Alva Josiah FISHER

(b. 30 August 1861 , Ligonier, Indiana, USA d. 14 February 1947 , Sarasota, Florida, USA )
Cause of Death: heart attack

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Alva Josiah FISHER was born 30 August 1861 in Ligonier, Indiana, USA

Alva Josiah FISHER was the child of Josiah Nathaniel FISHER and Louisa TRACY

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Alva Josiah married Eva Julia SPOONER December 15, 1887 in South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan, USA . The couple had (at least) 3 children. Eva Julia SPOONER was born 17 March 1866 in Florence, St Joseph, Michigan, USA. Eva Julia died 12 February 1928 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.

Alva Josiah FISHER died 14 February 1947 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.

Occupation: inventor of the washing machine

photo (above) from 1922 passport

Details of the family tree of Alva appear below.

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Family and Children of Alva Josiah FISHER

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Alva Josiah FISHER married

Eva Julia SPOONER-- Date: December 15, 1887 Place: South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan, USA
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Name: Alva J Fisher
Gender: Male
Race: White
Age: 26
Birth Year: abt 1861
Birth Place: Indiana
Marriage Date: 21 Dec 1887
Marriage Place: South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan, USA
Residence Place: Chicago
Father: J W Fisher
Mother: Louisa Trag
Spouse: Eva J Spooner
Record Number: 64

Ancestry.com. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Children of Alva Josiah FISHER and Eva Julia SPOONER:

Bernice FISHER (b.5 May 1889, Chicago, Illinois, USA d. 3 February 1946, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA )

Frances Marion FISHER (b.17 September 1892, Chicago, Illinois, USA d. , )

Hannah B FISHER (b.17 November 1898, Kansas City, Missouri, USA d. 7 July 1955, San Francisco, California, USA)

Add Share the History, Life Events, and Stories of Alva Josiah FISHER
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Discovering the Ancestry of Alva Josiah FISHER: Events, Photos & Historical Records

1861 Birth
30 August 1861
Ligonier, Indiana, USA

1863 - January 1 - President Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves.

1863 - October 3 – President Lincoln proclaims a national Thanksgiving day to be celebrated the final Thursday in November in the United States

1863 - November 19 – American Civil War: U. S. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

1864 - Pasteurization is invented (Louis Pasteur, France)

April 14, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth at in Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. He died the next day. Andrew Johnson becomes President of the United States.

1868 - The typewriter is invented (Christopher Latham Sholes, United States)

Thomas Edison applies for his first patent, the electric vote recorder.

1869 - Ulysses S. Grant becomes President of the United States

1870 - Lockport, Michigan
Name: Alon J Fisher
Age in 1870: 8
Birth Year: abt 1862
Birthplace: Indiana
Dwelling Number: 400
Home in 1870: Lockport, St Joseph, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Occupation: At School
Attended School: Y
Inferred Mother: Louisa Fisher
Household Members:
Name Age
Louisa Fisher 40
Frank Fisher 16
Albert Fisher 14
Fred Fisher 11
Alon J Fisher 8
1870 Census Ancestry (U.S.)

1870 - June 26 - Christmas becomes a Federal holiday in the United States. It was still illegal in some states.

1876 - March 7 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a United States patent for an invention he calls the telephone.

1877 - Rutherford B. Hayes becomes President of the United States

1877 - November 21 - Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record sound.

1879 - Incandescent light bulb is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, United States)

1881 - The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton.

1881 - March 4 - James A. Garfield becomes President of the United States

1881 - July 2 - James A. Garfield was shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., at 9:30 am on Saturday, July 2, 1881. He died in Elberon, New Jersey, two months later on September 19, 1881. The shooting occurred less than four months into his term as president. Charles J. Guiteau was convicted of Garfield's murder and executed by hanging one year after the shooting. Chester Arthur becomes President of the United States.

