Texas Edition
We planned an edition featuring the Fulbright family in Texas People have sent that to us. Several things do have a Texas connection, and Lovell C. Fulbright sent us an interesting piece that has one such connection. We appreciate Lovell's faithfulness to the family association and to getting us regular copy.
INQUIRY INTO AN OLD HAND-SAW
Several years ago, while in Haywood County, N.C., doing some research into our Fulbright family history, I learned of a Col. Ray K. Smathers, Trustee of Smathers Archives, who had some material on the Fulbrights of that area. I contracted Col. Smathers in Silver Spring, Maryland, and further learned he had accumulated quite a bit of material on the John William Fulbright family. As a matter of fact, some members of John William Fulbright's family had intermarried with the Smathers family. As a result of this contact, we exchanged a considerable amount of interesting family history information.
By now you are probably wondering: what does this have to do with an old hand-saw? Consequently, I am reproducing (verbatim) below an item Col. Smathers mailed to me, which is an extract from Smathers, Archives, Haywood County Public library, Waynesville, N.C.:
SMATHERS-FULBRIGHT MARRIAGES
The following quotation was extracted from a letter in Records maintained by Smathers Family Records Trustee:
"With respect to intermarriage between the members of the Fulbright and Smathers families, I have to report that according to my records David Fulbright, a son of John and a grandson of William was married to Amelia Smathers on February 6, 1816, David being nineteen and Amelia being fifteen. The couple lived in what is now Laclede County, Missouri until 1846 when they moved to Texas, settling on Blossom Prairie in what is now Red River County. David Fulbright was the first County Judge of the newly formed Red River County and is the individual the town of Fulbright was named for. "David's sister, Sarah (Sally) Fulbright, was married to George Smathers about 1815/1818. They lived in Missouri for a time but in 1845 this family of Smathers moved to Texas. This information comes to me by way of the history of an old hand-saw my father gave to me a good many years ago, as follows: 'This old hand-saw was brought from Haywood County, North Caroline to Louisiana Territory by George Smathers, a brother-in-law of William, David, Daniel, Martin, and John Fulbright, brothers to Sarah (Sally) Fulbright Smathers, about 1818. The saw remained there in possession of George Smathers, about 1818. The saw remained there in possession of George Smathers, until about 1830, at which time Smathers moved to what is now Laclede County, Missouri. About 1845, when Smathers was preparing to move to Texas, the saw changed hands to my father Levi Coalter Fulbright until his death in 1897, at which time I became heir to the saw.' The quotation is in my father's handwriting, written several years before his death in year 1939. (J.W. Fulbright, 1952)."
At first reading of above, you may find it a bit confusing as to who is saying what to whom. After further study, you will find that the entire double quoted part of the item is by J.W. Fulbright, dated 1952. The single quoted part beginning with: "This old hand-saw..." ending with "I became heir to the saw", is by J.W. Fulbright's father, Ephriam Ruthvan Fulbright (died 1939), son of Levi Coalter Fulbright (died 1897). This information does not state what became became of the saw after Ephriam Ruthvan became heir to it. It evidently wasn't passed on to son John William Fulbright, or he would have mentioned it.
Incidentally, J.W. Fulbright, who wrote the above letter, is the late J.W. Fulbright, researcher and author of the Manuscript: "The Fulbrights" (1930). The results of his research, including the manuscript, was passed on to his sister Mary Hope (Crow) Fulbright, who later turned said manuscript over to Ed Stout, FFA Historian. Stout then put the manuscript into print and included it in his book: "Fulbright Family Miscellany" (1985).
The writer of this piece, Lovell C. Fulbright, is intrigued by the scant information concerning the old hand-saw. For instance, I wonder about the statement: "This information comes to be BY WAY of an old hand-saw my father gave to me a good many years ago...". Was the information inscribed on the blade of the saw or was it a written paper (or valid statement) that accompanied the saw? Then of course, the main questions are: Does the saw still exist? Was it passed on? Was it lost during migration? Was it destroyed by home fires, as is the case of many family records?
If anyone, any where (especially the descendants of Ephriam Ruthvan Fulbright) can shed any light on the "old hand-saw", I would greatly appreciate your contracting me about it.
Sincerely and Hopefully, Lovell C. Fulbright
A Note About Lovell
For those of you who do not know Lovell, he reports a wonderful sight seeing trip, an eleven day cruise/tour of Alaska. It fulfilled a long standing dream of his. He retired on May 2, 1995 from 20th Century Christian, Inc., after a career of almost 65 years in printing and publishing. We are fortunate to have him as one of our members. Have a good New Year, Lovell.