While reading the Fulton-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 31, concerning the Banta Family connections with Fultons, I remembered coming across references to the Banta surname while researching other family lines in southeastern Indiana. After a private email to Roberta, she encouraged me to post the following. My Fulton line derives from John Fulton born about 1733 in Kilkenny (maybe) Ireland. His wife was Jane Dills. The oldest child of this couple, as far as we know, was Samuel Fulton, born 1 Jul 1762 near Carlisle, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. At some time prior to 1780, John Fulton and his family moved to White Deer Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, for in that year, except for Samuel who was away with the militia, they were captured by Indians and taken to Canada, where they were kept for two years and four months, then released and returned to settle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. This according to Samuel Fulton's Revolutionary pension application and the History of Dearborn County, Indiana, published 1885. The 1790 Federal Census of East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania enumerates John Fulton (living next to Francis Fulton) with three white males over sixteen years, one white male under sixteen years and four white females over sixteen years. We are inclined to believe this is our John Fulton. According to the same 1885 History of Dearborn County, Indiana, John Fulton, and his family, left Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1794 and moved westward, remained in Washington County, Pennsylvania, one year, and in the Spring of 1796 descended the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers and landed at Newport, Kentucky "with a view of locating at Lexington, Kentucky, where a brother of John Fulton had previously engaged in merchandising". They remained at Newport, about two years, then located on the present site of Rising Sun, Northwest Territory "The Gore", then Dearborn now Ohio County, Indiana, in 1798. This couple, along with their sons Samuel and Thomas, their daughter Mary, and Christopher Huston, who was Samuel Fulton's brother-in-law, and their families, were the first settlers at Rising Sun. Until the town of Rising Sun was platted in 1811, the site was known as Fulton's Landing. Sometime around (can't find my reference) 1813, Switzerland County, Indiana, was formed and the county seat of Vevay was established on the Ohio River about thirty miles south and west of Rising Sun. The town of Pleasant is in the north central part of Switzerland County, about twenty miles west southwest of Rising Sun. Enter the Banta Family. This will be brief because this is, thus far, not one of my lines of research. Nevertheless, the surname has cropped up enough times that I immediately recognized it. From the 1885 History of Switzerland County, Indiana, paraphrased: BANTA, Rev. Henry D., born Henry County, Kentucky in 1785, son of Daniel and Anna Banta. Henry D. Banta married Eleanor Van Osdol, had six children, then removed from Kentucky and settled in Pleasant Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, in 1816. He was forty years a Baptist minister, ordained in 1830. Served in the War of 1812. Was the father of thirteen children. VORIS, Cornelius A., born 1784 died 1863, married Catherine Woodfield. His parents were Albert A. Voris and Anna Banta of Pleasureville, Shelby County, Kentucky. Cornelius Voris was an elder of the Presbyterian Church and a Major in the War of 1812. Catherine Woodfield Voris died in 1833 and Cornelius Voris then married Mary Banta who was his mother's cousin. The community of Pleasant, in Pleasant Township, Switzerland County, was known as "the Dutch settlement". Brushy Fork Baptist Church, Pleasant Twp., Switzerland County, founded in 1818, developed from one of the most mixed populations in Jefferson and Switzerland Counties, drew it's membership from three groups of recent immigrants, the Irish Henry, Gilliland, Charlton families, The English Firth and Owen families, and the Scots families of Harper, Dalgleish, McGregor, Francis and Cowan. It also drew from pioneer families including Griffins and Greens and the Low Dutch families of Banta, Van Osdol, and Lentz. Pleasant Township Presbyterian Church dates from 3 Oct 1829. Original members Samuel Gregg, Charles Dawson, Mary Dawson, Richard Carnine, Dennis Carnine, John Bandy, Christopher Bergen, Isaac Vannice, Cornelius R. Voris, Henry P. Banta, Daniel H. Demaree, John Blunk, John D. List, Cornelius A. Voris. Although the Low Dutch formed the nucleus of the early church, it also drew upon the Scottish settlement which abutted it. Pleasant Grove Methodist Church was formed in Pleasant Township about 1832 and among it's early members were Abbie Van Osdol, Abraham and Rachel Banta, Theodore and Rachel Van Osdol. There are some intriguing similarities in names and birthdates between the families of John Fulton of Dearborn County, Indiana, and John Fulton who was the father of Jennie/Jane/Jeany Fulton who married Henry Banta in Kentucky. This Henry Banta was born in 1786 in (maybe) Mercer County, Kentucky, while the Indiana Henry Banta was born in 1785 in Henry County, Kentucky. Concerning the General Samuel Fulton "who lived on a large plantation outside of Carlisle, Kentucky", the Samuel Fulton of Indiana was born at or near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I'd like to know how Carlisle, Kentucky came by it's name. Samuel Fulton, of Indiana, was a Revolutionary War pensioner, an officer of the militia of the Northwest Territory, a justice of the peace, an associate judge, all before Dearborn County was formed in 1803. He was also a founding member of the Presbyterian Church at Rising Sun. Lastly, according to the 1885 History of Dearborn and Ohio Counties, Indiana, John Fulton was a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, came with his father to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, had three brothers, Robert, Hugh and Andrew and the family were among the founders of the First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. John Fulton was apprenticed to a blacksmith, his brother Robert to a tailor, and brothers Hugh and Andrew to farmers. It goes on to say that this brother, Robert, was the father of the inventor of the steamboat. Likewise, John Fulton of Kentucky, father-in-law of Henry Banta, was an uncle of Steamboat Bob and George Washington slept there, too. Well, maybe....... The most edifying information I have received from this list was the recent posting regarding the twenty given names that were repetitively given to Fulton children. No wonder we have a "can of worms"! Sorry to make this short. I'll be glad to provide sources and/or details at a later time, but I'm a tax accountant, among other things, and this is my busiest time of year. Still, I'll keep my ear to the ground about this matter. Myrna Madigan, from Thomas, s/o John Fulton, Dearborn Co IN '"hiding out in the weeds and woods of the Great Illinois Prairie"