Penny Fisher was claimed by her grandchildren to have been full-blooded Choctaw Indian. However, this claim was eventually disallowed by the Choctaw Nation.2482,2483

The case that Penelope Fisher and Elijah Fisher were siblings is circumstantial, but is as follows:

• In an 1803 Sampson Co NC deed Jacob Sessums and his wife Pennelope Sessums sold property to Neal Culbrerth.  This deed was witnessed by Elijah Fisher.  Elijah would not have been old enough in 1803 to be Penelope Fisher's father, so he was likely her brother.

• Jacob Sessoms is listed in the 1800 census of Sampson Co NC.  Elijah is not listed but his likely brother (Spencer Fisher), uncle (Southy Fisher) and father (Bailey Fisher) are all listed.

• Both Jacob Sessons and Elijah Fisher are listed in Hopkinsville, Christian Co KY, in the 1810 census.

• In the 1820 census of Lawrence Co MS, the families of Elijah Fisher and Jacob Sessums are listed as next-door neighbors; this strengthens the case that Elijah Fisher and the wife of Jacob Sessums were family.

Note that if Penelope Fisher was really full-blooded Choctaw, as her grandchildren claimed, and if she was really sister to Elijah Fisher, as the foregoing circumstances suggest, this would mean that Elijah Fisher was also Choctaw. However, the locations don’t support this. The Choctaws were a Southeastern tribe, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida.  There is not good reason why they would have been in North Carolina in the late 1700s, early 1800s.

1850 Census of Shelby Co TX

Name Age
Redden Sessums 50
Mary A Sessums 48
Elvely Sessums 26
Permelia Sessums 22
Wilson W Sessums 17
Elizabeth Sessums 15
Jacob Sessums 73
Robt Stapler 25
David Stapler 23

adjacent family:

Wm. B. Sessams 24
Mary Sessams 15
James Gale 25