Last updated: June 4, 2026
Person
Albert Fisher
Quick Facts
Significance:
Kansas Homesteader
Place of Birth:
Virginia
Date of Birth:
About 1830
Place of Death:
Leavenworth, Kansas
Date of Death:
May 12, 1908
Place of Burial:
Leavenworth, Kansas
Cemetery Name:
Leavenworth National Cemetery
Albert Fisher was an early homestead settler near Nicodemus, Kansas and was incredibly involved within his community.
Fisher was born in Virginia around 1830. He joined the army in September 1863 and was discharged May 13, 1866, as a Private in the 6th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment, Company C.
Fisher filed a claim for entry #14129 at the Kirwin,Kansas Land Office in 1879. His claim fell into Wildhorse Township, a part of Graham County, Kansas, and just south of Nicodemus. He arrived to his claimed land on September 3, 1879.
He was married to a woman named Eliza, originally from Kentucky. For the next six years, Fisher and Eliza worked diligently to prove up his claim by farming crops on 25 acres, constructing a stone house, a dugout stable, a well, an orchard, and a corral.
The Webster Cyclone published a notice on August 12, 1886 of Fisher’s intention to make final proof of his homestead claim. The publication listed his claim for the southwest quarter of Section 12 in Township eight south of Range 21 West of the 6th Principal Meridian in Graham County, Kansas.
On October 1, 1886, Fisher and his neighbors, C. Crow and John Clark, testified as witnesses to Fisher’s proof at the Kirwin, Kansas Land Office. His patent, #9918, was later issued on August 6, 1889.
Fisher was very involved within Wildhorse and nearby townships. In 1885, he was chosen to be a part of Graham County’s Republican county convention. A year later, the farmers of Graham County banded together to form Graham County’s Agricultural and Horticultural Society. Fisher was chosen as a board member for Wildhorse Township. He was also listed as the treasurer of school district 76 in The Graham County Recorder in 1898.
Learn more about Black Homesteading in America.
Sources
- 1880 & 1900 United States Federal Census.
- 1885 & 1895 Kansas State Census.
- "Albert Fisher." Find A Grave, last updated May 21, 2006. Albert Fisher - Find A Grave Memorial
- Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries.
- "Graham County Fair Association." People's Reveille (Hill City, KS), August 13, 1886. Aug 13, 1886, page 4 - The People's Reveille at Kansas Historical Open Content - Kansas Historical Open Content Archive.
- Grand Army of the Republic, Muster Roll, Hill City, KS.
- Land Entry Case File (see below)
- Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, KS), May 14, 1908. May 14, 1908, page 7 - The Leavenworth Times at Kansas Historical Open Content
- Millbrook Times (Millbrook, KS), September 18, 1885. Sep 18, 1885, page 3 - The Millbrook Times at Kansas Historical Open Content - Kansas Historical Open Content Archive
- Patent Details - BLM GLO Records
- "Roster of Soldiers and Sailors of Graham County." Graham County Times (Hill City, KS), February 20, 1890. Feb 20, 1890, page 4 - Graham County Times at Kansas Historical Open Content - Kansas Historical Open Content Archive
- "School Districts." Graham County Recorder (Hill City, KS), January 14, 1898, p. 7. Jan 14, 1898, page 7 - Graham County Recorder at Kansas Historical Open Content - Kansas Historical Open Content Archive
- "The Hill City Agricultural Association." Millbrook Herald (Millbrook, KS), August 11, 1886. Aug 11, 1886, page 4 - The Millbrook Herald at Kansas Historical Open Content - Kansas Historical Open Content Archive
- "Wild Horse." Graham County Recorder (Hill City, KS), January 14, 1898, p. 11. Jan 14, 1898, page 11 - Graham County Recorder at Kansas Historical Open Content