874 March 9. 1 32 Letter: Samuel W. Fisher to wife and children, 1874 August 1. 1 33 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1874 August 20. 1 34 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, [possibly 1874] August 29. 1 35 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, [possibly 1874] September 1. 1 36 Letter: Samuel W. Fisher to Nettie Fisher [?] [incomplete], circa 1874. 1 37 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Galveston, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1875 April 22. 1 38 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Galveston, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1875 May 4. 1 39 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Walter Pemberton Fisher, 1875 June 21. 1 40 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher and Walter Pemberton Fisher, 1875 June 29. 1 41 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1875 August 7. 1 42 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1875 September 29. 1 43 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Matagorda, Texas, to Samuel Rhoads Fisher, 1875 October 3. 1 44 Letter: Eliza Ophelia Fisher, Austin, Texas, to Nettie Fisher, 1876 December 3. 1 45 Letter: Annie Fisher Dallam Harris to Nettie Fisher Armstrong, 1892 July 21. 1 46 Letter: Annie Fisher Dallam Harris, Galveston, Texas, to Nettie Fisher Armstrong, San Antonio, Texas, 1900 September 11. 1 47 Letter: Charles James Fisher, San Francisco, California, to Nettie Fisher Armstrong, 1901 January 17. 1 48 Letter: Helen E. Lincoln, San Francisco, California, to Nettie Fisher Armstrong, San Antonio, Texas, 1901 April 17. 1 49 Letter: Helen E. Lincoln, San Francisco, California, to Nettie Fisher Armstrong, San Antonio, Texas, 1901 May 21. 1 50 Letter: possibly Marjorie Armstrong, San Antonio, Texas, to possibly John W. Armstrong [incomplete], 1903 March. 1 51 Envelope: 1903. 1 52 Letter: John W. Armstrong, Lake Village, Arkansas, to Marjorie Armstrong, San Antonio, Texas, 1904 February 16. 1 53 Letter: John W. Armstrong, Lake Village, Arkansas, to Fred Armstrong, 1904 February 19. 1 54 Resolution: Session of the First Presbyterian Church, on the death of John W. Armstrong, 1911 September 21. 1 55 Note: Henry McInckle, note on position and condition of ship in distress, undated. 1 56 Genealogical chart: Fisher family, undated. 1 57 Pamphlet: James L. Armstrong, advertising Chronicles of the Armstrongs, undated. 1 58 "Memoirs of Mrs. Annie P. Harris" [typescript photocopy], undated. 1 59 Painting: Matagorda [photographic print], undated. Separated material Newspaper Collection Newspaper: Matagorda Colorado Tribune, 1848 August 24. Photograph Files Photograph: Eliza Ophilia Smith Fisher, undated Photograph Files Photograph: Nannette Pleasants Fisher [copy print], undated. Photograph Files Photograph: Samuel William Fisher, undated.