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One of the earliest of my of my Fulton ancestors in the
United States is James Fulton (1119), who lived in Sandy
Lake, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. His daughter Sarah Fulton
(213) (my 3rd
great grandmother) married James
Montgomery (212)
(my 3rd great grandfather). James Fulton made the following will
in June 1810:
In the name of God Amen, I
James Fulton of the Township of Sandy Lake, Mercer County and
State of Pennsylvania, being very sick and weak of body but of
sound memory and understanding (blessed be god (sic) for
the same) but considering the uncertainty of this transitory
life do make and publish this my last will and testament in Manner
and form following to wit: Principally first of all I commend
my immortal soul into the hands of God who gave it and my body
to the earth to be buried in a decent and Christian like manner
at the discretion of my Executors herein after named and as to
such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me
with in this life, I give and dispose of the same in the following
manner (that is to say) first after all my just debts are discharged,
I give and devise unto my beloved wife Isabella Fulton the one
half of all my Estate both real and personal of what kind or
nature soever (sic)the same may be whether in the County
of Mercer aforesaid or elsewhear (sic) during her natural
life and from and immediately after her decease I give and divise
(sic) the same unto my son John Fulton. Also I give and
devise unto my sons Robert and James Fulton one dollar each.
And unto my daughters Sarah Montgomery and Margaret Patterson
each one dollar to be paid one year after my decease. And as
touching all the rest residue and remainder of my estate both
real and personal I give and devise unto my son John. And at
his decease if dying without issue, I give and bequeath the same
unto my sons Robert and James and to my daughters Sarah and Margaret
to be equally divided among them or the survivor or survivors
of them. And lastly I nominate constitute and appoint my trusty
friends Jonathan Smith Esq. and Allen Dunn Esq. to be the Executors
of this my last will hereby revoking all other wills legacies
and bequests by me heretofore made. And declaring this and no
other to be my last will and testament. In Witness Whereof I
have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of June one
thousand eight hundred and ten----
James Fulton (LS)
Signed sealed and published
pronounced and declared by the said Testator as his last will
and testament in the presence of us who in his presence and at
his request have subscribed as Witnesses
James Kilgore
Timothy Linn
Mercer Co. fs
Before me Bevan Pearson Esq.
Register for the probate of Wills in and for the County of Mercer
Personally came James Kilgore and Timothy Linn the subscribing
witnesses to the within will and being duly sworn according to
law doth depose and say that they were present and saw James
Fulton the testator within named sign seal and deliver the within
will as and for his last will and testament. That they heard
him publish pronounce and declare it as such and that he was
of sound mind and memory at the time of so doing to the best
of their knowledge. Witness my hand and seal the 23rd day of
January A.D. 1811.
Transcribed by Ronald J.
Bloch Sr. on March 3, 2001 from a copy of the will in the Mercer
County Register of Wills Office, 138 S. Diamond Street, Mercer,
PA 16137-1284
A second early Fulton ancestor
is Thomas
Fulton (214),
who settled in Fairfield Township, Crawford County, PA, not far
from James Fulton. I do not know if they are related or how they
are if so.. Thomas is said to have been an agent of the Holland
Land Company, a company which did not really exist, being only
a loose group of European investors determined to buy up one
million acres of land in the United States for resale at a time
when foreigners were forbidden to own land in the U.S. Thomas
settled in Fairfield Township near Archibald Hill (210) (another 3rd great grandfather),
and probably arrived before 1800, since his daughter, Mary Buchanan Fulton (215) (another of my 3rd great great grandmothers),
married Archibald Hill on 30 Apr 1800 in Fairfield Township.
Following is a page, all that remains, of an account explaining
why the Thomas Fulton family came to the U.S.:
Page 1
Thomas Fulton married Sarah
Bucannon in Ireland to whom was born Isabell Powell, Mary Hill,
Sally Nelson, John Fulton, Miss Anna Fulton, all in Ireland.
Jane Bucannon Cochran was born in America.
Why did they leave Ireland
and come here? One evening, Thomas Fulton was walking in his
own field. Two men pointed pistols and said "Your money
or your life." (F is for Fulton, R is for robbers)
F. I ha but a few guineas in my pocket Sirs but you are welcome
to them only spare my life.
R. Sir, we do not want your money or your life but we want to
sleep this night in your house. We are highway robbers.
F. Sirs, I dare not let you enter my house. The law will hold
me the same as you for letting you in my door.
R. Sir, we will not enter by your door. Do as we tell you and
the law cannot hurt you. Go home and look cheerful. Take your
wife out to look at some thing (they told him not ...) and tell
her we are coming. Look cheerful all the time before your servants.
Dismiss all servants for the night (that was not uncommon to
do)
--page 1 ends here, and
there are no more pages--
It seems from this account
that Thomas was a man of some means, and that he possibly did
run afoul of the law or was afraid of being dscovered and so
thought it best to go to America. Whatever the reason, he became
the ancestor of many descendants here.
I thank Ron Bloch for providing
a transcript of the Fulton diary, as well as the will, above.
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