THE WEB MASTER

The North Carolina reunion brought good people and news to the Fulbright family, including the beginnings of a web page supporting the Fulbright Family Association. I am pleased to report more good news. It has already begun to prosper and bring forth previously unknown Fulbright descendants. This column will review the tidbits obtained and introduce you to new found cousins, in this issue and hopefully in many to come.

First of all, we welcome Danny, Jeannette Pritchett and Randy Pritchett. Jeannette contacted me after finding the FFA Web Site. Danny is a direct descendant of Daniel Harvey and Priscilla Coraline (Fulbright) Pritchett. Priscilla, as you may recall, is the daughter of Levi Coulter and Nancy Emily (Hillhouse) Fulbright. Danny, Jeannette, and cousin, Randy Pritchett, have joined the FFA and the Fulbright Connection on-line. Jeannette is an organizer of the Pritchett family reunion and has been researching the family history. She graciously presented us with the information on the 430 Fulbright/Pritchett descendants. Randy kindly sent a paper copy of a letter from Ephraim Fulbright addressed to Richard Pritchett. An old family picture was also sent. The transcription of the letter, provided by Jeannette, follows.

The Fulbright-Pritchett connection is a most welcome one, as is getting to know our new found cousins. I hope you will join us in welcoming them into the family. David Fulbright and I are making plans to attend the Pritchett-Fulbright family reunion held annually in El Reno, Oklahoma. We hope you will take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity and join us. More information will be forth coming on that reunion.

The descendants of Levi Coulter Fulbright are vast, as you know. He was born in 1811 in Waynesville, Haywood County, NC and died in Laclede County, MO in 1897. Having married Nancy Emily Hillhouse, they had a large family, which included Priscilla Coraline (1851-1901) who married 24 July 1870 in Sleeper, MO to Daniel Harvey Pritchett. Daniel was born 19 January 1845 in Rolla, Missouri and died on the 14th of January 1919. He was the son of Edward Pritchett and Catherine Harner. From Daniel and Priscilla s union came: Levi Edward (1871-1938); John Andrew (1873-1940); Arthur "Doc" (1876-); Elvie (1878-1890); Emily C. "Emma" (1880-); Myrtie (1883-1963); Oliver (1884-1965); Adren (1886-1981); Lora (1888-); Lula (1888-1890); Virgie M. (1889-1978); Richard (1892-1959); and Junie (1895-1938). The family migrated to various locations, concentrating primarily in the Oklahoma and Texas regions. They hold an interesting history all their own and are a welcome addition to the proud history of the Fulbight family.

The following is a transcription of the letter from Ephraim Fulbright to Richard Pritchett. It is rich in history, genealogy, and general interest. The question marks denote illegible writing from the paper copy.

Sleeper, MO. April 3, 1923

Mr. Richard Pritchett,

Omega, Oklahoma

My Dear nephew. I was surprised to get your letter of 29 of March. Came on Monday. Real glad to hear from you. I note that you are inquiring about an estate that I am sorry to say I know nothing about. Could give you no information. You also write inquiring about an estate of your Great Uncle on your father s side, left about Springfield, MO. I never knew you had a great uncle. I knew your grandfather, known as old Dad Pritchett who lived and died in Camden County north of Stoutland but never knew of a brother of him. Now I guess you have heard of a strip of real estate that my father, your grandfather owned and never deeded away. It lay in the city of Springfield I think along the Mt. Vernon Road, now West Walnut Street and when my father learned that there was a parcel 98 links wide and a quarter of a mile long that he had never deeded away we all thought we were going to get some good money out of it. So father sent me to Springfield to look into the facts, and I found that he really had owned the land and had never deeded it away. He ????? it from my grand fathers estate who died in September 1843 and it had lay there more than 40 years and had been transferred many times. We looked up the law of descent and found the statute of our state read that no court of records should entertain a suit of action for title in any case where other parties had held peaceable ????? 10 years or more except in case of a soldier, marine, or sailor in the U.S. navy or a lunatic, the limit of which is 24 years. I reported to my father and he and mother made a quit claim deed to the then owner, ????? (looks like James) M. Woods who lived there and was an old friend of my father. So all this information got among our kin and some accused me of disposing of it and getting the money. Your Uncle Sam was the main man so he employed an attorney to get the title, but I never heard how much Sam paid out to the lawyer of the ????? of it. Now I guess this is about where you got your information and the case you write reference to and if it is, I will say that if you will employ an attorney and pay him for his service, the more you pay the poorer you will get. There is nothing in it. This is all I know of any estate due you or me or any of our kin.

Wife and I are living here alone. Our children all married and most all far away. Guy, our oldest son lives at Long Beach, California, #1915 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, California. He has 6 sons, 5 of them grown. Floy, our oldest girl, who married Mell Davis, lives at Wister, Oklahoma. They have no children. Monta, our next, married Bert Atchley and they live 4 3/4 miles northwest of us. They have one son, 9 years old. The next oldest is married to a southern girl and lives at Beaumont, Texas. Our girl Baby married Raymond Crow and they also live at Beaumont, Texas. They have 2 bright little children, boy & girl. I would be glad if you would write me the whereabouts of all your brothers and sisters. Lee did live a while at Beaumont, Texas but have lost track of him.

I am trying to keep up and farm 236 acre patch most all in meadow and grazing land, keep 2 hands, but don t make much money. I have a fine variety of apples, peaches, plums, cherries and grapes and we are now working them. I would be glad to see you and any of sister Priscilla s children. This is all this time. With kindest love, I remain your old uncle Ephraim Fulbright, 73 years old. [end]

After the Pritchett's found their way to our side of the Internet, there were a few others to follow. Among several queries presented to me were those regarding the Fulbright's in general, possible connections with other's genealogies, and a few that concerned some corrections of extended family names. Ed Stout and I are sharing in the unending task of assisting those who request information from us. {Thank you, Ed.} We hope that this column will continue to present interesting stories, family connections, and newly found cousins. Some of you may be interested to know the web page has been listed with every major search engine available at no charge. In addition, several major genealogy web sites have displayed an easy connection link to our page. Some of these sites include the States of Missouri and Arkansas  Historical Society's as well as several counties within each. The advertising has been extensive and its fruit is bountiful.