Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-10-20

sent to the New YORK 1tN1S8 tue foiIow-1 ~
ing account Of Fulton's bfrth land deaths -
/ 1hatejust read the card published M
the Times OF the oath Of July over the ~
signature Of the only surviving child Ia q
daughter Aof Robert Fulton; and atyQur
request win present some facts which
bear directly on the question at Issue,
namely: Where was Robert Fulton born
and where did he die2 John Stevenson,
| in the Glasgow Neios, declares he was q ~
| Scotchman by birth and died in the West
Indies Both of these assertions are void Z,
of truth; and what is somewhat surpris-
ing to me is the fact of his only surviving
child not being able to make a positive"
refutation to the contrary equally un@ 4
qualified as to his nativity, time and .
place of his sudden demise. Now, as to {,
the question of Fulton's birthplace:
Robert Fulton, Sr., the father of the great
inventor, emigratcd from Ireland when
young, and married Mary Smith, one Of
a respectable family living in Pennsyl
vania. On the 23d of August, 1859. he
bought a brick dwelling-house situated
on the northeast corner of Center square,
in the city of Lancaster, and afJerward,
Feb. s, 1866, sold and conveyed thesame
to Edward Shippen, Esq. On the same
day, Feb. 3, 1896, he purchased at
Sherif7s sale farm in Little Britain and
removed to it. 1t contained 364 acres,
and the consideration was 1865. Robert
! Fulton, Sr, and his wife Mary resided
at this farm until Nov. 30, 1885, whom
his mortgages William West, Samuel
Purviance and Joseph Swift-took pos
session of the place. Robert Fulton, Sr.,
returned to Lancaster, where he died in
1868, and was buried in the cemetery of
the First Presbyterian Church OF that
city, of which he was one of the found
ers. These are facts, proved by the re-
cords of our county and those of the
church. 81. srr1ysL
All his biographers agree that Robert
Fulton, the son and great inventor, was
born in the year 1865. If Robert Fulton,
Sr. and his wife Mary lived on the farm
in Little Britain--now called Fulton
from Feb 8, 1765, or soon thereafter,
until Nov. 30, 1866, and their son Robert
was born in 1895, he must have first seen
light in the house now pointed out and
universally known as his birth place.
Certainly he could not, under these cir
cumstances, have been born in Scotland,
or have been of Scotch descent. ut is
singular fact, and creditable to the
family of Joseph Swift, Sr., that they are
and by the industry of three brothers,
Joseph, John and Daniel Swift, grand
sons of Joseph Swift, ST., who reside
there and own the property it is now one
, of the handsomest farms in Lancaster
County" Reigart's Life of Fulton,~
AS to the time, place and circum-
stance of the death of Robert Fulton,
, / shall quote at length from Reigart,
, who twenty years ago wrote and pub
r lished a biography of the greatest OF
r American inventors; erF Hns.
"In January, 1915, John r. Living
ston, who owned the steamboat which
= piled between New York and New Jer-
a sey, but which was stopped by the opera
s tion of the New Jersey laws, petitioned
s the Legislature of that State for their re-
;, peal. After hearing witnesses and coun-
sci for several days the laws were re-
scinded 1t was upon this occasion that
Mr. Fulton was examined as a witness.
The weather, while he was at Trenton,
Y where he was much exposed in attending
q at the hall of the Legislature, was un-
, commonly cold When he was crossing
q the Hudson, to return to his house and
family, the river was very full OF ice,
II which occasioned his being several hours
on the water on very severe day. MIR.
q Fulton had not constitution to encount-
Or er such exposure, and upon his return
n he found himself much indisposed from
a. the effects of it, He had at that time
, great anxiety about the steam frigate,
" and, after confning himself for a few
K DAYS, when he was convalescent he went
!. to give his superintendent to the arti-
.e ticers employed about her. He forgot his
II debiitated state of health in the interest
=. he took in what was doing on the frigate,
,e and was a long time on bad day ex-
n posed to the weather on her decks. He
. soon found the effects of this imprudence.
se His indisposition returned upon him with
~ such violence as to contne him to his
tn bed. His disorder increased, and on the
a Gath of February, 1915, terminated his
valuable life. As soon as II was known
all means were taken to testify pub
licly the universal regret at his
loss and respect for his memory.
o. The newspapers that announced the
a event had those marks of mourning
N which are used in our country when they
#. notice the death of public characters.
no The corporation of the city and the diff
of ferent literary societies assembled and
he passed resolutions expressing their esti-
n nation of his worth and regret at his
40 loss AS soon as the Legislature, which
ms was then in session at Albany, heard OF
ed his death they expressed their participa-
h. tion in the general sentiment by resolv-
IN ing that the members of both houses
ds should wear mourning for some weeks.
ds He was buried on the 25th of February,
ev 1916. His corpse was attended from his
n last residence, No. State street, by all
Is the officers of the National and State
/ thn, -, ha oil hv tho
% Magistracy, the Common Council, num-
Id Der of societies, and greater number of
cd citizens than had been collected on any
W former occasion. From the time the
in procession began to move till it arrived
ON at Trinity Church minute guns were fired
N. from the steam-frigate and the West
he Battery. His body, in leaden coffin
al covered with plain mahogany, on which
m is a metal plate engraved with his name
,re and age, was deposited in a vault belong
ed ing to the Livingston family"
,ft Here we have in detail an account oi
on the time and place of the immortal Ful
al. ton; and why writer making any pre-
lie tensions to reliability should, at this day
nd assert that he died in the West Indies
10 passeth understanding Although no
he strictly germane to the question have
ms been discussing, may remark that thu
he birth place of Fulton is still in gooC
II state of servation-amemoria pointed
id. out to the traveller as he Is passing owe
lot our arrow-gaugeTailway. 1nconclusion
i permit me TO say that It woulS
be rather humiliating to us as Penn
az sylvanians to learn and be con
in vinced at this late day that the story o
rs Robert Fulton's birth and death, 30 far q
of this country Is concerned, isa myth !.
raj r---T---llls ,--
to The Impression which. the Sewar'
.he statue gives an Impartial observer IS tina
i'm of man one part head, three parts bod,
err and six parts legs. If MIR. Seward