Richard S. Fulton's Web Site

William Fulton

Born January 1, 1833, Died November 21, 1909

William and Elizabeth Jenkinson Fulton lived almost their entire adult lives in Waukegan, Ill. They raised a family of nine children, six boys and three girls, all of whom survived, married and had children of their own.   When Elizabeth died in 1923 she left 34 (they had 38 total grandchildren) grandchildren. The many known descendents living today are found across American from Puerto Rico to Hawaii. There is not a great deal of detail information on the background of William Fulton before he arrived in Waukegan as a young man sometime in the early to mid 1850’s and some of the information that does exist seems contradictory.   I will attempt to present as clearly as I am able what is true and likely to be true about my Great-Great Grandfather William Fulton.

William Fulton was born in or near Belfast, Northern Ireland on January 1, 1833. I have two obituaries of him, one from the Waukegan Daily Sun, page 1, November 22, 1909 and the other from the Spencer Iowa Herald, Nov. 24, 1909.   I also have a copy of his Iowa death certificate. All agree he was born on January 1, 1833.   The death certificate and the Waukegan Daily Sun obituary indicate he was born at Belfast Northern Ireland and the Spencer Iowa obituary indicates he was born near Belfast. William himself indicated in the 1870, 1880, and 1900 census that he was born in Ireland. Family stories passed down from a granddaughter, Dorothy Fulton daughter of Robert Croskey Fulton, who did early Family research says that the Fulton's came originally from Ayr in Scotland and the Family of William Fulton's Mother Margaret McWilliam came from Bute in Scotland. Ayr and Bute are names of both ounties and parishes within those counties. She obtained the information second hand, probably from either her Father or widowed Grandmother as William Fulton died before she was born. However, the information makes sense. Ayr or Ayrshire is where most Fulton's are found in early Church parish registers in Scotland and there are a fairly large number of McWilliam Families in the early registers of Bute County, Scotland.

The picture below is from a small old tin type in the possession of Susie Jenkinson Hatfield of Salina, Kansas. It is the earliest photo I have of William Fulton and was probably taken in the 1860's, although it is possible it is older, perhaps taken around the time of William's marriage to Elizabeth Jenkinson on July 4, 1857.

The Fulton name.
Fulton is a Scottish name. The family origins appear to be centered in the lowland Scottish region near the English border.   Fulton is a fairly common name today in the Southern and Southwestern parts of Scotland and in Northern Ireland. It is a place name. The last three letters “ton” have the same root as “town” and basically mean “a place”.   The first three letters “Ful” come from the root for foul or bird.   So the name basically means a place of the birds. A place called Fulton existed in the 12-13th centuries in the Scottish County of Roxfordshire on the English border about half was between the North and Irish Seas.   Until the 12th and 13th centuries, most people did not have a last name. As populations grew, people began taking a surname to help more clearly identify themselves.   Most surnames are from one of three main groups, Occupations, after a Father, or a Place.   For example a John son of John, might take the surname Johnson.   Or John the baker, might become John Baker. Another John in response to being asked which John are you, might say, I am John of Fulton, or John Fulton. So it appears that sometime 800 years ago or so, one or more men left the village of Fulton in Scotland, probably moving to the west and took the surname Fulton after the place they were from.

The Scots-Irish.
The term Scots-Irish does not refer to people with mixed ethnic backgrounds, combining Scottish and Irish.   It refers to a group of Scottish immigrants who migrated across the Irish Sea mostly to Northern Ireland and retained their ethnic identity as Scots and Protestants as separate from the “native” mostly Catholic Irish.   Fulton is a typical Scots-Irish name.   Up through the 1500’s the English Kings fought a number of wars to establish their control over Ireland.   By the late 1500’s England and Scotland had become mostly Protestant while Ireland remained mostly Catholic. A major rebellion of the Catholic Irish in Northern Ireland about 1600 led to a crushing and brutal defeat of the Irish by the English. The area, never heavily populated, was devastated. The new Protestant English King James I, granted several Scottish Lords large estates in Northern Ireland on the condition that they settle Protestant families on the lands. This lead to a large migration of Scots, mostly from SW Scotland to Northern Ireland. The name Fulton first shows up in Northern Ireland around Belfast about 1611. In 1690 a major battle was fought between the armies of the new Protestant English King, William of Orange and the deposed Catholic English King James II. William of Orange won and even today, the Protestants of Northern Ireland refer to themselves as Orangemen. Most of the Fulton’s in America today are from branches that migrated from Northern Ireland starting in the early 1700’s, although some Fulton’s did come directly from Scotland. Fulton is a fairly common surname today in SW Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Parents and early life of William Fulton.
William Fulton was the son of James Fulton and Margaret McWilliams.   This is the information provided by William’s son Joseph on William’s 1909 Iowa death certificate.   This document indicates that James and Margaret were also both born in Ireland.   In the 1880 and 1900 census, William indicates his parents were both born in Ireland.   I have second and third hand information referencing research done some years ago by other relatives that agree on who William’s parents were, but indicate James and Margaret Fulton were born in Scotland.   These sources indicate James Fulton was from the small island of Bute off the coast of SW Scotland and that Margaret was from Ayrshire in SW Scotland and that they moved to Northern Ireland before William was born. These sources also indicate William was the only son of James and Margaret. I have not been able as yet to obtain more detail on this research by other relatives.

