https://archive.org/details/fishfamilyinengl00fish/page/11/mode/1up

Robert Fish, sometimes styled “mercer” (silk merchant), of Market Harborough in the parish of Great Bowden, who was bapt. Aug. 12, 1593. He was son of (65) Thomas1 Fishe who probably also was a descendant of Edward Fishe of Harborough, and perhaps was a brother or a cousin of John1 of Great Bowden. These relationships are suggested by the fact that the name “Austin” was given to one of Thomas’ sons, a name so often used in the family in its other form, Augustine. The registers of Market Harborough give the records of two generations of this branch of the family in England, though no record of the marriage has been found, and Robert’s family seems to have disappeared from the records of that neighborhood.

Robert2 Fish d. Dec. 20, 1639, at the early age of 46 years, and was buried at Great Bowden, and probably through his death or through business reversals the young family was thrown upon its own resources and broken up. The older sons, Thomas and John, are accounted for as (72) Thomas3 of Portsmouth, R. I. (See p. 31), and (73) John3 of Connecticut (who d. at Mystic in 1689) (See p. 252). Joseph3 may have been of Stamford, Conn., in 1651.

Children (all but four bapt. at Market Harborough) :

+ 72 Thomas3, bapt. Jan.l, 1618/19, Great Bowden; d. 1687; m. Mary Soule (?).

+ 73 John, bapt. Jan. 21, 1620/21; d. 1687 (?); m. Mary Ireland (?) or Eland; m. (2) Martha Stark (?); m. (3) Hannah Steery.

74 Ruth, bapt. Sept. 1, 1622.

75 Mary, bapt. Jan. 24, 1623/24 at Great Bowden; d. May 14, 1624.

76 Mary, bapt. Apr. 24, 1625.

+ 77 Joseph, bapt. Sept. 17, 1626.

78 Nathan, bapt. Mar. 7, 1629/30; d. Oct. 4, 1631.

79 Tabitha, bapt. May 8, 1630; d. Mar. 23, 1657/58.

80 Hanna, bapt. Nov. 24, 1633.

81 Christian, bapt. Dec. 10, 1637 at Great Bowden.

82 Benjamin, bapt. Aug. 11, 1639 at Great Bowden.

Robert Fishe

• BIRTH 1593 Great Bowden, Harborough District, Leicestershire, England
• DEATH 20 Dec 1639 (aged 45–46) Market Harborough, Harborough District, Leicestershire, England
• BURIAL St. Peter and St. Paul's Churchyard Great Bowden, Harborough District, Leicestershire, England
• MEMORIAL ID 206488249

Robert Fish was baptized on August 12, 1593 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire County, England, probably in St. Mary's Church pictured right (mouse over image for more info). He was the third of seven known sons born to the unnamed wife of Thomas Fishe. On February 24, 1617/18, Robert married a not too distant [first] cousin, Alice Fyshe in Market Harborough, which was the main city of the parish of Great Bowden. On their Leicester Archdeaconry Registry Marriage Bond, both of their names are spelled Fishe and they are listed as being from Bowdon Magna, which is the ancient Latin name for the parish of Great Bowden. John Dean Fish, in his 1922 article, The Fish Family of Great Bowden in Leicestershire, England, tells us that “There are three church buildings belonging to the parish.

The church of old Roman Catholic days was dedicated to St. Mary-in-Arden, and a portion of the old structure still remains, surrounded by a large burial ground containing many ancient stones. . . . The present parish church, standing on the north side of the public green in the little village of Great Bowden, is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. . . . The more numerous and important community of Market Harborough has only a chapel of ease, which is dedicated to St. Dionysius. This chapelry, however, is very ancient, being mentioned as early as 1344, in an ecclesiastical record, as ‘a parcel of the Rectory of Bowden Magna.’” St. Dionysius was originally a dependent chapel of St. Mary in Arden Church, which was located on a hill outside of the main town. So exactly which church the baptism or marriage took place in, is uncertain.

