{www.fulkerson.org} Descendants of Captain James Fulkerson

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Line of Descent:
Guillaume VIGNE and Adrienne CUVELIER (1st Generation)
Dirck VOLCKERTSZEN and Christine VIGNE (2nd Generation)
Volkert DIRCKS and Annetje PHILLIPS (3rd Generation)
Dirck VOLKERTSON and Maria DE WITT (4th Generation)
Volkert VOLKERTSON (DERRICKSON) and Dinah Aeltje VAN LIEU (5th Generation)

James FULKERSON was baptized as Jacobus VOLKERTSON on 22 Jun 1737 at the Raritan Dutch Reformed Church in Somerset Co., NJ. James married Mary VAN HOOK (19 Sep 1747-1831), daughter of Jacob VAN HOOK and Hannah DeBOW on 18 Jan 1764 in Orange Co., NC (now Caswell Co.). His complete story is told at Captain James Fulkerson - An Overmountain Citizen.

Their 12 children were:

PETER	DINAH	JACOB	HANNAH	JAMES	JOHN
ISAAC	FREDERICK	MARY	CATHERINE	THOMAS	ABRAM

Peter FULKERSON........26 Sep 1764-23 Jun 1847, b. in NC, d. in Lee Co., VA, m. Margaret CRAIG (22 Jan 1773-28 Oct 1839) on 11 Oct 1791. Margaret's father Robert CRAIG was a wealthy landowner. He gave them a large tract of unimproved land in Powell's Valley, Lee Co., Virginia, where Peter built a two-story log house and cleared out a large farm for his family. This was still a frontier area in the 1790's, at the gateway to the Cumberland Gap, with dangers including Native Americans and bears.
Peter appears on the 1795 tax rolls for Lee County, his household counted as having one white male over the age of 15 and nine horses. Five years later, the Virginia Republican Party appointed him (together with brother-in-law Benjamin SHARP) to the five-member Lee County "Corresponding Committee" - part of the state's political machine in support of Thomas Jefferson in the Presidential election of 1800. In that same year, on 16 Jan 1800, he received a patent for 436 acres in Lee Co., "on Lone Branch a branch of Walling Creek on the north side of Powells Mountain." The 1810 Lee Co. tax list showed that Peter owned 3 slaves and 12 horses. Peter and his brother Isaac appeared in the records of the Augusta Co., VA Circuit Court (pages 227- 228) in the case of McKenney vs. Preston: "29th of May 1811 Peter Fulkerson deposes in Lee County" and "12th of March 1811 Isaac Fulkerson, aged 34 yrs. deposes in Lee county."

Page from the James Fulkerson family Bible, located
at the Washington County Historical Society in VA
Image courtesy of Marian Jackson

Peter was an officer in the War of 1812. (One Fulkerson genealogy states he was a Colonel, while another [Preston] says he was a Captain with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. An 1836 diary by Anne Middleton Craig - possibly a relative - described her journey from Virginia to Missouri. In it she stated she stayed at "Col. Fulkerson's" residence, October 2nd-5th.) Peter and Margaret's ten children were:

Mary (Polly) FULKERSON..................23 Oct 1792-11 Jan 1823, m. Oliver PRATT about 1826 in Washington Co., VA
Robert Craig FULKERSON.......23 Aug 1794-17 Mar 1876. Robert Craig experienced adventure as a young man and throughout his life. He served in the War of 1812 and rose to become Colonel of Militia for Lee County. In 1816 he went west to Missouri with his uncle Benjamin SHARP, his aunt Hannah Fulkerson SHARP and 10 of their 12 children. He then returned to Virginia to become Sheriff of Lee County for seven years. About 1827 he married (1st) Lavinia DICKERSON. They moved west to Calloway Co., MO in 1828, where he was a volunteer during the Black Hawk War (1831-32). By 1836 they moved to Loutre Lick, Montgomery Co., MO. Robert owned and operated the Loutre Lick Store in 1838-39, selling items such as sugar, fabric, coffee, tobacco, and articles of clothing. In 1840 they purchased a farm at Danville, same county, and that remained his home thereafter. He also began a period of public service, serving as County Treasurer and as Danville Township's Justice of the Peace from 1843 until 1849. [Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-Columbia] Either their home or a separate building housed the "Fulkerson Tavern" in Danville, which was photographed in the US Dept of Interior's Historic American Building Survey during the 1930's. Click here for four images of the "tavern."

