JOE AND EMMA FISHER (by the Fisher Children)

JOE FISHER was born Oct. 25, 1877 in Cassville, Wisconsin, the son of ADAM and MARGARET SCHIEFFER KNAUF FISCHER (Joe Fisher dropped the "c" from his name around World War I due to the prejudice against Germans). Two years later the Adam Fischer family moved to Westphalia, Iowa where Grandpa farmed and Dad attended the local school.

Our dad was twelve years old when his family moved to Muenster, arriving on Jan. 5, 1890, less than two months after the first settlers. Grandpa Adam Fischer bought a farm two and a half miles southeast of Muenster on what is now called "Fisher Road". He died five years later in 1895 leaving our dad, at age 18, to take over the responsibility of running the farm for Grandma as his older brothers and sisters had already left home. Papa was proud to have been one of the first two who served Mass in Muenster. He also told of the hard times as a youth, when money and food was scarce, of working in the fields when he was weak from hunger. Throughout his life, he was determined that this would not happen to his family or anyone else whom he could help.

EMMA PULTE was born Oct. 13, 1879 in a dug out with a lean-to about five miles southeast of the Reed Cemetery, the first Texas born child of AUGUST and CAROLINE SCHMITT [Correction - SCHMIDT] PULTE. The Pultes had moved to Texas from Michigan in 1877. Emma attended the Reed school.

Our parents probably met at school or church here in Muenster. Dad did tell of riding horseback to court Mother, then riding home again late at night. They were married May 8, 1901 in Sacred Heart Church. After they lived with his mother two years, they moved to land they had bought north of his mother's home. Their first home was a log house right south of the Brushy Elm Creek. A few years latter, they moved to a house they had built near "Fisher Road". In 1928, they built a large two-story brick home at the same site, which still stands today. During these years, Papa purchased several adjoining farms. Losing some of his land during the depression, Papa was later able to buy back most of it.

Mama was a very resourceful person and quite outgoing. She never wore the long dresses that women usually wore then, learned to drive their car in the 1920's, sewed for all of us and cut all of our hair. Besides farming his own land, Papa harvested for others and bought and sold livestock throughout the county. He served for years as a director of the Muenster State Bank, was a fourth degree Knight of Columbus, and both he and Mama were active in church and community affairs. Our family raised most of our food. Fruit and vegetables were canned, fresh beef butchered and some dried, and pork was smoked and cured. Some years Papa would process as much as 22 hogs to last through the year. Yes, he made the first Fisher smoke sausage.

Our mother died Feb. 14, 1930 leaving a great void for all of us. After all of us children were grown, our father traveled extensively. He was always ready to help a friend in need, thus he became known as "Papa Fisher". At the time of his death on April 30, 1967, at age 89, he was survived by ten children, 43 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Both Mother and Dad are buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery along with their daughter, LEONA, who died at three months of age in 1927.

MUENSTER TEXAS: A CENTENNIAL HISTORY, 1889-1989, Compiled & Edited by The History Division, Muenster Centennial Committee, Muenster, Texas, 1989, Pg. 339

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