 Gustav was the second of five children. He had an older brother, Eduard Clemens (1799–1861), who was an artist, and who moved to Paris in 1825; he had three younger sisters, Emilie, Clementine, and Mathilde. Though only a village pastor, Samuel Fechner was a man of the Enlightenment: he was the first in his village to inoculate his children; he put a lightning rod on the village church; and he was the first to give sermons without wearing a wig. By all accounts he was a cherished father; but he died when Gustav was only five. His death left the family destitute. 