In 1850 his oldest son Peter traveled west on the Oregon Trail to the Portland/Vancouver region. Amazingly - perhaps because there is virtually no modern-day equivalent to this venture - Robert and Lavinia went on the Trail in 1851 to visit him. Lavinia died in 1852, sometime before or after their return from the Oregon Territory. He married (2nd) the widow DAVIDSON in 1853. For a few months in 1856 he hosted his younger brother Frederick De Bough, who was moving his family (a party of 16 including six slaves) from Virginia. Robert was against secession during the Civil War but interceded on behalf of his nephew, Tennesseean Peter Graham FULKERSON, when the latter was captured by Union forces and threatened with execution. He died at his home in 1876.
- Margaret FULKERSON.....?
James FULKERSON..............17 May 1796-15 Jan 1859, b. near Abingdon, VA. He became a physician. His wife, Frances PATTERSON (13 Mar 1806-19 Oct 1881, b. in Philadelphia, PA) was the sister of General Robert PATTERSON. Her father, Francis PATTERSON, was a soldier in the army of Robert EMMET - who consorted with Napoleon BONAPARTE and led an abortive upising in Ireland in July 1803 - and escaped to America after EMMET was captured, tried and hung. James and Frances moved to Tazewell, Claiborne Co., Tennessee, where he bought a 5-room, two-story stone house that was built in 1808. His farm consisted of 300 acres, which was worked by "about ten" slaves. Frances could cook, weave and spin, but had it done by slaves or servants. By the time of his death, the farm was worth about $6,000 and his property about $20,000 (per son Peter). James died from pneumonia at age 62, caught while riding horseback through the mountains in the rain while attending the sick. Frances was 74 at the time of the 1880 Census. Living with her were her 37-yr-old son Thomas, 15-yr-old servant Mary COFFMAN and 26-yr-old laborer Washington JOHNSON. The story of James' six sons in the Civil War is related in a letter by his son Thomas. Their eight children were:
- William Houston FULKERSON.......9 Sep 1834-3 Dec 1919, b. in
  William Houston
  FULKERSON
  Tazewell, Claiborne Co., TN, d. in Jerseyville, IL, m. Cornelia RUSSELL; their nephew was the famous Western artist, Charles M. RUSSELL. William went west where he freighted wagons and rode for the Pony Express, then returned to become Captain and later Lt. Colonel of the 63rd Tennessee regiment. After the war he moved to Illinois where he was active in cattle breeding, banking, education, state government and even managed a railroad. Cornelia died on 31 Oct 1909. William and Cornelia are buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Jersey Co., IL. They had five children:
  - Frank Eberle FULKERSON.....5 Jun 1873-11 Dec 1968, b. in Jerseyville, IL, he took over his parent's farm in 1909. He m. Charlotte LOWE on 31 Dec 1906 and had three children, one of whom (Frank) was killed in France on 2 Aug 1944 (World War II). Frank, Charlotte and their son Frank are buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Jersey Co., IL.
- Robert Francis "Frank" FULKERSON.........11 Dec 1836-11 Jun 1880, never married. Frank was an officer in the Confederate Army by 10 Aug 1862, when he was listed as Captain R. Frank Fulkerson, Co. F (Claiborne Co.), 1st Tennessee Cavalry Regiment. Frank afterward ranched in Kansas. He died at brother William's home in Jerseyville, reportedly from a tumor caused by injuries when he was gored by a Texas steer.
  FULKERSON, Mary A. Oak Grove Jersey ***** 30 Oct 1945
- James Whitehill FULKERSON.......13 Dec 1838-25 Nov 1863, m. unknown, served as 2nd Lieutenant in the Army of Tennessee during the first year of the Civil War. "At the end of the first year, the Co. re-enlisted and re-organized for the war, and elected Jim their Captain. He...was in all the leading battles with Bragg in Tenn. Ky. & Georgia. Was wounded at Murfreesboro and again at Missionary Ridge, shot through both thighs, breaking both bones, from which he never recovered but died in a hospital at Atlanta."
- Peter Graham FULKERSON...........5 Dec 1840-1926?...........Peter m. (1st) to Emma GLENN. and (2nd) to 33-year-old widow Jennie Eliza (FUGATE) TREECE in 1882. Jennie was born 14 Sep 1848 in Claiborne Co, TN and died 11 Feb 1936, apparently in Texas. She was listed on the 1880 Census in Claiborne Co with her husband Newton and her mother Martha. Her father is reported to be Johiel FUGATE (1809-1863, buried at Irish Cemetery, Claiborne Co, TN). Jennie had one son, Alfred, born ca. 1874, who reportedly became an attorney -- possibly with help from his step-father Peter Graham FULKERSON.
  Per an account attributed to him in 1926, Peter was born at Mulberry Gap, northeast of Tazewell, TN, which at that time was in Claiborne Co. and later became Hancock Co. Peter was educated at schools in Tazewell (about 5 months per year) and Danville, MO. He was living in Montgomery Co., MO in 1861 when he entered the Confederate Army. He served in Col. Elliott's regiment and then in Gen. Sterling Price's corps, participating in the battles of Big Blue and Lexington. He was captured at Danville, where the Union Army had issued an order similar to the "Kansas Jayhawker" rules that Southerners found in Union districts were to be executed. His uncle Robert Craig FULKERSON of Danville, an influential Union supporter, convinced the Army to release him and got them to send him North on condition that he stay North during the War. So he went to Philadelphia, PA, where his uncle William PATTERSON put him to work and gave him employment until the War ended.
  Peter returned to Tazewell after the War and then went back to Missouri, where he farmed for two years and began studying law. He returned to Tennessee and was admitted to the bar in 1868. Peter was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1870 and in 1873 was appointed Attorney General of the State of Tennessee. The Goodspeed's "History of Claiborne County" (1886) reported he was living in the "fine stone residence" built in 1814 by William GRAHAM, Tazewell's first merchant. Peter himself was an historian, whose works included the "Early Settlers of Claiborne County." Click here to read his description of frontier homes. Peter had six children with Emma and two children with Jane.
  - Catherine Sallie FULKERSON.....1 Mar 1885, m. James R. PARKEY, moved to Mankins, Archer Co., TX. The 1930 Census found them there with mother 'Janey' in the household.
- Thomas Graham FULKERSON.....b. 18 Dec 1842. Thomas served as a sergeant in brother William's company in the Civil War, then returned to the family farm to care for his widowed mother. The 1880 census listed him as a farmer at his mother's household in "District 9, Claiborne, Tennessee." Two other household members were laborer Washington JOHNSON (age 26) and servant Mary COFFMAN (age 15), both black.
  
