ROBERT
RICHFORD ROBERTS FISHER, a representative of one of Hickory
Township's pioneer families and for many years a leading agriculturist,
resides on his valuable farm which lies just north of East Brook. He was
born November 13, 1823, in the first frame house built in East Brook, and
is a son of Col. John and Sarah (Roberts) Fisher.
Col.
John Fisher was born at Fort Fisher in Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania, and was a son of Mathias Fisher, who was killed by the
Indians on the Ohio River. Colonel Fisher came to King's Chapel, Neshannok
Township, then in Mercer County, in 1811, and was an officer in the War of
1812. In 1823 he came to East Brook, giving the town its name. He built
the first grist mill in Hickory Township, and in partnership with his
brother, Thomas Fisher, built the first
woolen mill, and together they owned 500 acres of land.
Robert
Richford Roberts Fisher was named for his maternal uncle,
Bishop Robert Richford Roberts, who was one of the seven bishops of
the Methodist Episcopal Church at that time. Mr. Fisher was the first
white child born at East Brook, one of a family of thirteen children and
the sole survivor. His educational advantages were limited and his boyhood
was one of little leisure. For a short time he worked in the woolen mill
above mentioned, but he has mainly given his attention through life to
agricultural pursuits, and has been a very successful grower of fruit, of
which he has made a specialty. In 1849 he built his large frame residence,
which stands not far distant from the house m which he was born.
On
July 1, 1847, Mr. Fisher was married to Rebecca
Marian Casteele, who was a daughter of Samuel
and Nancy (Cameron) Casteele, the former of whom was a soldier in
the War of 1812. Three children were born to this union: Scott
Nancy, Emma and Sarah Louisa. Scott Fisher
was in the employ of the United States Government at the time of his
death, August 17, 1893. He was prostrated with typhoid fever and passed
away at St. Francis Hospital, Pittsburg. He married Martha
Chaffer and they had four children. Mr. R. R. R. Fisher's younger
daughter married S. Alexander Black and they
reside at home. He is one of the leading members of the United
Presbyterian Church at East Brook and was a member of the building
committee which erected the present church edifice. He is widely known and
is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens.
Source: "Robert Richford Roberts Fisher," 20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens, Hon. Arron L. Hazen, editor, (Chicago, Illinois: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1908), 408.
Submitted by Stephen Fisher
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