CHARTER MEMBERS: Who Were These Men? David Fisher

Additional information added Jan. 18, 2019

David Fisher was a prominent Baptist Missionary. His brother Orceneth, an equally prominent Methodist Missionary.  A photo of his tombstone, right, fallen over and forgotten was found on the internet, but the location of that burial site was unknown – until 2014. 

Research demonstrates that David Fisher was a prominent Baptist Missionary of the Union Baptist Association.  He was instrumental in founding or leading many churches that would go on to become prominent in their communities, among them: 

• Brenham Church, Washington County constituted in 1846 by R.E.B. Baylor and Hosea Garrett.  the First Pastor of Brenham church was David Fisher.  Brenham Church would later become "Brenham's First Baptist Church."

• Union Church, Washington County constituted in 1851 by R.E.B. Baylor, G.W. Baines, and H.L. Graves.  David Fisher was the first pastor of this Baptist Church.  Was this church located in Gay Hill as part of the "church and Masonic Lodge" referenced in Baylor Lodge minutes?  It would seem so since many of those constituting the church are also the officers and members of Baylor Lodge:  R.E.B. Baylor, David Fisher, along with his wife Nancy and his daughter Eliza, John Lauderdale, W. G. Veazey, and perhaps others.  As "Union" was the name of the community where his parents were from, and the Baptist Association took the name Union Baptist Association, it would seem logical that Union Church would be closely associated with David Fisher.  Research continues.

• Belton Church, Bell County organized in the latter part of the summer of 1853 by S. G. O'Bryan of Waco and David Fisher of Gay Hill, Washington County.

• First Baptist Church of Cameron organized 1853 by itinerant ministers J. W. D. Creath and David Fisher.

• Bellville Church, Austin County organized February 15, 1857 by Hosea Garrett, David Fisher, and B.L. Wright

• Oak Shade Church, Liberty County organized July 4, 1857 by David Fisher and B. L. Wright

• Minter Sprint Church, Brazos County organized September 1857 by B. L. Wright and David Fisher

Undoubtedly there may be others as well. 

Members of First Baptist Church in Brenham have recently re-discovered the site of Brother Fisher's burial and have taken measures to preserve the long neglected cemetery and to raise funds to preserve some of the remaining headstones and the cemetery property.

Pictured is Brother John Fuller, member of the Friends of Baylor Lodge, who was a key figure in locating Brother Fisher's headstone.

Recently, members have been able to clear the cemetery site, and repair and restore the tombstones of Brother Fisher (far right), his wife Nancy (middle) and their "grandson-in-law, Samuel Jones (left and also a member of Baylor Lodge from 1879).

The Washington County Genealogical Society has formed an Adopt-A-Cemetery Committee to find organizations who want to do a service project to clean up a cemetery and maintain them. 

Donations can be made to the Washington County Genealogical Society and designate that it is for Adopt-A-Cemetery in the memo section of your check.  

Mail to 2211 Day Street, Suite 105, Brenham, TX 77833.  

It reports that it is a non-profit 501c3 organization. 

David Fisher came to Texas in 1846.  Born in 1802 and born of the spirit in 1836, he would have been 34 when he was born of the spirit, 44 when he came to Texas and 45 when he started New Year’s Creek Baptist church.  When he became a charter member of Baylor Lodge No. 125 A.F. & A.M. he was 51 years old.

His grandfather, also David Fisher, was a minister to the Freewill Baptist Church (the Baptists did not believe in infant baptism.) Best information indicates that his father was one of three brothers who immigrated to the area of Dedham, Massachusetts in 1637 and spread to all portions of New England.

According to the 1790 census, Rev. David Fisher, Sr. lived in Windham County, Halifax Town, adj. to Guilford Town, Vermont. He had five children under 16 years of age. One of these children was David, Jr., our David Fisher’s father.  

David's father was a Doctor. Dr. Fisher married Britania Chase September, 1798 in Windham County, Vermont. Shortly after they married, they moved to Chester, Windsor County, Vermont. At least two sons were born there: David Fisher III [Pastor Fisher] and Orceneth Fisher.  

Pastor Fisher’s father and his wife and family migrated to the Great Northwest Territory during the early years of the nineteenth century (between 1805 and 1818). They settled in Guilford, Dearborn County, Indiana on the Ohio River. Dr. Fisher and his wife were buried in Union Cemetery, Rising Sun, Ohio County, Indiana.

Orceneth Fisher

David's younger brother, Orceneth, was born 5 November 1803 in Windsor, Vermont and died in Austin, Texas, 29 August 1880. He converted to Methodism while he was still a child. He was deeply disturbed that he had not undergone infant baptism and his memoirs include in-depth details of his decision to convert. He became a Methodist minister and traveled all over the Western and Central United States as a Circuit Rider. He lived in Illinois, where he preached to Abraham Lincoln and held his coat during a duel. He was the pastor of several Methodist -Episcopal churches in Texas: Austin, Houston, San Marcos, etc. He was Senate Chaplain for Texas in its early days.

In October 1866,  the "Church and Masonic Lodge" deeded a plot of land owned by the original church and Masonic Lodge for his personal burial needs.  His obituary notes that David "died at the age of 82 at his home near Gay Hill nearby where he is buried", thus indicating that nearby the site above, David Fisher's home, a church he pastored, and a Masonic Lodge he helped to charter would have been located.

Research continues.  This cemetery is near the site of the original Baylor Lodge, perhaps Union Baptist Church of Washington County, and David Fisher's home.

May Brother Fisher continue to rest in peace.