We are not sure when William came America.   In the 1900 census, he indicates he had been in America 65 years, which if accurately recorded would indicate he came to America as a very young child at the age of 2. I have yet to find any references that match our William or his parents coming to America near that time. There is a record that could be our William Fulton showing he came to America in 1849.   The peak of the immigration to America from Ireland during the great potato famine was 1845-1850, so it certainly it plausible William would have come during that period. Three of the passengers on the Schooner Trial arriving in Boston from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on May 2, 1849 were:
            William Fulton, age 16, occupation: Carpenter
            Mary Fulton, age 22
            Sarah A. Fulton, age 20
This would fit the age of our William Fulton and he was a Carpenter. It would not be unusual for teenage or adult children to come to America separately from their parents either alone or in small groups. Passage cost money and in those difficult times, families often sent grown children ahead so they could work and send money home to help pay the passage of other family members. The shortest distance and likely cheapest fare to America was to Boston and as will be seen in the brief summary of our Jenkinson line, it was not unusual to arrive in Boston and then go to NY, which is what our Jenkinson’s did.

In addition, I found what I believe to be William’s mother in the 1860 and 1870 San Francisco, CA. census. In the 1860 San Francisco, CA. census for district 10, page 71 is found the following family:
            Irvin Howard, age 35, b: England
            Sarah Howard, age 33, b: Ireland
            Margaret A. Howard, age 2, b: California
            Jane Eliza Howard, age 11/12, b: California
            Margaret Fulton, age 68, b: Ireland
Then in the 1870 San Francisco, CA. census for the 1st precinct, 12th ward, p. 60:
            Robert Croskey, age 43, b: Ireland
            Jane Croskey, age 30, b: Ireland
            Robert V. Croskey, age 18, b: NY
            Irvin Howard, age 44, b: England
            Sarah Howard, age 40 b: Ireland and several children
            Margaret Fulton, age 78, b: Ireland
I believe this Margaret Fulton is likely the Mother of William Fulton.   She is likely the Mother of Sarah Howard, who fits being the Sarah Fulton who came with William Fulton on the Schooner Trial in 1849.   The key evidence I think is the name of the neighbor Robert Croskey. William Fulton named a son Robert Croskey Fulton. Croskey is not a common name. I doubt this could be a coincidence.

William Fulton in Illinois.
William Fulton is in Illinois by 1857 when he met and married Elizabeth Jenkinson. One of his obituaries indicates he came to Waukegan in 1856. The family story is that Elizabeth’s Father John Jenkinson met William Fulton on a job and thought he was a nice young man and invited him home for dinner to meet his daughter, Elizabeth.   We know that William and Elizabeth were married on July 4, 1857, but we are not sure where in Illinois. The logical place would be The Christ Episcopal Church in Waukegan where William and Elizabeth’s first child, Matilda Jane is baptized on June 5, 1959, being born on January 14, 1859.   William and Elizabeth were active members of this church for almost 50 years. However, there is no marriage record for William and Elizabeth at Christ Church in Waukegan. I suspect strongly that William was a Presbyterian and that he and Elizabeth were married in a Presbyterian or perhaps Congregational Church, probably in Chicago. I base this on the following. First, Elizabeth Jenkinson's confirmation record exists in Christ Episcopal Church of Waukegan records dated June 27, 1856. The on April 12, 1857, Eliza Jenkinson was removed as a Communicant of the Christ Episcopal Church of Waukegan by "admission". This indicates she left the church prior to the date of her marriage to William on July 4, 1857. Their marriage is not recorded either at Christ Church or the County Civil Marriage records which do exist for that period. William, Elizabeth and their young daugther Matilda are living in Chicago in the 1860 census. Therefore I suspect they married in Chicago somewhere and not in an Episcopal Church, which is why she is listed as removed by admission in April 1857. All the children starting with Matilda Jane on June 5, 1859 are baptized at Christ Episcopal Church in Waukegan and the whole family including William are listed as confirmed communicants in the 1860's. So Eliza came back to the Church soon after her marriage with William. I suspect they were married in Chicago and the records were likely destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871.

In the 1860 census, William and Elizabeth are living in Chicago’s 4th ward. William Fulton is listed as 28 years old, a Carpenter, and born in NY. Eliza is 20 years old also listed as born in NY, and Matilda is age 1 also listed as born in NY.   This is obviously our William although the birth place is incorrect and he was likely there on a job.

