Fullerton, Thomas Burton Family

FULLERTON, PALMER, CLARK, THOMPSON, PALMER, JONES, CARRIER, MASTERS, PHENIX, RHOADES, WEST, WOODS, BURCHETT

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 6/29/2019 at 20:39:12

The Thomas Burton Fullerton Family
By Phyllis and Berniece
"Reflections of Grand River, Iowa 1881-1981"
Page 216, Clarke Pub. Co. Osceola IA. 1981.

Thomas Burton Fullerton, better known as Tommy or T. B. was born May 27, 1887, in Decatur Co, north of Grand River, Ia. He was the secod son of George Washington and Lenora (Palmer) Fullerton and, along with his two brothers and four sisters, grew to adulthood in the "Tennessee Community." As a young boy, he was affiliated with the Mt. Zion Christian Church and was a regular member of the church choir.

From statistical records we believe that the Fullertons originated on the Isle of Aaron off the coast of Scotland, and were a part of the Stewart Clan. There were Fullertons still living in Scotland during the 1950's, and there are Fullerton records recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland, dating back to the 1200's. From the records, it is believed, we descended from Humphrey Fullerton I, who was married to Mary St. Clair Clark and came to this country from Scotland or Ireland in 1723.

Our Great-Grandfather Thomas Fullerton was born March 23, 1813, in Pennsylvania. Due to his mother's death, he was left an orphan at the age of two weeks, since his father had died a few months previously. He was reared by an aunt, who moved with him to Mushingum Co, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. He was married to Eleanor Thompson, January 5, 1836, and twelve children were born to this union. Our grandfather, George Washington Fullerton (Dec. 4, 1849, in Mushingum County, Ohio) was their sixth child.

At the age of five, George W. Fullerton migrated with is parents from Ohio to Des Moines Co., Iowa. He married Lenora daughter of Alfred Palmer at Leon, Ia., Jan. 27, 1878. They had seven children. Our father, T. B. Fullerton, who was born at Grand River, was their fourth child. His entire life was spent in the Grand River vicinity, with the exception of approximately two years, when he and his brother, John, both young men, traveled by team to Kansas to work as laborers. There Tom earned enough money to return and engage in farming with his sister, Lula and husband, Walter Jones, near Van Wert, Iowa. Here he met his future bride, Maud Grace Carrier.

On Sept. 19, 1909, they were married at her sister's home (Hattie Jones) by Rev. Scott Jones. She was the youngest daughter of Jerome Marion and Maryetta (Masters) Carrier and was born April 5, 1891, in Webster Co., Elkland, Mo. When she was nine years of age, her mother died, Dec. 14, 1900, leaving a family of four young children to be reared by their father. In 1902, he and his siter (sic), Theoakly Phenix started for Iowa by covered wagon, taking along the three smallest children. The oldest son, Fisher, stayed in Missouri.

Our knowledge of the Carriers dates back to 1790. Our great-great-grandfather Timothy Carrier came from England to New York, and his wife was of English and French descent, but we do not know her name. To this union were born eight children, the oldest, Nelson Carrier, our great-grandfather, was born June 4, 1812. He married Hannah Rhoades who was born January 20, 1820. She was the daughter of an Englishman, Ben Rhoades, who lived in Pennsylvania. Hannah's mother was German, but there were also Scotch and Welch blood in the family. They lived at Little Valley in Cattaraugus County, New York on the Alleghany River. Nelson owned and operated a saw mill on the river. He also learned the blacksmith trade, shod oxen, operated a hotel, and floated logs down the Alleghany River. His daughter, Aunt Ran, has related that he was a jolly, good natured man and one of his favorite sayings was, "If I can't believe a man's word, I can't take his note."

They had twelve children. The tenth child, Jerome Marion Carrier (Our grandfather) was born February 26, 1854, near Leon, Wisconsin. When almost 14 years of age, his family moved to Webster Co., Missouri, locating on a farm near Elkland where he grew to manhood. He was married Nov. 7, 1875, to Maryetta Masters and started housekeeping on another farm in the Elkland vicinity. Later, they bought and improved a farm of their own.

Six children were born; our mother, Maud Grace, was the sixth child, who became a member of the Mt. Zion Christian Church and served as a superintendent and teacher in the Sunday School for many years.

In 1911, Grandfather Carrier became blind, and from then on he made his home with his children. He, however, never complained and seemed to find pleasure in being helpful with such chores as churning butter, stemming gooseberries, pitting cherries, as well as, telling stories and playing "Club Fist" with his grandchildren.

Grandfather Carrier died February 26, 1932, at the age of 78 years. Short funeral services were conducted at the home of our parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Fullerton, north of Grand River, then the body was taken to Elkland, MO, for church services with interment beside his wife, Maryetta, in the Timber Ridge Cemetery.

Our parents, Tom and Maud, were farmers and owned land north of Grand River in Richland and Doyle Townships. They were both very energetic, religious, and conservative; and their home was always open to anyone. Their first child, Opal Gertie, was born April 15, 1911, but only lived six weeks.

