Who was the mother of William Fullerton?

[Neale1961]

So if I’m thinking clearly, possibly Alexander Fullerton and your John Fullerton were brothers, both the sons of James Fullerton and Letitia McMillan.

I believe there was another brother named James Fullerton (born abt 1820) who was also a weaver and married to Margaret Thompson.
He died in late Dec 1878. https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1879/06531/4881913.pdf

His marriage in 1849 also shows his father as James , a schoolmaster
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1849/09362/5390143.pdf

Alexander and James seem to be linked to Tullygarley in Ballymena, and are also in the weaving trade.

Continued in next post

[Neale1961]

Looking a bit more closely at the family of Alexander Fullerton and Agnes Rae/Rea.
Children that I can see:

•   Elizabeth Fullerton b.1849 (Married John Gordon 1864. Emigrated to Michigan, USA 1874)

•   Joseph Fullerton b.1851 (Married Matilda McMaster 1867, & Mary Boyd in 1880; died Ballymena 1902)

•   James Fullerton b.1856 (Married 1880 Eastwood to Sophia Love; Emigrated to USA; died 1924 Delaware)

•   Alexander R Fullerton b.1860 (Also emigrated to USA; married Sarah Quinn 1883 Philadelphia, died 1951 Delaware)

•   William J Fullerton b.1861 (Also emigrated to USA; married Eliza Jane Bowles 1899 Delaware; died 1929 Delaware)

•   Robert A Fullerton b.1862 (Also emigrated to USA; married Emma Butler 1889 Delaware; died 1941 Delaware)

•   Hugh Fullerton b.1865 (Married 1887 Ballymena to Sarah Campbell; Also emigrated to USA; died 1894 Delaware)

•   Nancy Fullerton b.1868 died as baby

•   McKane Fullerton b.1871 died age 4

[Blairvadach]

In 1891 census for John Fullerton and Janet McGaw, there is a James Fullerton, age 6 recorded as a nephew.
I was curious about who he was. Now, I think he was actually a grand-nephew.

He was James Love FULLERTON born 3 Jan 1885 Thorny Bank, Eastwood; died 1965 in Pennsylvania USA.
He was the son of  James FULLERTON and Sophia LOVE.

James Fullerton - Sophia Love marriage in 1881 Eastwood
        Mother - Sophia (Love) FULLERTON born 1857 Scotland, died 1933 USA
       Father – James FULLERTON born 14 May 1856 Ballymena, Ireland. Died 1924 USA

James Fullerton was a Printfield labourer, Eastwood in 1881-1901 Scotland census.
He and his family emigrated to Delaware County, Pennsylvania in dribs ‘n’ drabs between abt 1906 – 1910.
James Fullarton’s USA death and his marriage record show he was the son of Alexander Fullerton and Agnes Rae.

Continued in next post

Hi Neale
That’s fantastic!
I have been digging into this family (on Ancestry) and going by this information it matches perfectly with what you have described. There’s a wealth of evidence to back this up.
The occupations in the printfield industry is to the fore in the Fullerton and extend families!!!
Thanks again for your help.
Cheers Tam

[Blairvadach]

So if I’m thinking clearly, possibly Alexander Fullerton and your John Fullerton were brothers, both the sons of James Fullerton and Letitia McMillan.

I believe there was another brother named James Fullerton (born abt 1820) who was also a weaver and married to Margaret Thompson.
He died in late Dec 1878. https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1879/06531/4881913.pdf

His marriage in 1849 also shows his father as James , a schoolmaster
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1849/09362/5390143.pdf

Alexander and James seem to be linked to Tullygarley in Ballymena, and are also in the weaving trade.

Continued in next post

Hi Neale
If you are correct about Alexander and James being the brothers of John then I strongly believe that they had a sister Agnes/Nancy Fullerton!!!

She married William Orr 3 Oct 1846  Ballymena, Antrim, Ireland Ballymena First Presbyterian Church. Both age 26 from Tullaghgarley. William's occupation: weaver. Fathers: James Orr, weaver, and James Fullerton, schoolmaster. See attachment.

I believe that they had four children and their daughter Agnes married Samuel Johnstone and guess what……,they settled in Renfrewshire and worked in the calico print business!!!
Agnes died in 1908, Eastwood.
Agnes and Samuel must have moved to Scotland soon after the eldest child was born as the next child was born in Renfrewshire.
Cheers Tam

[Neale1961]

HI Tom, your last post has sent me off down a very deep rabbit hole today – hope the next few posts are of use, and you can understand my scribblings! ….

Unfortunately the marriage for your John Fullerton was before the registration of marriages started in 1845. It was probably around 1840-1841. However, I wonder if your John might have been born earlier than 1820 (as per census). His wife was born abt 1813, and if they married around 1840, John would not have been of full age unless born around 1818 or earlier.


When you look at all the Fullerton records for the relevant time period in Ballymena, there is only one James Fullerton who has children marrying. He is the schoolmaster.
        The fact that all his children seem to be weavers, makes me wonder if James was initially a weaver too, but perhaps became the schoolmaster in later life as he was one of the few in the parish who was literate. Just me speculating.
         There were possibly other children of James Fullerton the schoolmaster who were married before 1845, so we don’t know them because we have no records.

