A Fish Tale

                There is some disagreement about Abigail Wilbor’s father’s name.  (Abigail was the wife of Joshua Sprague).   Sprague Families in America states that her father is Jeremiah Wilbor.  The “Sprague Project” internet database states that it is Daniel, and I tend to agree with the Sprague Project at the point.  Daniel had a son named Jeremiah and a daughter named Abigail.  It is possible that an older brother had taken care of Abigail, or that Daniel’s middle name was Jeremiah, or some other confusion.  But, until I see research refuting Daniel, I am going to go with that.

                Daniel Wilbor’s wife was Sarah Fish, born January 29, 1694 in Newport, Rhode Island.  According to the Rhode Island Record of Vital Extracts, Sarah’s parents were Daniel and Abigail Mumford Fish. This also makes me think Abigail’s father was Daniel, as it was common to honor parents and grandparents by naming children after them.  Sarah Fish married Daniel Wilbor on April 2, 1725.

                Daniel Fish was born in 1662 in Rhode Island, according to his marriage record.  He married Abigail Mumford in 1682 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. His father is also recorded on the marriage record as being Thomas Fish.  According to an article by John Dean Fish, a corresponding member of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, there were at least eight individuals with the last name of Fish who came to America in the 1600s.  All were natives of England.  Thomas Fish is believed to have been born in 1619.  There is record of a Thomas Fish arriving in Rhode Island in 1643.  With so many with the last name Fish, and a common first name like Thomas, it is difficult to trace exactly who is who.  There are many records of Thomas Fish serving as a juryman, delegate to the General Assembly, and constable in Newport, Rhode Island.  There is also record of a will for Thomas Fish, recorded in February, 1687 and proven in December, 1687, that names his wife, four sons, three daughters and seven grandchildren.  It is believed that Thomas Fish’s father was Robert Fish (1593-1639), who lived in England all of his life, and married a first cousin, Alice Fish.

 

Sources:

Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900

U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700

American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI)

Mumford Memoirs: Being the story of the New England Mumfords from the year 1655 to the present time

Sprague Families in America

The Sprague Project