Edward Philo Fuller, deceased, was born in Geneseo, Livingston county, N. Y., October 29, 1820, in a house which now stands on Second street in that town, and later occupied by Zirmi H. Austin, but which house, in 1820, stood on Main street, on the site of the Allen Ayrault resident, now known as the Big Tree Inn. He was a lineal descendant of Dr. Samuel Fuller, who came to America in the Mayflower and was for years physician to the Plymouth colony, and also a deacon in the church. The descendants of this Pilgrim physician are very numerous and are scattered all through the United States, and many of the family have been prominent in state and national politics, being, as a rule, people of sound judgment and marked character.

The immediate branch of this family from which Edward P. Fuller descended may be traced as follows: Five brothers Fuller, of Rehoboth, Mass., settled in Lebanon, Conn., between the years 1720 and 1726 that is to say: Benjamin, in June, 1720; Amos, in March, 1721; Joshua, in November, 1722, and Ezekiel and Abiel, in September, 1726. The land purchased by Joshua and Abiel remained in their families for give generations, or more than 150 years, and their dwellings built in 1745 are still in good condition.

Joshua Fuller, the great-great-grandfather of Edward P. Fuller, was born May 15, 1701, in Rehoboth, Mass., purchased land in Lebanon, Conn., of his brother, Amos, November 5, 1722, first married Mercy Knapp, who died in 1732, and next married, December 25, 1734, Experience Steadman, who died November 8, 1783, The death of Joshua, however, had taken place March 23, 1771, he being the father of five children, viz: Joshua (great-grandfather of Edward P.), who was born September 21, 1725, and October 12, 1748, married Margaret Richardson; Samuel, born April 25, 1727; Mercy, born March 12, 1729; Abigail, born January 31, 1731, and Thomas, born February 18, 1732. Of these five, Joshua alone left offspring, and his grandchildren numbered fifty-eight, whose families are today to be found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, California, Wisconsin, and Canada.

In 1763, Joshua Fuller, great-grandfather of Edward P., moved from Lebanon, Conn., to West Stafford, in the same state, but later bought an adjoining farm in Monson, Mass., on which he died May 20, 1808, at the age of eighty-two years. His eleven children were named as follows: Bezeliel, who was born in Lebanon, Conn., January 10, 1750, first married Phebe Sprague, December 8, 1774, and next married Wealthy Carpenter, March 31, 1785; he continued his residence in Lebanon, inherited from his uncle, Capt. Samuel, the old homestead purchased by his grandfather, Joshua, in 1722, and there died January 6, 1825, the father of nine children-Eliza, Lucina, Ashel, James. Daniel, Chester, Thomas, Nancy and Philura. Joshua’s second child, Eleazer, born March 7, 1752, in Lebanon, married Rachel Bartlett, moved to Monson, Mass., and died on his farm September 3, 1819, the father of Esther, Polly, Achsah, Eleazer, Ashel, Gorham, Hiram A., Alvin, Samuel S., Rachel, and Ralph. The third child of Joshua, Sylvanus, born in Lebanon November 22, 1754, married Violata Townsend, resided for some time in Monson, and died in Ware, Mass., February 6, 1831, the father of Boadicia, John T., Sylvanus D., Joshua D., Elthena, Violata, Chancey, Eleanor and Hannah E. The fourth child, Thomas, was born in January, 1758, but died young. The fifth, Abigail, born in 1760, married Richard Gardner. The sixth, Samuel, was born March 17, 1762, in Lebanon, married Delia Cass, of Coventry, Conn., lived in New Marlboro, Mass., and died in May, 1792, the father of four children-Philo C. (father of Edward P., subject), Paulina, Ammi R. and Samuel. The seventh child, Joshua, was born in 1766 in Stafford, Conn., married Rebekah Strong September 25, 1792, lived on the old homestead in Monson and died April 17, 1836, the father of Lorenzo, Calvin, Laura, Joel, and Horatio N. The eighth child, John, was born in 1768, was a shoemaker, lived in Lenox and then Monson, married Deborah Strong, of Columbia, Conn., and died January 4, 1838, the father of seven children—Marcia, Orlando, Lucy, Lucina, Maria, George and Eldridge G. The ninth child, Elizabeth, was born in 1770, was married to Ichabod Post, and lived in Hinsdale, Mass. The tenth, Joel, was born in Monson January 8, 1772, married Esther Loomis, of Lebanon, was a blacksmith, and died December 5, 1799, the father of Sally and Joel. The eleventh child, Huldah, was born May 29, 1776, and was married to Daniel Edgerton.

