Jonathan Fisher (1768 - 1847)

Genre: Poetry, Non-Fiction

Jonathan Fisher -- preacher, artist, inventor, scholar, writer -- was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, and was a 1792 Harvard graduate. While at Harvard he developed his own method of shorthand that he continued to use in most of his writing. Licensed to preach in 1793, Fisher preached in Wilton, New Hampshire, before preaching in the Congregational Church in Blue Hill, Maine in 1796. He was asked to remain as the minister for the following year. He was paid $200 plus 15 cords of wood for the year and given 300 acres of woodland and a barn. His first house, which he built with the help of his congregation, was completed in 1797, with a substantial addition in 1817. This later became the ell of an addition that still stands and is open for tours.

Although he was noted for his quiet personality, Fisher had strength of character and direction that made him a force in the town. He was one of the founders of the town library (see samples of his bookplates) and was also involved in obtaining a land grant for the town academy.

His commitment to education, especially that of the clergy, prompted him to become one of the founders and long-time trustees of the Bangor Theological Seminary. Amazingly, he often walked the 40 miles from Blue Hill to Bangor when he attended trustee meetings. The seminary remembers his long years of dedicated service with its endowed chair, the Jonathan Fisher Professor of Christian Education. Journal entries and a couple of his sermons are available online.

Fisher, typical of many New England rural people, was skilled in numerous cottage industries that helped him stretch his small salary to meet his family's needs. He farmed his land and also made straw hats, bone buttons, his own medicines, and various kinds of furniture.

In addition to being talented in the practical arts, Fisher was also a gifted artist who painted in oils, (he is noted for his Blue Hill landscapes), did pencil sketches, and engraved wood blocks. One of his books, Scripture Animals; A Natural History of the Living Creatures Named in the Bible (1834/1972) is noted for its delightful illustrations. It is one of the 100 books included in the book/exhibit, The Mirror of Maine.

Other extant Fisher books/pamphlets include:

• 'Two Elegies on the Deaths of Mrs. Marianne Burr, Who Died of a Consumption, Jan. 2, 1795; and of Mrs. Rebekah Walker, Who Died of the Same Disorder, Jan. 27, 1795. Aged 23' (1796)
• 'A Short Essay on Baptism, designed for the Benefit of Common Readers' (1817)
• Short Poems: Including a Sketch of the Scriptures to the Book of Ruth; Satan's Great Devise, or Lines on Intemperance; I and Conscience, or A dialogue on Universalism; and a Few Others on Various Subjects (1827)

Biographical information about Fisher is online and is contained in Reverend Jonathan Fisher, of Blue Hill, Maine (1868), Memoir of Rev. Jonathan Fisher of Blue Hill, Maine (1889), Biographical Sketch of the Rev. Jonathan Fisher of Blue Hill, Maine (1945), Jonathan Fisher, Maine Parson, 1768-1847, by Mary Ellen Chase (1948), Versatile Yankee; the Art of Jonathan Fisher, 1768-1847 (1973) Versatility Yankee Style: the Cultural Diversity of Rev. Jonathan Fisher, John H. Bellamy and the Hardy family (1977), The Language of Jonathan Fisher, 1768-1847 (1985), Maine in the Early Republic: From Revolution to Statehood (1988).

More biographical information on Fisher can be found online in a short sketch by Maine writer Mary Ellen Chase. There is also a bibliography containing information on Fisher as the painter and wood block artist.


Last Update: 08/01/2007

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