Richard S. Fulton's Web Site
Richard A. and Rhue McKinley Christison
The Christison Family of Scotland - Maryland - Kentucky - Illinois
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Fulton Family of Waukegan Illinois
John Christison 1809 - aft 1860
Richard Christison 1870 - 1963
Poems by GG Grandmother Seretta Whitaker Christison
Christison Photo: Old Home Place near Chestnut, Ill. 1894
Richard Alfred Christison, June 17, 1870 – August 6, 1963. My Great Grandfather. (Alfred, John, Thomas, John)
Richard married Rue Ditha McKinley on March 15, 1900 in Mansfield, Piatt County, ILL., at the home of her Father William McKinley. Richard brought Rhue's whole family to settle near them in Chestnut, Ill. I constructed two homes in Chestnut and bought 90 acres of farm land to add to the 200 his parents gave him. My Grandmother was born on the farm in Chestnut. Richard Christison eventually owned several farms and in 1903 at the age of 33 he retired from farming and moved the family to Decatur to raise his children in the city. The family first lived at 972 West King Street and then in 1909 to 1024 West Macon Street, where he lived the rest of his life.The picture below is of the family of my Great Grandparents Richard Alfred Christion (1/17/1870-8/6/1963) and Rhue Ditha McKinley Christison (12/16/1880-9/9/1949) taken in Decatur, Ill., about 1907. Behind them are their two daugthers, to the left my Grandmother Elva Mae Christison (11/27/1902-7/9/2000) and her sister Edna Florence Christison (1/19/1901-10/22/1974).
I met him once probably about 1960, when I was a boy on a visit with my Grandmother to Decatur ILL where he lived.
I have a couple of love letters he wrote to Great Grandma Rhue during their year long courtship. Very formal. The family story is that Richard’s older brother Cicero was doing some legal work and happened to meet Rue and her family in Mansfield and told his brother about her and that he thought he would like her. He took the initiative and contacted her by letter asking for permission to visit. Family story from my Grandmother Elva Christison Fulton indicated that when Richard graduated from High School and he went to his Father and asked permission to go to college like his older brother Cicero. His Father told him that as the only other son, he had to stay home and help run the farms. He did and never did go to college. He worked hard and eventually owned 6 farms. He had two daughters Edna and my grandmother Elva. He sent both of them to college. Richard wanted to raise his children in town, so in 1903, shortly after his second daughter, my Grandmother, was born, he bought a house in Decatur, and lived in Decature the rest of his life. My grandmother told me she was embarrassed as a young girl that he Father “didn’t have a job”. He was in fact semi-retired, managing but no longer actually working the farms. He did go out to farms almost every day. He apparently had a very happy childhood growing up on the farm near Chestnut, ILL with his siblings as in later years, when the old homestead, long since no longer occupied, was torn down to be able to farm the additional land, he never went out to the old farm again. He was self taught and an inventor and received a patent at age 81 for a set of springs that allowed one man to open and close grain elevator doors that would usually take 5 or 6 men. The devices were installed in a number of ILL grain elevators. He was awarded patent #2565202 on August 21, 1951. He charged $35 and up for the device according to the size of the door. He liked to bake sugar cookies and hand them out to the neighborhood. I have the recipe.Richard A. and Rhue Ditha McKinley Christison has two daughters:
Edna Florence Christison, b: January 19, 1901 – d: Oct. 27, 1974. She married Sam Bradfield in 1921 and they had two daughters, Bernice and Audrey.
Elva Mae Christison, b: November 27, 1902 – d: July 9, 2000 in Palatine, ILL. She married Howard William Fulton in Oak Park, ILL. on May 27, 1927. They had two children, my Father Richard William Fulton b 1928 and Howard Wesley Fulton b 1931.Richard and Rhue are both buried in the Christison plot with his parents and other relatives in Section J, Fairlawn Cemetery in Decatur, Ill.
Below is the Wedding photo of my Great Grandparents Richard Christison and Rue McKinley, 1900