Hon. Philo C. Fuller, father of Edward P. Fuller, was born in Berkshire county, Mass., and in 1817 married Sophia Nowlen, daughter of Capt. Nowlen, of New Marlboro, Mass., and this marriage was blessed with three children—Samuel L., born 1818; Edward Philo, and George Ami.

Edward Philo Fuller’s early days were passed in Geneseo, N. Y., where he attended the district school and later the Geneseo academy, on Temple Hill, his tutor here being Prof. Felton, afterward president of Harvard college. Among his classmates were Eben N. Hosford, later a professor at Harvard; Henry V. Colt, Charles Jones and Zimri H. Austin.  Mr. Fuller finished his education at the Canandaigua (N. Y.) academy at the age of seventeen years, and then engaged in a country store as clerk, but the occupation was distasteful to him and he continued in it but a few weeks. In 1836, his father was elected president of the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad company, whose road ran between Toledo, Ohio, and Adrian, Mich., and was the first in operation west of New York; he was also appointed cashier of the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad bank at Adrian, and therefore resigned his seat in congress, and removed with his family to Adrian, Edward P. accompanying him. Here the latter secured a position as clerk in a store, and later in a bank. He next became a partner in a commission house, and later in a flouring-mill, but in these he was only moderately successful. In 1845 he returned to Livingston county, N. Y., where he secured employment in the land office of Hon. Charles H. Carroll, who, with Lucius Lyon, was one of the early owners of the village of Kent, Mich.., now the most valuable part of the city of Grand Rapids.

In May, 1850, Mr. Fuller married Miss Cornelia Granger Carroll, eldest daughter of Charles H. Carroll (mentioned above) and from this date until 1862 lived at Graveland, Livingston county, where he engaged in cattle raising and other branches of farming and in the management of his own and his wife’s property. He reached considerable prominence at Groveland, being a practical business man and of a genial disposition, and served as a member of the board of supervisors in the years 1851, 1859, 1860, 1861 and 1862. In the last-named year he returned to Geneseo, where he resided until 1868.

The death of Charles H. Carroll, father-in-law of Mr. Fuller, involved the care of a large landed estate in Grand Rapids, Saginaw and other parts of Michigan, we well as the care of several hundred thousand dollars worth of property in Rochester, N. Y. In order to manage this vast estate, Mr. Fuller and his brother, Samuel L., came to Grand Rapids in 1868, opened a banking house under the firm name of E. P. & S. L. Fuller, and this style was maintained until 1875. In the meanwhile Edward P. Fuller erected several business blocks and residence in the city and was an important factor in the city’s growth and prosperity, and to this fact his widow and children can take just and commendable pride.

Personally Mr. Fuller was a man of few words, but was frank, outspoken and terse. He was unusually warm in his friendship, and for his early associates retained the fondest affection. He interested himself in the prosperity of all his friends, and their misfortune only tended to strengthen his friendship and call from him munificent assistance. He was passionately fond of his birth place, from which absence never weaned him, although he was strongly attached to Grand Rapids, the city of his adoption. As a man of business, he was methodical and foreseeing, and his success in life was not at all accidental, but the result of his sound judgment. His benevolence was an inherent part of his nature, but his charities, innumerable in themselves, were of that kind that never permitted "his left hand to know what his right hand" accomplished. As a husband, father, friend and neighbor, he was never excelled, but as all things must have an end, so did the life of this true philanthropist, who passed away June 19, 1886, having retired from business in 1875.

To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fuller were born three children, viz: Sophia, wife of E. P. Sweet; Philo C., a member of the firm of Rice & Fuller; and Charles Carroll, who died at the age of twelve and one half years.