My Genealogy Hound

Capt. James H. Fulbright. Among those who have secured the confidence and respect of their fellow men, and rank among the progressive and enterprising citizens of the county, may be mentioned Capt. Fulbright, who was the first white male child born in Springfield, Mo., his birth occurring June 12, 1832. His parents, John and Jane (Kyrkendall) Fulbright, were born in North Carolina and Kentucky, respectively, the former’s birth occurring in 1795. His father, who also bore the name of John, was of German descent, and was born in Buncombe County, N. C. He (John, Sr.) and five brothers were participants in the Revolutionary War, and in 1810 he came overland to Missouri, settling in Washington County, where he entered a farm and reared part of his children, and lived until his death. His wife, Elizabeth (Coalter) Fulbright, was of German descent, and an excellent German scholar. She was nearly one hundred years old at the time of her death, June 9, 1853. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They were the parents of five sons, William, David, Martin, Daniel and John, and five daughters, Elizabeth (Williams or Cooper, second husband), Catherine (Evans), Susanah (Daniels), Christener (Goodwin) and Sarah (Smithers). John Fulbright, Jr., was an extensive trader in horses, mules and negroes, and was the first treasurer of Greene County, Mo., having been taught to read and write by his wife. He died in 1862. His wife was born in Kentucky, but was married in Tennessee, whither her parents had moved, her father being one of the very wealthy millers of that State. She died in 1833, having borne seven children, two of whom grew to maturity, one living at the present time. The subject of this sketch, her husband, was reared in Missouri, and served during the latter part of the War of 1812, receiving for his services, before he was twenty-one years old, the grant of a tract of land, a portion of which is now resided on by his son, Capt. Fulbright. He was a member of the Christian Church for over forty years, a Democrat in politics, and died on the 16th of March, 1862. His wife, formerly Miss Kyrkendall, bore a family of seven sons, and died in 1862, after which the father married the widow of Dr. H. Adkins, by whom he became the father of two children, who are now deceased. This lady, second wife of John Fulbright, Jr., died April 3, 1883. Capt. James H. Fulbright resided on the home farm until the breaking out of the late war, when he enlisted in Company I, of the State Guard, and for eleven months served as a private in Parson’s infantry. He was then appointed purchasing agent for the division, and at the end of eleven months was transferred to the Confederate army, under Jackson. He also served as receiving agent in Marmaduke’s command, and after the surrender of Little Rock was appointed purchasing agent for the division and sent to Texas, where he remained until April, 1864, when he returned, and was with Price on his raid through Missouri. He was made commissary of the Fourth Missouri Regiment, and served until the surrender. June 23, 1865, he landed at St. Louis, where, after about three months, he was joined by his wife, whose maiden name was Mary L. Wilks, and whom he married June 10, 1852, and removed with her to Franklin County from St. Louis, Mo., where he rented land and resided for three years. He then located on the old homestead, in 1868, where he has since made his home. He has always taken a deep interest in politics, and in 1881-83 was elected county judge, which office he filled very creditably. He has also been school director for ten years. He and wife are members of the Christian Church, of which he has been clerk and elder for forty years. He is a member of the A. F. &A. M., the Agricultural Wheel, and is a member of the State Board of Agriculture, being appointed for life by Gov. Marmaduke in August, 1882. His wife was born in Alabama November 28, 1833, and became a resident of Lawrence County, Mo., when eight years of age, and was here reared to womanhood. The following are her children: Lucy J. (Mrs. Calahan), Elizabeth K. (Kittle), John H. (a very wealthy physician of Ozark, Mo.), Emma L. (Ward), Jemimah P. (Connella), Jesse M. and James H.