ADAM AND MARGARET FISCHER (by Lillian Fisher Appel)

ADAM FISCHER was born in Germany in 1843. He was orphaned at a young age and was raised by another family. The year of his arrival in the United States is unknown, but we do know that he was in Chicago during the great fire of 1871. He did have one sister who immigrated to Wisconsin, but the two lost contact with each other.

MARGARET SCHIEFFER was also born in Germany in 1837. In 1861, she married HENREICH KNAUF and they had three children. ANNA, JOHN and MARGARET were all born in Germany. In 1869, the Knauf family immigrated to America, settling on a farm in Iowa. Henreich died about 1870.

In 1875 Adam Fischer and Margaret Schieffer Knauf were married in Cassville, Wisconsin and lived there when APPOLONIA (MRS. JOHN BAYER)(1876-1932) and JOSEPH (1877-1967) were born. After the crops were damaged by chinch bugs and they lost their farm, the family moved to Westphalia, Iowa in 1880. Again loss of crops due to hail storms and cold weather the Fischers moved to Muenster, Texas arriving on Jan. 5, 1890. Due to illness of a family member, they were unable to come with the first settlers as planned, however they arrived less than two months later. The family traveled by train as far as Sherman, Texas then took a freight train to Muenster.

The Fischers spent their first winter northwest of Muenster at a place then known as Lazarus. That summer they bought a 200 acre farm approximately two and a half miles southeast of Muenster on the south side of the present Fisher Road. This two room house cost $140 to build. At this time, that house still stands with additions made.

Adam Fischer died Dec. 9, 1895, at which time all of the children were married, except Joseph, who was 18 years old. Thus he took over the farming for his mother. Sometime after Joe married, his mother made her home in town.

During her last nine years, she made her home with her daughter, ABBEY (MRS. JOHN BAYER) and spending some time with her other children. Margaret Fischer died May 19, 1921 and both she and Adam are buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery.

MUENSTER TEXAS: A CENTENNIAL HISTORY, 1889-1989, Compiled & Edited by The History Division, Muenster Centennial Committee, Muenster, Texas, 1989, Pg. 333

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1880 U.S. CENSUS, WESTPHALIA TWP., SHELBY CO., IA, 19 June 1880
Fisher, Adam, 37, Farmer, b. Prussia (Parents b. Prussia)
FISHER, MAGGIE (Wife), 44, Keeping House, b. Prussia (Parents b. Prussia)
Knauf, John (Son), 14, At Home, b. Prussia (Parents b. Prussia)
Knauf, Maggie (Daughter), 12, At Home, b. Prussia (Parents b. Prussia)
Fisher, Apolonia (Daughter), 3, b. WI (Parents b. Prussia)
Fisher, Joseph (Son), 2, b. WI (Parents b. Prussia)

1900 U.S. CENSUS, JUSTICE PRECINCT #8, COOKE CO., TX, 14 June 1900
Schieffer, Joseph (Head), 65, b. Feb. 1835, Germany (Parents b. Germany), WIDOWER, Came to U.S. in 1867, Naturalized
FISCHER, MARGERETHA (Sister), 61, b. June 1838, Germany (Parents b. Germany), WIDOW, Mother of 5 Children - All Living, Came to U.S. in 1867

1910 U.S. CENSUS, JUSTICE PRECINCT #8, COOKE CO., TX, 6 May 1910
FISCHER, MARGARETH (Head), 72, b. Germany (Parents b. Germany), WIDOW, Mother of 11 Children - 5 Living, Own Income

1920 U.S. CENSUS, JUSTICE PRECINCT #8, COOKE CO., TX, 20 January 1920
Bayer, John (Head), 48, b. MI (Parents b. Germany), Farmer - General Farm
Bayer, Abalonia (Wife), 43, b. WI (Parents b. Germany)
Bayer, Theresa (Daughter), 22, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI), Housework - Home Farm
Bayer, Joseph (Son), 20, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI), Laborer - Home Farm
Bayer, Alois (Son), 17, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI), Laborer - Home Farm
Bayer, Frank (Son), 15, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI), Laborer - Home Farm
Bayer, Margaret (Daughter), 13, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI)
Bayer, Agnes (Daughter), 11, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI)
Bayer, Martin (Son), 9, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI)
Bayer, George (Son), 7, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI)
Bayer, John (Son), 4, b. TX (Father b. MI / Mother b. WI)
FISHER, MARGARET (Mother-in-Law), 84, b. Germany (Parents b. Germany), WIDOW, Came to U.S. in 1870, Naturalized in 1880

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Texas Death Certificate: Died May 19, 1921, in Muenster, Cook Co., Texas; daughter of Mr. Schiffer and Anna Schnabel; died of intestinal indigestion; burial on May 21, 1921; informant on Death Certificate was her son, Joe Fisher. Birth record is 20 JULY 1837 in Anstel, Germany, daughter of Christian Schiffer and Anna Maria Schnabel.

~~Information contributed by 'Find A Grave' member, Mary M (#48306257)