1884 - Photographic film is invented (George Eastman, United States)

The first gravity roller coaster amusement ride (LeMarcus A. Thompson, United States)

1885 - Grover Cleveland becomes President of the United States

1886 - October 28 - Statue of Liberty is Unveiled

1887 Marriage / Partner
Alva Josiah FISHER and Eva Julia SPOONER December 15, 1887, South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan, USA

He was 26 years old.

1889 - The automobile is invented (Gottlieb Daimler, Germany)

1889 - Benjamin Harrison becomes President of the United States

1889 Birth of Child
Bernice FISHER was born 5 May 1889, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Alva Josiah was 27 years old.

1891 - The zipper is invented (Whitcomb L. Judson, United States)

The motion picture camera is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, William K.L. Dickson, United States)

First Perforated Toilet Paper Roll is Patented

1892 Birth of Child
Frances Marion FISHER was born 17 September 1892, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Alva Josiah was 31 years old.

1893 - Grover Cleveland becomes President of the United States

1897 - Aspirin is invented (Felix Hoffmann (Bayer), Germany)

1897 - William McKinley becomes President of the United States

1898 - April 25 – Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain

1898 Birth of Child
Hannah B FISHER was born 17 November 1898, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Alva Josiah was 37 years old.

1898 - December 10 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War.

1900 - South Haven, Michigan
Name: Alva J Fisher
Age: 37
Birth Date: Aug 1862
Birthplace: Indiana
Home in 1900: South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan
Street: Erie Street
Sheet Number: 13
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: 97
Family Number: 320
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: Eva J Fisher
Marriage Year: 1888
Father's Birthplace: New Hampshire
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Occupation: Mechaniced Engine
Months Not Employed: 0
Attended School: 7
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Can Speak English: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Alva J Fisher 37
Eva J Fisher 33
Berniss S Fisher 11
Francis Fisher 7
Hannah B Fisher 1

1900 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
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1901 - King Camp Gillette and William Emery Nickerson invented the world's first disposable razor blade in 1901. (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

1901 - William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was shot on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901, six months into his second term. He was shaking hands with the public when an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, shot him twice in the abdomen. Theodore Roosevelt becomes President of the United States.

1902 - July 17 - Willis Haviland Carrier designed the first modern air-conditioning system. (Buffalo, New York, USA)

1903 - The first engine-powered airplane is invented (Wilbur & Orville Wright, United States)

1904 - June 28 - U.S. begins construction of Panama Canal.

1906 - August 22 – The first Victor Victrola, a phonographic record player, was manufactured, revolutionizing the way people listened to music at home.

In 1906, Reginald Fessenden made the first AM radio broadcast on December 24th. This event marked a significant advancement in radio technology, paving the way for the modern broadcasting industry.

1907-1908 - The electric washing machine is invented (Alva J. Fisher, United States)

1907-1908 - The electric washing machine is invented (Alva J. Fisher, United States)
'Dateline 1907 - Chicago Cubs sweep World Series, defeating Detroit Tigers in four games. A washing machine operated by electricity rather than by hand has been marketed by the Hurley Machine Company. The Hurley uses a small motor to spin a drum that holds clothes, water and soap. Its main competition is the Maytag Pastime. The Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory were formally merged and admitted as the 45th state of the union. A light bulb with tungsten filament is being marketed by General Electric, which says it gives better light. A light, portable vacuum cleaner is being marketed by the Hoover Suction-Sweeper Company...'

The Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise, Alma, Wabaunsee County, Kansas, Thursday, February 8, 2007

'The first washing machine powered by electricity was invented by Alva J. Fisher in 1908. Fisher worked for the Hurley Washing Machine in Chicago and named his creation The Thor.

Previous to the invention of the electric-powered washing machine, James...Read MORE...

