Richard S. Fulton's Web Site

The Children of William and Elizabeth Jenkinson Fulton

Ada Margaret Fulton Groth

Born June 11, 1876 Died December 26, 1964

Ada Margaret Fulton was born in Waukegan, ILL., on June 11, 1876 and baptized at Christ Church in Waukegan on November 12, 1876. By 1897 Ada is single living at home at 1010 Belvidere St.   Her occupation is school teacher.   She is single living at home, occupation school teacher in the 1900 census and the same in the 1903-04 Waukegan City Directory. Family stories are that she was an elementary school teacher and was the second grade teacher for Benny Kubelski about 1901. Benny Kubelski was a Waukegan native who was later famous as the comedian Jack Benny. The above photo was edited from a photo with Ada and a girlfriend. She looks pretty stylish to me. The original as are most of the pictures here and many of the old Fulton Family photos on this web site are in the possession of Ada's daughter June Groth Cuttell of Spencer, Iowa.

Ada moved to Clay County Iowa and married August Groth about 1906. The Groth family were neighbors of Ada’s brother James Albert Fulton in Clay County, Iowa. It could be that Ada went to Iowa with her parents when they moved there sometime around 1904 or perhaps she came later. In any case Ada was married to August Groth and living in Spencer, Iowa, by July 7, 1907 as Ada is listed in the newspaper article about the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration for her parents in Waukegan as Mrs. Groth of Spencer, Iowa.   In the 1910 Clay County, Iowa census, August and Ada are living in Riverton Township. August’s occupation is farming and no occupation is listed for Ada. They are listed as being married three years and having had one child, but none living.

In the 1920 census, Ada and August are still living in the same township of Clay County, Iowa. They have one child, Esther June, born about 1917, and two foster children both born in New York, Edward age 11 and Bertha age 8. It could well be that Ada and August participated in what history now calls The Orphan Trains. From 1853 to 1929 an estimated 300,000 orphan children, mostly from the North Eastern cities of America and many from New York City were put on trains and sent to families in the Midwest who had volunteered to take in the children. An estimated 10,000 of these children came to Iowa.

In the 1930 census, August, Ada, Ester, and Bertha are living in the town of Spencer, Iowa. No occupation is listed for August or Ada. Bertha is listed as a lodger. Ada died in Spencer, Iowa on December 26, 1964.

Ada’s daughter Esther June (she goes by June) married Robert Cuttell.   Robert passed away in 2002. June lives in Spencer, Iowa.   She and Robert had four children, Gary, b: 1940, Jim, b: 1942, Joann, b: 1944, and Jack, b: 1948. June has 8 grandchildren. I have communicated with Greg Cuttell of Spencer, Iowa, son of Gary.

Below is a picture of Ada Fulton as a young woman with two friends, names unknown.

Ada Fulton graduated from Waukegan High School in 1894. She was the Salutorian. It appears that Ada and her older brother John Robert were the only two children to graduate from high school. Below is a copy of the 1894 Waukegan High School Graduation Program.

Ada Fulton was a school teacher in Waukegan for a number of years. Family stories are that she taught second grade. Below is a copy of her teacher contract for the year 1902. Salary: $50.00. In those days school teachers were required to be single. When they married, they had to stop teaching. Ada moved to Spencer, Iowa with her parents about 1904 to assist her brother widower brother James with his children. She taught briefly in Spencer until she met and married August Groth in 1906.

Below is a post card sent from Ada Fulton Groth to her Mother Elizabeth, then living back in Waukegan in 1916 on the occassion of her birthday.

Photo below to the left is of August and Ada Fulton Groth taken in Spencer, Iowa about 1950. The photo to the right is also of Ada Fulton Groth, date unknown. At the bottom is the funeral program of Ada Fulton Groth from 1964.