  Thomas married Hallie EVANS. He died about 1923 while visiting his son William in Newark, OH, but not before leaving a dictated account of his family's participation in the Civil War. (See Six Brothers in the Civil War.) The three children of Thomas and Hallie:
  - Tipton E FULKERSON...............21 Oct 1884-??, m. Viola ________. Tipton and Viola lived at Tazewell, TN, later moved to Gillette, Wyoming, where they operated the Fulkerson Oil Company and had three children. One son began Fulkerson Aviation at the Gillette-Campbell County Airport in 1939, was a contract flight instructor for the Army Air Corps at Spearfish, South Dakota during World War II, and operated his flying service in Gillette until 1978. Another son was mayor of Gillette from 1948 to 1952.
  - Frederick F FULKERSON.............17 Aug 1888-25 Jun 1908, age 19
  - William Fugate FULKERSON........20 Dec 1890-??, m. Florence _______
- Frederick Eberle FULKERSON.......31 Jan 1845-??, m. Ida HUFF. Serving in the Confederate Army, he had an arm shot off in a charge up Snodgrass Hill (Brother Peter reported that 31 of the 39 men in his company were killed or wounded in this charge.) Older brother Thomas described his Civil War service:
  Fred the youngest son joined Blackburne's Co. in the First Tenn. Cavalry and saw active service in East Tenn. and Va., was wounded too bad to be taken off by Yanks in same fight that I was Captured and again later but was able to be with the Regiment when surrendered by Johnson at Charlotte, N. C.
- Sarah Ann FULKERSON......15 Feb 1847-??, m. unknown
- Mary Frances FULKERSON....3 Oct 1849-??, m. John SCARBOROUGH
Benjamin Franklin FULKERSON.......b. 22 Mar 1798 in Lee Co., VA, m. Mary Jane EWING who was born in Beth Co., KY. They lived in Lee Co., where their first children were born, and by 1840 were living in Kentucky. In 1842 they moved west and settled on 160 acres of prairie and timber land [bought at $1.25 per acre] in Grundy Co., Missouri, northeast of the town of St. Joseph. They eventually increased their holdings to about 1200 acres. The tale of their pioneer life was told in the "History of Northwest Missouri":
Peter Glenn Fulkerson was but nine years of age when he accompanied his parents to Grundy County, and such education as he was able to secure was obtained in the primitive schools. He experienced every hardship and witnessed every incident of pioneer life, and is frequently prevailed upon today to speak of the times when he lived in the little log cabin in the midst of a country filled with wild game and in which the Indians still roamed in great numbers.
The little home of the Fulkersons, like those of other pioneers, boasted of neither floor nor door. The hard earth served for the former, while a quilt in winter months was used to keep out the cold. A wooden mallet was used to crush the corn, although hominy was the chief cereal used, as most easily secured; the leather for the family shoes was tanned by some member of the family and then kept until the shoemaker made his rounds and fashioned it into footwear. About the year 1852 the community began to become more thickly settled, many families coming here by way of ox-teams....
But while neighbors became more numerous, it was many years before primitive conditions ceased to exist. Sugar was a luxury not to be thought of, and honey was accordingly used to sweeten the food, this being gathered in the timber. Money was scarce, and but one store was located on the present site of the City of Trenton, while such mail as was received was paid for at the rate of twenty-five cents per letter. Tea and coffee being too expensive, the inventive settlers made a good brew from bark, boiled over a fire started by striking flints. The home-made candle furnished the light by which the mother made the summer clothes from flax, carded the wool, wove the cloth therefrom, or knitted the socks for the family, the latter commodity often being exchanged for the family bacon, at a ratio of one cent per pound, money being too scarce to pay for this article.
...the cooking was done at the fireplace, and the children had nothing but corn bread on week days, while on Sundays they were feasted with flour biscuits sweetened with honey taken from the trees in the surrounding forest. While the Indians were numerous they were peaceable, and the principal relations the settlers had with these original residents of the forest were trading, though the Indians were notorious as beggars and if not watched were inclined to petty thieving.
All this country in the 40's had an abundance of wild game of all kinds - turkey, deer and other animals - and wolves were the chief obstacle to the raising of live stock, the cattle and hogs having to be carefully watched until well grown....It was with wagon and ox teams that the Fulkersons came from Virginia to Missouri, and for a number of years all the farm work was performed by the slow plodding oxen, and the plow was made of wood shod with iron. When [Benjamin and Mary Jane] came to Northwest Missouri they brought with them one slave, whom they afterwards [about 1852] liberated and paid his passage to the Liberian Republic, where all American slaves were welcomed, and he was given 160 acres of land and reached a considerable degree of prosperity before his death. [Note: the last sentence is unverified and may be taken as pure embellishment.]
Benjamin and Mary Jane's 12 children were:
- Jane Eliza FULKERSON.........16 Jul 1828-5 Nov 1841, died at age 12
- Margaret Amanda FULKERSON.....19 Mar 1830-5 Sep 1901, m. Reese SHANNON on 18 Nov 1847 in MO
  - Eva Elinor SHANNON.....m. Dr. ____ RICHMOND, 3 children
- Evaline Watkins FULKERSON........15 Oct 1831-5 Aug 1914, m. (1st) John T. WITTEN (1820-1888, as his 3rd wife) on 26 Sep 1878 in Edinburgh, MO. John died at Trenton, Grundy Co., MO. Evaline m. (2nd) Asa DENT on 6 Nov 1901. She had no children from either marriage. [A Witten family site lists John's origins and prior marriages: Children of JAMES STANLEY WITTEN and LAVICIE THOMPSON are: i. JOHN T. WITTEN b. September 27, 1820, Tazewell Co., VA; d. June 29, 1888, Trenton, Grundy Co., MO; m. (1st) LUCY ANN KALKENER PEERY Abt. 1840 in Tazewell, VA; m. (2) CAROLINE V. THOMPSON August 04, 1842, Tazewell Co., Va; b. Abt. 1824; d. 1866; m. (3) Evaline Watkins FULKERSON , September 26, 1878]
- Peter Glenn FULKERSON........16 May 1833-Mar 1922, b. in Lee Co., VA, raised in Grundy Co., MO. He worked on his father's farm until 1861, when his father gave him 100 acres of land, ten miles north of Trenton, and built a one-room log cabin where all of his children would later be born. Peter enlisted in the Missouri State Militia following the outbreak of the Civil War, then m. Eliza CARNES (1841-1909) on 5 Dec 1861. In 1875 was elected a county judge, served four years, and thereafter retained the title of Judge. Peter and Eliza had six children:
  - Anna Eliza FULKERSON.....15 Nov 1877-22 Jul 1908, m. Dr. _____ SMITH of Gallatin, MO, had one boy, died of appendicitis
- Rachel Elinor FULKERSON.....11 Mar 1835-17 Sep 1858, died at 23, never married
- Putnam Samuel FULKERSON...........6 Nov 1838-12 Mar 1912, m. Alice ASHER (b. 22 Mar 1856 in OH) on 15 Oct 1882, no children
- Joshua Frederick FULKERSON..........8 Oct 1841-11 Feb 1893, b. in Kentucky, m. first cousin Margaret Frances FULKERSON "at the old Dr. Thompson brick house, in Grand River bottom about 4 miles west of Edinburgh [MO] where Frederick D. Fulkerson, father of Margaret, was living at the time." He enlisted in the Missouri State Militia during the Civil War and held the rank of Captain, but most of his service was spent 'subject to call' and on minor skirmish duty. He was mustered out of service at war's end in 1865 at Chillicothe, MO. Having received 80 acres from his father, he began farming with one horse, a team of oxen and a one-room log house - shingled with walnut - that he built in 1866.
  - John Francis FULKERSON....8 Mar 1884-after 1960, m. Irene ____, lived in MO and then moved to Glendale, CA. They had one son.
- Theophilus Preston FULKERSON.......6 Apr 1845-7 Sep 1923, m. (1st) cousin Sarah Jane (Sally) FULKERSON (1845-21 Feb 1874) on 4 Jul 1867 and had 2 children. He m. (2nd) Phylenah E. HUDSON (1852-1935) on 2 Mar 1876, d. at Brimson, MO. He was buried at Peery Chapel Cemetery, Madison Township, Grundy County, MO, next to first wife Sarah J. (cemetery records).
  - Mary Elva FULKERSON.....7 Feb 1894, m. Harvey ____, a singer, teacher, bandleader and farmer. Athough he was described as "A tip-top fellow, anywhere or anyway you take him," they had no children
- Catherine Elizabeth FULKERSON......18 Mar 1847-19 Mar 1847
- James Evans FULKERSON.......3 Apr 1848- 23 Apr 1926, m. Georgia SHANNON (1855-1927) on 24 Aug 1876 near Dearborn, MO, worked in a bank in Trenton, MO, then moved to Wellington, KS about 1885 where he handled real estate for the Santa Fe Railroad. He returned to MO to work for another railroad, the Frisco Line, at Monett. In 1890 he was in Lebanon, MO for the Magnetic Water Company. He then ran a feed and grocery business, and purchased a farm near Lebanon in 1901. He had 7 boys (& no reported daughters):
  - Paul McCabe FULKERSON......25 Sep 1893-5 May 1899, died at age 5
- Ewing Wirt FULKERSON.......19 Apr 1851-19 Dec 1925, m. 21-yr-old Margaret DENT on 17 Feb 1881
  - Benjamin FULKERSON.....1891-1892
- Patrick Dow FULKERSON.......9 Jun 1855-26 Feb 1862, died at age 6
Jacob Van Hook FULKERSON....30 Mar 1800-1885, b. in Lee Co., VA, m. Kitty EWING. Jacob was a farrier and a merchant in Lee Co., VA, and at one time he served as sheriff of Lee County. His name appears in an 1846 Lee County lawsuit: Jacob Fulkerson et al. vs. Isom Hubbard et al. Seventeen years later he served as a Major in the Confederate Army, although his age may have been slowing him down by then. According to Preston ("The Fulkerson Story" by John F. Preston, 1961) Jacob lived in Virginia until he was quite old and then moved to Lafayette Co., MO. His son Dr. Putnam Smith FULKERSON was on the Lafayette Co., Mo. census in 1850. So his children started moving to Missouri some time before he did. Jacob and Catherine had the following children:
- Margaret C FULKERSON.....19 Jan l825-12 Dec 1921, m. Harrison LY0N. They lived all their lives in Virginia. He was a carpenter and building contractor. She was 96 when she died.
- Dr. Putnam Smith FULKERSON.....10 Jan 1827-1905, m. Mary Jane RIDINGS. Putnam studied medicine in Tennessee with his uncle, James Monroe FULKERSON, and then as a young man had thoughts of adventure. His cousin Samuel Vance FULKERSON, recently returned from service as an Army officer in the Mexican War, wrote to him from Jonesville, Lee Co., VA on 9 Sep 1849:
  "Dear Putnam: Let me assure you that it will afford me much pleasure to render you any assistance...in procuring for you the desired position in the Utah Expedition."
  Putnam went west only as far as Missouri, practicing in Chapel Hill, Texas Prairie and Wellington. He was listed as an M.D. on the 1860 Lafayette Co. census. During the Civil War he was a surgeon in Parson's Brigade, Elliott's Regiment, General Joe Shelby's Army (Confederate). After the war he moved to Lexington and continued his practice until his death in 1905. Putnam and Mary had 3 children who never married:
  - Arch FULKERSON.....1870-1896
- Jane Eleanor (Helen) FULKERSON.....20 Jul 1829, m. Dr. William FRICK, and lived at Oak Grove, MO. They had six children, two of whom were doctors:
  - Frank FRICK.....1866-after 1960, m. Isabelle MASTERSON. They had no children.
- Peter Logan FULKERSON.....14 Dec 1831-1832
- Samuel Wirt FULKERSON.....27 Feb 1834-1835
- Dr. Albert Preston FULKERSON.....3 Apr 1836-1904, was listed as an M.D. on the 1860 Lafayette Co. census, was a surgeon with the Confederate Army, d. in Lexington, Missouri in 1904. Notes from another member of the family said that his mind was not right soon after his marriage to Carrie GODWIN (or was it PTSD, due to his recent experience in the war?). Nevertheless they had three children:
  - Senova FULKERSON.....1871-??, three husbands, no children
- James Piper FULKERSON.....19 May 1839-l861
- Leigh Dow FULKERSON.....4 Feb 1842-??. Leigh was in business in a large wholesale house in New York in 1866, but returned to Lee County and m. Harriet Ann BALES (b. ca. 1850) on 27 July 1868. The 1880 Census listed him as "Doua Fulkerson" - farming at Rose Hill, Lee Co., Virginia, with his wife, seven children and three servants - Ada Cloud [a former slave], Margaret Ayers and Thomas Bacchus. An 1889 directory showed him farming at Bales' Mills, Lee Co., VA. The 1900 Census for Lee Co., VA listed a widow Hatty A. FULKERSON and children He and Harriet had ten children:
  - Nathaniel Caleb FULKERSON.....5 May 1883-??, born at Rose Hill, Lee Co VA, living at Bales Mill, Precinct I, in 1900
- Emily Rachel FULKERSON.....20 Sep 1844-??, b. in Lee Co., VA, d. in Shawnee, OK; m. Stephen Sylvester REEDER (1833-1887) who was a Captain in the Union Army, in Feb 1870 at Agates Mill, VA. Their children were:
- Dr. Jacob Johnson FULKERSON.....3 Oct 1847-1914, served in the Civil War as a private in an Army of Northern Virginia regiment, was captured but made his escape after a short time. He went to Missouri in 1870 and attended St. Louis Medical College, from which he went into practice in Oak Grove. He m. Mary GODWIN (1853-1899) and lived in Higginsville and Lexington, MO. During the Spanish-American War he joined the Army as a Captain but the War ended while he was enroute to Cuba. Both are buried at the Higginsville City Cemetery in Lafayette Co., MO: "Go in tree-canopied main entrance to small circle, first left after circle, look to immediate right across from tall pine tree, 4th & 5th stones." Jacob's and Mary's children were:
  - Pearl Elizabeth FULKERSON.....19 Sep 1894-??, a nurse, she served as a 2nd Lieutenant in France during WWI
Peter James FULKERSON.......22 Dec 1802-??, b. in Lee Co., VA, m. Eleanor ANDERSON
- Charles FULKERSON....1845-, placed here by 1880 Census, living at Rose Hill, Lee Co., VA, with a 30-yr-old sister named Retta (Margaretta?) He was a 35-yr-old drummer with a 30-yr-old wife Elizabeth and two children: Mary (3) and Archilaus (1). All were born in VA.
John Whitehill FULKERSON.....22 Feb 1805-19 Apr 1843, born in VA. He was m. to Harriet Elizabeth SCRUGGS, daughter of Moses and Nancy McCoy SCRUGGS of Morganton, Blount Co., TN, on 27 Sep 1827 by Rev. James MILLER in Knoxville, TN. They lived in Blount Co., TN (now Loudon Co., TN). John died at the age of 38 and was buried at Rose Hill, Lee Co., VA. His will was dated on June 19, 1843 - probably the probate date - in Will Book 2-51 of Lee Co., VA. Harriet died by 1855, possibly in Blount Co., TN. The following notice was published in The East Tennessean (Maryville, Blount Co., TN) on October 26, 1855:
In accordance with a decree of the county court of Blount County, I will offer for sale to the highest bidder, in the town of Morganton on Saturday, the 3rd day of November next, two slaves belonging to the heirs of Harriett E. Fulkerson, deceased, viz: A girl named Tempa, aged about 28 years, and her child, named Nancy, aged about two months.
Said slaves will be sold for the purpose of dividing the proceeds among said heirs. They will be sold together, on a credit of twelve months, bearing interest from date. Note with approved security will be required and a lien will be retained on said slaves until the purchase money is paid.
J.C. McCoy, Clerk
By, W.A. Walker, P.C.
Their children were:
- Margaret Elizabeth FULKERSON.....1842
Frederick De Bow FULKERSON...19 Mar 1809-18 Jul 1868, b. in Lee Co., VA, d. in Lafayette Co., MO. He m. (1st) Nancy DUNN on 31 May 1842. She was born 27 Jul 1827 in Massachusetts. Her father, John DUNN, was a Scot who came to American in 1812 as a British soldier or sailor, and was captured at the Battle of Lake Erie by Oliver Hazard Perry. He stayed after the war, settling in Lenox, MA and about 1836 moving to Lee Co., VA by wagon. Nancy died on 5 Dec 1849 in Lee Co., VA, 2 weeks after bearing her 5th child.

