THE VIRGINIA-OHIO FUSONS A GENEOLOGICAL HISTORY of the VIRGINIA-OHIO BRANCH of the FUSON FAMILY IN AMERICA Cornpiled by SYLVIA C. FUSON FERGUSON (This work was begun in 1926 and the greatest effort at collecting material was made during the two years following. Much material has been added since that time but no attem·pt has bren made to keep all records up to date.) Copyright, 1939, by SYLVI ...\ FUSOX FERGUSON THE OXFORD PRESS OXFORD, OHIO, U.S. A. 1939 The author, SYLVIA FUSON FERGUSON, and her husband, EDWARD BRUCE FERGUSON, and daughter, MARY ISABEL, Oxford, Ohio. Dedicated to my daughter MARY ISABEL FERGUSON and her generation who we hope will carry on the FU80X banner nobly. CONTENTS Foreword 1 CH.A.PTER 1 Fusonia: The English Fusons, the name and the first records found of Fusons in America . ;1 CHAPTER 2 A Brief IIistory of ·virginia . 9 A Brief History of Champaign County, Ohio . 11 CHAPTER 3 Geneologies of the descendants of eight children of ,Yilliam Fu~on, Revolutionary Soldier: A. Joel . 30 B. William . 50 C. ,James . 89 D. Elizabeth Fuson Hancock . 106 E. ,Jeremiah . 117 F. Samuel . 118 G. Isaiah . 120 H. Charle~ . 147 CI-L\PTER 4 Fuson l\finister~ an(l Mi~~ionaries . 167 CTIAPTER a ,Yar Hecord~ . 19f) Fnsons not of the ,~irginia-Ohio Branch . 205 CI-IAPTER 6 '- L,111<1 Urant$ to the R;1rh· ,~irginia-Ohio Fu~ons 215 CTI.APTEH 7 . ' Letter~ from England . 216 '- Index . 219 I LLU STRA Tl ON S l\ir. and Mrs. E. B. Ferguson and Daughter .................. Frontispiece "\Villiam Fuson, Revolutionary Soldier... 7 Map of Champaign County, Ohio. 27 Rev. Joel Fuson. 30 Descendants of "\Vashington Fuson .................................... 39 :\{rs. Eliza V. Finch Watson. 40 John Brammer Fuson. 45 Elder William Fuson. 50 Five Generations of Roland Lee Fuson's Family ......................... 58 Children of William Henry Harric::on Fuson. 60 Levi Harrison Fuson, M.D.. 65 Reynold Clayton Fuson. 67 Alonzo Allen Fuson, M.D.. 70 Mr. and :Mrs. Arthur Nut on Fuson ..................................... 75 Elmer Lee Fuson and Sons. 83 Mr. and :Mrs. Amos J. Fuson and Son. 85 "\Vesley Chapel and Cemetf'ry ........................................... 89 Rev. Chester Garfield Fuson ............................................. 97 William Hancock ........................................................ 108 l\Ir. and Mrs. A. A. Ellis and Children .................................... 113 Major Hancock ......................................................... 116 Mrs. Wilma Fuson Buroker .............................................. 126 Mrs. Margaret Myers Hess .............................................. 139 Mrs. Blanche Myers Graves and Daughter .............................. 140 Rev. Thomas Jefferson Fuson ........................................... 141 Mrs. Oliver Fuson and Children ........................................ 142 :Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ward Fuson ...................................... 143 Charles and Mary Terrell Fuson ....................................... 147 William Terrell Fuson and Family Group .............................. 152 Descendants of Charles Fuson in San Francisco ........................ 157 Mrs. Cora Fuson Kuhns and Daughter ................................. 159 Mary Fuson Brown and Charles Erwin Fuson .......................... 162 Children of Amandus Ulysses Fuson. M.D.............................. 163 Amandus Ulysse~ Fuson, ::VLD.. .................... 164 Rev. Washington Fuson. ........... 169 Rev. Henry J. and Sarah Fuson Finch. ... 1 6!:l Rev. Adoniram Judson Fuson and Family ............................... 17-1 Alvin Hamilton Fuson .................................................. 180 Rev. Orlando Phineas Bishop ........................................... 181 Robert Cecil Fuson. .... • • . ......... 183 Rev. Fern Alm=in ~Iiller.. ............ 184 The Burkwall Family in 1929.. ..... 186 Rev. Ina Collins :VlcCully ana Husbanct... ........................ 197 Henry Harvey Fuson. ........................... 206 Thomas Sewell Fuson. l\I.D..... .............. 208 Jnmes ,Yavne Fuson and Family ....................................... 