>Greetings to all, >I will present, in parts, an article which appeared in the Kilmarnock <Standard dated 27 August 1881. >When my sister, Roberta, & I went back to Scotland in 1996, we did research >in The Dick Institute, at Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. This is the >article which I found most interesting: ( Please keep in mind the print >was badly blurred in the microfilming and some words or unreadable, I will put >a_____ when I can't read the word\words.) >Florence Fulton Wolfe Part 2 con't: A Mr James Stevenson, residing on his own property in Lockwinock, who said he knew all about the Fulton family and who made the following statement in writing, which I give in his own words as follows: Knowes, 31 March 1875- Robert Fulton was born a Mill of Beith, parish of Beith, Ayrshire in the year 1765. His father, William Fulton was born at Threepwood, also in the parish of Beith about the year 1720. He took a lease of Browninuir(?) and Mill of Beith, corn mill about the year 1742. He married Rosie Mitchell a native of Domberton(?) in the year 1744. He had five daughters and two sons. The eldest son , William, was born about the year 1747 or 1748, he became a partner in the firm of Fulton, Buchannm and Pollock who erected a large cotton mill. Among the workman employed were the late William Dunn of Duntocher, and Henry Bell of Glasgow. Robert Fulton, when young was educated in the highest branches of learning being master of nine different languages. He had a cousin, Henry Fulton, in London who had a warehouse, and Robert's father intended him to go there. He was educated as that he might be able to conduct business with foreign merchants. He went to London about the year 1788, but did not like to be__ in the __ or the office. He went to sea many different voyages, was at Greenland, America, and the Indies. He was often in London and came different times to Scotland to his father, mother and his brother and sisters, and also got models and machines made by his brother's workmen at Lochwinnoch for some of his inventions. He was in Scotland about the year 1801__ __ __ boat in the F__ Clyde canal along with Henry Bell. He was about London after that. He had inventions of different things which he made offer of to the British Government, but they would give him no encouragement. After that he went to Paris and made offer of them to Bonaparte. The British government hearing he made offer of them to Bonaparte, issued an order for his apprehension. He was in Paris about the year 1803, and left for America in company with the American Consul, Livingston. He got aquatinted with his daughter of niece, Harriet Livingston, in the vessel, and was married to her in a short time. It was after that that he started the steam-boat on the Hudson River. He had been at great expense and got into difficulties for want of money. He left America and went to Antigua, and commenced business and remained there, except when visiting his friends in Scotland. I recollect him being here , in this house, visiting my father and mother; my sister and elder brother recollect the __. It was in the year 1821; he returned to Antigua and died in about a year after that. Also his wife died about a year after him. His will & settlement came home and was in the hands of Martin & Simpson_, Paisley; the way I know this, he was an uncle to both my father & mother ; their mothers being both sisters of Robert Fulton. The few statements herein contained are within my own knowledge. John Stevenson By this very statement herewith contained, it appeared we had discovered that the celebrated Robert Fulton was not merely of Ayrshire parentage, but was himself born in Ayrshire, a __, if substantiated, of ordinary importance to us as Scotsman, who proud of his countrymen Watt and Symington, could now rank with them as country men also of our own, the only rival claimant, of note, to the invention of the marine steam engine. It may have been the one that he was a __ __ __ having proposed to Napoleon a scheme for the invasion of England and disowned the land of his birth and sought protection as an American __ __opinion, however, which __ to confirm our belief that the Robert Fulton of engineering fame was really a Scotsman. Indeed, __dering the statement made by Mr Stevenson, there were many reasons for supporting that such was the case; and our belief was strengthened when, on searching the parochial register of the parish of Beith in the General Register House, Edinburg, we found the following entry; " Robert, lawful son of William Fulton and Rosie Mitchell in the Miln of Beith, April 17th; baptized April 22nd 1764". The only real difference ( apart from the dates 1764 instead of 1765, in the statement), which required to be cleared up was his death in Antigua in 1821, instead of New York in 1815 as stated by his biographers, and , also the fact of his marriage, to Miss Livingston. To ascertain these points, I communicated with the Governor of Antigua, who __ obtained and forwarded, in due time, a copy from the register of the parish of St George in that Island of the entry of death of a Robert Fulton at the age of fifty-three, and his burial on the 25 The November 1819. As this Robert Fulton was buried two years before Mr Stevenson said the Robert Fulton of whom he speaks, as the copy of the will which the Governor of Antigua was also good enough to obtain, makes no mention of the name of Livingston, and as no record could be found in the death in that Island of any other person of the name of Robert Fulton, we reluctantly arrived at the conclusion that, after all, we had not found the man for whom we had made so diligent a search. The incidents in the lives are, however, so much alike, that they are worthy of record, and may give my readers some ideas of the labors of an author to arrive at the truth; labors which are frequently made in vain, as in the present instance. But though the Fulton from Beith was apparently not the Fulton of fame, I have a strong impression that the nephew of my old friend Fulton of Ballig was, though I have not the time at present to make further researches, as this volume is now on its way to press. W.S. Linday Hope you all enjoyed, Florence F Wolfe fwolfe@frontiernet.net