The research objective for William Fuller was to find source records for his birth. A timeline is a tool researchers use to organize records, identify gaps, and find new research areas. A timeline for William Fuller could help make progress in finding out more about his birth.

Census records for William Fuller

Census records starting in 1850 and later include an age or birth year. The birth information may not be entirely correct or reliable, but it will provide useful evidence. The primary record for William Fuller and his family was the 1860 U.S. Census. This census reported that William Fuller was born about 1830.¹ This date was 20 years later than the birth information found in the Roots family genealogy of 1810.² A variation of a few years could be correlated, but 20 years is a significant gap that needs to be explained.

Additional census records before and after the 1860 U.S. Census for William Fuller have eluded researchers. If additional census records can be found, the birth information will help clarify William Fuller’s birth. A timeline will highlight where William Fuller was when the census was conducted.

Timeline

A table or spreadsheet can collect records listed in date order. The table should include columns for a date, event, location, and a source citation. Additional columns can be added as needed to track any additional data. The timeline for William did reveal some record gaps for William Fuller.

William Fuller was involved in the buying and selling of land in Staten Island or Richmond County, New York.³ These records place William Fuller in that location in 1850. It’s not entirely clear if his family also lived in the same location, but it seems very likely since his son Howard John Fuller was born in Richmond County in 1849.⁴ This was followed by the birth of another son, Aspinwall Fuller, in 1851 in Richmond County.⁵

This means the family was most likely in Richmond County in 1850, and they should be listed there in the 1850 U.S. Census. Unfortunately, a search of the 1850 U.S. Census returned no results for William or any of his family members in New York. A wider search of the entire country also did not return results.

It is possible the family was elsewhere in June 1850. Could they have been on vacation in another location? Or did they avoid the census enumerator? Perhaps the family was recorded in the census, but their names were recorded or transcribed incorrectly. A page-by-page search of the census for Richmond County could either find the family or eliminate that location as a possibility.

Next Steps

The timeline can continue to be used to identify gaps and new research opportunities. A quick search of census records may not return the hoped for results. It may be helpful to do some historical research on Richmond County, New York. Historical context may provide some insight about the family that the usual records can’t provide.

This type of research can be done by looking at record collections held by local historical societies and archives. The FamilySearch Research Wiki includes a list of these types of repositories and includes:

• County Historian
• Staten Island Historical Society
• Tottenville Historical Society

Sources

1. 1860 U.S. Census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Post Office New York City, p. 310 (penned), dwelling 1087, family 1455, Wm. Fuller household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 13 January 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication M653. ↩︎
2. James Pierce Root, Root Genealogical records, 1600-1870 : Comprising the general history of the Root and Roots families in America (R. C. Root: Anthony & Co., 1870), images 216-217; digital images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 13 January 2024). ↩︎
3. See the sources attached to William Fuller on his FamilySearch profile. ↩︎
4. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 March 2025), memorial 166919833, Howard Fuller, (1849-1904), gravestone photographed by JP Rayder, member 47325025. ↩︎
5. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 March 2025), memorial 53548767, Aspinwall Fuller, (1851-1888), gravestone photographed by KerryRaeSmithMoser, member 48011981. ↩︎