Fulkerson Family papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Preston Library
Virginia Military Institute
345 Letcher Ave.
Lexington, VA 24450-0304
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Jeffrey S. Kozak
Phone: (540) 464-7516
Phone: (540) 464-7566
Fax: (540) 464-7089
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

Manuscript collections in the VMI Archives are made available for educational and research use. The VMI Archives should be cited as the source. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright holders. Materials from our collections may not be redistributed, published or reproduced without permission from the VMI Archives. Contact the VMI Archives for additional information.

Preferred citation:

Fulkerson Family papers, 1835-1925. MS 0363. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.50 cubic feet approximately 50 items
Creator:
Fulkerson, Samuel V. (Samuel Vance), 1822-1862, Fulkerson, Samuel V. (Samuel Vance), 1863-1926, Fulkerson, Abram, Jr., 1834-1902, and Jackson, Stonewall, 1824-1863
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Fulkerson Family papers, 1835-1925. MS 0363. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of related to three members of the Fulkerson family: Samuel Vance Fulkerson (1822-1862), his brother Abram Fulkerson, Jr. (1834-1902), and Abram's son, Samuel Vance Fulkerson (1863-1926). Significant items include:

  • Civil War correspondence (dated March-May 1862) written by Samuel V. Fulkerson (1822-1862)
  • Samuel V. Fulkerson's (1822-1862) reports of the Battle of McDowell and the Battle of Winchester (dated May and June 1862)
  • Wartime correspondence (dated 1863 and 1865) written by Abram Fulkerson, Jr. Two letters were written while he was a prisoner of war.
  • A letter of appreciation (dated September 1862) written by General Stonewall Jackson following Samuel V. Fulkerson's (1822-1862) death in battle
In addition to the battles mentioned above, topics include:
  • Battles of Port Republic and Kernstown
  • Death of Turner Ashby
  • Refugee and civilian life
  • Camp life
  • References to Stonewall Jackson, including Samuel V. Fulkerson's (1822-1862 assessment of his character and Abram Fulkerson, Jr.'s reflections following the Jackson's death
Also included are biographical and genealogical material, business and financial papers of Samuel Vance Fulkerson (1863-1926), and family correspondence.

Biographical / historical:

Samuel Vance Fulkerson (1822-1862) was born in Washington County, Virginia to Colonel Abram Fulkerson, Sr. and Margaret Laughlin Vance on October 21, 1822. As a young man he undertook the study of law, and in late 1846 he obtained his license and opened a practice in southwestern Virginia. He served in the United States Army during the Mexican War (1847-1848), and subsequently returned to practice of law in Estillville and Abingdon, Virginia. In 1857 he was elected judge of the thirteenth judicial district and held this position until the beginning of the Civil War. He was a member of the VMI Board of Visitors from 1852 to 1854 and from 1857 to 1858. During the Civil War he served as Colonel of the 37th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He was killed in the Battle of Gaines's Mill, Virginia on June 26, 1862.

Abram Fulkerson, Jr. (1834-1902) was born on May 13, 1834 in Washington County, Virginia and was the younger brother of Samuel V. Fulkerson (1822-1862). He graduated from VMI in 1857, and after a brief career as a teacher, went on to study law. During the Civil War he served as Colonel of the 63rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment and was a prisoner of war (one of the "Immortal 600"). After the War he continued the practice law and was active in politics, serving in the Virginia legislature and in the United States Congress. He 1862 he married Selina Johnson, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and the couple had nine children, including Samuel Vance Fulkerson (1863-1926), VMI Class of 1884. Abram Fulkersonm, Jr. died on December 17, 1902 in Bristol, Virginia.

Samuel Vance Fulkerson (1863-1926) was born on October 22, 1863 in Abingdon, Virginia to Abram Fulkerson, Jr. and Selina Johnson. He graduated from VMI in 1884 and subsequently studied law at the University of Virginia. He was a lawyer (partner in the firm of Fulkerson and Davis in Bristol, Virginia) and served two terms as City Attorney. During the Spanish-American War (1898- 1899) he was a member of the Fourth Tennessee Regiment, United States Volunteers. In 1904 he married Lura Bradley of Sherman, Texas, and the couple had twin sons in April 1906. He died on July 2, 1926 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is buried at East Hill Cemetery, Bristol.

Physical location:
Manuscripts stacks