THOMAS FISH, eldest son of ROBERT FISH and ALICE FYSH - both descendants of EDMUND FISCHE of Market Harborough, and his brother John came to America in 1643. They landed at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Thomas is often mentioned in the Records of the Town Meetings of Portsmouth. He held various offices of Portsmouth and was prominent in the early affairs of Portsmouth Colony. (It is noted that many of the early land owning colonists were unable to sign their names, and used only their mark, while the name "THOMAS FISH" was written in bold legible handwriting.) Thomas married MARY SOULE (?). They had seven children. It was noted that this family was among the survivors of King Philip's War of 1676.
THOMAS FISH, son of Thomas and Mary Fish, was born and died in Portsmouth, RI. He married GRIZZLE STRANGE. They had five children. They are the parents of the first Preserved Fish in the line.
PRESERVED FISH, son of Thomas and Grizzel Fish, was born and died at Portsmouth, RI., also. His death is recorded in the Book of Society of Friends (Quakers). He married Ruth Cook. They had eight children. Their son, Preserved, died at the age of 99. He fell on a hatchet from a cherry tree.
THOMAS FISH, the eldest son of Preserved and Grizzel Fish, was born at Portsmouth, RI. He married MERCY GOGGESHELL, the daughter of John and Mary (Stanton) Coggeshell. The Coggeshells were, also, prominent among the the founders of Portsmouth. Thomas and Mercy had nine children. Thomas moved his family to Dartmouth, Mass. and about 15 years later moved again to the "Oblong" Amenia Precinct, Dutchess County of New York. Thomas died there.
JOHN FISH, son of Thomas and Mercy, was born at Dartmouth, Mass. He married EUNICE_________. They had five children. They are the parents of our Revolutionary War ancestor, Ephriam.
LIEUTENANT EPHRIAM FISH, was born in Amenia Precinct, Duchess County, NY. He enlisted about October 1st, 1776, and served in Captain Peter Van Wort's Company, Col. John McRea's Regiment. On April 28, 1781 he was commissioned Lieutenant and her served fourteen months. He was on an expedition to Lake George and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. His claim for pension is S-3357. In 1809 he lived at Cincinnatus, Cortland Co. and later in Chenango Co., NY. He was a member of the New York legislature. He married MARY POTTER, daughter of Stephen and Bridget (Allen) Potter. They moved to Lyme, Huron Co., Ohio some time before July 27, 1832, the date his pension was received. Ephriam and Mary Fish had eight children.
BENJAMIN FISH, son of Ephriam and Mary Fish, was born in 1787. Benjamin married DELIA PEASE. I have determined from census records and a document of the settlement of his estate in La Grange County, Indiana that Benjamin and Delia FISH are the parents of Mother's father - Wilson Chester FISH. Benjamin and Delia died in LaGrange County are buried in the Woodruff Cemetery.
The following information has been secured on Benjamin FISH. He served in the war of 1812 with Great Britian. He was fifer in Capt. Elias Benjamin Jr's company of New York Volunteers in the Albany Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. John Mills. He volunteered for one year's service the 31st of Jan. 1813. Records for the Company Pay Roll indicate that he deserted Oct. 16, 1813. (I don't know why he would want to desert such a lucrative service - $9 per month. ?) His desertion must have been justified somehow, however, because he received a bounty land grant for 160 acres. Warrant # 2809, Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio. Vol. 35 page 30.
WILSON CHESTER FISH was born in 1825 in New York. He moved with his family to Huron County, Ohio. He married his first wife, Mary Randel, while living in Ohio. The Benjamin and Wilson Fish families moved to La Grange County, Indiana about 1845 or 1846. The first five children of the Wilson Fish family were born in Ohio and Indiana. Before their last child-Charles- was born they moved to Peoria, Polk County, Iowa. Mary R. died in November 1860.
Wilson then married my mother's mother - Mary E. GRUBB BEARD. Grandmother had two children from her first marriage and then there were six children born to this union. Two of these children died in infancy or early childhood. Wilson died when Mother was so young that she didn't remember much about him but she felt that her mother was the happiest in this marriage of the three that she had.