Thomas L Hamer Fiscus was born September 5, 1836, in Brown County, Ohio, perhaps in Pike Township.  (What did the L stand for?  It may have been a single initial name.)  He was the son of William Fiscus and Jane McDaniels.

The Fiscus family was still in Pike Township in 1850, but by 1860 had migrated to Fountain Green Township, Hancock County, Illinois.  In that year William, Jane and their other two children, Mary and Nicholas Chambers Fiscus, were living in Fountain Green Township.  Hamer was not counted in the family home - perhaps he was simply missed.  We know he was in the area because in November of that year he was being paid a salary to teach at the McGuffy school located south of LaCrosse.  See Early Fountain Green Schools.

Hamer and Amelia were married on September 20, 1863, by David Pershin, Minister of the Gospel.  Marriage License

Two children were welcomed into the family, Grace and Hugh.  Hugh would have been a toddler when Hamer took his family to Pleasant Valley Township, Wilson County, Kansas, where he began farming.

They didn't remain in Kansas for long: a third child, Howard, was born in the fall of 1875 in Missouri.  In 1880 the family was enumerated in New Franklin, Howard County, Missouri.  Hamer reported his occupation as school teacher in that census year.

Sometime after the 1880 census was taken, he and Amelia were apparently divorced.  As quite often found in that era, Amelia never reported herself as divorced, but Hamer did in 1910.

We have not determined Hamer's whereabouts in 1900.  He was in Cedar Township, Boone County, Missouri, in 1910.  He died on March 21, 1914, in Boonville, Cooper County, and was buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery, Boonville, where the fee for interment was $7.00.  The name on his tombstone is Hamer Fiscus.  From his death certificate: cause of death - bronchial pneumonia; marital status - married.

In 1900 Amelia was living with daughter and son-in-law, Grace and William Viertel, in Boonville Township.  At some point she took up residence in the town of Boonville.  She died in Boonville on December 28, 1926, and was buried there in Walnut Grove Cemetery.  Cause of death: carcinoma of the womb.  Marital status: widow.

The Fiscus children were:

i.	Grace Fiscus, born October 1, 1864, in Fountain Green Township.  Grace married William Viertel in the mid 1890s in the area of Boonville.  He was born November 28, 1861, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of John and Maria (Schnuck) Viertel.  The Viertel family had moved to Cooper County in 1869 and were respected, prominent residents in Boonville Township. William and Grace had three children, each of whom was probably born in Boonville Township.  They were: -- Hollis Viertel, born September 9, 1892, died January 11, 1894, burial at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Boonville. -- Gladys B. Viertel, born June 20, 1895, in Boonville Township; died September 11, 1981, in Cooper County.  She married Edwin Claus Stammerjohn on June 30, 1914, in Boonville.  He was born August 14, 1881, in Boonville, died August 1, 1951, in Cooper County.  They are both buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery. Gladys was the informant on the death certificate for her uncle, Howard Fiscus. -- Mabel Gene Viertel, born August 31, 1897, in Boonville Township, died in February of 1985 at Sarasota, Sarasota County, Florida.  She married Guy Elwood Davis on June 6, 1923, in Clinton, Henry County, Missouri. Grace and William parted company between 1900 and 1910.  Grace did not remarry.  She died in Boonville on February 14, 1950, burial at Walnut Grove Cemetery. William married Dorsey May (or Mae) Neal in Boonville in June of 1923.  Dorsey was born in June of 1891 in Cooper County; she was almost 30 years younger than William.  They had at least three children together: Mary D., born about 1924, Willie A. (a daughter, according to the 1930 census) born about 1927, and Jo Anita "Jody", born in 1928.  William died January 4, 1951, and was buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery.
ii.	Hugh E. Fiscus, born June 1, 1869, in Illinois, probably Fountain Green Township.  Hugh remained single until he was 57 years old, coincident with the approximate time of his mother's death.  He was probably the primary source of support for both Amelia and Grace for some years; they were living together in 1910 and 1920.  In a splendid example of a varied occupations, Hugh was a day laborer in 1900, a barber in 1910 and working in a tin shop in 1920.  No occupation was recorded in 1930.  He died October 6, 1932, in Boonville, burial at Walnut Grove Cemetery; the occupation shown on his death certifate was barber. His death certificate is a good example of another sort: his wife was the informant and reported that he had been born in Rock Island, Illinois.  While possible, it's unlikely, based on what we otherwise know about the Fiscus family. Hugh's wife, Helen (maiden name undetermined), was born September 9, 1888.  She had at least three children who came to live with them: Martha L. Allcom, born about 1911, Rosemary Allcom, born about 1914, and Gertrude R. Allcom, born about 1915.  Helen, almost 20 years Hugh's junior, survived him by over 41 years.  She died February 14, 1974, and was also buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery.
iii.	Howard H. Fiscus was born September 24, 1875, in Missouri. From Chat's Webster news column in The Republican, October 12, 1898: "Mrs. Amelia Fiscus, who has been visiting here the past three months went to her home in Missouri last week to see her son, who has just returned from Cuba."  Howard's tombstone is mute evidence of his military service during the Spanish American War. In 1900 he was working as a day laborer in Kansas City, Missouri, and we think he spent his life working in various locations in western states, but the records we've found are inconclusive.  Often the hardest people to track are the single men who moved from place to place, taking work as they found it. Howard died September 14, 1930, in Boonville and was buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery. The cause of death was described as "basal fracture of skull caused by fall from brick on pavement".  Also from the death certificate: occupation - laborer; marital status - single.

