Notes for: Ambrose FULLER Jr.
Ambrose Fuller Jr, son of Ambrose Sr., was born in Jackson Township, Luzerne Co. Penn on November 19, 1829. In the summer of 1839, Ambrose Jr. moved with his family, along with his grandmother Hannah Fuller (Hill), wife of Jehiel Fuller, by covered wagon 800 miles west to Elmira, Stark Co., Illinois. They traveled by way of Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, thru the Black Swamps of Indiana, and arrive at the Illinois River across from Peoria. They crossed the river on a ferry to stop at his cousin's William Winter at Prince's Grove where they stayed overnight. The next day the arrived at the home of Lemuel Dorrance near Modena in Stark Co., Illinois, and wintered there in Mr. Dorrance's old log cabin that he left after building a new home. The journey took 45 days. The next year on March 12, 1840 he moved into his families new home in Elmira, IL. Ambrose Jr. grew up on the plains between Elmira and Toulon and later wrote of his childhood days on these plains. He told of the wolves, rattlesnakes, prairie chickens, wild geese, sand-hill cranes and deer and buffalo on the prairie. He embraced farming until he married Alice J. Woodard on February 8, 1854, also born in Luzerne Co., Penn. on April 14, 1836. Then they moved to Johnson Co., Iowa. He engaged in the lumber business until 1855 when he bought 160 acres of wild prairie land in Western, Linn Co., Iowa and once again began farming. The farm was 160 acres in SW ¼ of Section 22, T82N, R7W, College Township, Linn Co., Iowa about 9 miles north of Western and a half-mile west. The location is now known as 400 & 716 Wright Brother Blvd E., Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In the spring of 1885, Ambrose sold his farm in Linn County and he and Alice moved near Liscomb, Marshall Co. Iowa, about 11 miles north of Marshalltown. His sons James and Ambrose "Bert" were farming in Marshall Co. and probably in the same area. In the summer of 1885 on August 25th Alice Fuller passed away from a tumor in her stomach and was brought back to Western Cemetery in Linn Co., Iowa about a mile from their old home place. Ambrose Jr. continued farming until 1891 and then he returned to Elmira, IL. In 1893, he married Mary Adams. In 1899, Mary died on September 25th. Ambrose Jr. went into general merchandise business known as Fuller & Fuller with his son Ralph, formerly owned by his brother Clinton Fuller, sometime before and during 1908. He spends time with his son Jim and grandson A.W. Fuller in Alymra, Arkansas in his last years. They were also farmers. Helen Fuller Fowler, Ambrose Fuller Jr.'s granddaughter, remembered her days with Ambrose Jr.. They called him "Little Grandpa". He was probably about 5'4". Ambrose died on May 29, 1921 in Washta, Cherokee Co., Iowa while visiting his son Ambrose "Bert" Fuller.
Ambrose continued the families past history of moving west by moving 140 miles west to Iowa to Linn Co then another 75 miles west to Marshall Co. Iowa. The Fuller family had now moved over 1,400 miles west from their Mayflower landing at Plymouth, MA.