Archibald J. Fulton was born on the 18th day of October, 1847, on his father's farm, near Port Stanley, in the county of Elgin, Ontario, Canada. His father, Samuel Fulton, was born at Ballmaena and educated in Belfast, Ireland. His mother, Jean (McDearmid) Fulton, was born and educated in Glasgow, Scotland. The two families emigrated to western Canada in an early day, where Samuel Fulton and Jean McDearmid were married, purchased heavily timbered lands, chopped, logged, cleared and cultivated the same, at a time when their machinery consisted of the cradle, hand-rake and flail and they were obliged to travel sixty miles by ox wagon to have their wheat ground into flour. Yet they labored successfully and lived to see their neighborhood populate and flourish.

To them were born five sons and one daughter. Of these, three sons, John Fulton, Andrew L. Fulton and Archibald J. Fulton, took up the profession of medicine and surgery. Dr. John Fulton (deceased prior to 1901) was professor of surgery in Trinity Medical College, of Toronto, Canada, for many years and was rightly considered at the head of his profession in Canada. He had taken degrees in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Heidleburg and Berlin. Dr. Andrew L. Fulton graduated at Trinity Medical College of Toronto, Canada, and Bellevue Hospital Medical College of New York City. He has been professor of surgery in the Kansas City Medical College of Kansas City, Missouri, for a number of years and for two years has been dean of the faculty of that college.

Dr. A.J. Fulton grew to manhood under the healthful environment of a country life, and after receiving the education obtainable at the country log school house in those early days he took a course in the London (Canada) Commercial College and graduated in class A in 1866. He then began the study of medicine and surgery under the able guidance of his brother, Dr. Andrew L. Fulton, and graduated from Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in March 1874. He immediately began the practice of medicine at Uniontown, Bourbon County, Kansas, but after a few months, in the fall of 1874, he removed to Iola, Kansas. On the 5th day of May, 1880, he was married to Miss Mary J. Pickell and to them were born two sons, Fred Robert and Harold John Fulton.

For eleven years, Dr. Fulton discharged the duties of Pension Examiner. First receiving the appointment as a single examiner and afterward, under the administrations of Presidents Harrison and Cleveland, he was one of the three members of the board, first acting as president and lastly as secretary of the board. He was elected coroner of Allen County, Kansas, in November 1885, and succeeded himself in 1887, holding the office for four consecutive years. He served the city of Iola as councilman for two consecutive years. In 1898 he was elected a member of the Board of Education and was chosen president of that body for two consecutive years. In 1897 he received the appointment of surgeon to the Missouri Pacific Railway Company and is still in the discharge of the duties of that office (1901).

(The above extracted from History of Allen and Woodson Counties, Kansas. (1901), pp 355-356)

His wife, Mary Jane, died the 10th day of March, 1908. Just over a year later his elder son died the 15th day of December, 1909. He then married Rhoda A. Guest Wheaton on the 28th day of April 1910 at Iola. At this time, Dr. Fulton was 62 years of age and Rhoda was 37. Each of them had children eight or nine years of age, Lola A. Wheaton and Harold John Fulton, who were raised together. In 1924, Dr. Fulton was suffering from sufficient declining mental health to be declared "feeble minded" by the probate court of Allen County. He died the 11th day of September 1930 and was buried in the Iola City Cemetery.