THE ANDREAS LINE

 

The Family of John Fulbright (6 July 1782-January 1824) and 

Barbara (Baker) Fulbright (1782-26 December 1879)

by Bill Eddleman

 

             [Editor’s Note:  We have not had a contribution on the Andreas line in some time. I had this summary of the family of John Fulbright, son of William and presumed grandson of Andreas/Andrew Fulbright, from a booklet I prepared for the Cape Girardeau reunion some years ago. Perhaps this will stimulate some other descendant of the Andreas line to contribute more on some of the other branches of the family.]

 

John Fulbright was born on July 6, 1782, in Lincoln (now Catawba) Co., North Carolina.  His parents, as documented by his father's and mother's estate papers, were William Fulbright and Barbary ? (R. and L. Gephart. 1995.  "Fulbright Ancestors and Kinfolks"  Privately Printed, Derby, Kan.).  Circumstantial evidence suggests his paternal grandfather was Andreas/Andrew Fulbright.  Research by Betty La Neil Gephart and her husband Roger uncovered a land warrant in the North Carolina State Archives for William Fulbright in present-day Catawba Co., North Carolina.  However, this land, 640 acres on the north side of Lyle's Creek, was originally entered by Andrew Fulbright and dated March 10, 1778.  In October, 1778, the registered name was changed to William Fulbright (the name Andrew is crossed out on the warrant and William is written above).  The land grant was issued on March 15, 1780.  This suggests that William was Andrew's heir, possibly his son.  A son who is the correct age also appears in William's household on the 1800 census:

 

Page 875, Lincoln Co., NC, 1800 Federal Census:

William Fulbright    1 male under age 10, 2 males age 10-16, 1 male age 16-26 (John would have been 18),   1 male age 45 and up, 3 females under age 10, 2 females age 10-16, 1 female age 45 and up

 

John is documented as a son of William and Barbary because his heirs are named as heirs of William in the final land disposition of the land mentioned above (Gephart and Gephart 1995, Marilynn Freeman research).  William Fulbright died between July 16, 1803, when he paid his own 1802 public tax, and October 27, 1803, when Andrew Fulbright, executor of William Fulbright, paid his 1803 public tax.  The same file has a document that lists:

 

Heirs of John Fulbright, decd.

State of Missouri Cape Girardeau County

           Betzy             Philip

           Sally              John

           Susanna          William

           Magdalena

 

(These documents are in the North Carolina Estate file of William Fulbright at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh.)  However, the land was not settled until by sale of the land until 1830-31 (Lincoln Co. Deed Book 34, pages 120, 121, 139, 161, 182, 210, 213, 230, and 249).  Court records connected with this sale identify the same heirs as above:

 

"Your petitioners represent that John Fulbright removed to the state of Missouri and has died since the death of his father William Fulbright, leaving Betsy, Sally, Susannah, Magdalene, Philip, John, and William, children who are heirs at law and entitled to 1 share in right of their father and the 1/8 of Catherine's [sister who had died 4 or 5 years after her father] part..." (Writ of petition to January Session 1831, Lincoln Co., NC Court, Estate Settlement.)

 

John's mother Barbary moved to Arkansas with sons Jacob and William and daughter Elizabeth, who married Samuel Moser (Gephart and Gephart 1995).  She was listed as her son William's only heir  when he died in 1836.  In 1841, Barbary was declared insane by the court in Independence Co, Arkansas, and her son-in-law Samuel Moser was appointed her guardian.  She died in 1843, and I understand the children of John are also mentioned in her estate settlement.

 

John and Barbara were married in about 1805, probably in Lincoln Co., North Carolina.  She was the daughter of Philip Baker (b. February 10, 1764 in York Co, Pa.-d. January 8, 1850 in Catawba Co, N. Car.) and his first wife Maria Magdalena Whittenburg (b. 1770 or before-d. before 1820 census, Lincoln Co., N. Car.).  Philip Baker was the son of Jacob Baker (b. ca. 1740-d. between February 18 and April 1786 in Lincoln Co., N. Car.), as documented by the will of Jacob Baker, and Susannah ?.  Maria Magdalena Whittenburg was the daughter of William Whittenburg (b. before 1745-d. between April 28, 1800 (will date) and April 10, 1801 (probate date) in Lincoln Co., N. Car.) and Maria Barbara Jones (b. 1750 or before-d. between October 20 and December 28, 1821 in Cape Girardeau Co, Mo.).  Maria Barbara Whittenburg has a will (Book A:148-9) and probate file (Box 76, Bundle 1420) in Cape Girardeau Co. (L. S. Eaker. 1994.  German Speaking People West of the Catawba River in North Carolina 1750-1800.  SCK Publ., Church Hill, Tenn.)  The family appears on the 1810 census:

 

 

p. 449, Lincoln Co., NC 1810 Federal Census:

John Fullbright        1 male age 26-45 [John would have been 28], 2 females under age 10, 1 female age 16-26

 

John and Barbara (Baker) Fulbright came to Missouri between September 5, 1822, when son John was born in North Carolina, and January 7, 1824, when John had died and letters of administration were issued on his estate.  John was buried at the Concord (also called Wilson after a past landowner) Cemetery, the cemetery of the Apple Creek Baptist Church, near Oak Ridge, Missouri.  They apparently lived near the northern boundary of Cape Girardeau Co. on Apple Creek, on the Perry Co. side of the creek, where they appear in 1830:

 

Page 408, Perry Co., Mo. 1830 Federal Census:

Barbara Fulbright    1 male age 0-5, 1 male age 5-10, 1 male age 10-15, 1 male age 15-20, 1 female age 5-10, 1 female age 10-15, 1 female age 15-20, 1 female age 40-50

 

The family also purchased government land in this area:

Name                                     Certificate #     Doc.#      Date          Location                                                               #acres

 

John & William Fullbright    MO0590.244    1332   15 Oct 1833   E 1/2, Lot No. 6, NE 1/4, Sec 6, Twp 33 N, Rng 12 E,   40

 

John & William Fullbright    MO3470.053    5511   1 Aug 1838   W 1/2, Lot No. 6, NW 1/4, Sec 5, Twp 33 N, Rng 12 E, 40

 

Barbary Fulbright                 MO3480.457    6228   25 Jun 1841   W 1/2, Lot No. 6, NE 1/4, Sec 6, Twp 33 N, Rng 12 E,  40

 

John  & William Fullbright   MO3500.498    7356   10 Aug 1841  Lot No. 7, NE 1/4, Sec 6, Twp 33 N, Rng 12 E,             95.28

 

All of the children married, except for sons John and William, who lived with their mother, although they do not appear or appear in the wrong age class in the 1840 census:

 

Page 21, Perry Co., Mo. 1840 Federal Census:

Fulbright, Barbara   2 males age 10-15, 1 female age 20-30, 1 female age 50-60

 

By 1850, some of daughter Elizabeth Welker's children were in the household:

 

Brazeau Township, 30 September 1850, Perry Co., Mo., 1850 Federal Census:

#626    Fulbright,      Barbara                    58  F   NC

                                 John                          30  M  NC

                                 William                     26  M  MO

           Welker,          Eliza                         13  F   MO

                                 William F.                 11  M  MO

 

William died between March 25, 1852, when he conveyed his share in the lands above to John, and 1860, when he is absent from the federal census. John lived on with his mother until her death at the age of 97 in 1879.  This age is based on her tombstone, but she gave various ages in census documents in and her will. She was probably at least in her upper 80s at the time of her death.  Census records include:

 

1860 Perry Co., Mo. Federal Census:

#1296  Fulbright,      John              37  M  NC                 Farmer

                                 Barbary          67  F   NC                 None

           Groman,         Jacob             40  M  Nassau            Farmer

                                 Dorothy          35  F   Nassau

                                 Louisa            12  F   Nassau

                                 Eliza              10  F   Nassau

                                 Christine         8  F    Nassau

                                 Wilhelmina       4  F   MO

                                 George           1  M  MO

 

1870 Perry Co., Mo. Federal Census, Cinque Hommes Township:

#189    Fullbright,     Barbara         80  F    NC

                                 John               46  M   NC

 

1876 Perry Co., Mo. State Census, Union Township:

           Fulbright,      John              50  M

                                 Barbara          90  F

 

They do not appear on 1880 Census.

 

Barbara left a will that named her surviving children.  John lived alone for the remainder of his life, and both he and his mother were buried by the side of his father in the Concord Cemetery.  There is a will and extensive estate settlement for John Jr. in Perry Co., Mo. that names his brother Philip, and sisters Mary Jaco, Elizabeth Welker, and Sarah Statler.  This is somewhat curious, because his brother Philip and sister Elizabeth were dead by the time he wrote this will.  Perhaps he meant to say "heirs of" before each of their names.  In any event, the estate papers do have references to the surviving children of Philip.

 

In the past, there has been much speculation and legend that John Fulbright was somehow part of the family of Jacob Fulbright, Jr.  Various family historians have speculated that John was Jacob's brother, or that some of John's children were children of Jacob Fulbright, Jr.  However, the estate settlement file of John Fulbright (Cape Girardeau Co. Estates, Box 48, Bundle 940) explicitly settles the names of John and Barbary's children.  I have transcribed this estate settlement on the following pages to make it available to descendants.  These children, as stated above, were Elizabeth or Betsy (m. Jacob Welker/Walker), Sarah/Sally (m. Peter Statler Jr.), Susannah (m. Joel Rhyne), Philip W. (m. Mary Jane Durning), Maria Magdalene (m. James Jaco), John (d. single), and William (d. single).  At the time of John's death, Jacob Welker was named the guardian of John Sr.’s minor children.  Elizabeth was the only child who had married by this time, so the children were placed under the care of their brother-in-law.  Barbara was named as widow and signed several documents in the file with her mark.  Her uncle William Whittenburgh was  named administrator of the estate.  How were John Fulbright and Jacob Fulbright, Jr. related?  The closest possible relationship would be second cousins, if Andreas Volbrecht was the father of William, and if he and Johann Wilhelm Volbrecht were brothers.   Andreas has also been postulated to be a nephew of Johann Wilhelm.

 

This couple has many, many descendants through their son Philip, and daughters Sarah Statler and Mary Jaco.  Indeed, most of the Fulbrights remaining in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties in 1999 descend from this couple.  Little is known of the family of Elizabeth Welker, because most of the surviving children went West, and I do not have any information at hand on the descendants of Mary Jaco.  I hope that my compilation of this information helps to dispel the confusion that has clouded the history of this family.