Frederick m. (2nd) Nancy's sister, Waitstill Melissa DUNN (16 Jun 1826-1 Aug 1909) on 16 Feb 1851 in Lee Co., VA. She was a large, tall woman who taught school for a number of Fulkerson children in Lee Co. before her marriage. Jacob Van Hook Fulkerson wrote on 19 Sep 1849:
I have three boys now going to school to Waity Dunn. At the last session, Albert commenced geography and went entirely through it, Piper is also studying geography and little Dow is learning his letters.
Frederick and Melissa moved to Lafayette Co., MO, in 1856, with 7 daughters, 1 son & 6 slaves. On arrival they stayed for a time with his brother, Robert Craig FULKERSON in Montgomery Co. Frederick scouted the region and found good land in Dover Twp. He purchased the Page Farm, 300 acres with a five-room log house, a log barn and several smaller buildings, and renamed it the "Lone Sycamore Farm." When the Civil War started Frederick's political viewpoint became known and the farm became the target of guerilla raids. After some loss of livestock they decided their lives were in danger, so they temporarily moved north to Grundy County to live with the family of his deceased brother Benjamin Franklin FULKERSON. They returned to the Lone Sycamore in 1867, but Frederick died a year later. He is buried at the Higginsville City Cemetery in Lafayette Co., MO., near several of his children. He left his wife with six girls between the ages of 11 and 20, and three sons aged 2 to 8. With the help of an older step-daughter, who never married, she was able to keep things going until son Craig reached 18 and was able to take over the farm. His wife is buried at the Higginsville City Cemetery in Lafayette Co., MO as "Waity M. Fulkerson."
- Evaline Waitstill FULKERSON....3 Jul 1868-29 Oct 1870, b. in Waverly Co., MO, buried at the Higginsville City Cemetery in Lafayette Co., MO
Rachel FULKERSON...............14 Aug 1813-??, m. Nathaniel EWING (one source said Joshua) on 4 Jul 1837
- Sally EWING......b. ca. 1838, m. _____ POTEET
Margaret (Peggy) FULKERSON.............20 Jan 1817-1879, b. in Lee Co., VA, d. in Claiborne Co., TN, m. James M. PATTERSON on 22 Mar 1832 in Lee Co., VA, nothing further known