William and Elizabeth had nine children, all of whom were baptized at the Christ Episcopal Church in Waukegan.   Their nine children were:
            Matilda Jane “Tillie” Fulton, born January 14, 1859
            Joseph Henry Fulton, born March 7, 1861
            William Thomas Fulton, born April 2, 1863
            Nellie Elizabeth Fulton, born August 31, 1865
            James Albert Fulton, born April 23, 1868
            John Robert Fulton, born April 30, 1871
            Robert Croskey Fulton, born October 23, 1873
            Ada Margaret Fulton, born June 11, 1876
            Frank H. Fulton, born June 20, 1880

William Fulton and family are described briefly in a 1945 Waukegan Newspaper article reflecting on the life of his son John Robert Fulton as follows:
            “William Fulton was a carpenter, contractor, and cabinet maker. He readily recognized in the primitive little village of Little Fort (the name of Waukegan until the mid 1850’s) a satisfactory field in which to ply his trade, and being a master craftsman, he prospered. The Fulton home like those of many of our pioneer homes was ruled by the laws of God and nature and soon became the earthly haven of a rollicking brood of nine children, the sixth in order of birth being a boy who was destined to take a prominent place in the city’s social and commercial development – John R. Fulton.”

William is listed in the Waukegan Military census of 1862, although as a Father with two small children, he was never called to service in the Civil War.   William bought lot 10 of the Sunderlin Subdivision from William Sunderlin on April 4, 1861. He built the home at 1010 Belvidere Street and the family lived there for over 40 years until William and Elizabeth sold the property to their son John Robert Fulton on July 26, 1908. It appears William bought some land around the house as there are deeds periodically selling pieces of property.   Waukegan was a small village of less than 3,500 people when William arrived prior to 1860. Today Waukegan has a population of almost 90,000.

The house at 1010 Belvidere is no longer there and the address is now a vacant lot. The property is a short buggy ride or long walk SW of downtown Waukegan.

In the 1870 Waukegan census William’s occupation is listed as joiner. A joiner is a carpenter who finishes interior woodwork such as doors, molding, stairs, etc. In the oldest existing Waukegan City Directory of 1874, William Fulton is listed as a Sash and Blind Manufacturer over the J.K. Bower & Co planing mill. His residence is listed as n.s. Belvidere 2 e Jackson. In the 1880 Waukegan Census William is listed as a carpenter. In the 1889 Waukegan City Directory, William is listed as a carpenter, W.H.Dow, residence 2d e Jackson n.s. Belvidere Street.   William’s Waukegan Sun obituary says he “owned and operated what is now the Dow planing mill.”   Starting in the late 1890’s William is listed in City Directories as a retired carpenter. Sometime around 1903, William and Elizabeth moved to live with their son James Albert on his farm about 6 miles south of the town of Spencer in Clay County, Iowa. James’ wife died about 1903 leaving him a widower with three small children. It seems logical that William and Elizabeth moved to Iowa as much to help James with his household and with his children as to retire.

On July 7, 1907, William and Elizabeth celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in Waukegan. All nine of their children were present. The celebration was noted in an article in the Waukegan Sun.   See copy of the article attached. The gathering of over 75 people represented a family reunion of the Waukegan Fulton and Jenkinson Families.   Photos were taken. Click Here to see a copy of the group photo which includes 70 people and one dog. Included is the legend which identifies all in the photo except one adult and three of the children. The dog’s name is Trexie.   Also included in the material is a copy of a five generations photo and legend taken at this event and published in the Waukegan Sun.

In politics, it appears from a copy of a 1937 letter written by William’s son Joseph Henry Fulton to his cousin Walter Jenkinson, that William was a Republican.

William Fulton died on November 21, 1909 of chronic heart disease in Clay County Iowa. His Waukegan Sun obituary states, “The late Mr. Fulton was in splendid health until about ten years ago when his heart became chronically affected.”    His funeral service was held at St. Stephen’s Church in Spencer, Iowa, Dr. W. D. Morrow officiating. All nine of his children attended, Also attending were Mr. and Mrs. Wm Wright of Waukegan and Mr. and Mrs. Homer Stevens of Excelsior, MN. (Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Stevens are sisters of Elizabeth Jenkinson Fulton. Frank Langham, widowed husband of another sister of Elizabeth Fulton. And Ada and Josephine Fulton of Kansas City, children of Joseph Fulton, son of William).   William Fulton is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Iowa.

Although I don’t have details of their daily lives, it certainly appears that William and Elizabeth Jenkinson Fulton lived the American Dream. They were born in Ireland, where even in good times there was great poverty and hardship. During the great potato famine of the late 1840’s perhaps 2 million people or a quarter of the population died of starvation or disease. William and Elizabeth made their way to America, married, prospered, and raised nine children. William died at age 76 and lived to see all of his children grown to adulthood. At his death he had 27 living grandchildren. By the time Elizabeth passed away in 1923 there would be a total of 34 living grandchildren.

Below is a photo of the headstone of William and Elizabeth Jenkinson Fulton

Taken in Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Iowa, November 2006

Richard S. Fulton's Web Site

Family History

The Fulton - Jenkinson Family of Waukegan, Illinois

William Fulton

Born January 1, 1833, Died November 21, 1909

Below is a photo of the headstone of William and Elizabeth Jenkinson Fulton

Taken in Riverside Cemetery, Spencer, Iowa, November 2006