Year: 1916
Nora Patterson Fisher was born in Franklin County, Virginia, likely around 1879, though later records point to a different
birth date—possibly March 1884. Like many families whose stories survive primarily through census records, her early life is
glimpsed in fragments rather than a single clear narrative.
In the 1880 census, Nora appears in a Patterson household in Franklin County, believed to be that of Fred and “Cally”
Patterson.
Nora later married Grant Fisher. By the 1910 census, the couple is recorded in Roanoke with two children—one name difficult to
read (often indexed as “Duros?”) and a daughter named Ellen. Grant’s work is listed as porter and bottler. The family’s address
is given as 252 Madison Avenue, returning Nora to a specific place in the city she called home.
Nora died on November 15, 1916, and was buried at Old Lick Cemetery. Like many graves from that historic burial ground, her
remains were likely disinterred and moved to Coyner Springs Cemetery in October 1961 during the construction of Interstate 581.
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