Louis Fulbright, my great grandfather, was born in 1851, in Greene County, Missouri. He was the second of three children born to Minirvia. Minirvia was a slave belonging to William D. Fulbright. Her children were Newton Greene, born in 1844; Louis, born in 1851; and Clarissa, born in 1853.

Family stories tell of Louis being a "house boy," because his father was the slave master. The mother of the slave master taught him to read and write, because she felt "God would never forgive her if she allowed him to grow up ignorant." Louis taught his brother, Greene, to read.

At the age of 13, he was loaned to a Texas General who was active in the Civil War. He served as a cook's helper until the war ended. He was given an iron skillet for services rendered. The skillet is still used by a family member.

He returned to Springfield in 1870 and married in 1871. On November 17, 1872, his only son, Ira Thomas Fulbright was born. During the time period following the Civil War and 1874, he received the appropriate education to become a Presbyterian minister. He moved to Kansas to begin his ministry.

Louis and his son, Ira, moved to Topeka, Kansas. His mother, brother-in-law and sister remained in Springfield. We are unable to document what happened to his wife, Malinda. It is assumed that she died.

In 1875, he married Martha. Twin daughters, Maudie and Maggie, were born in October, 1876. Louis walked the state, establishing Presbyterian Churches. In 1878, his wife died during the birth of his third daughter, Martha.

Over time, Louis became disillusioned with the Presbyterian Church and joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He established churches in Kansas and Oklahoma. Louis was dedicated to his children and wanted to spend more time with them. His decision to change churches to help with his family time was in part triggered by an incident in which Maggie was burned when her clothing her caught fire while playing near train tracks. The fire was caused by cinders from the engine.

Louis moved to Earlsboro, Oklahoma and staked a land claim before Oklahoma became a state. His daughters grew up, married and started their families on that land. Louis donated a portion of the land to be used as a cemetery. He and his twin daughters are buried there.

Louis later returned to the Presbyterian Church and founded the Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church in Lima, Oklahoma. A church called Mount Moriah remains in that spot. Today, however it is an A.M.E. church. Louis retired and drew a pension from the Presbyterian Church until he died in 1923.

Family stories about Louis tell of his love of God and family. He had a beautiful voice and loved to carve wood. He valued education. His son, Ira, was the father of eight children. His daughter, Maudie, was the mother of eleven children, and his daughter, Maggie, had one child. Martha had no children. Each generation of these descendants has yielded a large number of teachers, nurses, and business owners. There has been at least one minister in each generation and at least one attorney. Many of the descendants have been musically talented. If there were a family motto for Louis and his descendants it would be, "...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Greene was the oldest child of Minirvia. He was born on August 24, 1844. He spent his entire life in Springfield. Greene married Rachel McKinney on November 11, 1869. Family stories tell of Greene meeting Rachel at a function held for slaves on land belonging to Captain J. H. Fulbright, Rachel's owner. Greene and Rachel bought property at 267 Franklin Street and lived there until their deaths. Greene worked at a flour mill. Greene and Rachel were the parents of five children, William, James, Adah, Newton and Rozina. Rozina died in early childhood. Each of Greene's children were college graduates. Newton was the only one to have children. Adah remained unmarried and taught school at Lincoln High in Springfield for close to fifty years.

The value of education and work in the church continues to be evident in the descendants of Greene who have successful careers.

Clarissa was born in 1853. Family stories about her are very scarce. We do know that she was very outspoken and independent. She married and divorced Addison Smith. They were divorced on December 12, 1878, and she had her name restored to Fulbright. There was a female child born to this union. We are still looking for more information on Clarissa. We are aware that she and Greene loved to ride the train from Springfield to Oklahoma to visit Louis and his family.

For many years, as the family grew and spread out across the country, the only time we would get together was at a funeral. In 1988, our first family reunion was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. We have met every other year since that time. It is great to see the family grow, and the values and talents continue to emphasize the beliefs of two bothers, born in slavery and dedicated to God and family.