Fulbright  Family  Association  NewsLetter  Articles

THE JACOB FULBRIGHT LINE IN MISSOURI
by Bemard Schaper

The following article by Bernard Schaper was presented to the Fulbright Family Association '93 Reunion guests ifi the Saturday afternoon session. For those of you who do not know Bernie, his late wife, Dorothy, was a Fulbright descendant. He accompanied her in her genealogical trips and helped in her research. Bernie is concerned to complete Dorothy's work and to share the work they had done and to preserve it for the entire family. We sorely miss Dorothy, but we are extremely fortunate to have Bernie's help. Again, for those who do not know the background, Jacob was one of the sons of our common ancestor Johann Wilhelm, (John William). DLF

I am here substituting for my wife, Dorothy Fulbright Schaper, who died suddenly last October. Having spent many hours helping her search for Fulbright information, I am somewhat knowledgeable about her line. So, I will attempt to briefly acquaint you with the Fulbrights of Southeast Missouri.

The Jacob Fulbright who came to Southeast Missouri was born in 1778 in North Carolina. He was the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Weisel and the grandson of Johann Wilhelm Volprect and was married to Barbara Plunkett. He migrated to Missouri from Haywood County North Carolina between 1810 and 1815 and settled near a small village, Oak Ridge, which is approximately 20 miles west of Cape Girardeau and the Mississippi River. Jacob died in 1844 and Barbara died in 1858 and both are buried in Fulbright Cemetery near Oak Ridge.

During our research we often asked ourselves why did Johann Wilhelm migrate to Pennsylvania in 1740 and then why to North Carolina? We weren't able to learn the exact reason Johann came to America but in Vol.1. The Historv of North Carolina by Hugh T. Lefler, Ph. D. we found this information: "Perhaps no nation in modern times has been so severely tried as were the German people during the century which began with the outbreak of the Thirty Years War. That war which ended in 1648, was in itself one of the most destructive in history. An appalling proportion of the population was swept away in battle by the wanton cruelty of a brutal soldiery, by privation and disease. There was also widespread demoralization in agriculture, industry and trade. Germany was divided into petty principalities, exploited by petty despots, wasted by dynastic conflicts, and exposed to foreign invasion. Wars with France continued for almost half a century, and no one region suffered more than the upper Rhine Valley known as the Palatinate which was repeatedly invaded by French armies. As a result of these intolerable conditions, thousands of Germans were forced to flee their native land. So large a number of these unfortunate folk migrated to Pennsylvania that by 1775 one-third of its population was German or so called "Pennsylvania Dutch." And, too, because of religious persecution."

Mr. Lefler also gives us a clue as to the reason for the migration from Pennsylvania to North Carolina; "By the middle of the eighteenth century, as a result of the simultaneous growth of the English, Scotch-Irish, and German population, desirable land had become quite scarce in Pennsylvania, and the cost of farm land rose prohibitively."

Our Jacob, the son of Jacob and the grandson of Johann Wilhelm grew to manhood in North Carolina, was married there and several of his children were born there. Now the question arises--why did Jacob bring his family to Southeast Missouri? In order answer this question we need to delve into the history of this region which was part of the Louisiana Territory and claimed by France in 1682. In 1762 France gave up the Territory to Spain and in 1800 Spain gave the Territory back to France. In 1803 France sold ti Louisiana Territory to the United States and in 181 Congress designated Missouri a Territory.

While Spain was in possession they chose French Canadian, Louis Lorimier, to be the commandant of this area in the province of Louisiana between the Missouri and Arkansas Rivers under which authority he established a trading post in 1793. This was the beginning of the city of Cape Girardeau. It may seem odd that a Frenchman would be chosen govern this territory under Spain but it was important that the Shawnee and Delaware Indians in the vicinity be controlled. Lorimier was connected by marriage with the Shawnee, his first wife being a half-blood Shawnee. A local historian, Louis Houck, in his history of Missouri says, "This marital relation gave him great influence with these Indians and those allied with them. He understood their customs, knew their prejudices, was a perfect master of their language and possessed their unbounded confidence."

The Spanish regime wanted the area settled protect their claim so Don Louis encouraged a group of Swiss Germans from North Carolina to migrate here in the year 1800 and granted each family land be homesteaded. The leader of this group was George Fredrick Bollinger who built a mill on Whitewater River which is still there and, along with a covered bridge, is quite a tourist attraction. Houck writes, "He was a man of great energy and enterprise and both before and after the cession of Louisiana one of the leading characters of the Territory. He secured a grant of 640 acres at Burfordsville, for many years known as Bollinger's Mill. These Swiss-Germans all settled up and down the Whitewater River, and thus formed the farthest western settlement of the country at the time."

