Mrs. Fisher was a slave who was born in South Carolina to a slave mother and Huguenot father. This made her in the language of society a mulatto. (This is a term long out of favor that is making somewhat of a comeback here in the US as there are more cross-culture marriages.) As she apparently was never a field hand and spent her time working in the house, she had a truly first hand knowledge of Southern Cooking and the irony that so much of what is and was considered such was largely developed by the slaves and is built upon ingredients and traditions slaves were able to retain in their world.
In a world where 50% mortality of children was pretty much the norm, she raised 11 to reach adulthood, was able to keep them while still a slave and actually have a legally recorded marriage. Ever determined, she was one of the indomitable black women who made their way west, in her case to San Francisco. Her story there is no less memorable than her earlier life.
No one has been able to find a likeness of her, either a photograph, daguerreotype or even a pencil or charcoal sketch. We do know something about her from her time in San Francisco, for me just enough to make me want to know much more. See if you want to know more as well.
