Adam Fischer ¹³

  General Notes:

[Fischer,Clark.ftw.FTW]
Adam lists his birthplace, and both parents' residence as Hesse-Darmstadt in the census. This is a town south of Frankfort, Germany.
According to Joe W. Fischer, Adam immigrated to the United States as a stowaway on a ship, he thought in the mid 1800s. Adam never talked about the "Old Country", indicating he did not want his whereabouts known. Adam immigrated to New York in 1847, according to Adam's naturalization paper, written in Louisville on April 25, 1853. According to Uncle Albert, Adam first went to Cincinnati. One Adam Fischer is in the 1850 Ohio Census in Sutton, Meigs County.
In stories related by Betty Riney, Adam came to America to stay out of the military draft, and the many wars in Europe. Adam left 10 brothers in Hesse. If the Hessian authorities could confirm Adam had fled the country, they would force one of his brothers to take his place in the Army. Therefore Adam was very secretive about his identity. It is also said that there was a notice in the Louisville papers, of his family trying to locate him to settle the estate after his father died, but Adam would not answer.
Another story was that, during the Civil War, Adam had just sold a wagon for ten dollars, when Morgan's Raiders (Confederate Calvary) came into the Indiana town. He had the ten dollars pinned to his shirt. The raiders demanded money, and he gave them his coin purse, but feared for his life if they found him holding out. The raiders missed the ten dollars.
Walburga met Adam in Cincinnati and they married in Louisville. They were married by Charles L. Daubert, who was pastor of the German St. Paul's Evangelical Church in Louisville on May 16, 1858. Apparently Adam was Reformed Lutheran, and Walburga Catholic. They were remarried in St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church on February 20, 1859.
Evidently Adam was bald because, as my mother told the story, on the morning after the wedding, when his bride awoke, she was startled by the wig on top of the bedpost; she thought it was some kind of furry animal.
During the 1860 census, and when John was born, they lived in Jeffersontown, Kentucky near Louisville in Jefferson County. They attended St. Martin's Catholic Church.
Adam was a Wagon Maker in 1860 and 1870 living among Kentucky born English people, and a Farmer in 1880 living among Germans in Fulda.
The family moved between Louisville and Fulda several times, apparently (per children's birthplaces) moved permanently in 1872,
Adam and Walburga are buried in St. Boniface's Catholic Church Cemetery in Fulda, Indiana. Adam's tombstone's inscription reads:
" Von Harzen haten wir dich lieb.
Dein Tod hat so sehr betrubt.
Ach, wir konnen es nitch verstehen,
dasz du fruh von uns gehn."
This translates to:
"We loved you so dearly.
Your death has affected us so very much.
Oh, we cannot understand,
since you left us so suddenly."
Touching, isn't it?
Census estate value personel estate children occupation
1860 $500 $150 0 wagon maker
1870 $800 $400 3 wagon maker
1880 - - 7 farmer
by Dan Fischer
notes: (unknown Fischers in St. Boniface records):
A Michael Fischer married Catherina Heth (from Troy) at St. Boniface, Fulda, on 22 May 1853.
A Wilhelm Fischer married Margretha Hensley on 19 Sep 1871; wit Bernard & Elizabeth Fischer.
An Elizabeth Fischer married Anthony Doeny on 26 Jan 1875, Bernard was witness.

Adam married Walburga Nemer, daughter of Unknown Nemer and Anna Kreil, on 16 May 1858 in St. Paul Evangelical Church, Louisville, Jefferson Co, KY. (Walburga Nemer was born on 24 Feb 1841 in Bavaria and died on 2 Dec 1915 in Fulda, Spencer Co, In St. Boniface Cemetery B-02-19.)