Visit , United States (USA) (American Colonies)

1908 - First Model-T car is produced by Henry Ford (United States)

1909 - William Howard Taft becomes President of the United States

1910 - Evanston, Illinois
Name: Alva J Fisher
Age in 1910: 48
Birth Year: abt 1862
Birthplace: Indiana
Home in 1910: Evanston Ward 3, Cook, Illinois
Street: Michigan Ave
House Number: 840
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital status: Married
Spouse's name: Eva J Fisher
Father's Birthplace: Massachusetts
Mother's Birthplace: New York
Native Tongue: English
Occupation: Engineer
Industry: Mechanical
Employer, Employee or Other: Own Account
Home Owned or Rented: Own
Home Free or Mortgaged: Mortgaged
Farm or House: House
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Years Married: 22
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Alva J Fisher 48
Eva J Fisher 43
Bernice Fisher 20
Frances M Fisher 17
Hannah B Fisher 11

1910 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
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1912 - April 15 - Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic

1913 - The assembly line is invented (Henry Ford, United States)

The bra is invented (Mary Phelps Jacob, United States)

1913 - Woodrow Wilson becomes President of the United States

1913 - October 31 – The Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across the United States, is dedicated

1915 - January 25 - First United States coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call

Alva Josiah FISHER - The Thor Washing Machine Comet Elec. Co. Eugene Daily Guard Eugene, Oregon Thursday, December 18, 1917

The Thor Washing Machine
Comet Elec. Co.

Eugene Daily Guard
Eugene, Oregon
Thursday, December 18, 1917
Advertisement / Article

Alva Josiah FISHER - Milwaukee Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 16, 1917

Milwaukee Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 16, 1917
Advertisement / Article

1917 - March 2 – The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.

1917 - April 6 – WWI: The United States declares war on Germany

Alva Josiah FISHER - A War Time Necessity for the Home Thor Electric Washing Machine The Crawfordsville Review Crawfordsville, Indiana Tuesday, March 19, 1918

A War Time Necessity for the Home
Thor Electric Washing Machine

The Crawfordsville Review
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Tuesday, March 19, 1918
Advertisement / Article

1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time

1919 - June 4 – Women's rights: The United States Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification

1920 - Evanston, Illinois
Name: Alva J Fisher
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1920
Event Place: Evanston Ward 3, Cook, Illinois, United States
District: ED 75
Gender: Male
Age: 58
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race: White
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Own or Rent: Own
Birth Year (Estimated): 1862
Birthplace: Indiana
Immigration Year:
Father's Birthplace: Massachusetts
Mother's Birthplace: New York
Sheet Letter: A
Sheet Number: 5
Sheet Number and Letter: 5A
Household ID: 107
Line Number: 9
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T625
Affiliate Film Number: 358
GS Film Number: 1820358
Digital Folder Number: 004964669
Image Number: 00015

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Alva J Fisher Head M 58 Indiana
Eva J Fisher Wife F 52 Michigan
Hannah B Fisher Daughter F 21 Missouri
1920 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
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Alva Josiah FISHER - Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1920

Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1920
Advertisement / Article

1920 - January 17 - Prohibition goes into effect on January 17, 1920, under the provisions of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution

1921 - Passport Application
Name: Alva Josiah Fisher
Age: 59
Birth Date: 30 Aug 1861
Birth Place: Ligonier, Indiana
Residence Place: Evanston Illinois
Passport Issue Date: 24 Feb 1921
Father: Jasia N Fisher
Has Photo: Yes

Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.
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1921 - Warren G. Harding becomes President of the United States

1921 - Charles Strite of Minnesota patents the pop-up toaster.

1923 to 1927 - Television is invented (Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (Russia), Philo Taylor Farnsworth (United States))

1923 - Calvin Coolidge becomes President of the United States

1927 - The aerosol can is invented (Erik Rotheim, Norway)

1927 - April 7 – Bell Telephone Co. transmits an image of Herbert Hoover (then the Secretary of Commerce), which becomes the first successful long distance demonstration of television

1928 Death of Spouse/Partner
Eva Julia SPOONER died 12 February 1928, Sarasota, Florida, USA

1928 - Sliced bread (bread slicing machine) is invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (United States)

1929 - Herbert Hoover becomes President of the United States

1929 - October 29 - Black Tuesday - Stock market crash - The Great Depression Begins - It lasted until 1941 (WW2)

1930 - Scotch tape is invented (Richard Drew (3M), United States)

1930 - Sarasota, Florida
Name: A J Fisher
Birth Year: abt 1862
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Indiana
Marital status: Widowed
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1930: Sarasota, Sarasota, Florida, USA
Map of Home: View Map
Street address: Sunset Ave
Ward of City: Precinct 3
House Number: 108
Dwelling Number: 386
Family Number: 464
Home Owned or Rented: Owned
Home Value: 40, 000
Radio Set: Yes
Lives on Farm: No
Age at first Marriage: 25
Attended School: No
Able to Read and Write: Yes
Father's Birthplace: Indiana
Mother's Birthplace: Indiana
Able to Speak English: Yes
Household Members:
Name Age
A J Fisher 68
Madelyn Woolcott 25

1930 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
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In 1930, on February 18, Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, marking a significant milestone in the study of our solar system.

1931 - The paper towel is invented (Arthur Scott, United States)

Alva Josiah FISHER - The Spokesman Review, Spokane, Washington, November 4, 1931

The Spokesman Review, Spokane, Washington, November 4, 1931
Advertisement / Article

1931 - March 3 – The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President of the United States

1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition

1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)

1935 - The snowmobile was invented by Joseph Bombardier (Quebec, Canada)

1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law

1938 - The ballpoint pen is invented (Lazlo Biro, Hungary)

1938-1944 - Sunscreen is invented (Franz Greiter, Switzerland and Benjamin Green, United States)

1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1940 - Sarasota, Florida
Name: Alva F Fisher
Respondent: Yes
Age: 78
Estimated birth year: abt 1862
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Indiana
Marital status: Widowed
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Sarasota, Florida
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: Treasure Island
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Sarasota, Florida
Residence in 1935: Sarasota, Florida
Resident on farm in 1935: No
Sheet Number: 6B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 153
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 7000
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: High School, 1st year
Income Other Sources: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Alva F Fisher 78
Frank W Fisher 86
Peter Broxton 51
Henrietta Broxton 51

1940 Census Ancestry (U.S.)

1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1941 - December 8 - (the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor) United States declares war on Japan (WW2)

1943 - You'd Be Surprised - Clean Clothes
One of the chief joys of modern civilization is to be able to take a good bath and to put on clean clothes. The American people are beginning to appreciate the fact now that their 7,000 commercial laundries are having difficulties because or labor, machinery, soap and other shortages.

'Laundry' comes from the same Latin root that gave us 'lave' and literally means simpley a place where washing is done.

The commercial laundry is a comparatively new industry.

It is estimated that at the present time 12,000,000 American families depend upon commercial laundering servies for the washing, ironing, pressing and in many case even the repairing of their clohtes.

In Primitive Days

Primitive man washed his clothes in a running brook and hung them on the branches of a tree to dry.

Even as late as Queen Elizabeth's time the great familise of London sent their dirty linine in buck-baskets to be washed in the Thames.

The first important washing 'machine' was the old-fashioned,...Read MORE...

Toledo Blade
Toledo, Ohio
July 20, 1943

1944 - D-Day, which occurred on June 6, 1944, was a pivotal World War II operation where Allied forces launched a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Known as Operation Overlord, it involved over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German control. The landings marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, leading to the eventual Allied victory in Europe.

1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.

1945 - Sarasota, Florida
Name: Alva J Fisher
Age: 83
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Indiana
Est. Birth Year: abt 1862
Census Year: 1945
Locality: Precinct 6
County: Sarasota
Page: 3
Line: 25
Archive Series #: S1371, Roll 39
Household Members:
Name Age
Alva J Fisher 83

Ancestry.com. Florida, State Census, 1867-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
1945 Florida State Census

1945 - Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

1945 - On September 2, 1945, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan. The surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

1946 Death of Child
Bernice FISHER died 3 February 1946, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA (North) (Bliss Corner) (Smith Mills) (Padanaram)

Alva Josiah was 84 years old.

Death
Name: Alva J. Fisher
Gender: Male
Race: White
Death Date: 1947
Death Place: Sarasota, Florida, United States

Ancestry.com. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
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