The FULKERSONS
        and Slavery


Slaves of a wealthy plantation owner lived here in the 1700s. Many slaves fared much worse.

  All of the information listed below already appears on this site, scattered among the various pages. It is compiled here only for the purpose of gaining some perspective about the scope of slave ownership in our family. However, this list is far from being complete.

  The DATE REPORTED is only the year in which the slave ownership was documented. Slave ownership would have spanned a lifetime, or continued until slavery was ended in 1865, unless otherwise noted.

  Some of the listings indicate either 'several' or 'many' slaves. In this case, because any number other than one would be inaccurate, the number of slaves is counted as one. The actual number of slaves was probably far greater than the total shown below.

NAME STATE DATE
REPORTED		 NUMBER OF SLAVES NOTES
Dirck VOLKERTSON NY, NJ 1698 2 Had two slaves on 1698 Kings Co. census. He willed "my Negro wench" to his wife in 1752
Capt. James FULKERSON NY 1782 7 1782 tax list named Peg, Ellen, Bob, Sam, Zelph, Nanie and Jude; inventory of his estate in 1798 included 16 slaves
Frederick FULKERSON VA 1793 9 Distributed to children in will
James William FULKERSON VA 1793 several Received from father's will
Deborah Fulkerson THOMAS VA 1793 several Received from father's will
Mary Fulkerson HILL VA 1793 several Received from father's will
Milly Fulkerson REA VA 1793 several Received from father's will
John FULKERSON VA 1795 5 Halifax County tax records
John FULKERSON VA 1808 2 Freed his slaves when he moved to PA, per a 1960 letter from a descendant
Peter FULKERSON VA 1810 3 per Lee Co. Tax List
Peter FULKERSON VA (WV) 1815 1 per Cabell Co. Tax List
Isaac FULKERSON MO 1817 5 St. Charles Co. Census Enumeration
Elizabeth Fulkerson WILCOX VA 1818 6 Bequeathed in her mother-in-law's will
Abraham FULKERSON VA 1818 3 per Scott Co. Personal Property Tax List
Richard FULKERSON NJ 1827 1 Manumission of slave Harry on 26 Dec 1827 at Bridgewater, Somerset Co., NJ
John FULKERSON NJ 1831 1 Manumission of slave Pompey on 29 Apr 1831 at Franklin Twp., Somerset Co., NJ
Susannah Fulkerson FLYNT VA, MO 1834 7 Brought slaves when she moved to Missouri.
Rachel Fulkerson GRAY VA, TN 1838 7 Had many slaves on Tennessee plantation
Dr. James FULKERSON TN1840s 10 In a post-Civil War questionnaire, his son said he had "about ten" slaves
Benjamin Franklin FULKERSON KY, MO 1842 At least 1 Reported liberated in 1852.
Peter H. FULKERSON MO 1845 At least 1 There is an unmarked slave cemetery on his old farm, next to the family cemetery where Peter is buried.
Deborah Fulkerson CHANDLER VA 1847 2 Listed in the inventory of her estate.
Richard FULKERSON MO 1850 14 Per 1850 US Census for Boone Co., MO
Martin T. FULKERSON MO 1850s At least 1 Biography of his grandson stated Martin was "a southern man, and a large plantation and slave owner."
Harriet Elizabeth FULKERSON TN 1855 2 Widow of John Whitehill FULKERSON. Her heirs auctioned two slaves in 1855, "for the purpose of dividing the proceeds"
Frederick De Bow FULKERSON VA, MO 1856 6 Brought slaves when he moved to Missouri.
James Henry FULKERSON MO 1860 4 "I will to my beloved wife...four negroes, one woman Eliza, three children Thomas, Gilpen and Fanny and there [sic] increase during her natural life"
Dr. James Monroe FULKERSON MO 1860 Many  
Francis M. (Frank) FULKERSON TN 1865 Several, perhaps many Former slaves used the FULKERSON surname after the Civil War
Frederick Moore FULKERSON MO 1861 Several Reportedly freed before the War.
Judge Samuel Vance FULKERSON VA 1861 At least 1  
Kate Fulkerson HURT VA 1864At least 1  
TOTAL:   32 Fulkersons 7 states   At least 103 slaves, possibly dozens or hundreds more