Emily Maitland Fish (22 February 1843–24 June 1931), sometimes called the "socialite keeper", was an American

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

. A native of

Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616 at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest English- ...

, she married Melancthon W. Fish, her sister's

widower A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can ...

, at the age of 17. Melancthon, a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the ...

, served in a number of government posts overseas before returning to fight for the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. He died in 1891, when Emily was 50. Soon after her husband's death Fish's son-in-law, an official with the

United States Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of th ...

, informed her of a vacancy at the Point Pinos Light in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. With his help, Fish applied for, and won, the position, moving into the station with her

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

servant, Lew Kew "Que", and luxurious furnishings. During her 21 years as keeper, from 1893 to 1914, Fish brought rich soil to the lighthouse grounds, and planted grass, hedges, and trees; she also kept French

poodle The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle va ...

Holstein cow Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig- ...

thoroughbred horse The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

s, and

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...

s. She became well regarded in the area for her entertaining ability, and always received the highest marks for keeping the station tidy. She co-founded the Monterey-Pacific Grove Chapter of the America Red Cross and chaired the Ladies Welcoming Committee. Her lighthouse log shows that she hired more than 30 men over the course of 21 years and that "most of them were discharged due to incompetence." Fish's nibling Juliet Nichols, whom Fish reared, also became a lighthouse keeper. In later life Fish was awarded the Star of Efficiency medal of the US Lighthouse Service, retired in 1914, and died in 1931. Fish is buried with Nichols in the Mountain View Cemetery in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

References

External links

''Lighthouse Digest'' article
* 1843 births 1931 deaths People from Albion, Michigan People from Monterey County, California United States Lighthouse Service personnel Women lighthouse keepers American lighthouse keepers Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California) {{pharology-stub