Abner Fuller Proof Summary Companion Website
compiled by Kevin J Fuller November 2025

Project Summary

As a genealogist and direct patrilineal descendant of Edward Fuller of the Mayflower (BigY DNA), my primary focus is to document and prove the life and lineage of Abner Fuller, born in 1724 in Colchester, Connecticut—known in the Mayflower numbering system as Abner⁵. I, Kevin Fuller¹², am seven generations removed from Abner through an unbroken line of Fuller males.

Despite several widely accepted genealogical sources—including published compilations and early Silver Book volumes—indicating that Abner⁵ "probably died young," my research reveals compelling and extensive evidence that he lived a full century, died in 1824 in Easton, New York, and left a documented legacy. Through land records, military service, probate documents, census records, and family wills, we now understand that Abner⁵ did not vanish early in life but rather migrated north to New York, where he established a family, farmed, and served in the Revolutionary War.

This long-overlooked story not only restores Abner⁵’s place in the historical record but also reestablishes a critical branch of the Fuller Mayflower lineage—one that has continued through his son Abner⁶, grandson George W.⁷, and down to me, the twelfth generation from Edward¹.

My neice and I began working on this project in 2020. In January 2023, we created a website to collect our findings as this project progressed.
That website is: edwardfullerfamilytree.org
This new website is dedicated to Abner⁵ and will provide all the previous and recently found documents in a less formal structure. It may include some assumptions or observations, and maybe some research anecdotes, as the data relates to Abner⁵.

Research Objective

To prove that Abner Fuller⁵, born in 1724 in Colchester, Connecticut, is the same individual who later settled in Schaghticoke, Albany County (now Washington County), New York, and died in Easton in 1824 at the age of 99 years and 7 months.

This objective includes:

• Establishing a continuous documentary trail from Colchester to Easton through land records, census appearances, military rolls, and church records;

• Connecting Abner⁵ to his known children—particularly Abner⁶ Fuller, the father of George W.⁷ Fuller, anchoring the generational continuity;

• Refuting earlier genealogical assumptions that Abner⁵ “probably died young” by presenting positive proof of his long life and numerous records of activity into the 19th century;

• Demonstrating that no other Abner Fuller of the same age and profile existed during this period to avoid identity conflation;

• Compiling all of this into an exhaustive and well-documented proof summary suitable for submission to Mayflower societies, historical registries, and lineage organizations.

Was Abner born? Yes, he was.

Abner Fuller was born on December 10, 1724, in Colchester, Connecticut, to Samuel Fuller and Naomi Rowley. His birth is recorded in the Colchester town records, now preserved in the Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records. These official town records provide the earliest documentation of his existence and establish his place within the Fuller family of Colchester. The family’s deep New England roots, tracing back to Edward Fuller of the Mayflower, are supported by a strong documentary trail that includes Abner’s listing in 19th- and 20th-century genealogies.

Notably, Abner appears on page 42 of William Hyslop Fuller's Genealogy of Some Descendants of Edward Fuller of the Mayflower, a respected early compilation that connects him to the established Fuller line. He is also included in the General Society of Mayflower Descendants’ Silver Book series, which documents five generations of Edward Fuller’s descendants—specifically on page 44 of Volume Four (2nd edition). Although the Silver Book suggests Abner “probably died young,” the historical record proves otherwise, revealing a full life that took him from Connecticut to Schaghticoke and Easton, New York. This website aims to correct that oversight by documenting the evidence that supports his long and active life.

But, did he die young? No, he did not.

Coming up, we'll explore documents recently found at the Connecticut State Library. Specifically, Hartford County Court records that have been stored for 271 years, and never digitized. Turns out, our ancestors were a litigious bunch and there is quite a lot to be learned by combing through old lawsuits. Like business loans, debtor's prison & illegal marriages.