William Houston FULKERSON

Dinah FULKERSON..........15 Jan 1766-22 Jan 1766

Jacob FULKERSON..........12 Dec 1767-21 Apr 1791, m. Catherine EWING. Jacob was riding with brother-in-law Benjamin Sharp in April 1791, looking for strayed horses and cattle. They became separated and Jacob was never seen again. His horse returned home riderless but carrying the message that he had been killed: an Indian tomahawk stuck under the saddle.

Hannah FULKERSON........5 Jan 1769-4 Sep 1848, her middle name was probably DeBow or DeBough. She m. Benjamin SHARP about 1787. He had grown up on the same southwest Virginia frontier, and in his later years wrote letters and articles describing the perils that arose from the clash of white and Indian cultures. One of those letters, written in 1842, may be viewed here.

In 1816 they moved their family to Missouri and settled on a farm in Warren Co., 3 miles east of Pinckney. In 1818 this area was reorganized as Montgomery Co., and Benjamin became clerk of the County and Circuit courts. A log cabin was built in his yard and this served as the court house. They had 12 children, all born in Virginia:

James F. SHARP.....b. ca. 1788, m. Catherine NEILL
John D. SHARP.....remained in VA to become a prominent attorney and politician
Polly SHARP.....m. Jerry NEILL
Jacob L. SHARP.....m. Margaret VANCE
Catherine E. SHARP.....
Attosa Pinckney SHARP.....(female) married John WYATT
- Mary Neil WYATT....married Richard Harrison GENTRY
  - Mary Wyatt GENTRY....married John Gallatin PAXTON. One of their great grandsons was the actor Bill PAXTON, who starred in motion picture films including: Stripes (1981), The Terminator (1984); Weird Science (1985); Aliens (1986); Tombstone (1993); True Lies (1994); Apollo 13 (1995); Twister (1996); Titanic (1997); Mighty Joe Young (1998); Vertical Limit (2000); Spy Kids (2002 and 2003); Club Dread (2004); Big Love (2006); The Good Life (2007) and The Slammin' Salmon (2008)
Hannah D. SHARP.....
Peter L. SHARP.....
Elvira E. SHARP.....
Malinda M. SHARP.....
Margaret J. SHARP.....
Benjamin F. SHARP.... [Updated June 2004] per a great-great-grandaughter, the youngest son of Hannah FULKERSON and Benjamin SHARP, became a physician and married a young teacher, Mary Harrison MCGHEE (1820-1924), in 1840. Their daughter Mary (1852-1899) was her grandmother's mother. Mary Harrison McGhee SHARP lived to the age of 104. Her husband, Benjamin F. Sharp, died in 1896. Both are buried in the Montgomery City, Missouri cemetery.

James FULKERSON.........27 Sep 1771-1851.........by family records, m. (1st) Sarah BALFOUR, then m. (2nd) Patience POTEET (b. 1775) on 2 Oct 1795. James moved to Tennessee by 1809. He was one of the county commissioners when White County was established by the state legislature, and helped lay out the county seat at Sparta in 1810. He next appears on the Lawrence Co., Indiana census in 1820 and 1830. The lineage below is from the FULKERSON-POTEET family Bible and 1850 Census records, which showed Patience living with or near her children at Van Buren Township in Daviess Co., IN.

Note: One DAR lineage and a county historical account credit this James with marriages to (1) Nancy MARTIN, who married into the HUGHES family that was associated with the FULKERSONS during this period, and (2) Elizabeth McMILLAN, who is well-documented as having married Abraham FULKERSON's son James. The Dalton Newsletter in 1976 stated that Nancy MARTIN, daughter of William MARTIN and Rachel DALTON married her 1st cousin Archelaus HUGHES, Jr. and her 2nd husband was "a FULKERSON." We further have it that a James W. FULKERSON, born 1763 and a cousin of this James, married a Nancy MARTIN. Subsequent generations in that branch include males with Martin as a first or middle name.

The children of James Jr. and Patience POTEEET were:

Polly FULKERSON....1796-??, b. in VA
Isaac FULKERSON....1797-Jul 1820, b. in VA, m. Sarah JOHNSON, drowned in Lawrence Co., IN
Betsy FULKERSON....13 Jan 1801-??, m. Reuben KILGORE on 1 Oct 1818 in Lawrence Co., IN
Thomas Poteet FULKERSON....22 Dec 1802-after 1850, m. Adelaide MOORE (b. ca. 1813 in TN), lived in TN, IN & IL, then appeared on 1850 census in Pulaski Co., MO. Thomas and Adelaide must have died before their last child reached majority, because she was listed as an orphan in Maries Co., MO.
- Laura FULKERSON....27 Nov 1853-4 Dec 1910, per death certificate. Born in Maries County, MO, she died there in the town of Jackson. The certificate noted a 35 to 50 year arthritic deformity, and stated she was employed as a house servant. She died from pulmonary tuberculosis. The informant was a W. G. Boderdick (Broderick?) of Vienna, MO. The body was to be removed to Robinson Co., MO by undertaker Wm. McKeever of Vienna, MO.
Michael Dillingham FULKERSON....26 Jan 1805-?? With relatively few males named Michael during this era, this Michael FULKERSON should have been easy to research. That hasn't been the case. A "Michael D. FULKISON" served in Cos. A and C, 11th Regiment, US Infantry (Regular Army) during the Civil War. Also see the Tennessee Unattached Branch page for another possible reference to his name.
Catherine FULKERSON....28 Jan 1807-??, m. Stephen KILGORE on 15 Apr 1843 in Lawrence Co., IN
James FULKERSON (III?)....7 Jul 1809-??, b. in TN, m. Pantha Ann EVANS (b. in IN) on 16 Feb 1836 in Lawrence Co., IN (where her name has been transcribed from marriage records as Panthy M. GEORGE). He appeared on the 1850 Census for Daviess Co., IN, living in Van Buren Twp, with his wife listed as "Anne" and five children: Isaac (14), Calvin (12), Michael (10), Jacob (6), Zebba (1). The 1880 Census found "Anne" (b. in KY; father: CT, mother: GA) living with a 24-yr-old son James H. FULKERSON in the very large household of William A. BEAN at Steele, Daviess Co., Indiana.
- James H. FULKERSON....listed on 1880 Census, 24 years old, b. in IN, living with mother "Anne" Fulkerson in the household of William A. BEAN at Steele, Daviess Co., IN
Sally FULKERSON....26 Jul 1811-??, b. in TN
Francis (Frank) FULKERSON....1 Dec 1812-??, b. in TN
Jacob FULKERSON, Sr.....Dec 1815-??, b. in TN m. (1st) Meritta KILGORE (27 Nov 1810-15 May 1846) on 23 Jan 1839 in Daviess Co., IN. He m. (2nd) Rhoda RIGGINS on 13 Dec 1847 in Lawrence Co., IN. Jacob and Rhoda are listed in the 1850 Census for Daviess Co., IN, living in Van Buren Twp, occupation: farmer. The 1880 Census finds him at Bogard, Daviess Co., Indiana with a wife Emily C., age 48. Their household included three children who may have been theirs together, plus a nephew Jacob.
- Mary FULKERSON....b. ca. 1872 in Indiana per 1880 Census
Benjamin Franklin FULKERSON.....24 Mar 1820-23 Aug 1915, born in Lawrence Co., IN, lived to age 95. He was listed in the 1850 Census for Daviess Co., IN, living in Van Buren Twp, occupation: farmer. He married Mary RIGGINS on 19 April 1852. There was a biographical sketch on B. F. Fulkerson in the "History of Harrison and Mercer Counties, MO," page 533.
Mahala FULKERSON.....Indiana marriage records showed Mahala FULKERSON m. John DITTON in Lawrence Co., IN on 10 Feb 1838; no other info found to definitely link her to this family, but they appear to be the only Fulkersons there at the time.

John FULKERSON............5 Jan 1775- 29 Jan 1846. Lee County tax records for 1795 show John owning two horses. He m. Jane "Jeancie" HUGHES, dau. of Col. Archelaus HUGHES and Sally DALTON, on 16 Jun 1801 in Patrick Co., VA. Tax records show them living in Lee County in 1810. John died on 22 Jan 1846 in Lee Co., VA. Their nephew Archelaus Hughes III of Dresden, TN, opposed (and lost to) Davy Crockett in a Congressional election. Lucy Henderson Horton who wrote of the Hughes, Martins, Daltons and other allied Virginia families included a tale of their courtship:

Jeancy Hughes, daughter of Colonel Archelaus Hughes, of the Revolution, and his wife, Mary Dalton, was born at the old home, "Hughesville," in Patrick county, Virginia. She is said to have been a most charming and popular girl. She was engaged to be married to John Fulkerson of Lee County Va. Her family opposed the match, preferring another suitor of more wealth, a Mr Lacey. Jeancy was in distress because the engagement had been broken off.
She and her brother, Capt. John Hughes, were visiting relatives near Abbingdon Va., when John Fulkerson came to see Jeancy. The brother, seeing them together, read the heart of his sister and said to Jeancy privately, "Jeancy, if you love John Fulkerson, go on and marry him."
The marriage of Jeancy Hughes and John Fulkerson was a most happy one. He became a favorite of the family. John Hughes named one of his sons, John Fulkerson Hughes. Col. John Fulkerson and his wife, Jeancy Hughes, went out into the wilderness to live a long, happy, and useful life. They lived in Lee Co. Virginia . Here they reared a large and splendid family.

John and Jeancie had 10 known children, with most born in Lee Co., VA:

Mary Dalton FULKERSON....27 Jul 1803-1 Apr 1871, b. in Patrick Co., VA, d. in Warrensburg, MO, m. Stephen Thomas NEILL, a brother of Rebecca NEILL who married Isaac FULKERSON
Sarah A "Sallie" FULKERSON.....b. ca. 1805, m. William Smith EWING

John Hughes FULKERSON.....17 Mar 1807-30 Aug 1889, b. in Lee Co., VA, d. in Lafayette Co., MO, m. Henrietta O. EWING (5 Oct 1824-24 Jul 1866) on 5 Oct 1841 (it was her 17th birthday, and he was then twice her age).


Henrietta O. (Ewing) FULKERSON


Chatham Lee FULKERSON obituary above provided by Michael Flagg



John Archelaus FULKERSON CLICK HERE for larger image

Betty FULKERSON and Robert DAVIS CLICK HERE for later family portrait

She was the daughter of Judge Young EWING. This John was probably the one described by the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith when the Mormon's were being harassed near Richmond, Lafayette Co., Missouri in 1838:

This morning there came a number of men, some of them armed. Their threatenings and savage appearance were such as to make us afraid to proceed without more guards. A messenger was therefore dispatched to Richmond to obtain them. We started before their arrival, but had not gone far before we met Colonel Price with a guard of about seventy-four men, and were conducted by them to Richmond, and put into an old vacant house, and a guard set. Some time through the course of that day General Clark came in, and we were introduced to him. We inquired of him the reason why we had been thus carried from our homes, and what were the charges against us. He said that he was not then able to determine, but would be in a short time; and with very little more conversation withdrew. Some short time after he had withdrawn Colonel Price came in with two chains in his hands, and a number of Padlocks. The two chains he fastened together. He had with him ten men, armed, who stood at the time of these operations with a thumb upon the cock of their guns. They first nailed down the windows, then came and ordered a man by the name of John Fulkerson, whom he had with him, to chain us together with chains and padlocks...

John and Henrietta had eight children, most of whose birth years below are based on the 1860 Lafayette Co. census, when they lived in Washington Twp. Both are buried at the Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery, Columbus, Johnson Co., MO.

Chatham Lee FULKERSON....1842-20 Nov 1902, b. in Lafayette Co., MO, m. Mary McKELVY (or McKELLEY?) on 17 Oct 1865 in St. Louis, MO. They had at least 3 children. He served as a lieutenant under General Joe Shelby in the Missouri Cavalry (Confederate) during the Civil War. The 1880 Census found him working as a miller at Walker, Vernon Co., MO (southwest Missouri, on the Kansas border), living with wife "Mary L. FULKERSON" and children 'Hughes' (age 15) and twins Henrietta and Delila (both age 5). His obituary indicates he lived in Nevada, MO for several years. Mary preceded him in death during the winter of 1901-02, in Dallas, TX. Chatham died in Walker, and was to be buried next to his wife in Dallas.