Among those George Fredrick brought with him were, I believe, four brothers, one of whom was John Bollinger who had married Catherine Fulbright, daughter of Johann Wilhelm Volprecht. Now Jacob was probably having trouble making a living in North Carolina. He had no doubt heard that a section land could be bought near the Whitewater River for $41.00. So he could have contacted aunt Catherine about coming and she probably faxed him a letter that they would help him build a cabin on some good land near Bollinger's Mill. How could he turn down an offer like that.

These early settlers had large families and Cape Girardeau County is heavily populated by their descendants. But, strangely, there are very few Fulbright names, at last count only nine. Our Jacob had 7 children one of whom was John, Dorothy's great grandfather. John was born in 1818 and married Matilda Mayfield, the daughter of a pioneer family. He and Matilda had 14 children 12 of whom reached maturity. He became a wealthy man, at least land-wise, owning 1200 acres of land, enough to leave each of his 12 children 100 acres. He was a lover of racehorses and bred his own horses, racing them on a track near his home. John died in 1888 and Matilda in 1902, both are buried in Fulbright Cemetery.

One day while doing some research I tried to relieve the monotony and said to my dear wife, "You Fulbrights are a kind of strange clan and I think I know why. You know that the German immigrants stubbornly kept their customs and their language but Johann Wilhelm didn't. He anglicized his name when he became a naturalized citizen becoming John William Fulbright. He was different so that is why you are all different." She replied saying, "You are right about the Germans being stubborn and you are a prime example."

Apparently it was the custom in this line for every family member to have a nickname. John's children nearly all had nicknames. Jacob F, was "Jack," Peter Horry was "Pete," Phillip was "Coose," John Jasper was "Cap," Margaret was "Marg," Nancy was "Nance," George Washington no doubt had one but we don't know what it was, Andrew Jackson was "Cot," Mary was "Mollie," Barbara was "Bill" and Evangeline was "Bipps." And Dorothy's father was called "Put" because he had seen a picture of Civil War General Putnam and played like he was the general riding his horse. Dorothy's uncle was named Andrew Quanah coming from the Comanche Chief Quanah Parker but his nickname was "Tiny."

One of John's sons was George Washington who was Dorothy's Grandfather. He was born in 1857 on the family farm a few miles west of Oak Ridge. In 1884 he was married to Louisa Katherine Pair. To them were born nine children, eight of them growing to maturity. George farmed in the Oak Ridge area until the year 1901 when he moved his family to Oklahoma near Cache where they shared the home of his brother, Andrew Jackson (who was called "Cot") along with Cot's wife and five children. Finding this to be a crowded situation, they enlarged a one room log cabin on the property and moved into it. "Cot" Fulbright's ranch was located near the Comanche Indian reservation and the Indians often stopped by and would help themselves to a freshly baked loaf of bread. Quanah Parker was the chief of the Comanches at that time and he and George Washington became friends. The story was told that after the birth of the ninth baby, Quanah begged to have the boy, saying that he would make him a chief and give him a pony. Kate Fulbright told Quanah that the baby had to nurse and Quanah said his wife "Toonicy" would nurse him. To placate the chief, the boy was named Andrew Quanah. After they had been in Oklahoma less than a year, George's health began to fail and the family moved back to Oak Ridge where he died in 1903 and was buried in Fulbright Cemetery.

George Washington and "Kate" Pair had 9 children 8 of whom reached adulthood. The third child was George Donald, Dorothy's father. He was born in 1888 on the family farm west of Oak Ridge, Missouri. After the family left the farm he started working in the timber business and worked for many years as a lumber inspector, earning the respect of all who bought lumber because of his honesty and accuracy in grading lumber.

In 1915 he married Grace Cleveland Nicholas. They had two children, Dorothy and George William. Although lacking a good formal education, he was an intelligent man, being proficient in mathematics. To amuse his children and grandchildren he would compose clever poems and carve figurines with a knife that were well proportioned. He loved to fish, trap rabbits and was very definitely an outdoor man. He died in 1962 and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau County.

Dorothy had two daughters, Nancy who isn't married and Teri who is married and has a boy and a girl. George William has two children, Joyce who is married and has two girls and a boy, and George Edward who has a daughter and a son. The son's name is James Edward and, so far, is the only one in that generation of our family to carry on the Fulbright name.

I understand there will be time to visit after the program and brother George and I will be available to answer questions and exchange information.