It should be noted that the Fish surname have been spelled many different ways including Fishe and Fysh. Robert and Alice had at least eleven children together (see Alice’s bio for more on the family). John Dean Fish goes on to say that Robert was sometimes styled ‘mercer,’ which means he was a dealer [merchant] in fine textile fabrics. Carl Boyer in his third edition of Ancestral Lines, calls Robert a silk merchant. Robert died at the young age of 46, and was buried in the churchyard at Great Bowden on December 20, 1639, leaving his 42 year-old wife with nine children ranging in age from 4 months old to ancestor Thomas who was 20 years-old. John Dean Fish, in his 1922 article, suggests that “through his death or business reverses, the young family were thrown upon their own resources, and broken up.

The older sons, Thomas and John, are accounted for in the Thomas of Portsmouth, R. I., and in John of Connecticut who died at Mystic in 1689. The tradition handed down in the Rhode Island family, put in writing one hundred years ago, confirms the close relationship between the Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut families, even making the claim that the three progenitors thereof were brothers. In this connection it is to be noted that Thomas gave to two of his children born at Portsmouth, the names of Robert and Alice, in remembrance of his father and mother. Moreover, the will of John Fish of Mystic mentions his daughter Alice. Alice was an uncommon name in New England in those days, but the remembrance of and love for a mother explain its use by these two men in their new, far away homes.” [2]

Chronology

April 1681 he was appointed constable.

April 9, 1686 (one year after the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach), Robert was made a freeman of Portsmouth. This indicates that he had become a member of the church, of the Quaker Church no doubt or perhaps the Baptist (no mention has been made in the history of the establishment of the Baptist Church upon the Island). . . .

Feb 27, 1790, a large number of citizens met at the old Robert Fish house to consider the new Constitution of the United States of America and give instructions to delegates to the State Convention to be held in South Kingston.

1730 at the time of his death, which occurred in Portsmouth, he was a Lieutenant in the Colonial Militia. (It was only six years before his death that the first permanent settlement was made in Vermont, at Fort Dummer.)

Dec 12, 1728 will is dated, proved in 1730, his sons Daniel and David being named Executors.

Notes

His coat-of-arms may be found in "Tercentenary of New England Families."

Last Will & Testement

To son Robert, 5s. To son William, land in Tiverton, R.I. [which reamined in the Fish family until 1930].
To daughter Mary Dexter, 10 pounds.
To daughter Alice Peck, 30 pounds, andirons and Negro woman Rose at death of parentswww.findagrave.com

Spouse
Alice Fyshe Fishe b. 11/6/1597 Market Harborough, Leics, Eng.–d. 8/11/1639 Great Bowden Parish, Leics, Eng. m. 24 February 1617/8

Siblings

1. Thomas, Jr. bapt. 10 March 1585
2. Austin bapt. 22 April 1590
3. William bapt. 16 November 1595-died young
4. William bapt. 27 March 1597
5. Jeffrey bapt. 28 October 1599

Children

1. Thomas Fish 1619–1687
2. Sarah Fish Stark 1620–1685
3. John Fish 1621–1689
4. Ruth Fish, b. 1622
5. Mary Fish 1624–1624
6. Mary Fish, b. April 1625,
7. Joseph Fish, b. 1626,
8. Nathaniel Fish 1629–1631
9. Tabitha Fishe 1630–1657
10. Hannah Fish 1633-
11. Christian Fish 1637-
12. Benjamin Fish 1639-

Descendant Details== [3]

