To Dave Price

Doc Fisher's name was used a lot after his daughters married, Ruby to Harry Haag and Josephine to Brownie Silverlake. Ruby seen above with the Fisher Elephants, an independent act, "Alice" and "Judy". Josephine's sons also used the Fisher title on their various circus enterprises. From John Herriott: To Whitey. In Medora, Ind. was a veterinary, Doc Fisher that had two daughters, Josephine who would marry Brownie Silverlake and Ruby who would marry Harry Haag, son of Ernest [Mighty] Haag. Another young orphan girl would join them and grow up around the Silverlake-Haag families named Ethel who would marry Walter Jennier and later Jack Joyce. All of these families would remain very close over the years. Also the band leader Everett James would have a son at that time who he would name Harry Haag James. I believe there was also a daughter and sister of Harry Haag James named Fay, who would also marry into those early day overland American circus families named Loter. So it would seem that they all had a connection to Mighty Haag. A daughter of Mighty Haag was named Helen and she would have a Chimpanzee act for many years. When Harry Haag had the elephants who I assume were left over from Haag Circuses he advertised and presented them as the Fisher performing elephants and his wife Ruby frequently presented her dog act as Ruby Fishers performing dogs. Its all very interesting American Circus history and my Dad told me alot of it as when he was a youth and was taken under the wing of the Haag family as an apprentice animal presenter and shared a pup tent with circus performer Bert Dearo. I could go on with more but guess I have gone on long enough. Mel or Jimmy Silverlake could shed alot of light about their families I am sure. They would have first cousins namely Doc [deceased], Naomi and Harry Haag Jr.