The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-04-29
Hiram J. Fuller Was Honored by His
Children Last Evening.
Was One of the Earliest Settlers of
Blue Earth County.
Well Known Citizen Has Reached His
Eightieth Birthday.
Has Lived a Long, Useful and Upright
Life-.-His Career.
From Thursdays Daily.

From Thursdays Daily.
All the family of Hiram j. Fullers ex-
cept his daughter, Mrs. George Fl. Brown,
and his son, Bertram III. Fuller, 'both
of Brainerd, were present at the family
reunion held last evening at the Fuller
home, 407 North Broad street, in honor
of the fathers eightieth. birthday. IThe
son and daughter aforesaid have both
recently visited their parents, but were
unfortunately unable to be present at
the reunion. Mrs. Browns husband is
cashier of the First National bank at
Brainerd. Bertram II. Fuller is maehin-
list in the railroad shops in that city.
The members of the family who were
gathered at the home on North Broad
street last evening were Mr.. and Mrs.
Hiram j. Fuller, six sons, three daugh-
tiers and two grandchildren. The sons
and daughters in the order of their age
are as follows: Charles N. Fuller who
lives on one of the two family farms in
Lime township; Edwin j. Fuller, a
street car conductor at Minneapolis, Mrs.
w. G. Randolph, who lives at the Leech
Lake Indian reservation, where her hus-
band serves the federal government in
the capacity of property clerk; Mrs.
George Fl. Brown; Miss Elizabeth R.
Fuller, who lives on one of the family
farms; Bertram H. Fuller; William
F. Fuller, who lives with his
wife ON one of the family
farms; George F. Fuller, who works on
one of these farms; Grover c. Fuller, a
boy of twenty, who drives a wagon for
the Balzer milk establishment; Miss Ida
M. Fuller, a student at the Mankato
high school; and Lewis w. Fuller, thir-
teen years old, who attends the Union
school.
The two little grandchildren are Row
land T. and Richard W. Randolph, sons
of Mr.. and Mrs. w. c. Randolph. These
little fellows play with the Chippewa
Indian children on the Leech Lake reser-
walton. They have thus learned many
words and expressions of the Chippewa
language, and talk them off glibly as if
they were themselves natural-born red
skins. The boys are not much beyond
the age at which children learn to talk
and it seems likely that they will learn
Chippewa as fast as they do English.
Both the little boys, besides their
regular names, have been given Indian
appelations. Chief Falmouth has tax
en- great interest in Rowland, having
been attracted by the child's blue eyes.
which the Indians consider very beau
tiful. The chief has given the boy the
name of "Muckindwowene," signifying
chippewa" Rev. Wright, the Chippewa
Episcopal minister, full blooded In
dian, has given to the younger child the
name, "Negonibinace," meaning "leading
bird" the real name of Chief Falmouth.
When the chief heard of it, he was so de-
. lighted that he at once made the child
a present of little basket of rice, fash
toned out of the claws and bones of an
eagles foot.
The family gathering was very de-
lghtful occasion. The father was pre-
sented with a handsome rocking chair.
Yet all was done very quietly. Hiram j.
Fuller is very feeble, owing tohis old
age, and can endure but little excite
ment. He has had great deal of heart
trouble and other ailment during the
past winter, and seems to be failing
rapidly.
Mr.. Fuller is one of the very first
white men who ever settled in Blue
Earth county. A few settled here before
ne did, but he has the honor of being the
very oldest settler, who actually staid
here, and he was the first white man to
spend a winter in Blue Earth county.
Hiram j. Fuller was born at Pomfret,
Chautauqua county, New York, April
81, 1924. In the year 1852 he moved
to st. Paul and in November of the
same year he came to Blue Earth coun-
ty. Here he took up claim between
Mankato and Kasota and settled down
to his. occupation of tilling the soil. He
has always been farmer and was ac-
tive in this work until about twenty years
ago, when he retired. In the first cleo
ton ever held in Blue Earth county he
was chosen county treasurer, on Oct.
II, 1858. There were but eighteen votes
cast in the entire county. He held town
offices many years in Lime. Seldom
was he out of politics in the town cir
cles.
On June 8, 1863, he was married to
Miss Jane Rathburn, who had come to
Mankato with her parents in 1853. The
couple resided on the farm in Lime
township until the fall of 1896, when
they retired to Mankato.
Mr.. Fuller was one of the defenders of
Mankato during the Indian troubles of
the early sixties. Many a night he
stood guard on the Minnesota river,
keeping an ever watchful eye, for the
appearance of hostile redskins by land
or by water.
Mr.. Fuller is member of the First
Presbyterian church. His friends both
within and without the church circles
are many indeed, as is the just deserts
of one who has lived long, useful, and
upright life, as Mr.. Fuller has.
=