[Neale1961]

These 6 are all definitely the same family- children of James Fullerton (schoolmaster) from Tullygarley in Ballymena.   
Does your John fit in here as one of the younger sons in the family? 

•   Robert John Fullerton born abt 1815, died 1873 (weaver); married 1847 Ballymena to Margaret Connolly. Note: his marriage record gives name of father as James Moore Fullerton, schoolmaster.
– links to Renfrewshire, a son named James born abt 1853 married 1881 Eastwood to Margaret Mailey at 36 Herriott St Pollockshaws. He is in Eastwood in 1891 census, and died Eastwood 1904.  Another child Mary Ann Fullerton born abt 1852 is in Herriot St Pollockshaws in 1881 census with her sister Margaret (Fullerton) Gault born abt 1860.

•   Mary Fullerton born abt 1818; married 1850 Ballymena to William Stewart (weaver) - marriage witnessed by William Orr and Alexander Fullerton

•   Agnes / Nancy Fullerton  abt 1820 -1875; married 1846 Ballymena to William Orr (weaver).
Robert J Fullerton is a witness on the marriage
– links to Renfrewshire and calico printing through daughter Agnes Johnstone (as per your post)
There is also a son named James Orr (1847) who is in Dumbartonshire in 1891-1901 census. He died 1928.

•   James Fullerton abt 1822- 1878 (weaver) married 1849 Ballymena to Margaret /Martha Thompson. William Orr witness to the marriage

•   Alexander Fullerton abt 1825-1879 (weaver) married 1848 Ballymena to Agnes Rea
– links to Renfrewshire and calico printing through his son, and his 6yr old grand-son who is with your John Fullerton in the 1891 census.

•   Sarah Fullerton (born abt 1826 - 1904) married 1848 Ballymena to John McMeekin (bleacher/ dyer) who died 1883 Eastwood.
This couple are in Thornliebank Eastwood, Renfrewshire as early as 1871 census, working in the textile indsutry.
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5b91a7d7f4040b176c900761/sarah-mcmeekin-1871-renfrewshire-eastwood-1832-?locale=en

        Looks as if Sarah (Fullerton) McMeekin died in Eastwood in 1904 – on death index her mother’s name shows as “Miller”. Not McMillan  , but name may not have been remembered correctly by whoever was the informant. The other possibility is that her father James had more than one wife. First wife Letitia McMillan and second wife Sarah Miller. This might explain why the name Letitia is not present in offspring of all family lines – this is the only aspect that gives me some cause for reservation.
[Sarah’s death rego might be useful to see what it says about parents. It might support or cancel my theory about 2 wives for James F]

[Neale1961]

One gets the impression that James Fullerton schoolmaster may still have been alive at the time of some of those marriages in the 1840s, but then he must have died well before death registration started in 1864.

Griffiths valuations showing in the parish of Connor:
 3 Fullerton lease holders at Tullaghgar.
James F, Alexander F,  and Sarah F.
We can identify James (junior) and Alexander, but I wonder if Sarah might be the widow of James F (senior), a second wife ? - Sarah Miller? No death found for her either, so before 1864.

Your John Fullerton lease holder at Tullynamullan

Robert John Fullerton (as above) lease holder at Ballee

A couple of other Fullertons in the same parish may be part of the extended family.

[Blairvadach]

One gets the impression that James Fullerton schoolmaster may still have been alive at the time of some of those marriages in the 1840s, but then he must have died well before death registration started in 1864.

Griffiths valuations showing in the parish of Connor:
 3 Fullerton lease holders at Tullaghgar.
James F, Alexander F,  and Sarah F.
We can identify James (junior) and Alexander, but I wonder if Sarah might be the widow of James F (senior), a second wife ? - Sarah Miller? No death found for her either, so before 1864.

Your John Fullerton lease holder at Tullynamullan

Robert John Fullerton (as above) lease holder at Ballee

A couple of other Fullertons in the same parish may be part of the extended family.

Hi Neale
Found the Griffiths valuation.
Does the fact that she has a house and garden mean anything?
She attached DC for Sarah and John
States father was a farm labourer…..on my Johns he’s a labourer!!
Sarah and John lived less than 4 miles away from each other!!! I don’t think that is coincidental do you?

Another interesting fact is that Nancy Rea d 1903 in buried alongside her first husband Alexander at Tullygarley….

Thanks again for all your help and support.
Cheers Tam

[Neale1961]

I don't know too much about the Griffiths Valuations except it gives the names of leaseholders, who you would expect to be the the head of the house. Seeing a woman named, I assumed the lease would have been passed to a widow from a deceased husband. I can't imagine that a young single woman would be a lease holder. That is why I speculated that "Sarah Fullerton" might be the widow of James the schoolmaster.

Regarding the posted death certs - the images posted are too small to read on the screen, and I think it might be a copyright infringement to post the whole thing anyway. It is always a good idea to look at who the informant was, to see how accurate their knowledge and recording of details might be.