Fisher Family Women

Mary Sue "Mamie" Fisher Galloway, Rhoda Emmaline Walker Fisher Neal, and Rosa Fisher Durham

The three women pictured all come from the Fisher line, one family that traces its roots back to the beginnings of Transylvania County. The Fishers in Transylvania County originate with James Washington Fisher (1753-1832), a Revolutionary War soldier. He had two sons from his first wife Mary. She passed away and he remarried in 1804 to Nancy Evans and had four daughters with her. He and his family settled in what is known as “The Dark Corner” of South Carolina, between Tryon NC and Landrum SC. Around 1830, they moved to what is now Transylvania County in the area between the Bear Wallow and Toxaway rivers. 

His son, James Washington Fisher Jr. (1795-1862) was a “long hunter” – a professional hunter who would take a party out for six months at a time and return with preserved meat and skins to sell. He was also a talented fiddler and storyteller. His tall tales became the foundation for a series of stories written by Charleston author William Gilmore Simms. He had ten children.

One of his sons, John Thomas Fisher (1825-1864), is the connection between the ladies in this photograph. John Thomas had eight sons and two daughters. His son Andrew Jackson Fisher (1852-1895) was the father of Rosa (1887-1984), right. His son LeRoy Reid Fisher (1856-1940) was the father of Mary Sue “Mamie” (1891-1988), left. His son William Clarke Fisher (1861-1903) married Rhoda (1867-1934), center. Another connection is that Rhoda’s sister was also Mamie’s mother.  

Rhoda has an interesting life story. After her husband, a physician everyone called “Dr. Bill,” died from complications after successfully performing an appendectomy on himself, she sold their hotel in Rosman and moved into their country home in Lake Toxaway. She used life insurance money to build a large hotel/boarding house in the Toxaway area and managed it successfully until the Lake Toxaway dam burst in 1916, destroying the tourist industry for that area for many years. She eventually remarried and moved to Houston, Texas, where she lived out her days. Many descendants from the Fisher line live in Transylvania County today and are known for holding one of the longest-lived annual family reunions in the county. 

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.