211 FOREWORD The idea of publishing a Fuson 1-Iistory was one of gradual growth, originating in the author's curiosity concerning her Fuson ancestors and the environmental factors which molded their characters. As the search progressed, the interesting character of the informa­ tion found and the ever-increasing difficulty in obtaining original data brought the realization that some one should endeavor to gather together whatever records were available. Dr. Charles Mason Fuson was perhaps the first }.,uson of the Vir­ ginia-Ohio Branch to make any detailed effort to collect Fuson history. Data collected about 1913 was burned, with his other effects, in a warehouse fire while Dr. Fuson was overseas during his service in the World \Var. He was never able to reassemble his information. Mr. H. H. Fuson of the Virginia-Kentucky Branch was collect­ ing Fuson history ten or twelve years before Dr. C. M. Fuson. Mr. H. H. Fuson has collaborated with this author in gathering material, endeavoring especially to trace the Kentucky~ rrennessee and Missouri Branches while this author followed the Virginia-Ohio Fusons. By determined, tedious and persistent effort, records have been collected. Many letters and questionaires sent out went unanswered. In some cases data was obtained from other sources, believed fairly accurate. In the matter of dates, members of the same family some­ times differed. When this happened, dates given by members quoting frorn family Bible, or for other reasons seemingly authoritative, were used. It is our sincere hope that such as have been collected meet reasouable expectations for accuracy and completeness. The author has rnade every effort to reproduce accurately the information furnished her but assun1es no responsibility for inaccuracies. It is our great dis­ appointment that many have been indifferent to, or neglected answering illquiries. As with any other project of human beings, we have had most encouraging as well as discouraging experiences. The effort has required endless research and correspondence, with infinite patience. Probably no one who has not compiled a work of this character can conceive of the enorn1ity and details of the task. 'rhere are so many who have been deeply interested in this history of their family, and who ha.ve so gladly and generously aided, that I hesitate to list them, lest others equally interested and helpful be 1'he VirginiarOhio I!'usons 01nitted. Special credit must be given H. H. Fuson of Harlan, Ky., tireless investigator and searcher after ~,uson history; Dr. R. C. Fuson, Urbana, Ill.; Dr. Levi II. Fuson, St. Joseph, Mo.; Dr. \V. A. Fuson, Trenton, Mo. ; Mrs. Inez McKain, Independence, Kans. ; Mrs. Ethel Jackson, Gaston, Ind.; Mr. Merritt H. Fuson, Portland, Ore.; Thomas \V. Fuson, N. Y. C.; Miss Fannie Black,- St. Paris, 0.; Mrs. Sarah Blue Huffn1au, St. Paris, 0.; David Fuson, Degraff, 0.; Rev. It .A. Fuson, Indianapolis, Ind.; l{rs. Eliza Finch \Vatson, Mason City, Ill..; Judge Howa1d L. Hancock, Rockville, lud.; Mr. ,v. Ben Fuson, Wood­ ward, Okla.; Mrs. Stella Dernory Ellis, \Y c~t Liberty, 0.; Mr. U. A. ~,uson, Urbana, 0. ;· Mr. James S . .b,uson, New \Vestminster, B. C.; the late John A. Fuson of Wakefield, Ill.; Dr. Chester G. Fuson, Can­ ton, China; Dr. H. 0. T. Burkwall, Canton, China; Mrs. Nancy Fuson Peterson, Springfield, Ore.; Mr. Elmer L. Fuson, Amo, Ind.; Mr. and Mrs. A. N. Fuson, Miami Beach, Fla.; and my patient, helpful hus­ band, E. B. Ferguson. We hope for your appreciation of this effort to collect an authentic family history. We beg that you reserve criticism until you have tried such an undertaking and have faced the discouraging facts of faulty and changing addresses and the indifference or procrastination tllat leaves probably one half our letters unanswered. Th€ Virginia-Ohio Fusons 3 CHAPTER ONE ' . .' . ~aith's Inspiration When trembling faith aspires to rise, And gird with power, which God supplies, · The faithful soul that's tried; Then passing strange, and yet how true, ,v hich way to go, and what to do, The little things decide. By George Parker Fuson from ''Broken Links United", Ch. 14. FUSO.NIA From pedigrees held by Fusons in England, we learn that the Fusons came from Norway to the Free City of Dantzig on the Baltic Sea. It is supposed that they trekked across what is now Germany and came to England about 1600. The first definite record found there is of Anna Fuscham, buried October 13, 1682. The majority of Eng­ lish Fusons were farmers who farmed their own land, but others were soldiers, Bishops, and a noted novelist named "Sarah Grand." Many of the Fusons were buried in the chancel of Welwick Church, not far from Hull, England.. Evidently some of the Fuson emigrants from Dantzig tarried in England but a short time, then proceeded to join other adventurers across the sea to America. Henry Fleet owned land in Lancaster County, Virginia, on Fleet's Bay as early as 1652. He had several Land Patents granted to him for transporting a number of persons to the colonies-among them a Fuson. In. .1663-64 we find Fewson and Fustin in Charles City County, Vir- g1n1a. In the early centuries sound proved more important than spelling, so the name Fuson appears with variations of Fuscham, Fustin, Few­ son, Fewston, Fuston and Fussen. In a letter from F. Fewson Ayre of Hull, England, included among letters in this volume, is stated that the Fuson name in Norway was Lidenson. In southern