The Days of Julia Johnson: A Civil War Diary

The Fisher Family

By April Drennan and Deyvi Portee

December 1, 2004

It is amazing how much of a person’s family history can be inferred from reviewing historical documents. The diary of Julia Fisher is an invaluable historical reference that depicts what the lives of women were like during the Civil War period. Through careful examination of her old diary and old census records it is possible to piece together and trace the story of her family. The diary breathes life into the people mentioned in the census records. It makes them real, not just statistics on a page. However, these mere statistics can often help paint the vivid picture that was the lives of the Fisher family.

The story of the Fisher family begins in 1788 with the birth of William F. Fisher in Massachusetts. While Julia, born in 1814 in the state of Connecticut, is the author of the diary that sheds so much light into the lives of this family; it does not appear that she and William ever had any children of their own. Mr. Fisher’s first wife is listed on ancestry.com as being the mother of at least two of his children. The only information we were able to access indicated that her name began Po_____, she was born in 1791 in Rhode Island and died in 1821 in Connecticut. We were unable to locate any census records placing her with William Fisher. His daughter L.H, referred to as Sybil in the diary, was born in 1820; followed by his son Francis Fisher in 1829. It can be inferred Francis would have been named William after his father, perhaps he preferred to be called by his middle name. It is undeterminable if Francis ever married or had any children. The census records do however show that L.H. married E.H. Penniman, who was born in 1816 in the state of Connecticut. The remainder of the research leads down this family line.

Sybil, who later dies in 1905, and E.H. produced three sons while living in New York between the years 1843 to 1859. Their first born son was named William F. Penniman, often referred to as Fred in Julia’s diary. Fred was followed by E.H., known as Gussie in the diary, in 1847; and C.E, known as Clarence in the diary, in 1859. It is unknown exactly why or when this family decided to move south. Yet they all appear in the 1860 census living in the state of Georgia. This would prove to be an important move for the history of this family. Julia’s diary, that depicts so well what life was like for civilians during the Civil War, may not have ever been produced if her stepdaughter had never moved her family south to Georgia. Historical inference suggests that perhaps Julia and William F. Fisher later moved south perhaps to be closer to their family or even to escape the cold harsh weather of the north as they aged.

Once again little is known about the private lives of Gussie and Clarence. The records do not indicate if and when they ever married nor if they ever had any children. Although it can be deciphered that Fred meets his wife, Anne Elizabeth Adams after moving south. Anne, a Georgia native, was born in 1845. The census records indicate that Fred and Anne had at least six children during the years 1867 to 1890. Records indicate that there was a child only referred to as Au Penniman born somewhere during this time period. Edna Gertrude was born in 1875. Ellard F. was born to the couple in 1882, followed by William F. in 1884. Their youngest was Anne Elizabeth who was born in 1890. Their first born was Mary S., born in 1867, has what seems to be an interesting story. Thorough research has shown she went on to marry a man with the last name Lloyd. She was listed in the 1900 census as a member of her father’s household under her married name. Yet, in the 1910 census she, her mother, her brother William F., and her three sisters Anne E., Edna Gertrude and Ellard are all listed as members of her brother in law’s, Edgar Walter, Florida household. It is unclear how she is Edgar Walter’s sister-in-law, as her married name was Lloyd. What makes sense is that Lloyd’s wife, Julia, was Mary’s husband’s sister. However, no search of a Julia Lloyd (what should have been her maiden name) comes up with any records. Then, in the 1920 census, Mary is listed as the head of household. She is now residing with her sister Edna and a twenty-six year old gentleman named Fred Walker, who is listed only as a nephew, along with a group of people referred to as boarders. At this time they are all living in Chatham County Georgia. They all seem to disappear before the 1930 census.

The information gained from these census records could lead historians to ask lots of questions that were not addressed in Julia’s diary. Questions like: What happened to Mary’s husband between 1900 and 1910, did he die? Records do indicate that Mary’s father, William F. Penniman, died in 1908. Perhaps her husband died too, thus explaining why she and her family were living with her brother in law. This information also leads one to wonder if she was running a boarding house or some type of hotel during the 1920’s. Was this the way she managed to support her family?
The census records also shed further light on a couple of Anne and Fred’s other children. It is known that Anne married a gentleman by the name of Robert Francis Jones in 1917. Three children were produced in that union. However, only the first two initials of each child could be revealed; Ca, El, and Ro respectively. Not much else is known about them, it would take days or years to locate more information on them with so little information and due to the fact that they have the common last name of Jones. Although, further research revealed that Anne died in 1976. Records also indicate that her brother William F. Penniman went on to marry a woman named Florence Stevens. Florence was also a Georgia native, like his mother, and was born in 1888.

It is from this union of William and Florence that descendants can be traced all the way into the 1980’s. They had two children. William F. Penniman was born in 1913. Their daughter Josephine Stevens was later born in 1917. It appears that she married a man named Samuel B. Strang, who was born in 1914. They had three children, whose full names could not be deciphered, but their initials are Li, Li, and De. Records indicate that Josephine died in February of 1985. This is the last recorded death of the Fisher line recorded by these historians.

Reading the diary of Julia Fisher can provide the reader with an in depth understanding of what life was like for not only civilians during the Civil War, but also what life was like for a woman of that time period. The diary alone however, does not allow its readers to truly understand the dynamic of her family. Without evaluating the census records, the reader of her diary may not fully understand that many of the people she refers to are not her children but her grandchildren. Careful evaluation of the census records also reveals that this family has a long tradition of love and survival. One might wonder how hard statistics could reveal so much. Consider this; despite Julia being the “step mom” there does not seem to be animosity between her and the children. These records reveal that Sybil and E.H. Penniham even opened their home to William and Julia at some point in time. This family continued to demonstrate love and support for each other in times of need, not only through out the Civil War but all the way through the 19th century.

The study of one’s ancestry, either through census records or diaries, is an important task. Not only does knowing about one’s ancestry provide one with a firm understanding of who their ancestors were; but perhaps it gives them a stronger sense of self. To know that one’s ancestors were freedom fighters or revolutionaries often lend a sense of pride. The information discovered during the daunting task of ancestral research can also be used to answer a simple question like; why does my family live where it does? Whether for intrinsic purposes or for purposes of understanding one’s life, ancestral research has always seemed to been key for humans to know “who” they are.