Benjamin and Mary Fulkerson's gravestones

Benjamin Fulkerson born 1770.  died 1818 in Butler County Ohio. Mary (Poly) Ann Fulkerson born Feb 1777  died 1833 in Butler County Ohio Ben and Mary were married on December 12. 1801 in Shenandoah county Virginia

Hiram Fulkerson Angeline Beardsley

Leepe Fulkerson

Stella Fulkerson Daniel Fleenor 1st Jacob Hounsaker 2nd

Epperson Fulkerson Mary Ann Crocket 1st Elizabeth C. Sheperd 2nd

Betsy Ann Fulkerson

Benjamin and Poly were married during the midst of some personal family problems.  Poly's brother Andrew had entered into a land deal with Benjamin in Shenandoah Valley Virginia.  During the month of December 1801, around the time Benjamin and Poly were married, Andrew renigged on the deal and tried to back out.  Benjamin had to file suit in Court to get Andrew to honor the sale.  Andrew made many personal attacks on Benjamin including an accusation that he debauched his sister Poly and threatened to leave the county if Andrew didn't sell him the land.  He even insinuated that Benjamins brother Richard was part of the effort to trick Andrew to give up the property.  Richard was married to Poly's sister Clara who was pregnant with her first child Delila.   We are not sure what set off this series of personal attacks and the effort not to honor an agreed on sale as the Moore family was a quiet and honorable family who's patron, John Moore, was once a Quaker but ousted from the church for marrying outside his faith.  So Andrew and his sisters would've been raised with some of these triditions.  The only clue we've found of a possible explanation is an inscription on their daughter Stella's tombstone.  Stella died in October 1835 and the Tombstone reads she was 35 years old.  If that inscription is correct she would've been born as early as October 1800.  A little over a year before her parents Marriage.  That may have been enough to set Andrew off and make the accusations that Benjamin would marry Poly and save her honor if he sold the land.  All indications were that Benjamin loved Poly and would've married her anyways.  Stella coul've been born as late as the summer of 1802 with these same results.  Was Andrew a hothead who blew the issue out of proportion?  At the moment we don't know. After their move to Ohio Benjamin and Poly's family suffered many early deaths.  Benjamin himself died young in 1818.  His will names the above five children and insinuates an unborn child Poly was carrying at the time.  Poly died in 1833 along with Stella's first husband Danial Flennor.  Betsy's husband John Galbreath died in 1835, the same year as Stella.  Leepe has not been found nor any unknown Fulkerson that would've been Benjamins unborn child in 1818.  did those two also die young?? The Theory for these early deaths may be attributed to a cholera epidemic that hit southern Ohio during that time period.  Betsey lived until at least 1850 and had two children but no trace of them had been found since.  Only Epperson and Hiram Lived long and had large families that can be traced.

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