The Fultons of Lisburne American Connections

Rising Sun, Indiana, 1798

Rising Sun, Cecil MD/Chester PA, 1720

Rising Sun Inn, Kilkenny, Ireland, 1644

I first encountered the name Rising Sun in connection with the Fulton family who were very early settlers of Indiana and named the place they settled Rising Sun, Indiana. Their Family History is described in the 1958 Family History entitled, "The Fulton-Hamilton-Covington Family of Rising Sun, Indiana" by John Covington Williams. The Fulton branch story recounts the early history of this branch as recorded in the 1885 "The History of Dearborn and Ohio Counties, Indiana".

"John Fulton was born at Kilkenny, Ireland, but early in life, accompanied by his father and brothers Robert, Hugh, and Andrew he removed to America and settled at Lancaster, Pennsylvania." ...

"Later he moved to Northumberland County, where he was captured by the Indians with his wife and several children carried into captivity. Upon their release, they located in Cumberland County, where they remained until 1794.

Note that the earliest biographies of Steamboat Robert Fulton written in 1817 state that his family came from Kilkenny, Ireland. The Covington book goes on to quote sources that this John Fulton was a blacksmith and that his brother Robert was the Father of Steamboat Robert Fulton. The story fits with tax list records and with the Revolutionary War Pension application of John's son Samuel.

Is this connection to Steamboat Robert Fulton plausable. Maybe not exactly, but certainly the close relationship seems likely by other clues. One is that their is only one place called Lisburn in Pennsylvania that I can find. It is located in Upper Allen Township in Cumberland County. Upper Allen Township was originally back in the 1700's a part of East Pennsboro Township. In the 1762 East Pennsboro Township Tax List is a John Fulton, smith. There are other clues. For example, this John Fulton named a son Francis, a name as can be seen elsewhere in these pages is a rare first name among Scots in general and Fultons in Particular but found in Lisburn. In addition when John Fulton and family moved west toward Indiana they stopped off for while in Washington County, PA., where Steamboat Robert had settled his mother, brother and sisters in 1786.

Back to the name Rising Sun. When I first heard this place name in connection with this Fulton family who claimed close connection with Steamboat Robert and who claimed to come from Killkenny, Ireland, I didn't see a connection. Rising Sun is a nice name, a bit unusual, but not significant that I could see in connection with ancestry. I just thought someone saw a pretty sunrise and picked the name based on that. Rising Sun is not a common place name. Then noticed another place called Rising Run, in northern Cecil County, Maryland. This caught my attention because Rising Sun Maryland is in a section of Cecil County Maryland that until the 1750's was claimed by Nottingham Township, Chester County, PA. and settled largely by people moving down from Nottingham Township. As can be seen in other pages, Nottingham Township had a number of early Fulton families with possible close connections to Steamboat Robert Fulton including an Alexander Fulton who died near Rising Sun, Maryland in 1762. A number of histories indicate that Steamboat Robert Fulton's Grandfather was named Alexander Fulton. This Alexander Fulton of Cecil County, MD., named a son Francis in his will. Starting to build a base of interesting circumstantial evidence of family connections.

The link that closed the connection at least for me was finding a reference to a still existing old inn and tavern founded in 1644 located in County Kilkenny, Ireland about on the N9 Waterford-Kilkenny Road about 8 miles north of the town of Waterford. See the web link below.

http://www.therisingsun.ie/findus.html

So, we have a rather rarely seen place name Rising Sun found in three places all with connections to Fultons and places with connections to Steamboat Robert Fulton. To me, I do not think this can be a coincidence. I think it provides proof that Steamboat Robert Fulton's Family did come from Kilkenny, Ireland and provides confirmation that the Rising Sun Indiana Fultons were from Kilkenny and closely related to Steamboat Robert's family and also provides additional evidence that the Fultons of Nottingham Township, Chester County, PA., and Cecil County, Maryland were very likely likely also closely related to Steamboat Robert Fulton.