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 [email protected] or 828-884-1820.