In 1917, the second of August, Phyllis Laveen was born. She was only nine months old when they purchased their first farm, which was once owned by T.B.'s grandfather, Thomas Fullerton. Berniece Lavonne was born three years later, on October 28, 1920. We girls grew into womanhood on this homeplace and attended Brick #1, a rural grade school, which our father had attended as a young lad. It was named "Brick" because the first schoolhouse was built of brick structure when our father attended it. Later the building was destroyed by fire, but it was replaced on the same site by a wooden structure. Our father served as the school secretary approximately twenty years. Three generations of the T.B. Fullerton, Samuel West and Stella Fullerton Greenland families attended this school. After Phyllis and Berniece received their education and teaching certificates, they taught three terms and nine terms respectively in the Brick School. Our parents passed away the same year, 1974; Mother, January 1 and Dad, December 13. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary the previous year.

Phyllis married Oren Alvin West, son of Samuel and Bertha (Woods) West, May 25, 1938. They began their married life on a farm which was Oren's homeplace where he was born May 25, 1911. At an early age he and his brother, Gerold, started farming due to the death of their father in a car accident December 30, 1915. This was the first fatal automobile accident in Decatur County. Their mother kept the two young sons, aged 4 and 6, and their sister, Lorene, age nine months together by renting out the crop land, raising chickens and gardening.

Our oldest son, Merwyn Gene, was born on Thursday, the thirty-first of July, 1941. Thomas Oren appeared on the scene eight years later, April 2, 1949. Both boys, as well as their father, attended our home school, Brick #1. Merwyn graduated from the Grand River High School in 1959, and later received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Drake University with an English major. He has completed 19 years of teaching in the Osceola and Storm Lake school systems.

Since I was teaching in Murray, the family moved their during the school term. Therefore, Tom graduated from the Murray Community High School with the class of 1968. After graduation he attended the Lincoln Technical Institute majoring in automotive and diesel mechanics. At present his is farm manager and advisor.

Phyllis attended the Grand River High School and during her freshman year, she rode a horse to and from school daily, seven miles each way. The next three years she drove a model A. Ford and transported other neighbor students to school, as well as her sister, Berniece, during her freshman year. Phyllis graduated in the spring of 1935 and attended Drake University, graduating with a B.S. Degree majoring in English. She taught in the rural schools of Decatur and Clarke Counties, and has been teaching in the Murray community School since 1958. She is a lifetime member of the I.S.E.A. & N.E.A.

Oren has retired and Phyllis is looking forward to her retirement so she can have more time for her favorite hobbies: crocheting and outdoor activities. Together they plan to enjoy visiting with their sons and grandchildren. Oren and Phyllis were affiliated with the Mt. Zion Christian Church at an early age.

Berniece married Mansel Raymond Burchett, son of Francis and Addie (Woods) Burchett, Aug. 2, 1943, while he was stationed at Haines Point, Washington, D.C., during W.W. II. I accompanied him back to Washington D.C., for three weeks, then returned to teach the home school, Brick #1, Richland Twp. After completing five years of teaching in the Clarke County rural schools, Mansel was drafted August 26, 1942, and was assigned to the antiaircraft Artillery at Washington, D.C., for two years as a supply sergeant. Due to the breakdown of the German airforce, anti-aircraft units were no longer needed in Washington, D.C.; therefore, he was transferred into the infantry and sent overseas December, 1944, to fight in the European theatre of war. Mansel was in active duty, as squad leader for six months in the 89th Indian Head Division attached to General Patton's army. His division fought through Belgium, Germany, and Czechoslovakia.

Mansel has related that during one skirmish, a fellow in his squad was wounded around 10:00 a.m. and didn't realize he had been hit until he noticed dried blood on the inside of his jacket that evening. He owed his life to a small metal covered Bible he carried in his left vest pocket. The bullet had glanced off the cover and grazed his rib cage for six inches.

The European War ended in May, 1945, and Mansel's division was shipped to the States for a thirty-day furlough before they were to be sent to Japanese War in the Pacific. While on leave Mansel was outside at my parent's home when I heard a special announcement over the radio, "THE WAR HAS ENDED! !" I shot out the door, screaming the good news. There is still a hole, six feet deep in the driveway where we danced with joy!

We started farming the next spring on one of my parents' farms. In the year 1947, Nov. 2, we were blessed with our first daughter, Margena Kaye. A son, Kirby Durran, added to our happiness on June 6, 1950. Seven years later on Aug. 6, 1957, our second daughter Debra Sue became a lively member of our family. The three children received their formal education at Brick #1, Osceola and Creston. They each graduated from the Creston Community School in 1965, 1969 and 1975, and they later attended Southwestern Community College Creston, and I.S.U., Ames. Since I was teaching in Creston, the family moved there in the fall of 1960.

.....Berniece received a B.S. Degree in both elementary and secondary education, majoring in English from Drake University with graduate work from Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO. She has been an instructor for thirty-six years, with 21 of those terms in Creston, presently teaching Freshman English. She is a lifetime member of N.E.A., affiliated with I.S.E.A., and president of the Alpha Gamma Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority for teachers; and the family is active in the First Christian Church in Creston.

Copied from "Reflections of Grand River, Iowa 1881-1981" by Stacey McDowell Dietiker, May 29, 2001