Dr. Theodore Fischer is one of the most familiar names in the history of Altenburg. He was a medical doctor in Altenburg throughout his entire career after being born and raised here. I have written his story in the post, Hometown Doc. I also discovered another man by that name and wrote his story, Yet Another Theodore Fischer. Today, I found a character with a different name, but he was another Doc Fischer. He did indeed come from some Perry County Fischer’s, and his wife also had roots to the original immigration in 1839, but he ended up practicing medicine in Carlinville, Illinois. Today’s Doc Fischer is today’s birthday boy, and in addition, he and his wife are today’s anniversary couple.

Carl Joseph Conray Fischer was born on January 28, 1854, making today his 170th birthday. Carl was the son of Johann and Catherine (Furch) Fischer. There were several Fischer’s who were part of the original immigration to Perry County in 1839, most of which were passengers on the Stephanite ships that came through New Orleans upon their arrival. However, Carl’s parents first came to America and landed at New York City before becoming part of the New York Group that joined the Stephanites, also in 1839. These Fischer’s did not remain in Perry County for long. Their first 5 children were born and baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, but when their 6th child was born in 1848, she was born in Collinsville, Illinois. That is also where Carl Fischer was born. He was child #9 of 13 born to this Fischer family according to our German Family Tree.

Carl is found in his first census in 1860 at the age of 6. His father was a merchant in Collinsville.

Carl is found in the 1870 census as a teenager. His father is called a blacksmith in this entry. He was called a blacksmith in the New York Group list found in Zion on the Mississippi, and he was called a blacksmith in Collinsville in the 1850 census before Carl was born.

Carl would get married before the next census, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Sophia Elizabeth Schuricht, who was born on April 4, 1851. There is a bit of debate about the year of her birth because her gravestone says she was born in 1854, the same year as her husband. However, because Sophie was born in St. Louis and baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis, we can take a look at her baptism record which is found amongst a bunch of other children born and baptized in 1851. Sophie was the daughter of Johann Gottlieb and Eleanore (Heinig) Schuricht. Sophie’s father was also part of the 1839 immigration. I have already written quite a few posts on this blog about Schuricht’s, a family that chose to remain in St. Louis back in 1839. Below is Sophie’s baptism record from Trinity.

I was not able to find Sophie in the 1860 census, but evidence points to the fact that at some point in her childhood, her family moved across the river to Collinsville, Illinois. They might have been in Collinsville in 1860, but we do know that they are found living there by the time of the 1870 census. Sophie was 19 years old at the time. If you look at their child named Elizabeth, who was 10 years old in this entry, you can see that she was born in Illinois, so I think the Schuricht’s would have been found in Collinsville when the 1860 census was taken. 

Carl Fischer married Sophie Schuricht on January 28, 1879, so today would have been this couple’s 145th wedding anniversary. According to the Illinois marriage record shown here, they were married in Madison County, which is where Collinsville is located.

I have a strong suspicion that if we had access to the books of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville, we would find the church marriage record for this couple. I also think that Carl had attended a medical school, perhaps in St. Louis, during the 1870’s. When the 1880 census was taken, the Fischer’s are found living in Collinsville, and Carl is called a physician. One infant child named Eleonore was included in their household. The Fischer’s would eventually have 3 children, all girls.

Prior to the next census that we can view, I figure this photograph was taken of the Fischer family. 

We have to wait until 1900 before we see the Fisher’s again in a census. The Fischer’s had 3 children in their household, along with a niece named Anita Fischer and Carl’s mother, Catherine. Carl is once again called a physician.

Next, we find the Fischer’s in the 1910 census. In their household is found a single daughter in her 20’s and a granddaughter with the surname Hayes. Their daugter, Eleonore, and her husband, John Hayes, were living in Carlinville in 1910, but for some unknown reason, their daughter, Carla, was not living with them and their other children. Carla would be back in her parents’ household in the next census.

Dr. Carl Fischer died in 1911 at the age of 57. I was not able to find Sophie in the 1920 census, but I did find her in a 1926 city directory for Wood River, Illinois, which is not far from Collinsville.

Sophie Fischer died in 1927 at the age of 73, and the Illinois death record for her shown here says she died in Carlinvillle. If she was born in 1851, then she would have been 76 at the time of her death.

Carl and Sophie Fischer are buried in the Carlinville Cemetery in Carlinville. There is a Fischer family stone along with separate gravestones for Carl and Sophie.

Prior to he marriage, Sophie’s census entry has an age that corresponds to her birth year being 1851. After she got married, her age given in census entries more closely corresponds with a birth year of 1854. Her gravestone gives her birth year as 1854. I am going to be a stinker and suggest that Sophie did not want to let people know that she was 3 years older than her husband and may have lied about her age.

So, now you know this fascinating tale about a man whose parents took part in the 1839 immigration to Perry County who married a woman whose parents were also part of that immigration, but never made their way to Perry County and remained in St. Louis. Then these two, believe it or not, became acquainted with each other because in each case, their parents made a move to Collinsville, Illiinois. And one other thing. I get a kick out of the fact that a Doc Carl became a physician in a city named Carl-inville.