My Genealogy Hound

NELSON A. FULTON, Postmaster at Xenia, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans Home, is a man of high character, well and favorably known throughout the county. His father, Dr. Robert Fulton, was born in Baltimore, Md., in 1811, and brought to Chillicothe, Ohio, when a child. There he grew to manhood and acquired a good education, after which he studied medicine in Warren County with Dr. Thacker, beginning his practice in Clinton County, where he was also engaged in the mercantile business. He subsequently went out of business, and opened an office at Lynchburg, where he devoted himself to his profession for thirty years. He is still living but has retired from practice. He has held the different official positions in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has been a local minister for sixty years and quite noted as a pulpit orator. He belongs to the Republican party, and has been a prominent political speaker, acquiring a wide reputation during the Kansas struggles. He is a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity and at one time was Grand Chaplain of the State.

Dr. Fulton married Miss Mary Morgan, of Warren County, Ohio, who bore him eight children who grew to maturity and are still living. The first-born, Theodore, is in business at Cincinnati, his home being at Lynchburg; Adelia, now Mrs. John L. West, lives in Hillsboro; the third in order of birth is our subject; Theodocia is now Mrs. W. L. West, of Clinton Valley; Mary E. is the wife of W. Miller, of Martinsville; S. Q. lives in Milwaukee, Wis., and is manager of the Northwestern Adamant Manufacturing Company; Laura is the wife of Samuel Peale, of Lynchburg; Robert S. resides at Germantown. The mother of the family died in 1888, at the age of seventy-four years.

Nelson Fulton, of whom we write, was born in Warren County, March 15, 1839, and remained with his parents until 1860, when he engaged in business in Cincinnati, where he was at the breaking out of the Civil War. He enlisted for the three months’ service in Company C, Thirteenth Ohio Infantry, his captain being Don Piatt; and afterward re-enlisted for three years in Company D, Eleventh Ohio Infantry. During the first year of the service he was in West Virginia, going through the battles of Cotton Mountain and Hawk’s Nest. In 1862, the regiment went with Gen. Cox to Eastern Virginia and participated in the second battle of Bull Run, Mouocacy, South Mountain and Antietam. On the latter field of battle the Eleventh stormed the bridge, their colonel being killed during the charge.

The regiment was then ordered back to West Virginia and went into winter quarters at Somerville. While there they were sent one night on a thirty-mile scout and succeeded in their attempt to capture a rebel out-post. The weather turned cold very suddenly, the mercury falling to twenty-four below zero, and a deep snow covering the ground; many of the Union soldiers were badly frozen and they obliged the rebels to run in order to keep them from freezing as they were poorly clothed. Both victors and vanquished endured great suffering on that occasion. After the battle of Stone River the command in West Virginia was ordered out of winter quarters and sent to Tennessee in January, 1863. They went by river from Kanawha Falls to Carthage, Tenn., on Rosecrans’ extreme left, Gen. Crook in command of the division. While there they had to forage for themselves and horses and fight for their supplies every day with Wheeler’s Cavalry. On April 14, Gen. Crook took the entire brigade across the river to give Wheeler battle. A detachment of the Eleventh and Eighty-ninth regiments were mounted, and under command of Captain Spears, of the First Tennessee Cavalry, were ordered to skirmish with Wheeler.

While on this mission Mr. Fulton was captured by the Eleventh Texas Cavalry, and after being confined at Chattanooga, Knoxville and Lynchburg, was finally sent to Libby Prison, where he was detained forty days. Seven hundred prisoners were then taken to City Point and paroled; there they were paid off and sent to their respective States. Mr. Fulton came to Columbus on parole and his term of service having nearly expired he was discharged June 20, 1864. From hard service and the poor fate which he had while in prison he contracted chronic rheumatism which permanently crippled him in both feet.

After being mustered out of the service Mr. Fulton acted as chief clerk tinder Maj. Starr in a mustering and disbursing office in Columbus, remaining there eight months. He then went to Cincinnati and engaged as a salesman in a wholesale dry-goods house, sojourning in the Queen City of the Ohio twelve years. In 1876 he removed to Xenia, embarked in mercantile business for himself and carried on a successful business career for thirteen years, when having received his appointment of Postmaster, he sold out to George A. Thompson, whom he had brought up in the business.

Mr. Fulton has been an active Republican worker but not a political aspirant, the fine petition which was sent to President Harrison, asking his appointment as Postmaster, bearing the signatures of the best citizens of both city and county. His appointment was received on September 6, 1889. The office is a free delivery one, employing twelve clerks. Mr. Fulton has been Chairman of the Republican Executive Committe two years. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In Highland County, Ohio, in September 1863, Mr. Fulton was united in marriage with Miss Hannah Graham, whose womanly graces and virtues had won his regard, as they do the respect of her acquaintances. She is a daughter of Robinson and Elizabeth (Strain) Graham, who owned and operated a farm upon which Mrs. Fulton lived until her marriage. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Fulton died in infancy.