John Wesley Fulton

ARNOLD, BRADSHAW, FULTON, LATTA, LEGGETT, WILSON

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 10/11/2005 at 16:54:19

“History of Madison County Iowa and Its People”
Herman A. Mueller, Supervising Editor
Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915

John Wesley Fulton, who is actively engaged in agricultural pursuits on section 21, Ohio township, is a native of Madison county, born two miles east of Truro, on the 18th of July, 1877, of the marriage of John Worthington and Nancy Ann (Bradshaw) Fulton. The father, whose birth occurred on the 4th of September, 1850, in Belmont county, Ohio, was a son of William and Elizabeth (Wilson) Fulton. The mother's parents were John Wesley and Peree (Arnold) Bradshaw and her natal day was the 27th of May, 1853. She was also a native of the Buckeye state and was born in Tuscarawas county. When eight years of age John Worthington Fulton accompanied his parents to Madison county, Iowa, the family locating north of Winterset, in the vicinity of the present county farm. When but twelve years of age he began providing for his own support, working as a farm hand until after his marriage. He then purchased land in Ohio township, to the improvement of which he devoted four years, and on selling that place bought more land in the same township a half mile east of his first farm.

After four years, or in 1882, he removed to Truro and purchased the Truro Hotel, which he conducted for seven years. He next bought a farm south of Truro, upon which he resided about twenty years, and then removed to Lorimor, Iowa, where he erected a hotel which he conducted for a short time. He returned to the farm upon disposing of the hotel and resided upon the homestead until 1907, when he took up his residence in Truro and was living there at the time of his death, which occurred on the 23d of May, 1909. His widow is still residing in Truro.

His political allegiance was given to the Republican party, and both he and his wife were members of the Christian church. He was a self-made man and was a valued citizen of the various communities in which he lived.

John W. Fulton of this review received his education in the schools of Truro and after putting aside his textbooks remained with his parents upon the homestead until 1890, when he was married and located upon a farm of sixty-two acres a mile south of Truro which belonged to his father. After living there for a year he removed to the old homestead south of the town, which he is operating at the present time. He rents one hundred and twenty acres of the land from his mother and owns one hundred and two acres on section 21, Ohio township. His entire time is taken up with his work as a farmer and stock-raiser and he sees that everything is kept in good repair and the plowing, planting and harvesting is done in good season. He ranks with the progressive farmers of his township and the material success that has attended his labors is well deserved.

On the 19th of December, 1890, at the home of the bride's parents, two and one-half miles north of Truro, Mr. Fulton was married by Rev. A. C. Burnham to Miss Nellie E. Leggett, a daughter of John W. and Margaret (Latta) Leggett. Her father was born in Licking county, Ohio, on the 10th of September, 1839, a son of James and Elizabeth (Younger) Leggett. James Leggett was a native of Ohio of Yankee descent, and was a shoemaker by trade, and his wife was also born in the Buckeye state. They were married there but in 1854 came to Iowa and located in Polk county, where they lived during the remainder of their lives.

Their son, John W. Leggett, enlisted on the 5th of January, 1864, at Polk City, Iowa in the First Iowa Light Artillery and was mustered out on the 5th of July, 1865 at Davenport. His marriage occurred at Des Moines on the 13th of January 1864. It was not until 1889 that he and his wife removed to Madison county, locating in South township, where he purchased a quarter section of land. After residing thereon for sixteen years he rented the farm and removed to Truro, where he and his wife are living retired. She is a daughter of William and Mary (Mercer) Latta, who were natives respectively of Ohio and Virginia and were married in Ohio, whence in 1854 they removed to Polk county, Iowa, where they continued to live until called to the great beyond.

Mr. and Mrs. Fulton have three children: Nola Grace, who was born January 10, 1902, and is attending the Truro schools; Nellie Ruth, who was born April 15, 1905 and is also attending school; and Mary Gertrude, born October 17, 1910.

For many years Mr. Fulton voted the Republican ticket, but becoming convinced that it was the duty of every Christian to do everything within his power to destroy the liquor traffic and believing that the Prohibition party was the best means to accomplish that end, he became a member of that organization. He is a man of much strength of character and never hesitates in doing anything that he believes to be right. Both he and his wife belong to the Christian church of Truro and he is one of the leaders in its work, having served as trustee, as a member of the board of finance, of the pastoral board and as Sunday-school superintendent, being at present clerk of the church. He believes that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit the duty has been laid upon him of holding up the Master to the people and he has erected numerous signs upon his farm on which are printed verses from the Bible and he also distributes throughout the county printed signs warning of the day of judgment and the punishment of sin.

Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias and has belonged to the lodge of that organization at Truro for ten years. He finds that his work as a farmer and stock-raiser makes heavy demands upon his time and in doing well the work that lies nearest at hand he has also aided in the development of his township. He breeds full-blooded Hampshire hogs and feeds both cattle and hogs, which he sells at a good price. None begrudges him the prosperity that is his, as it has been won by hard work and good management.

If every one in this world was just like me, what kind of world would this world be ?
Say, friend, where are you going to spend eternity ?
The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life.
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?

Madison Biographies maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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