-- Thomas Fish, b. 1618/19, bapt. 1 Jan 1618/19 at Great Bowden, Leicestershire, [Migrated to Portsmouth, Rhode Island], d. Dec 1687, Portsmouth, Newport County, Rhode Island Province, British Colonies
-- John Fish, b. 1620/21 Great Bowden, Leicestershire, bapt. 21 Jan 1620/21 at Market Harborough, [Migrated to Connecticut] d. 1689, Mystic River, Groton, New London, Connecticut Province, British Colonies
-- Ruth Fish, b. 1622, bapt. 1 Sept 1622 at Market Harborough, Leicestershire, d.
-- Mary Fish, b. Jan 1623/24, bapt. 24 Jan 1623/24 at Great Bowden, Leicestershire, d. 1624 at Market Harborough, Leicestershire, Buried 14 May 1623/24 at Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
-- Mary Fish, b. April 1625, Bapt. 24 April 1625, at Market Harborough, d.?
-- Joseph Fish, b. 1626, bapt. 17 Sept 1626 at Market Harborough, d.
-- Nathan[iel] Fish, b. abt Feb/March 1629/30 - Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England, bapt. 7 March 1629/30 at Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England, d. about 3 Oct 1631, Buried: 4 Oct at Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
-- Tabitha Fish, b. 1630, b. Great Bowden, Leicestershire, Bapt. 8 May 1630, Market Harborough, Leicestershire. d. 30 May, 1657/58, Great Bowden, Leicestershire, England
-- Hannah Fish, b. 1633, bapt. 24 Nov 1633 at Market Harborough, Leicestershire, d.
-- Christian Fish, b. 1637, bapt. 10 Dec 1637, at Great Bowden, Leicestershire, d. ?
-- Benjamin Fish, b. 1639, bapt. 11 Aug 1639, at Great Bowden, d.

Notes

In the "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island" is found the genealogy of the Fish, Hall, Tripp and Pain families, Elizabeth (Tripp) Hall, wife of Zuriel Hall, was dau. of John Tripp and Mary Pain, who was descended from Anthony Pain, a man of prominence in the early days of Portsmouth. Elizabeth Tripp was no doubt a sister of Joseph Tripp, who m. Robert's older sister Mehitable, and another sister, Isabel Tripp, m. Samson Sherman whose grandson, Samson Sherman, m. Ruth6, dau. of David5.

References

[1] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206488249/robert-fishe

Source

[2] [http://jtbullock.com/Tree/AbigailWilbur.html]

[3] The New York genealogical and biographical record, by Greene, Richard Henry, 1839-1926; Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909; Dwight, Melatiah Everett; Morrison, George Austin, 1864-1916; Mott, Hopper Striker, 1854-1924; Totten, John Reynolds, 1856-1936; Pitman, H. Minot (Harold Minot), 1888-; Ditmas, Charles Andrew, 1887-1938; De Forest, Louis Effingham, 1891-; Mann, Conklin; Maynard, Arthur S; New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Publication date: 1922, Publisher: New York, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society p. 64, John Dean Fish, The Fish Family of Great Bowdern in Leicestershire, England, in,

[4] "The Early Fish Family in England" http://www.dallas.net/~mcmanus/book_p81.htm

Additional Information ==THE ROBERT4 FISH LINE

100 LIEUT. ROBERT4 FISH (Thomas3, Alice2, John1), blacksmith, youngest son of (72) Thomas and Mary (Soule?) Fish, was b. at Portsmouth, R.I., about 1665 (the year in which Sir Isaac Newton formulated the Law of Gravitation). He early became prominent in the affairs of the Colony, and held many govt. offices. He was a blacksmith by trade, first in line of four blacksmiths in those days being considered of great importance as they had a monopoly on a trade of great necessity in early days, and in colonial days the business if getting a blacksmith to take up his residence in a town was as serious a matter as calling in a minister or a Doctor of Medicine today. In 1674 the town of Wretham, Mass., voted "To give 2 acres of upland for the incouragement of such a man as may be approved of the calling of blacksmith."

 On Sept. 16, 1686, at Portsmouth, he was m. by George Lawton, Justice of the Peace, to Mary Hall, dau. of Zuriel and Elizabeth (Tripp) Hall. She d. June 8, 1735.

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