William Davidson Fuller

William Davidson Fuller was born on March 22, 1854 in Farmington, Peoria County, Illinois to James and Margaret (Davidson) Fuller. Sometime shortly after his birth and before the birth of his brother Charles in 1856, his family moved approximately 80 miles north to Walnut, Bureau County, Illinois. His father had purchased land there, which was worth $2,000 by the time of the 1860 census, in which William is enumerated with his mother and father, sister Agnes, brother Charles, sister Sarah Jane, and an 18 year old farm laborer named William Phillips.

William was still a young boy during the Civil War. His father was in his forties and most likely did not serve. In the summer of 1865, a few months after the end of the war, his sister Sarah died.

In the 1870 census, William was 16. Also listed are his parents, siblings Agnes, Charles and possibly another sister named Clara, born about 1865. Also in the household are a 15 year old domestic servant named Paulina McNitt and a 30 year old Swedish farm laborer named Swan Peterson. The value of his father’s farm had increased to $8,500.

Sometime in the late 1870s, William met Gertrude Helen Rodd, a native of England who immigrated as a young girl. The circumstances by which Gertrude came to the United States and ended up in Bureau County, Illinois are a mystery. Possibly, she may have worked at James Fuller’s farm or a nearby farm as a domestic servant. William and Gertrude married on February 13, 1878 in Princeton, the county seat of Bureau County. William and Gertrude had seven children together: William James, Charles Arthur, Margaret Ellen, James Davidson, Harry Thomas, Frank, and Frederick.

By 1880, William and Gertrude moved over the county line to Hamilton Township, Lee County, Illinois where they are found in the census with their 1 year old son William. Sometime between 1882 and 1885, judging from the birthplaces and birthdates of their children, William and Gertrude moved to Clay Center, Clay County, Nebraska. They are enumerated in Marshall Precinct, Clay County in Nebraska’s 1885 census. They returned to Bureau County sometime after 1888 (when their son Harry was born).

In 1897, William’s father died. The following year, the Bureau County Tribune announced that “W.D. Fuller” was establishing a “new brick store.” It is possible that he inherited some money from his father.

In the Bureau County court records around this time, there is a proceeding in which William declared his mother insane. Margaret was around 80 years old at the time and it is possible that she had dementia. William likely stepped in after James died to help manage her affairs.

In the 1900 census, William is listed in Walnut, Bureau County, Illinois as a plumber. He owned his property free and clear. All William and Gertrude’s children are listed in this census.

In 1901, Robert J. Rodd, an enterprising cousin of William’s wife, transferred a small parcel of land on Northampton Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County, Ohio to William. Robert was the superintendent at the Falls Rivet & Machine Company in nearby Kent, Ohio. William’s sons Charles and Harry would find employment there.

In 1904, William and Gertrude booked a passage across the Atlantic to visit England. They may have visited some of William’s relatives on his father’s side around Bobbing, Kent or some of Gertrude’s Rodd or Beauchamp relatives.

In 1908, William applied for a homestead from the Canadian government on the prairies of Alberta, Canada. From the homestead records, it appears that William went through the process to become a Canadian citizen. He claimed lands in La Pearl, which is close to Edmonton. He made the long journey west a number of times; however, in October 1910, ill health caused him to leave and return to Ohio. Doctors were scarce in Alberta at this time, which likely necessitated the move back to the United States.

On February 15, 1911, William died at the age of 56 of chronic interstitial nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney typically caused by reaction to medication. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Cuyahoga Falls.