Rev. George W. Fisher (c. 1808 – June 22, 187[...]) was a American Methodist minister from Shelbyville, Illinois. He was President of the Shelbyville Board of Trustees in 1851.

Fisher was born in Kentucky. His parents were David Fisher and Mary Lotspeich.

He met [http://www.geni.com/people/Nancy-Fisher  Nancy Fisher], who was five years his senior, likely while she was visiting her sister, [http://www.geni.com/people/Mary-Swofford  Mary Swofford], in Shelbyville, Illinois. Hibler was previously married to [http://www.geni.com/people/William-Simmons/60000000178370035529 William M. Simmons], at the age of 18, and had two sons, [Gustavus "Gus" Simmons Gustavus Simmons] (born c. 1823) and [John W. Simmons John W. Simmons] (born c. 1824). Simmons left state on a business trip in 1824 and was not heard from again. John J. Smith filed a petition for divorce on her behalf in March of 1829. Fisher and Hibler were married in Shelby County, Illinois on April 17,1834, and had a son named [Samuel M. Fisher Samuel M.] (born January 1835), the following year.

By 1836, Fisher and his family had moved Bonhomme, Missouri, and he and his wife had three more children: Martha Ellen (born February 28, 1836), Louisa A. (born 1838) and Julia (born 1841). The family returned to Shelbyville, Illinois by 1850, where Fisher was employed at a wagonshop and living on a modest property worth 200 dollars.

In the fall of 1852, Fisher helped build the Shelbyville Academy in Shelbyville, Illinois and was elected to the first Board of Trustees. He was described in the Shelbyville Seminary Memorial as having "dark, earnest eyes, overshadowed with heavy brows, and with a stentorian voice that thundered law and gospel to arouse sleepy sinners to repentance".

Fisher wife's, Nancy, is assumed to have died between 1850 and 1855, as she is not list beside his name in the 1855 Illinois State Census.

In 1858, Rev. G. W. Fisher joined the wagon train of Gen. William Larimer which was headed to what is now Denver, Colorado. Rev. Fisher was the first minister to preach the Gospel in what is now the state of Colorado. His name is on a bronze plaque on the Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Denver. He also started and was the first minister of St James United Methodist Church in Central City, Colorado.

Fisher was present at the estate sale of his step-son, Gustavus Simmons, on 26 September, 1868, following his death that year, and purchased "linen pants, jacket, an old buggy and buggy harness".

In 1870, Fisher was living with his son, Samuel, in Bonhomme, Missouri. Sometime after 1873, he gifted him a large leather bound edition of History of the Bible, inscribed with his name.

Fisher played the violin, as did his son Samuel Fisher, grandson George Nicholas Fisher and great-grandson George Frederick Fisher. The four were also Freemasons.

Fisher's death is recorded by his grandson, George Nicholas Fisher, in a family diary as June 22, 187[...], the last digit being illegible due to fraying of the paper. He is suspected to be buried in the Hibler-Fitzgerald Cemetery in Creve Coeur, Missouri, alongside his descendants, though no headstone remains.

Sources

1. Illinois Marriages to 1850; Spouse 1: Fisher, George; Spouse 2: Simmons, Nancy; Marriage Date: 17 Apr 1834; Marriage Location: Illinois, Shelby County.
2. 1840 United States Federal Census; Name: G W Fisher; Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Bonne Homme, Saint Louis, Missouri; Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39: 1; Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 2; Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39: 1; Persons Employed in Agriculture: 3; Free White Persons - Under 20: 4; Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 2; Total Free White Persons: 6; Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 6.
3. 1850 United States Federal Census; Name: J W Fisher; Age: 40; Birth Year: abt 1810; Birthplace: Kentucky; Home in 1850: Shelbyville, Shelby, Illinois; Gender: Male; Family Number: 353.
4. Illinois, State Census Collection, 1825-1865; Name: G W Fisher; Census Date: 3 Jul 1855; Residence State: Illinois; Residence County: Shelby.
5. Missouri's Judicial Records; Court: Probate; County: St. Louis; Party Name: Simmons, Gustavus; Case Number: 08563; Date Filed: 1868; Microfilm Reel: C 32701.
6. 1870 United States Federal Census; Name: George W Fisher; Age in 1870: 62; Birth Year: abt 1808; Birthplace: Kentucky; Home in 1870: Bonhomme, St Louis, Missouri; Race: White; Gender: Male; Post Office: Ballwin.
7. Shelby seminary memorial, 1854-1869