John Hughes FULKERSON.....Aug 1866-, b. in Washington, Lafayette Co., MO, m. Susie M_____ (b. Dec 1867 in Missouri), by 1892, had 3 known children. He lived in the town of Nevada, Vernon Co., MO in 1902 when his father died.
- Herbert F. FULKERSON....22 Oct 1892-1963, b. in Missouri
- Chatham L. FULKERSON....6 Jan 1895-July 1967, reportedly b. in TX, d. in Granbury, Hood Co., TX. He was an Army sergeant in WWI. Buried at Granbury Cemetery, per the Hood County Texas Genealogical Society. Virginia Pearl FULKERSON (7 Dec 1883-5 Jan 1972) is buried in the same lot.
- Edgar H. FULKERSON....26 May 1897-Jan 1967, reportedly b. in Missouri, d. in Grape Vine, Tarrant Co., TX
Henrietta FULKERSON.....b.ca. 1875 in Missouri, reported living in Dallas, TX in Nov 1902
Delila FULKERSON....b.ca. 1875 in Missouri, reported living in Dallas, TX in Nov 1902

Martha Ann Frelinghuysen FULKERSON....21 Apr 1844-1933, b. in Lafayette Co., MO, nicknamed "Hite," m. in Johnson Co., MO on Christmas Day, 1866 to a cousin, Nicholas Houx FULKERSON (1842-1900), d. 28 Apr 1933 in Columbus, Johnson Co., MO. She became a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on 18 Sep 1912. CLICK HERE for a photograph from her later years.

Henrietta L FULKERSON....1846-, b. in Lafayette Co., MO, m. Arthur BROWN on 11 Aug 1867 in Lafayette Co., MO

Lettie FULKERSON....1848-, b. in Lafayette Co., MO

Ally FULKERSON....1852-, b. in Lafayette Co., MO

John Archelaus FULKERSON....born 13 Jun 1855 (also reported as 14 Jun 1856) in Davis Co., Missouri. He m. Wilhemina "Willie" BRADLEY (b. 1859) in Odessa, Missouri, where they made their home for the next few years. John was sheriff of Lafayette Co., Missouri from 1896 to 1899. Sometime afterward they moved to Bentonville, Arkansas where Willie died in 1911. John died at age 57 on 1 May 1913 in Bentonville and is buried in the Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Bentonville. Their three known children were:

Shelton Woodson FULKERSON....22 May 1883-17 Aug 1941, b. in Odessa, Lafayette Co., MO, d. in Shreveport, Caddo Co., LA, m. Maude HALL on 28 Jan 1908 in Benton Co., AR. They had 8 children from 1908 to 1926, some of whom later settled in Bakersfield, CA, Dallas, TX, Texarkana, TX, Seattle, WA, Charleston, WV.
Carrie W. FULKERSON....3 Sep 1885-12 Nov 1970, b. in Mayview, Missouri, m. William Nathan HOPKINS on 22 Mar 1906 in Rogers, Arkansas, d. in Pocatello, Idaho
Jack Bradley FULKERSON....11 Nov 1888-6 Dec 1956, b. in Sedalia, Missouri, d. in Memphis, Tennessee

Sallie R. FULKERSON....1857-1931, m. Thomas Porter MURRAY (1852-1923), in Nevada, MO. They are buried in the Pittsville Cemetery in Johnson Co., MO

Bettie Hughes FULKERSON....24 May 1861-30 Jun 1924, m. Robert Coleman DAVIS on 5 Oct 1884, d. in Kansas City, MO

Lorne Hughes DAVIS
Robert Ewing DAVIS
Fredrick Coleman DAVIS
Russell Lee DAVIS

Margaret Jane FULKERSON.....b. Lee Co, VA, m. Benjamin J. WOODSON
Jane FULKERSON....m. Henry C. TYLER
Matilda FULKERSON....m. William Harrison SPRATT [Note: from a CHAPMAN family site we learn that a "Francis Ewing POTEET...b. Ja, 1857, d. Feb. 15, 1935...married Emily Cochran SPRATT (she was called May), daughter of John Fulkerson SPRATT, whose ancestors were for several generations born in Virginia."
Letitia FULKERSON....m. Britain POTEET
Archelaus H(ughes?) FULKERSON...., b. ca. 1822 (listed as age 58 in 1880 census of Lee Co., VA) m. (1st) ____ HILL, (2nd) Henrietta BARTZELL, (3rd) Ida HUFF. He was living with 29-yr-old Ida in 1880, with a 23-yr-old son and a servant, Jane POLSON.

Chataigne's Virginia Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1888-89 listed A.H. Fulkerson as one of the principal farmers at Rose Hill in Lee Co. In the same county it also listed L.D. Fulkerson at Bales' Mills, and Chas. Fulkerson at Boon's Path.
- John FULKERSON.....b. ca. 1857
Martha FULKERSON....m. John RANSOM
Catherine (Kittie) FULKERSON....m. Dr. Joshua EWING
- Kate EWING

Isaac FULKERSON...........9 Aug 1776-Apr 1836..........m. Rebecca NEIL (b. ca. 1781 in VA), served for a time as a sheriff in Lee Co., VA and appeared on the 1810 tax rolls for that county. He moved his family to Kentucky and then to Missouri in 1814, settling near Daniel BOONE at Darst Bottom, St. Charles Co., MO. He was listed in Femme Osage township in the 1817 St. Charles Co. Census Enumeration, owning 4 slaves 16-45 years old and one slave 10-16 years old. On 18 May 1827 he was in St. Louis, settling the probate of Johnson TAYLOR of neighboring Montgomery Co., MO. In January 1835 one of his slaves, Jack, was arraigned for the murder of Wesley, a slave of Daniel HAYS (he used a club). See the Boone Connection The 1850 Census for St. Charles Co., MO found Rebecca, aged 69, living with her sons Isaac and Peter. He served one term in the Missouri State Senate. Isaac and Rebecca had 10 children:

Jacob FULKERSON....died young
William Neil FULKERSON.....b. 1800 in VA, d. 28 May 1846 in St. Charles Co., MO where he served as the county collector. He reportedly m. on 30 Nov 1826 to Ellen CHRISTY. An 1882 history of the county stated he m. Louisa STANBARK. He was a store owner and victim in 1827, when a Johnson WATSON was charged with larceny of $140 from the store. In 1828 he was listed as a sheriff when he appointed William M. CHRISTY as a deputy sheriff, and as a collector when he recovered $66.50 owed to the county by William CHRISTY, Jr.. He was named as an administrator for the estates of John Milton TAYLOR and James CLAY in St. Charles Co. in 1833. In the latter case, he sued to collect a $424 debt owed by Enoch STEENE for the hire of three slaves named Henry, Jefferson and Sermon. In the former he sued two members of the BOONE family for a debt of $100. In the next few years he may have fallen on hard times. Francois ST. CYR sued him in January 1834 for $1,150 for "work done, money loaned, one horse and other goods and services." (Francois was no stranger to the courts. He sued his wife for divorce for committing adultery with his brother while he was away. She countersued for divorce two years later, saying he had deserted her to "serve with Capt. Boone.") Thomas COPES and Ludwell POWELL sued him in the following January for debts of $104.25 and $121. This is probably the William N. Fulkerson involved in the Smallpox Epidemic of 1837-38:
Two Indian agents boarded the American Fur Company boat St. Peter, under the command of Captain Bernard Pratte, Jr., at St. Louis on 17 April 1837, on what has been called "The Deadliest Boat Run in American History." One of them was Joshua Pilcher, subagent for the Sioux, and the other was William N. Fulkerson -- listed as the 'Indian subagent' for the Mandan tribe. On 29 April a "mulatto" deck hand was found to be ill with smallpox, and on May 1st "one of the two Indian agents urged Pratte to put the sick man ashore; Pratte refused." Pilcher disembarked on June 5th at Sioux Agency to deliver goods to the Yankton and Santee Sioux. By the 14th there were others aboard with smallpox. The boat made a stop at Fort Clark, site of the largest Mandan village, on June 19th. Three Arikara women, on the boat since mid-May and infected with smallpox since June 5th, went to the Mandan village. An infected white man reportedly also landed at Fort Clark.

