James Fish

From Brooklyn Centre Wiki

James FISH (1785-1875), the first permanent white settler of Brooklyn, Ohio, was the son of Joseph FISH (b.1751) and Mary FISH. James set out from Groton, Connecticut in 1811 along with a large party of pioneers headed for the Western Reserve. Of these, only James and his cousins had this township as their destination.

James was first cousin to brothers Ebenezer FISH Jr. and Moses FISH, settlers of Original Lot 65 what is now known as Brooklyn Centre.

Traveling with his wife, Mary (Wilcox) Fish, her mother, his three children, and his cousins, the trek was made by ox cart - a journey of 47 days. Ebenezer was said to have walked the whole way.

James settled on the southern portion of Original Lot 66. His homestead was just west of what is now Riverside Cemetery on Fish Street, later known as Riverside Street.

He also owned the land where the Scranton Cemetery on Scranton Road now is; and is, in fact, buried there (probably under the pavement of Scranton Road which crosses over the eastern part of the original cemetery grounds.

References

• Coates, William R., "A history of Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland",
  Chicago: American Historical Society, 1924, 1339 pgs.

Category: People