See also:
Indian Raid at Fountain Green
The Cooper County, Missouri website is an especially helpful resource for many of the later details on this family.

Household of William Fiscus
Males 0 thru 4 - 2
Males 20 thru 29 - 1
Females 0 thru 4 - 1
Females 5 thru 9 - 2
Females 20 thru 29 - 1
Total - 7
Persons employed in manufacture and trade - 1

William Fiscus, 37, male, value of personal estate 100, born OH
Jane, 38, female, born PA, could not read or write
Mary, 15, female, born OH
Thomas L H, 14, male, born OH
Chambers, 11, male, born OH

Clark White, 37, male, farmer, value of real estate owned 800, born NY
Lucy, 27, female, born IL
Alida, 2, female, born IL
Lucy L Rose, 26, female, born NY
Amelia, 6, female, born IL, attended school within the year
Daemetta, 3, born IL

Martin Hopkins, 52, male, farmer, value of real estate 6000, value of personal estate 2000,
born CT
Mary, 45, female, born NY [Phidelia Beebe Hopkins]
Mary L Ruse, 35, female, born NY [Mary L Beebe Rose]
[continued on next page]
Amelia Ruse, 16, female, born IL, attended school within the year [Amelia Rose]
Emily, 13, female, born IL, attended school within the year [Damietta Rose]
Jenny, 1, female, born IL [Jenny Hopkins, Martin's and Phidelia's adopted daughter]

Fiscus, J H, 33, male, white, farmer, value of personal estate 172, born OH, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Fiscus, A, 25, female, white, keeping house born IL
Fiscus, G, 5, female, born IL
Fiscus, H E, 1, male, white, born IL

Fiscus, Homer, white, male, 44, married, school teacher, unemployed for 6 months, born OH, both parents born VA
A R, white, female, 3_, wife, married, house keeper, born IL, both parents born NY
Grace, white, female, 16, daughter, single, at home, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL
H E, white, male, 11, son, single, at home, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL
H H, white, male, 5, son, single, born MO, father born OH, mother born IL

Virtel, William, head, white, male, Nov 1861, 38, married for 9 years, born MD, both parents born Germany, farmer, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English, paying on a mortgage on his farm home, farm schedule 212

Grace, wife, white, female, Oct 1864, 35, married for 9 years; mother of 3 children, 2 living; born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, could read, write and speak English

Gladys, daughter, white, female, June 1896, 4, single, born MO, father born MD, mother born IL

Mabel, daughter, white, female, Aug 1897, 2, single, born MO, father born MD, mother born IL

Fiscus, Amelia, mother-in-law, white, female, Aug 18?4, 55, married for 40 years; mother of 3 children, all living; born IL, both parents born NY, could read, write and speak English

Friscus [sic], Hugh, roomer, white, male, June 1869, 30, single, born IL, both parents born IL, laborer (day), months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English

Fiscus, Howard, lodger, white, male, Sept 1873, 26, single, born MO, father born OH, mother born IL, day laborer, months not employed - 0, could read, write and speak English

The census taker probably had to return "on different days of June" because in this immediate area there were a number of residences which were home to multiple individuals.  They were in varying fields of work or study: engineer, day laborer, hosteler, saloon keeper, tailor, painter, huckster, waiter, porter, cook, student, telegraph operator, merchant, servant, etc.