The St. Peter arrived at Fort Union, North Dakota, where many Upper Missouri tribes traded, on June 25th. Charles Larpenteur, in Forty Years a Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri, 1833-1872 wrote, "The mirth usual on such occasions was not of long duration, for immediately on the landing of the boat we learned that smallpox was on board." He went on to describe the epidemic that ensued: "About 15 days afterward there was such a stench in the fort that it could be smelt at a distance of 300 yards. It was awful – the scene in the fort, where some went crazy, and others were half eaten up by maggots before they died; yet, singular to say, not a single bad expression was ever uttered by a sick Indian. Many died, that those who recovered were so much disfigured that one could scarcely recognize them. " By the 28th of June the St. Peter returned downstream to Fort Clark, arriving at 6 p.m. and departing at 7 p.m. -- the brevity of the visit no doubt due their discovery of the smallpox epidemic underway there.

THE NORTH DAKOTA HEALTH DEPARTMENT provides a follow-up on this incident: "By a strange twist of fate, William Fulkerson, the Indian Agent for the Upper Missouri, was aboard the St. Peter’s when it stopped at Fort Clark. He proceeded on to Fort Union, returning with the boat to St. Louis in July. Mr. Fulkerson made no report of smallpox when he returned to St. Louis. In fact, his Oct. 1, 1837 report to Gen. William Clark who was Superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis, lists the population of Mandans at the Big Village as 2,000, Mandans at the Little Village as 1,200; the Hidatsa at 2,000 and the Arikara at 3,000 -- a total population of 8,200. It makes no mention of the epidemic or of any deaths from smallpox. It was not until January 1838, that the Commissioner of Indian Affairs writes to Gen. Clark and says “what’s going on out there? -- we’re getting reports of many Indians dying from smallpox.”

This inquiry was prompted by several social and religious groups who expressed great concern about this and in fact began to push for a court of inquiry on the matter. Clark then asks Joshua Pilcher and William Fulkerson for a report. It is then that there are many attempts to shift the blame to Indian people themselves. How many Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people died that summer of 1837? Probably about 5,500. Could this epidemic have been prevented? Certainly. The boat could have turned back – it was known that smallpox was on board long before it arrived at Fort Clark. Secondly, there were preventive measures that could have been implemented – vaccine, quarantine and so forth....Nearly all the [3,200] Mandans were dead -- only 125 to 135 survived.

NOTE: William N. Fulkerson may be at least partially vindicated on this issue. A collection of Clark's personal papers, currently housed at the Kansas State Historical Society, contains a 20 Sep 1837 letter from Fulkerson. The historical society summarizes the letter: "Informs that smallpox has broken out; If not checked it is possible that the Mandans will be wiped out. Mentions other tribes. Reports that the steamboat St. Peters was the source of the smallpox. " The collection also contains letters from Pilcher, dated June and July 1837, warning Clark about the outbreak....and interestingly contains a July 1838 letter from a Dr. Joseph R. DePrefontaine indicating that an estimated 3,000 Indians had been inocculated with smallpox vaccine.
William Neil FULKERSON and Ellen CHRISTY had 11 or 12 children, per family history and the 1850 Census. He died as his wife began her last pregnancy. The transcription of the 1850 Census for St. Charles Co., MO, shows a FULLERSON household with no parent present, and names similar to William's known children. It's likely his wife was still alive and her age was incorrectly written or copied. The household consisted of Ellen S. (25) [45?], Eliza A. (17), Nevil S. (15), Ellen R. (13) [Helena?], Edward S. (11), Julia (10), Edmond (6) and William N. (4).
- William Jonathan Nile FULKERSON....13 Dec 1846-
James Preston FULKERSON.......b. 1802 in VA, d. 4 Apr 1852 in Port Lavaca, TX. He married Dorothea Louisa STEINBECK on 7 Jan 1830 at Cape Girardeau, MO. She was born 19 Dec 1812, the daughter of Daniel F. STEINBECK and Agatha LORIMER, and great-granddaughter of Louis Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE -- the first French explorer to circumnavigate the globe. In 1830 James was a partner with George COLLIER, doing business as "James P. Fulkerson & Co." when they brought suit against a Mr. AUDRAIN for $191.31 in debts and $300 in damages. They moved to Port Lavaca, Texas (on the coast, 116 miles southwest of Houston) by 1850. James lost his life in the line of duty as Sheriff of Calhoun County, Texas, and is listed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. The Officer Down Memorial Page web site reports was killed after responding to a disturbance: "When he arrived he confiscated a rifle from the man responsible for the disturbance and told him to leave town. As the man was leaving, he shot and killed Sheriff Fulkerson with a 2nd gun he had in his possession. Sheriff Fulkerson had served with the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office for two years and was survived by his wife and four children." Dorothea died on 19 Apr 1852, for reasons presently unknown and just 15 days after the death of her husband. Their seven children were:
- Minnie A FULKERSON....b. 17 Oct 1848 at Cape Girardeau, MO, m. Pierre J. A. MICHEL on 2 Mar 1868
Virginia FULKERSON.....b. ca. 1804 in VA, m. Caleb Ewing BERRY abt. 1823 in Callaway Co., MO. He was the son of Richard BERRY and Polly EWING of Darst Bottom, St. Charles Co., MO. [The Berrys previously lived in Kentucky, and living with them was a young woman named Nancy HANKS. Miss HANKS married Thomas LINCOLN in the Berry home - I don't recall the date, but it was some time before February 12, 1809....when their son Abraham was born.]

From the "Pioneer Families of Missouri" we learn that:
Caleb was at a public gathering of some kind, on a certain occasion, and seeing no convenient place to hitch his horse, he buckled the bridle to the stirrup of Colonel Warner's saddle. The Colonel's horse got loose after a while, and went home, a distance of twenty miles, taking Berry's horse with him. Both men had to walk the entire distance to recover their horses.
Virginia and Caleb lived in Callaway Co., MO - the only county that seceded from both the Union and the State of Missouri during the Civil War - and raised ten children, not all of whom remembered their family's old friendship with the LINCOLN family: