I hope this is helpful information to some of you. My Mom and I discussed the fact that most of you are so versed in our Fulbright ancestry that this may seem trivial, but for us 'out west' we do not have as much history as there is in the midwest and southeast regions.

The name "Stout" originated in England (some say Germany) during the time knighthood was in flower. It was applied to a strong man who, because of his strength and endurance, became known as "Knight Stout". The shield of Knight Stout consisted of five leopard heads in black, forming a cross, and the Latin words "Concilio que manu" in silver. He carried this shield through the Crusades in 1096 AD.

Many years later, some Stouts moved to Holland (or Germany) and the name they used became "Staudt". The earliest recorded date of birth I have been able to find is that of John Stout in 1583 who was born in Holland and lived in Nottinghamshire, England. He married Elizabeth Bee and they were the parents of Richard Stout, who was the first Stout to come to America, and was among the first white settlers in New Jersey.

The Stouts of America originated with Richard Stout, the son of John Stout of Nottinghamshire, England who married Penelope Van Princin, a native of Holland. Penelope was the only survivor (or some say one of the few survivors) of a shipwrecked vessel that sailed from the Old World to the New World. She was found, almost dead, on the shores of Long Island by some merciful Indians and nursed back to health; the wounds on her body stitched by withes of a tree using a fishbone for a needle. A reward offered for any survivors brought in alive probably helped save Penelope's life. Her first husband was among the lost passengers in this shipwreck, which occurred of the coast of Sandy Hook, in 1640.

Penelope met and married Richard Stout (1615-1705) in New Amsterdam in 1644 and they moved to Gravesend, Long Island. After the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the English in 1644, Richard, along with some other gentlemen, received a land grant in East New Jersey from the Duke of York and there founded the village of Middletown. Richard became a member of the New Jersey Legislature (Assembly) in 1671.

Richard and Penelope Stout had ten (10) children: John (1645), Richard (1646), James (1648), Mary (1650), Alice (1652), Peter (1654), Sarah (1656), Jonathon (1660), David (1667), and Benjamin (1669).

Our ancestry evolves through Peter Stout (1654-1703) who married Mary Bullen. They had a son John (1675), and he and his wife Sarah were the parents of Peter 'The Quaker' , who married Margaret Cyfert (1716-1799), and moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to North Carolina in 1762. Peter and Margaret had seven children: Samuel (1740), Charles (1742), Margaret (1744), Joseph (1749), Peter (1754), Elizabeth (1757), and Rachel (1761).

Samuel (1740) married Rachel Chancy and reared ten (10) children. The fourth child, Samuel Stout (1771), married Lea Sidwell. Samuel and Lea were parents of eleven children. The family moved to Indiana in 1836. Samuel died in Stout' s Grove, Tazewell County, Illinois. Their youngest child was Ephraim Stout.Ephraim Stout brought his family, which consisted of his wife Sarah (Wells) Stout and four or five children, from North Carolina to Orange County, Indiana in 1846. It is probable that the following children: Juran, Irvin, Caroline, Delphine, and Huston (Mar. 10 1836-1912), were born to them in North Carolina. Two more boys were born in Indiana, Maben and Murphy McCoy Stout. Ephraim remarried to Hannah Hollowell with the marriage license issued on February 2, 1846. After her death he remarried to Sarah Hill on Dec. 9, 1852 and they had two fine sons, Alfred and Levi Stout. Old Ephraim Stout was buried in the Lick Creek Quaker Cemetery near Paoli, Indiana.

Now, some of you are saying, "What's this got to do with the Fulbright family?" Please be patient and read on -- and on -- and on --.

Levi Stout was born in Paoli, Orange County, Indiana on April 9, 1856. When he was 22 years old, he traveled in a covered wagon to Penalosa, Kansas where he lived until 1910. He married Miss Jane Wible on April 8, 1880. She was born on December 26, 1860 and died June 28, 1922. They had six children: Alletha Alto Stout (Feb. 25, 1882-died in infancy); Ephraim Adam Stout (October 12, 1883-1954); Elbert Levi Stout (Nov. 12, 1887-1948); Minnie Leona Stout (May 26, 1890-Nov. 21, 1964); William Russell Stout (August 12, 1895-1958); and Elmer Dewey Stout (April 6, 1899-Dec. 31, 1985).

In 1910, Levi brought his family to Fergus County, Montana. He operated a ranch northwest of the village of Coffee Creek until 1921 when he retired and moved into the town, and he passed away on March 3, 1935.

Minnie Leona Stout was born in Penalosa, Kingman County, Kansas, an only daughter. She married Wilson Levi Fulbright, who was born in Barton County, Missouri (November 27, 1879-May 30, 1944) in Stanford, Montana on April 26, 1911. Levi's parents were William Leander Fulbright and Virginia Frances (Harbour) Fulbright. His grandparents were Wilson and Louisa (Hooker) Fulbright of the Springfield family of "Uncle Billy" and "Aunt Rutha" . Minnie died in Payette, Idaho on November 21, 1964. Levi and Minnie had five children:

(1) Cecil Leander Fulbright, born in Coffee Creek, Montana on February 17, 1912 and died in Pendleton, Oregon on April 11, 1972. Cecil married Sloma Dallas Kuhn on October 23, 1937 and they had five children: (1) Cecil Raymond Fulbright, born in Payette, Idaho on February 12, 1939. He married Gere Wallace on October 26, 1963 in Hermiston, Oregon and they had two children: Jeffery Raymond Fulbright, born on March 11, 1966, and Janet Marie Fulbright, born on February 28, 1969. (2) Ethel June Fulbright, born in Payette on December 10, 1940. She married Steve Toliver on September 12, 1961 and they had three children: Deborah Ann Toliver, born December 14, 1962, Sandra Jean Toliver, born July 29, 1964, and Larry Dean Toliver, born June 11, 1966. (3) Evelyn Lucille Fulbright, born in Hermiston on November 19, 1942. She married Gilbert B. Hascall on November 17, 1961. They had four children: Sadie Irene Hascall, born November 30, 1962; Katherine Mae Hascall, born May 17, 1967; Shannon Elaine Hascall, born Septembe 30, 1973; and Kari Hascall, born on August 17, 1975. (4) Marvin Roger Fulbright, born in Hermiston on December 6, 1943. He married Jody Haslam on August 15, 1969. They have two step sons: Brent Ray Fulbright and Ricky Lee Fulbright. (5) Roland Allen Fulbright, born in Pendleton on November 28, 1950. He married Karen Cross and they have one child: Chester Curtis Fulbright born on January 23, 1983.

(2) Virginia Ermine Fulbright, born in Coffee Creek, Montana on January 14, 1914 and died in Payette, Idaho on February 14, 1938. Erma married Ralph Ingalls on December 19, 1935. Ralph Ingalls was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on September 17, 1909. They had no children.

(3) Jane Elizabeth Fulbright, born in Coffee Creek, Montana on August 17, 1919 and died in San Diego, California on May 25, 1995. Jane married Lloyd Chester Harville. Lloyd was born in Leesville, Louisiana on March 30, 1909 and died in Payette, Idaho on August 18, 1989. They had two children: (1) Diane Elaine Harville, born in Payette on December 30, 1941. She married Mickey Lee Cooper (birth name Lee Jay Cooper) on July 22, 1961. They had two children: (a) Darrel Lee Cooper, born June 6, 1962 in San Diego. Darrel married Cynthia Elizabeth Swanson on July 21, 1990. They had one child: Kristin Elizabeth Cooper, born March 18, 1994 in San Diego. (b) Dennis Lloyd Cooper, born October 11, 1963 in La Jolla, California. Dennis married Melody A. Dyess on June 5, 1993. (2) Leonard Earl Harville, born in Payette on August 3, 1949. He married Linda Ann Shepard on June 15, 1968 and they had one child: Jody May Harville, born on September 30, 1972 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Leonard divorced, and remarried to Nancy Jo Bryanton August 8, 1990.

(4) Myrtle Leona Fulbright was born in Coffee Creek, Montana on February 10, 1924. She currently resides in Astoria, Oregon and is The Fulbright Family Association Recording Secretary. Myrtle married Melvin Evert Hjorten on April 6, 1942 in Payette, Idaho. They had four children: (1) Baby Hjorten who died at birth on October 16, 1945. (2) David Evert Hjorten, born in Astoria on September 9, 1948. He married Barbara Seppala on September 29, 1969 in Astoria, Oregon. They had one child: Erik David Hjorten born on October 24, 1974 in Astoria. David divorced, and remarried to Susan Ferschweiller on August 10, 1996 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. (3) Lisa Kristine Hjorten, born in Astoria on September 14, 1952. (4) Paul Andrew Hjorten, born in Astoria on April 27, 1959. He married Teresa Margaret Zimmer on September 1, 1984 in Seattle, Washington. Teresa was born in Moscow, Idaho on September 22, 1960. They had two children: Alex Paul Hjorten, born August 5, 1986 in Seattle, and Curtis Evert Hjorten, born September 22, 1990 in Seattle.

(5) Omega Mae Fulbright, born in Puyallup, Washington on April 27, 1927. She currently resides in Payette, Idaho. Mae married Ward Solterbeck on October 14, 1945 in Payette. They had six children: (1) Ronald W. Solterbeck, born in Payette on March 6, 1947. He married Christine Bowen on November 5, 1971 in Dunoon, Scotland. They had one child: Jeremy R. Solterbeck, born on October 23, 1973. (2) Norman W. Solterbeck, born in Payette, on October 14, 1949. He married Janet Lea Dragoo on December 24, 1994 in Winnemucca, Nevada. (3) Karen M. Solterbeck, born in Ontario, Oregon on July 18, 1953. She married Ian Levett of London, England on September 23, 1989. They had three children: Lydia Sally Mae Levett, born on September 29, 1990 in Saadah, Yemen; Mercy Lorraine Levett, born on November 17, 1991, in Payette, Idaho and Jubilee Ada Rose Levett, born on March 7, 1993 in Saadah, Yemen. (4) W. Dean Solterbeck, born in Ontario, Oregon on February 22, 1955. He married Vicki Lou Griffin of Ontario, on March 1, 1981. They had three children: Julie Diane Solterbeck, born on August 9, 1982 in Ontario, Janell Elizabeth Solterbeck, born on December 8, 1983 in Ontario, and Jill Suzanne Solterbeck, born on April 19, 1987 in Ontario. (5) Dale Solterbeck, born in Ontario on August 9, 1958. He married Lisa Marie Baker on July 23, 1983 in Sacramento, California. They had three children: Samuel Jack Solterbeck, born on January 26, 1984 on Shaw Air Force Base in Sumpter, South Carolina; Jaqueline Grace Solterbeck, born on Dec. 10, 1985 in Sumpter; and Hillary Annette Solterbeck, born on September 15, 1987 on Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento. (6) Lorraine R. Solterbeck, born in Ontario on July 31, 1961. She married Gordon Lee Peterson on September 13, 1981 in Boise, Idaho. They had five children: Nicolas Tyler Peterson, born on July 22, 1982 in Boise; Kara Nicole Peterson, born on December 6, 1983 in Boise; Joseph Gabriel Peterson, born on February 25, 1986 in Payette, Idaho; Lucas Daniel Peterson, born on March 26, 1987 in Payette; and Hannah Chelsea Peterson, born on August 3, 1989 in Payette.

My Mother and I both sincerely hope the above is informational, interesting, and controversial throughout the entire Fulbright Family. As for our Hjorten Family, there has just been a news flash that DNA taken from a Hjorten has been found to match perfectly with some DNA recently discovered in a wooden plank from an old Viking Ship!