Continuing with the Fulton and Wynkoop family connections... Like sun-burned archaeologists, we are hunched over pits of debris sifting the Fulton information included in the "Charles Blair Tavenner Collection" housed at the Thomas Balch Library for History & Genealogy. Our "Fulton-On-The-Scene" is Carol (Fulton) Proctor, a resident of Loudoun County, Virginia, with no apparent connections to any of these Fulton families! (I just wanted everyone to know that -- Carol is MY cousin and you can't claim her!) Before we begin, here is that list I made of Fulton tithables (included in "Fulton + Wynkoop (Pt 9)"... [Source: Hopkins, Margaret L. "Index to The Tithables of Loudoun County, Virginia," (Photocopy, unknown publication information), page 28.] 1765 Hugh Fulton, Loudoun County 1768 Hugh Fulton, Loudoun County 1771 Hugh Fulton, Shelburne Parish -> John Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1772 Hugh Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1773 Hugh Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1775 David, Hugh, & Robert Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1776 David & Robert Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1777 David & Robert Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1778 David & Robert Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1779 Hugh, Robert, & Robert Fulton Jr, Shelburne Parish 1782 Hugh, Robert, & David, Shelburne Parish 1783 Robert, Robert Jr., & David Fulton, Shelburne Parish 1784 William Fulton, Cameron Parish 1785 William Fulton, Cameron Parish What's a Tithable? (Or, more correctly, Who's a Tithable?) A tithe was the English term for a tax. Usually (?), Males, over 21, were required to pay the tithe. I've seen some jurisdications where Males were exempted for infirmity, military service, or old age. Often, to encourage settlement, newcomers were allowed a "grace period" before they were required to pay. (Warning! I do NOT know the rules that were in effect in Loudoun Co, VA between 1765 and 1785.) A portion of the Tithe was used to support the English Church and Ministers, the rest was used for public services and to line the pockets of public officials, a tradition that continues. We had a Revolution so now we don't give any public money to churches; they have to solicit their own "tithes and offerings." Basically, every Fulton on this "List of Tithables" was at least 21 years of age on the date listed. Not all lists have survived, so it is not uncommon to see gaps in the years. Not everyone was able or willing to tithe, so their name may not appear on the tithe list but may appear on a "List of Delinquents", if it survived. There are 26 separate Fulton entries on this List. Theoretically, there could be 26 different Fulton males who paid the tithe, then died or left the area. However, there are only 6 different Fulton names, Hugh, John, David, Robert, Robert Jr., and William. I find it hard to believe that 26 Fultons paid tithes but I'm also unconvinced that only 6 Fultons paid tithes. * * * * * How do you KNOW that, Mr. Tavenner? (continuing from Part 15) [I'm referring back to text included in the message titled "Fulton/Wynkoop - Loudoun Co., VA" posted 2 Mar 2000 by TheProctors] "This Robert <referring to witness Robert F. Fulton, 1776/77?> was shown as 'security' for the marriage of David Fulton (c. 1771-1823) & Rachel Smith October 29, 1787 and Robert 'attested to the age of Rachel' [and identified by Mr. Tavenner as the son of Robert Fulton (1798)]." Wow! This statement is really loaded! Tavenner concludes that Robert Fulton, SON of Robert Fulton (d 1798), attested to the age of Rachel Smith in 1787. How does Tavenner know it wasn't the older Robert Fulton? or Robert F. Fulton? or some other Robert Fulton just passing through? The Robert Fulton who witnessed Oxley's Will in February 1776 and proved it in October 1777, using the name "R. F. Fulton", is probably the Robert Fulton tithable for 1775, 1776 and 1777. (Why doesn't he use the middle initial on the tithe list?) Is this the same Robert Fulton who tithes in 1778 and 1779? Maybe. Robert Fulton Jr. pays in 1779. Either he has just come of age (b bef 1759), or he has just qualified as a tithable (arrived within the last few years). The "Jr." doesn't prove he is the son of the other Robert, but it does suggest he is younger than the other Robert. We know that in 1792, a Robert Fulton signed a Will providing first for his son Robert Fulton. We also know that Hugh Fulton (d 1803) had no legal heir named Robert. I'm willing to concede that there were only two Robert Fultons on this tithe list. (Are you?) However, which Robert Fulton witnessed the Oxley Will? I'm uncomfortable with Tavenner's conclusion that it is Robert, son of Robert who died in 1798. I'd really like to see some document supporting this conclusion. While we're thinking about "Robert Fulton Jr.", the one on the 1779 list ... the headstone for the Robert Fulton buried at Leesburg Methodist Cemetery, shows "1763-1841" Was a man required to tithe at age 16? (Really need to verify the rules in Loudoun County!) Headstones, if placed at the time of death, are usually accurate about the death year but may contain erroneous birth years. Robert Fulton was close to 80 years old when he died in 1841. The stone was arranged for by a relative (a second wife, perhaps?), often someone who wasn't around when the deceased was born. What about that David Fulton - Rachel Smith marriage in 1787? How do we know that David Fulton who married Rachel Smith is the son of Robert Fulton (d 1798)? Couldn't he just as easily be the son of Hugh Fulton? Or, couldn't he also be any one of the six Davids on the tithe list? The life span estimate for David Fulton (c. 1771-1823) is clearly wrong for this particular marriage. If groom David was born in 1771, then he would only be 16 when he married Rachel Smith and somebody would have to give permission for him to marry. Males had to be "of age", usually 21, to marry without consent. [By the way... "circa", also shown as "c." or "ca" indicates a 10-year span of time and means "5 years before or 5 years after this date."] Robert Fulton (which one?) steps in to "attest" to Rachel's age, suggesting that she is of legal age to marry (18 or older, b bef 1770). Notice that Robert did not give "consent" for her to marry which would imply she was under age 18. If David Fulton was born in 1766, he would be 21 at the time of this marriage in 1787. Therefore, groom David Fulton's life span estimate should be written "(bef 1767-1823)". Wait a minute! 1823? How do you KNOW that? Obviously, there's some additional information in Loudoun County regarding this couple. Somebody knows that David, husband of Rachel, died in 1823. Somebody also knows that Robert S. Fulton and David Fulton were sons of this man. We really ought to clarify this so we can eliminate some of these extraneous Fultons we're stumbling over. Let's see -- what does this information tell us about the Fultons on the tithe list? Let's assume that there are only two Robert Fultons on the tithe list. Robert Fulton, d 1798 [also known as "R. F." Fulton] son Robert Fulton, d 1841 [also known as "Jr."] Let's assume that David Fulton who married Rachel Smith was a young man, just 21 in 1787. That means he is NOT any one of the six David Fultons on the tithe list. So, who is(are?) the David(s) Fulton who tithed in 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778 and 1782, 1783? Is it David, son of Hugh Fulton? Is it David, the one who married Rachel Smith? Is it David, son of Robert Fulton (d 1798)? Is it some other David(s) Fulton? If I told you that a Fulton child was born here in 1789 and abandoned by his father when the mother died and the child was raised by relatives in Kentucky, would you change your opinion? Patrice (Fulton) Stark Lone Tree, Colorado