08/03/2025
Stone Spotlight: Eli Fish (1807-1879)
August's post is two days late (the Stone Spotlight scribe was on vacation 🙂) and will be the final post in a year-long series. The Historic Batavia Cemetery Association hopes that you have enjoyed these monthly insights into some of the cemetery's notable residents. These individuals helped shape and influence Batavia's past and their histories—even small, ordinary ones—deserve to be remembered by future generations.
Today, the name Eli Fish will bring to mind a restaurant and brewery in downtown Batavia named after him (see attached photo, courtesy of Eli Fish Brewing Company's page), but there's more to the life of this man who owned a large brewery at Elm and Main Streets nearly two centuries ago.
Fish's father, Libbeus, was an early settler who came to Batavia from Vermont in 1804. He was a man of means, and his wealth went toward both investments and local charities. Libbeus helped to build St. James Church while also running a successful malt business (the first of its kind in the county) and grocery store. He was married to Polly Holcomb Fish, and their son, Eli, was born here in 1807. Libbeus Fish died in 1859.
In 1827, the original Fish brewery was built on what is now Elm Street. It was a small wooden building, but sufficient for the demands of its customers and trade at the time. Steadily, the capacity of the establishment increased, and in 1860, the brewery was capable of turning out 8,000 barrels of beer annually. The business was run by Libbeus Fish until 1835 when Eli took over as proprietor, and he continued the business until 1862. That year, he sold the business to Misters Boyle and Smith, who were in charge of operations until the autumn of 1864, when ownership reverted back to Fish.
A number of tragic fires followed. In January of 1865, the building burned down but was swiftly rebuilt within the year. In December of 1872, the building burned down a second time and was rebuilt in 1873. In May of 1883—you guessed it!—the building again burned and needed to be rebuilt. This time, the establishment boasted double its previous capacity, with all modern improvements; specifically, about 80,000 bushels of barley were annually converted into malt and its barley crop was #1 in the county! In 1857, Fish built spacious ale vaults on the site of the brewery. Finally, Fish sold the brewery in 1886 to his partner A.H. King, then it switched hands to William Gamble, who successfully ran the business until yet another fire destroyed the property for good in 1887.
On a personal note, Eli Fish was married three times. Firstly, he wed Sarah V. Ray (1811-1841) on May 17, 1830. Secondly, Eli became the husband of Mary Louise Dewey (1821-1844) on April 12, 1843. And, lastly, to Elizabeth Jane Rosencrans (1811-1898), on May 22, 1845. He had seven children: Libbeus Ray, Henry Culver, Helen, Charles Edward, Eli, Elizabeth, and Louise Mary. Fish died on November 4, 1879, aged 71 years. He was a malster and grocer for five decades, a captain of the 164th Regiment, and the Vice-President of the National Bank of Genesee.
So, at the conclusion of this final Stone Spotlight, let's raise a toast to Batavia's fascinating history, and the strength and resilience shown in the lives led by those who now reside in our beautiful cemetery! Cheers! 🍻