Fiscus, Hamer, head, male, white, 73, divorced, born OH, both parents born OH, spoke English, own income, could read and write, owned his farm home free of mortgage, farm schedule 245

Fiscus, Amelia, head, female, white, 65, married (1st) for 46 years; mother of 3 children, all living; born IL, both parents born NY, spoke English, own income, could read and write, owned her home free of mortgage

Hugh, son, male, white, 40, single, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, spoke English, barber, employee, whether out of work on April 15, 1910 - no, number of weeks out of work during 1909 - 0, could read and write

Viertel, Grace, daughter, female, white, divorced; mother of 3 children, 2 living; born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, spoke English, own income, could read and write

Gladys, g. daughter, female, white, 14, single, born MO, father born MD, mother born IL, spoke English, could read and write, attended school after Sept. 1, 1909

Mabel, g. daughter, female, white, 12, single, born MO, father born MD, mother born IL, spoke English, could read and write, attended school after Sept. 1, 1909

Fiscus, Hugh E, head, owned his home free of mortgage, male, white, 50, single, could read and write, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, spoke English, laborer, tin shop, working for wages

Amelia R, mother, female, white, 74, married, could read and write, born IL, both parents born NY, spoke English

Viertel, Grace F, sister, female, white, 55, single, could read and write, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, spoke English

Mabel G, niece, female, white, 22, single, could read and write, born MO, father born MD, mother born IL, spoke English, teacher, private family, working for wages

Family 285
Hall, Harry, head, renter, monthly rental 18, owned a radio, male, white, 31, married, age at first marriage - 19, could read and write, born MO, both parents born MO, spoke English, laborer, light co, whether a veteran of the U.S. military or naval forces mobilized for any war or expedition - no

M Pauline,wife, female, white, 31, married, age at first marriage - 19, could read and write, born MO, father born KY, mother born OH, spoke English

Harry E, son, male, white, 2 6/12, single, born MO, both parents born MO

Family 285 [sic]

Viertel, Grace F, head, owner, home value 4000, did not own a radio, female, white, 65, divorced, could read and write, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, spoke English

Fiscus, Huge E, head, owner, home value 5000, owned a radio, male, white, 60, married, age at first marriage - 57, could read and write, born IL, father born OH, mother born IL, spoke English

Helen E, wife, female, white, 41, married, age at first marriage - 19, could read and write, born MO, father born VA, mother born MO, spoke English

Allcom, Martha L, [step]daughter, female, white, 18, single, did not attend school after Sept. 1, 1929, born MO, both parents born MO, spoke English, stenographer, attorney office

[Allcom], Rosemary, [step]daughter, female, white, 15, single, attended school after Sept. 1, 1929, born MO, both parents born MO, spoke English

[Allcom], Gertrude R, [step]daughter, female, white, 14, single, attended school after Sept. 1, 1929, born MO, both parents born MO, spoke English

[Also two unrelated widows in the household, renting rooms.]

Viertel, William, head, owner, home value 3800, owned a radio, male, white, 68, married, age at first marriage - 29, could read and write, born MD, both parents born Germany, spoke English

Dorsey, wife, female, white, 38, married, age at first marriage - 32, could read and write,born MO, both parents born MO, spoke English

Mary D, daughter, female, white, single, 6, attended school after Sept. 1, 1929, born MO, father born MD, mother born MO

Willie A, daughter, female, white, single, 3, born MO, father born MD, mother born MO

Joe Ann, daughter, female, white, single, 1, born MO, father born MD, mother born MO

Neale, Bud R, father-in-law, male, white, 80, widower, could read and write, born MO, father born KY, mother born MO, spoke English